Solomon, son of David, was an incredibly wealthy and wise king, who reigned over Israel from 970 to 931 BC. He is credited as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem and is acknowledged as a prophet in both the Talmud and Quran. Solomon's wisdom was a gift from God. After performing a sacrifice unto God, Yahweh later appeared to him in a dream and asked Solomon what he wanted from him. Solomon asked for wisdom, and God personally answered Solomon's prayer and promised him great wisdom because his request was not self-serving but righteous. Though great in wealth, wisdom, and power beyond any of his predecessors, as a king he is renowned for his sins, including idolatry, marrying foreign women, and ultimately turning away from the God of Israel, Yahweh.
Solomon is the accepted author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon (The Song of Songs), and the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon. The Psalms and Odes of Solomon are pseudopigraphal and eshew his wisdom in essence. Collected together here, let us appreciate and absorb the ageless wisdom of one of history's wisest rulers.
This compilation is comprised of excerpts from the King James Version of the Old Testament, St. Jerome’s Vulgate and J. Rendel Harris’ Apocryphal Translations.
