The Untold Truth Of King Solomon

Solomon was the son of King David of Israel, the one who killed Goliath and played a secret chord that pleased the Lord and all that. His mother was Bathsheba, a woman David had watched taking a bath, had to have, and then murdered her husband to cover up the adultery. The first child of this union had (quite unfairly, really) died for his parent's dirty sins. Their second child was born in wedlock and so prospered as a peace offering between David and God. That's why his name—Solomon—comes from the word shalom, meaning "peace." (He was also known by the name Jedediah, "friend of God.")

Somewhat ironically, then, Solomon's accession to the throne of Israel was anything but peaceful. The First Book of Kings records David's heir apparent, Adonijah, had basically usurped the throne from his elderly father and had the support of military leaders, but not the priests and prophets. The prophet Nathan and Bathsheba conspired to get David to name Solomon his heir. Nathan, Bathsheba, and Zadok the priest then staged a coup where they installed Solomon as the new king, which the nation riotously approves of. When Adonijah's guests and counsel hear the cheers, they flee, leaving Adonijah to beg for his life on the altar. Solomon, the new teen king, allows Adonijah his life on the condition that he swears to avoid wickedness.

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