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King Solomon's Writings

The books written by King Solomon are part of the Writings section of the Hebrew Bible.

Does the Bible describe King Solomon's royal administration?

"So King Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah ... scribes; Jehoshaphat ... the recorder" (1 Kings 4:1-3).

Again, the offices of scribe and recorder were ranked high in the king's administration. Like his father, David, King Solomon prized these men and their skills.

Did some of the books of the Bible eventually emerge from this great emphasis on writing?

"He [Solomon] spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five" (verse 32).

Only a few hundred of Solomon's proverbs are recorded in the book of Proverbs. Only one of his songs (appropriately known as the Song of Songs) is preserved for us in the Bible. So a great deal of evaluation of written material had to have taken place. Solomon's contributions to the Bible are accurately termed Wisdom Books.

Who is the real source of Solomon's wisdom?

"And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. . .For he was wiser than all men" (verses 29, 31).

"And all the kings of earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart" (2 Chronicles 9:23).

This is an important biblical fact and one we should never forget: God is the ultimate source of the books of the Bible, no matter the human beings He used to write them. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," wrote the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 3:16). The wisdom of Solomon came from the Creator God.

Which well-known book of the Bible did King Solomon write?

"The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel" (Proverbs 1:1).

"The proverbs of Solomon . . ." (Proverbs 10:1).

"These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied" (Proverbs 25:1).

The book of Proverbs commences with a brief introduction (Proverbs 1:1-7) followed by a long section extolling the merits of wisdom. Then chapter 10 begins the main body of Solomon's proverbs, some of which were later copied by King Hezekiah's scribes (Proverbs 25:1). The final two chapters are attributed to two other people, but Solomon is the principal author of the book.

These biblical proverbs are instructive sayings that often contrast right and wrong in one brief passage. These practical points of wisdom not only enrich our lives, but help us avoid trouble. In short, here we have a brief guidebook for successful living.

What book of biblical philosophy did Solomon write?

"The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1).

Here, in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon reflects on his life and experiences. He concludes that fearing God and keeping His commandments constitute "man's all" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). He observes that without God life has no real meaning—and that all too many people waste their lives pursuing things that will never truly satisfy them. He reminds us that God will eventually bring every human work into judgment (Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:14).