The Reign of King Solomon, son of David, King of Israel
Recorded in 1 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Psalms, Song of Songs, Proverbs, & Ecclesiastes
Going back and forth between the books of the Kings and the Chronicles can be somewhat frustrating for those who want a true chronological ordering because the same stories are told with differing perspectives. This outline provides a close attempt to read the story of Solomon’s reign chronologically.
The reign of Solomon begins before David’s life (and the reign of King David) ends. 1 Chronicles does not address David’s sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, or the rebellion of his sons Absalom or Adonijah (these are covered in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings). Because of the rebellion of his son Adonijah, David has Solomon anointed as king before he dies, as covered in 1 Kings. This is only addressed briefly in 1 Chronicles 23:1: “when David reached old age, he made his son Solomon king over Israel”, not mentioning the rebellion of Adonijah. 1 Chronicles then ends with how David established the roles in his kingdom, his charge to Solomon and al the personnel of the kingdom, David giving the plan of temple (given to him by God) to Solomon, David and the people giving an offering for the temple, and Solomon’s second anointing as king, before David dies. 1 Kings then summarizes how Solomon dealt with all of David’s enemies, as his father had directed him, thus establishing his kingdom.
Shorter list of events, followed below by longer summary:
the rebellion of David’s son Adonijah resulting in Solomon being anointed king for the first time (1 Kings 1-2, Day 149)
David assigns the roles of the Levites in service to house of the Lord that Solomon was to build (1 Chronicles 23-25, Day 145)
enumeration of the assigned roles in David’s kingdom, charge to Solomon and all with duties in the kingdom, plan of temple given to Solomon, offering from King David and the people for the temple, Solomon anointed for the second time as ruler and Zadok as priest, death of David (1 Chronicles 26-29, Day 147)
the establishment of Solomon as king with retribution to David’s enemies, as David had directed (1 Kings 1-2, Day 149)
God grants Solomon’s request for wisdom (1 Kings 3-4/2 Chronicles 1, Day 151)
Solomon begins building the temple in the fourth year of his reign and it takes him seven years to build (1 Kings 5-6/2 Chronicles 2-3, Day 162)
Solomon finishes the work required for his house, the house of his wife (Pharoah’s daughter), and the temple (1 Kings 7/2 Chronicles 4, Day 163)
the temple is dedicated, Solomon prays, the glory of the Lord fills the temple, and God speaks to Solomon both promises and warnings (1 Kings 8/2 Chronicles 5-7, Day 164 & Day 165)
God’s promise and warning, summary of twenty years of work completed by Solomon (1 Kings 9/2 Chronicles 8, Day 167)
Solomon’s many foreign wives turn his heart away to other gods and God promises to tear ten tribes of Israel from the reign of his son, Rehoboam, giving them to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite (1 Kings 10-11/2 Chronicles 9, Day 172)
Longer summary:
1 Kings 1-2 (Day 149): the rebellion of Adonijah resulting in Solomon being anointed king for the first time
Abishag the Shunammite, a virgin, is chosen to attend to King David in his old age.
Presumably because he sees his father is frail, David’s fourth son Adonijah (his first and third sons are dead, and we don’t know any more about his second son Chileab [see 2 Samuel 3:2-5]) sees his opportunity to succeed David as king. Adonijah plots with Joab, commander of the army, and with Abiathar the priest, “But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.”
Adonijah holds a sacrifice outside of Jerusalem and invites “all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.”
Nathan the prophet speaks to Bathsheba, warning her that their lives are in danger and instructs her to go ask David if Adonijah being king is his will, when he had promised Solomon would be king. Nathan says he will come in to David while she is speaking to him and confirm her words.
After David learns what has happened regarding Adonijah from Bathsheba and Nathan, he calls “Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” He instructs them to put Solomon on his mule, take him to Gihon [a spring near Jerusalem] and have Zadok and Nathan anoint him there as king. They do so, and then blow the trumpet.
The people rejoice so loudly over Solomon being made king that Adonijah and his guests hear it. Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, tells Adonijah and his guests what has happened. They are terrified and flee.
Adonijah goes and takes hold of the horns of the altar. Solomon promises Adonijah he will not kill him if he is a worthy man and sends him to his own house.
David instructs Solomon regarding those who have betrayed him.
David dies and is buried, and Solomon’s kingdom is firmly established.
Adonijah asks Bathsheba to ask Solomon for Abishag as his wife. Solomon kills Adonijah for this request.
Solomon then deals with those who betrayed David: he dismisses Abiathar as priest, fulfilling the word of the Lord concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh; he has Joab killed and appoints Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place; he tells Shimei, who cursed David, that he can stay in Jerusalem but will have him killed if he leaves—three years later he leaves, to retrieve servants who had fled, and Solomon has him killed. “Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.”
1 Chronicles 23-25 (Day 145): David assigns the roles of the Levites in service to house of the Lord that Solomon was to build
when he is old, before he dies, David makes Solomon king
he gathers together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites; a census is taken of the Levites from 30 years old and upward; 38,000 men are divided into: 24,000 to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 officers and judges,4,000 gatekeepers, 4,000 to praise the LORD with instruments David made; they are divided into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari
David counts the Levites from 20 years old and upwards and revises their duties given that, “The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. Also, the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service”
at the time of David, descendants of Aaron’s sons Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests: Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar; there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the descendants of Eleazar and eight of the descendants of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ households; these families are divided by lot in order to assign their duties
in addition to the priests, the rest of the sons of Levi are also divided by lot to assign their duties
David also sets aside the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals
Psalms 131, 138-139, 143-145 (Day 146)
1 Chronicles 26-29 (Day 147): enumeration of the assigned roles in David’s kingdom, charge to Solomon and all with duties in the kingdom, plan of temple given to Solomon, offering from King David and the people for the temple, Solomon anointed as ruler and Zadok as priest, David dies
David had wanted to build a temple for God in Jerusalem, but God appointed that role to his son Solomon. Before he dies and before Solomon assumes the throne, David establishes roles for all who will serve in the temple and in the kingdom: gatekeepers, those who are in charge of the treasures of the house of the Lord, those who are in charge of outside duties as officers and judges both west and east of the Jordan, the officers of the divisions of the army, the princes (chief officers) for each tribe of Israel, and those in charge of the king’s storehouses, agricultural workers, vineyards, olive and sycamore trees, stores of oil, cattle, camels, donkeys, and flocks.
David assembles “at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, and the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and the mighty men, even all the valiant men” and he charges them all to support Solomon as king and builder of the temple.
David shares that God has chosen Solomon, and he beseeches Solomon to follow the Lord. He also shares the plans for the temple, its building, and its administration, that God has given him.
David donates for the temple, as do those who are gathered. They make sacrifices to the Lord, and feast with gladness. “[T]hey [make] Solomon the son of David king a second time, and they [anoint] him as ruler for the LORD and Zadok as priest.”
David dies “in a ripe old age, full of days, riches and honor; and his son Solomon reign[s] in his place.”
Psalms 127, 111-118 (Day 147 & Day 148)
1 Kings 3-4/2 Chronicles 1 (Day 151): God grants Solomon’s request for wisdom
Solomon forms a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and marries Pharaoh’s daughter
Though David had chosen the location for the temple, it had not been built, so people were still sacrificing on the high places. Solomon goes to Gibeon, established as the place of sacrifice under Samuel after the deaths of the priest Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas, to sacrifice. God appears to Solomon in a dream and tells him to ask for what he wishes. Solomon asks for wisdom. God is pleased with this request, grants it, and also grants him riches and honor. God also tells him, “If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.”
Solomon returns to Jerusalem and stands before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offers burnt offerings and makes peace offerings, and makes a feast for all his servants.
Two mothers appear before Solomon because one of their infants has died and they both claim the living infant, so Solomon tells them to divide the living one with a sword, revealing the mother as the one who did not want the infant killed, and revealing to all the people the wisdom God had given him.
“Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor. Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided for the king and his household; each man had to provide for a month in the year….Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing. Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life….Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men… his fame was known in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.”
Psalms 72 (Day 151)
Song of Songs (Day 153)
Proverbs 1-24 (Days 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, & 161)
1 Kings 5-6/2 Chronicles 2-3 (Day 162): Solomon begins building the temple
Solomon began building the temple in the fourth year of his reign and finished it seven years later.
He had cooperation from Hiram, king of Tyre, who had been a friend of his father David and who had sent word by his servants when Solomon was anointed. Solomon requested timber and Hiram requested food in return, so they made a covenant. Hiram sent “Huram-abi, a skilled man, endowed with understanding, the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men and with those of my lord David your father.”
“Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, following the census which his father David had taken; and 153,600 were found. He appointed 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 to quarry stones in the mountains and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work”
“Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon saying, ‘Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.’”
1 Kings 7/2 Chronicles 4 (Day 163): Solomon finishes both his house and the temple
Solomon took 13 years to build his own house.
He also built a house, like the hall of judgment within his own house, for his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter.
“[A]ll the work [Hiram or Huram-abi] performed for King Solomon in the house of the LORD [were] the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; and the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; and the pails and the shovels and the bowls.”
“Solomon made all the furniture which was in the house of the LORD: the golden altar and the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence; and the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers and the lamps and the tongs, of gold; and the cups and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, that is, of the nave, of gold. Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things dedicated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.”
1 Kings 8/2 Chronicles 5-7 (Day 164 & Day 165): the temple is dedicated, Solomon prays, the glory of the Lord fills the temple, and God speaks to Solomon both promises and warnings
“Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the city of David, which is Zion.”
The “priests took up the ark. They brought up the ark of the LORD and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up.”
The “priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim.”
“There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.”
“It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.”
Solomon addressed and blessed the people, and then prayed a prayer of dedication for the temple, finishing again with a blessing for the people: “may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no one else. Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”
They then offered peace, burnt, and grain offerings before the Lord, consecrating, in addition, “the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD…for the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.”
The people celebrated for fourteen days and then “they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.”
“Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, “You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel. But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, “Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?” And they will say, “Because they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.”’”
Psalms 134, 146-150 (Day 166)
1 Kings 9/2 Chronicles 8 (Day 167): repeat of God’s promise and warning, summary of twenty years of work completed by Solomon
“Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all that Solomon desired to do, that the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon…[see also 2 Chronicles 7:12-22, above, on Day 165)
“Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower Beth-horon and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, and all the storage cities which Solomon had, even the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and all that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule. As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, from them Solomon levied forced laborers, even to this day. But Solomon did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.”
“Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, ‘My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy where the ark of the LORD has entered.’”
“Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD which he had built before the porch; and did so according to the daily rule, offering them up according to the commandment of Moses, for the sabbaths, the new moons and the three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for David the man of God had so commanded. And they did not depart from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites in any manner or concerning the storehouses.” [see 1 Chronicles 23-29, Day 145 & Day 147]
“Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.”
“Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. And Huram by his servants sent him ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, and took from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought them to King Solomon.”
Proverbs 25-29 (Day 168 & Day 169)
Ecclesiastes (Day 170 & Day 171)
1 Kings 10-11/2 Chronicles 9 (Day 172): Solomon’s wives turn his heart away to other gods and God promises to tear ten tribes of Israel from the reign of his son
The “queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.” She brought him great treasure.
Solomon also continued to amass even more treasure, so “King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.”
“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, ‘You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.’ Solomon held fast to these in love. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. So the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
The Lord raises up three adversaries: Hadad the Edomite [his son Ben-Hadad eventually becomes king over Aram], Rezon the son of Eliada who reigned over Aram, and Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite and Solomon’s servant.
Ahijah the prophet spoke the word of the Lord to Jeroboam, “Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel)….Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.”
Solomon dies after 40 years of reign, and his son Rehoboam, under whom the kingdom is divided according to the word of the Lord, reigns in his place.