Verses 29-34
Solomon’s Great Reputation For Wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34 ).
As the picture of Solomon’s magnificence grows we now learn more about the wisdom that YHWH gave him. It included wisdom which was revealed both in wise sayings, and in his careful consideration of natural things. He himself learned lessons from the wise, and expanded on them, and discovered important lessons from nature. (It was not, of course, scientific enquiry. It was in order to learn lessons from nature). He may well have generally encouraged the study of ‘wisdom’ in his court, and it could therefore well be that these wise men whose names are given here visited his court and admitted him to be their superior. We can compare with their ‘sudden appearance’ the sudden appearance of ‘wise women’ (although having ‘wisdom’ of a somewhat different kind) who appeared now and again during the life of David (2 Samuel 14:2; 2 Samuel 20:16 and note 1 Kings 20:18 where Abel is noted for its wise people). We know of them simply because the political history required it. Otherwise we would have known nothing of them.
“Wisdom” in a number of forms was, however, a major and continual preoccupation in the Ancient Near East, and wisdom literature (dealing, for example, with the question of how to live successfully) was found in many countries over many centuries. Consider for example: the Egyptians Hardjedef and Ptah-hotep and the Old-Sumerian Shuruppak (third millennium BC); the Egyptian (Dua)Khety, ‘Sehetepibre’, ‘Man to his Son’, and Amenemhat I, plus classical Sumerian and Akkadian versions of Shuruppak (all early second millennium); the Egyptians Aniy, High Priest Amenemhat, Amenemope, Amennakht, the Akkadian Counsels of Wisdom, and Shube-awilim (late second millennium); the Egyptian Amenothes and Ankh-sheshongy and the Levantine/Mesopotamian (Aramaic) Ahiqar (first millennium BC). Solomon was thus in good and notable company, and there is no good reason (apart from prejudice) for denying that he could participate with the best of them. He was seen as responsible for a large part of the book of Proverbs, and it is noteworthy that the section of Proverbs (1-24) which is directly associated with him follows a similar ‘form’ to other ancient wisdom writers, namely commencement with a formal title, followed by a prologue which was very often devoted to exhortations, a later sub-title, and then the main body of the work. This format is well attested at all periods in the biblical world. Consider such examples as the Egyptian Ptahhotep and Old-Sumerian Shuruppak (third millennium BC); the Egyptian (Dua)Khety, ‘Sehetepibre’, Man to his Son, and Amenemhat I, plus classical Sumerian and Akkadian versions of Shuruppak (all early second millennium); Egyptian Aniy, High Priest Amenemhat, Amenemope, Amennakht, and the Akkadian Counsels of Wisdom (late second millennium); Egyptian Ankh-sheshongy and Levantine/Mesopotamian (Aramaic) Ahiqar (first millennium BC).
Analysis.
a And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart (mind, thought), even as the sand that is on the seashore, and Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt (1 Kings 4:29-30).
b For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the nations round about (1 Kings 4:31).
c And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five (1 Kings 4:32).
b And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop which springs out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes (1 Kings 4:33).
a And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom (1 Kings 4:34).
Note that in ‘a’ Solomon excelled all his contemporaries in wisdom, and in the parallel all the world came to hear his wisdom. In ‘b’ those above whom he excelled are listed, and in the parallel the subjects in which he excelled. Centrally in ‘c’ we are given details of his specific productivity.
‘ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart (mind, thought), even as the sand that is on the seashore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.’
Solomon’s wide breadth of knowledge impressed his contemporaries. He was a man of large mental vision (the heart was seen as the source of mind and thought), and knew so much that it could be compared with the sand on the seashore, so much so that he excelled over all the wisdom of either Arabia (compare Judges 6:3; Judges 6:33; Judges 7:12; Judges 8:10; Job 1:3; Isaiah 11:14 etc.), or Mesopotamia (compare ‘the one from the east’ in Isaiah 41:2: ‘the land of the people of the east’ in Genesis 29:1) and Egypt. The point is not, of course, that there was a scholarly examination of all wisdom literature from all ages, with points being awarded accordingly. It was rather expressing the feeling and sense that men had in his day about his wisdom. (We usually see someone from our own generation as ‘the best ever’ even though the judgment cannot really be seen as reliable. How do you measure ‘the best’ when you have no real acquaintance with people of the past?).
‘ For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the nations round about.’
His wisdom exceeded that of all contemporary figures known to people in Palestine, and an indication of the finest of such is given. We do not know anything about these people but that is more due to our ignorance than their lack of substance (see, however, the headings to Psalms 88, 89 and 1 Chronicles 2:6). Had we lived in that day we would undoubtedly have had no problem in recognising their names and their status. They were the leading scholars of their day. Thus his fame was acknowledged in all nations round about.
In 1 Chronicles 2:6, assuming the people there to be identical, they are called ‘the sons of Zerach’ (Ezrachites), but that is because Zerach was their tribal ancestor not because he was their father. In that case they would have been selected for mention in the genealogy precisely because of their fame. Some see ‘the sons of Mahol’ (literally ‘sons of dancing’) as signifying Tabernacle/Temple professional singers and worshippers, but in view of the context here in Kings that is very questionable, although the headings in the Psalms do indicate that, like Solomon, they composed ‘songs’.
‘ And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five.’
He was especially famed for his proverbs (some of which we can find in Proverbs) and his songs. We would in fact have expected a son of David to be musical so that the number of songs is not difficult to understand. But, unlike David’s, they were not preserved, possibly because of their content (or lack of it). See, however, Psalms 72:0; Psalms 127:0. ’Three thousand’ indicates simply a large and complete collection (three for completeness, a thousand for a large number). A thousand and five is probably the equivalent of our ‘a thousand and one things to do’, indicating not so many songs as proverbs.
‘ And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop which springs out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes.’
Had we known of Ethan, Heman and the others it is quite probable that we would have discovered that they ranged over these subjects too. But they seemingly had to give best to Solomon. The descriptions are intended to cover the whole range of nature. For the use of cedars of Lebanon in this way compare the use in Psalms 92:12; Psalms 104:16. But the emphasis in this particular case is not so much specifically on the cedars as on indicating ‘from the largest and most important (the cedars of Lebanon) to the smallest and most insignificant’ (the local hyssop that abounds in walls) of vegetation in nature. He also covered all aspects of living creatures. Note, for examples of this, Proverbs 6:5-8; Proverbs 7:22; Proverbs 14:4; Proverbs 20:2; Proverbs 23:31-32; Proverbs 26:2-3; Proverbs 26:11; Proverbs 26:17; Proverbs 27:8; Proverbs 27:26-27; Proverbs 28:15. Beasts, birds, creeping things and fishes cover the whole sphere of such living creatures (Genesis 1:26).
‘ And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.’
And the result was that visitors from far and near came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. It was a new interest, and a bright light, that had appeared in an all too mundane world. And it was from God.
It is not given to all of us to have the wisdom of Solomon. But even Solomon’s wisdom depended on him applying his mind to what was about him. It is therefore given to us also to ‘study to show ourselves approved to God, workmen who do not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15). The sad thing about Solomon’s wisdom was that it became so diverse that he lost sight of the fact that ‘the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil, that is understanding’ (Job 28:28). We must beware lest the same happen to us.
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