Isaac Kalimi, «King Solomon: His Birth and Names in the Second Temple Period Literature», Vol. 93 (2012) 481-499
In Chronicles Solomon is represented as one who was born under normal circumstances. He appears in the center of David’s nineteen descendants, and as the youngest of Bathsheba’s four sons, but still gained the kingship. The name «Solomon» was given to the child by God prior to his birth and He elected him as king. The root of the name was interpreted twice, but there is no mention of «Yedidyah». The allusions to or ignorance of the name «Yedidyah» in Psalms, Nehemiah, Chronicles, and Josephus, as well as the question if «Qoheleth» is Solomon’s third name, are also discussed.
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KING SOLOMON
Samuel. Accordingly, it is mistaken to deduce any historical conclusion
from the text of 1 Chr 3,5c, given the well-known literary motif
“youngest-son-rises-to-powerâ€, the literary formulation of the earlier
text from Samuel in numerical structure of “three–fourâ€, and the hon-
ored spot “tenâ€, which is itself a typological number (compare, for ex-
ample, Gen 31,7.41; Lev 26,26; Num 14,22; Job 19,3; Dan 1,20) 32.
II. The Names of Solomon in the Second Temple Period Literature
1. The Meanings of “Shelomoh†in Chronicles
While according to the Deuteronomistic history Bathsheba’s son
received two names – Shelomoh and Yedidyah (2 Sam 12,24-25),
in the Chronistic history the child was presented only with the one
name Shelomoh. This name was given to him neither by David nor
by Bathsheba (2 Sam 12,24) 33, but rather by the Lord himself, even
before his birth:
…rwmal hwhy rbd yl[ yhyw
bybsm wybywa-lkm wl ytwxnhw hxwnm vya hyhy awh $l dlwn !b hnh
.wymyb larfy-l[ !ta jqvw ~wlvw wmv hyhy hmlv yk
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying … Behold, a son shall
be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest
from all his enemies around; for his name shall be Shelomoh, and I
will give shalom (= peace) and quiet to Israel in his days (1 Chr 22,8-
9; an “additionâ€) 34.
It seems that although the name Shelomoh is not mentioned (or
even alluded to) in the Nathan prophecy (1 Chronicles 17 // 2
On this issue see in more detail, KALIMI, Reshaping of Ancient Israelite
32
History, 363-364, with references to scholars who load this text with historical
credibility (e.g., S. Yeivin).
On this matter, see the discussion by KALIMI, “Solomon’s Birth Story
33
within Its Biblical-Historical Settingâ€.
In his commentary on 2 Sam 12,24 David Kimchi states that the Lord
34
― rather than David ― called his name “Solomonâ€. Thus he harmonizes the
contradictory texts of Samuel and Chronicles.
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