How are King David and Solomon remembered?

Answer 1

King Solomon was the ancient ruler of Israel. It was located between Egypt and Mesopotamia so it was constantly threatened by invaders. Under David and Solomon, it flourished.

King David: he was a skilled general and united Israel, making it strong.

KING SOLOMON: he was his son and was wise. He had a peaceful reign.

He turned Jerusalem into a magnificent city. He TAXED THE PEOPLE HEAVILY TO PAY FOR THE CITY COSTS AND REVOLTS STARTED AFTER HIS DEATH IN 930 BC. Israel was conquered and its people dispersed. Persians allowed the Hebrews to return in 500 BC. however, they were ruled by foreign after foreign ruler.

AD 70: Jews revolted. After a savage war, they were forced out of Palestine. His scattering is called the diaspora.

Answer 2

A:The defining legend of Solomon was his great wisdom, gifted to him by God. If there really was a King Solomon, The Bible says that he was the wisest of kings. However, finding specific biblical examples of his wisdom proves difficult.

Solomon was certainly not wise when he first succeeded David. At 1Kings 1:52, he said that he would not harm Adonijah as long as he showed himself a worthy man. However, in chapter 2, he ordered the death of Adonijah merely because he sought Solomon's approval to marry a woman. He punished the priest Abiathar, who had previously helped Adonijah, and Joab who did not, although he later befriended him. Then he ordered Shimei, who had not been allied with Adonijah, never to leave Jerusalem. Afterwards, Shimei briefly left Jerusalem to recapture and bring back his slaves, so Solomon had him killed. Solomon has demonstrated his lack of good judgement, as a foil for the qualities he would soon display.

Shortly after this, Solomon, in a dream, asked God for wisdom. Soon after God granted Solomon wisdom, two women asked for judgement over the ownership of a small baby. In this episode, Solomon gave his most famous judgement, the only biblical example of his great wisdom. Solomon, with his profound wisdom, just knew that only one woman would be willing to give up her claim to the child rather than have it killed. Whether the insight this passage describes was really wise can be a matter for our own judgement.

According to the Bible, Solomon demonstrated no political wisdom, nor even sufficient common sense to govern wisely in the interests of his own son's succession to the throne of the United Monarchy. The Bible tells us that Solomon's reckless spending and swingeing taxes, maintained by his son, were the cause of the breakup of the United Monarchy. In spite of his supposedly personal knowledge of God, 1 Kings chapter 11 says that he unwisely began to worship other gods.

The biblical evidence shows Solomon not to have been a wise ruler, either before or after the gift of wisdom, but Jewish tradition has built up an image of Solomon as a great and wise ruler. Psalms that show any evidence of wisdom have been attributed to him, as have the wisdom books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The Jewish people needed a glorious past, with both great and wise rulers. Solomon became part of that past. So, although not actually a wise ruler on the biblical evidence, he is remembered as a wise ruler in tradition.

Answer 3

1) King David authored/compiled the book of Psalms (Talmud, Bava Batra 14b).
2) King David subdued all of the surrounding nations.
3) He secured from the prophet Nathan a promise from God that his (David's) son Solomon would build the Holy Temple.
4) He set the blueprints, with Divine inspiration, for the Holy Temple.
5) He amassed vast amounts of material for the construction of the Temple (1 Chronicles ch.29).
6) Together with Samuel, he instituted the 24 groupings of families of Kohanim and Levites (Talmud, Taanit 27a).
7) He served God all the days of his life (1 Kings 11:38); and God was with him (1 Samuel 16:18).
8) King David serves as the archetype of the effectiveness of repentance (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 4b).

Answer 4

• Jews recite the works of Kings David and Solomon (Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes) on certain occasions as part of yearly synagogue prayer-cycles.
  
• The narratives in the Books of Samuel and Kings are studied along with the rest of the Hebrew Bible and other works.
  
• David and Solomon are mentioned in the prayers. For example, one of the Mi shebeirach prayers (rendered here in English) begins "May He who blessed our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon...."
  

Answer 5

• 1) King David authored/compiled the book of Psalms and gave it to us in its present form (Talmud, Bava Batra 14b). The Psalms (Tehillim), which we might call the soul of the Jewish people, express the yearning of King David and of the entire nation to be close to God. They are one of the foundations of our prayerbook to this day.

Link: Source of the Psalms

• 2) King David was the one who finally succeeded in subduing all of the surrounding nations (see 2 Samuel ch.8 and ch.10) plus the entire territory of Israel, something which no one else did previously or subsequently. He succeeded in all his endeavors (1 Samuel 16:18).
• 3) He secured from the prophet Nathan a promise from God that his (David's) son Solomon would build the Holy Temple (2 Samuel ch.7). The First Temple is actually considered the accomplishment of David himself (Rashi commentary, Berakhot 18a), since it existed in his merit ("Torat Chaim," commenting on Talmud, Shabbat 30a).
• 4) He set the blueprints, with Divine inspiration, for the Holy Temple (1 Chronicles 28:19). Together with the prophet Samuel, he located the spot where the Temple would be built (Talmud, Zevachim 54b); and he dug the foundations for the Temple (Talmud, Sukkah 53a).
• 5) He amassed vast amounts of material and precious metals for the construction of the Temple (1 Chronicles ch.29).
• 6) Together with Samuel, he instituted the 24 groupings of families of Kohanim and Levites (Talmud, Taanit 27a).
• 7) He served God all the days of his life (1 Kings 11:38); and God was with him (1 Samuel 16:18).
• 8) He was without peer in clarifying and applying the halakhot (laws) of the Oral Tradition (Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b).
• 9) King David serves as the archetype of the effectiveness of repentance (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 4b).

See also the Related Links.

Link: Why didn't David kill Saul?

Link: About the Psalms

Link: More about the Hebrew Bible

Answer 6

King david is known for slaying Goliath, and starting to build the temple, that Solomon built, he is also known for committing adultery with Bathsheba, after killing her husband in war.