Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 4
As we saw in chapter 3, Solomon’s wisdom was God’s gift to him. That wisdom was not only intelligence and knowledge - although Solomon had both of these.
It was the skill to understand matters correctly, and also the practical skill to deal with them. Solomon was able to solve problems that even the wisest people had considered impossible. He understood clearly even the most difficult situations. He was constantly studying - but he still made time available to teach everyone who came to him.
Of course, in other countries too, some people were famous for their wisdom (for example, Jeremiah 49:7). Egypt was famous for the wisdom that a person could learn there (Acts 7:22). However, Solomon’s wisdom caused the rulers of many countries to turn their attention to Israel (4:34).
Solomon was not the only wise man in Israel. Ethan and Herman, who wrote Psalms 88 and 89, were among the men famous for their great wisdom. 1 Chronicles 2:6 has a similar list of names, but it seems to refer to an earlier family in Israel’s history.
Solomon was eager to teach other people. He had great knowledge of all kinds of plants and animals. His knowledge of plants would have included their use in medicine.
Solomon made great collections of proverbs (statements of wisdom; wise words) and of songs. Many of those, he wrote himself as the author. The Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are in the Bible; so are the Song of Solomon and Psalms 72 and 127. These probably came from those great collections.
Next part: Solomon writes to Hiram about his plans to build the temple (1 Kings 5:1-6)
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