Not a subscriber yet?

Join the weekly mybibleschool newsletter to get better at studying the Bible. It's completely free.

1 Kings 4:29-34 | Bible Study

The Wisest King Who Ever Lived

Solomon's Wisdom

Some passages in 1 Kings 1-11 mix positive and negative statements about Solomon. (Check out these passages.)

1 Kings 4:29-34 is not one of those passages.

The whole passage describes Solomon as the wisest king who ever lived.

Let's see what happens, however, when we study the passage in greater depth.

Get the Passage of the Week

This weekly blog post encourages you to study the Bible one passage at a time. I send out emails on Mondays and Fridays with guided studies.

1 Kings 4:29-34 (my translation)

29 God gave wisdom to Solomon and exceedingly abundant understanding and breath of heart like the sand which is on the sea shore. 30 So Solomon’s wisdom grew larger than the wisdom of all the sons of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 And he was wiser than all of humanity—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman and Calcol and Darda, children of Machol. And his name was famous in all the surrounding nations. 32 Now Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 And he spoke concerning the trees from cedars which are in Lebanon and the hyssop which grows against the wall. And spoke concerning the beast and concerning the birds and the creatures that creep on the ground and concerning the fish. 34 Now they came from all the people to hear the wisdom of Solomon from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom.

Solomon's Wisdom and Other Parts of Scripture

The picture of Solomon in this passage calls to mind other parts of scripture.

Genesis 22:17 (NRSV) I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies,

By associating Solomon’s wisdom with God’s covenant promise to Abraham, the author of 1 Kings wants us to see Solomon’s wisdom as consistent with God’s promise for the people. Solomon’s wise reign is a part of God’s faithfulness to Israel.

1 Kings 4:33 And he spoke concerning the trees from cedars which are in Lebanon and the hyssop which grows against the wall. And spoke concerning the beast and concerning the birds and the creatures that creep on the ground and concerning the fish.

Genesis 1:20-21, 24 And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so.

The author also wants us to associate Solomon’s wisdom with creation. Solomon understood God’s creation better than anyone who ever lived according to this passage.

The Picture of Solomon

This passage is overwhelmingly positive about Solomon. His wisdom made him internationally famous. If we think back to earlier passages in the book, Solomon’s status has skyrocketed. At first, he told God he was just a young boy who did not know how to “go out” or “come in” (1 Kings 3:7). After he exercised his God-given wisdom, the whole nation was in awe of him (1 Kings 3:28).

Solomon in Context

Read in isolation, there is nothing negative about Solomon in this passage. However, rereading this story in light of the whole book of Kings, we get a very different sense. Solomon’s international renown is a highwater mark. The Davidic monarchy will not be internationally famous by the end of 2 Kings. Instead, it will look like Jehoiachin getting an allowance from the king of Babylon (2 Kings 25:29-30.

Summary

When things are good, they are really good. This passage describes Solomon as an ideal king for the people. His wise rule is a part of God’s covenant plan for the people. He is intimately knowledgeable about every aspect of God’s creation. As a result, the nations flow into Israel. They marvel at this God-inspired ruler.

Sadly, we know the rest of the story. Solomon’s wisdom becomes tragic irony and a critical warning to us all. Even godly wisdom does not trump ungodly character. Solomon had it all, but he threw it away because his heart did not follow God fully.

This quote from Lissa Wray Beal is so good I wanted to quote it in length:

“It seems impossible, knowing the canonical story of Solomon in Kings not to read 1 Kgs 4 without acknowledging the sad ending of the story. But it is the failure of this king that serves as a reminder that no earthly king can rule with perfect wisdom, justice and power. These kings are imperfect regents, but their failure and all the pain it engenders for God’s people is a reminder that only God can rule the kingdom for which we long.

The NT proclaims that this King has indeed come – humbly, and without any of the grandeur of Solomon’s court. But, hidden as his royalty was, it did save, reveal wisdom and speak justice. His future return will inaugur ate the kingdom hoped for in Solomon, longed for in the psalter and awaited through the chequered years of history” (Lissa M. Wray Beal, 1 & 2 Kings, [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014], 101).

Recommended Resources

This blog post is a part of the Passage of the Week. Join the email list to get guided study notes sent to your inbox every Monday and Friday.

Check out the notes for this passage here and here.

Here are a couple of commentaries you might find helpful on the book of Kings.

Wray Beal, Lissa M. 1 & 2 Kings. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014.

Leithart, Peter J. 1 & 2 Kings. Grand Rapids, Mich: Brazos Press, 2006.

***Some of the links in this post are affiliate links with Amazon. This just means that if you purchase something through that link, Amazon will pay me a small portion of the purchase price. It's a way to help support mybibleschool.***