Antiquities of the Jews — Book 8, Chapter 7

1. About the same time there were brought to the king from the Aurea
Chersonesus, a country so called, precious stones, and pine trees, and
these trees he made use of for supporting the temple and the palace, as
also for the materials of musical instruments, the harps and the
psalteries, that the Levites might make use of them in their hymns to
God. The wood which was brought to him at this time was larger and finer
than any that had ever been brought before; but let no one imagine that
these pine trees were like those which are now so named, and which take
that their denomination from the merchants, who so call them, that they
may procure them to be admired by those that purchase them; for those we
speak of were to the sight like the wood of the fig tree, but were
whiter, and more shining. Now we have said thus much, that nobody may be
ignorant of the difference between these sorts of wood, nor unacquainted
with the nature of the genuine pine tree; and we thought it both a
seasonable and humane thing, when we mentioned it, and the uses the king
made of it, to explain this difference so far as we have done.

2. Now the weight of gold that was brought him was six hundred and
sixty-six talents, not including in that sum what was brought by the
merchants, nor what the toparchs and kings of Arabia gave him in
presents. He also cast two hundred targets of gold, each of them
weighing six hundred shekels. He also made three hundred shields, every
one weighing three pounds of gold, and he had them carried and put into
that house which was called The Forest of Lebanon. He also made cups of
gold, and of [precious] stones, for the entertainment of his guests, and
had them adorned in the most artificial manner; and he contrived that
all his other furniture of vessels should be of gold, for there was
nothing then to be sold or bought for silver; for the king had many
ships which lay upon the sea of Tarsus, these he commanded to carry out
all sorts of merchandise unto the remotest nations, by the sale of which
silver and gold were brought to the king, and a great quantity of ivory,
and Ethiopians, and apes; and they finished their voyage, going and
returning, in three years' time.

3. Accordingly there went a great fame all around the neighboring
countries, which proclaimed the virtue and wisdom of Solomon, insomuch
that all the kings every where were desirous to see him, as not giving
credit to what was reported, on account of its being almost incredible:
they also demonstrated the regard they had for him by the presents they
made him; for they sent him vessels of gold, and silver, and purple
garments, and many sorts of spices, and horses, and chariots, and as
many mules for his carriages as they could find proper to please the
king's eyes, by their strength and beauty. This addition that he made to
those chariots and horses which he had before from those that were sent
him, augmented the number of his chariots by above four hundred, for he
had a thousand before, and augmented the number of his horses by two
thousand, for he had twenty thousand before. These horses also were so
much exercised, in order to their making a fine appearance, and running
swiftly, that no others could, upon the comparison, appear either finer
or swifter; but they were at once the most beautiful of all others, and
their swiftness was incomparable also. Their riders also were a further
ornament to them, being, in the first place, young men in the most
delightful flower of their age, and being eminent for their largeness,
and far taller than other men. They had also very long heads of hair
hanging down, and were clothed in garments of Tyrian purple. They had
also dust of gold every day sprinkled on their hair, so that their heads
sparkled with the reflection of the sun-beams from the gold. The king
himself rode upon a chariot in the midst of these men, who were still in
armor, and had their bows fitted to them. He had on a white garment, and
used to take his progress out of the city in the morning. There was a
certain place about fifty furlongs distant from Jerusalem, which is
called Etham, very pleasant it is in fine gardens, and abounding in
rivulets of water; 18 thither did he use to go out in the morning,
sitting on high [in his chariot.]

4. Now Solomon had a divine sagacity in all things, and was very
diligent and studious to have things done after an elegant manner; so he
did not neglect the care of the ways, but he laid a causeway of black
stone along the roads that led to Jerusalem, which was the royal city,
both to render them easy for travelers, and to manifest the grandeur of
his riches and government. He also parted his chariots, and set them in
a regular order, that a certain number of them should be in every city,
still keeping a few about him; and those cities he called the cities of
his chariots. And the king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as
stones in the street; and so multiplied cedar trees in the plains of
Judea, which did not grow there before, that they were like the
multitude of common sycamore trees. He also ordained the Egyptian
merchants that brought him their merchandise to sell him a chariot, with
a pair of horses, for six hundred drachmae of silver, and he sent them
to the kings of Syria, and to those kings that were beyond Euphrates.

5. But although Solomon was become the most glorious of kings, and the
best beloved by God, and had exceeded in wisdom and riches those that
had been rulers of the Hebrews before him, yet did not he persevere in
this happy state till he died. Nay, he forsook the observation of the
laws of his fathers, and came to an end no way suitable to our foregoing
history of him. He grew mad in his love of women, and laid no restraint
on himself in his lusts; nor was he satisfied with the women of his
country alone, but he married many wives out of foreign nations;
Sidontans, and Tyrians, and Ammonites, and Edomites; and he transgressed
the laws of Moses, which forbade Jews to marry any but those that were
of their own people. He also began to worship their gods, which he did
in order to the gratification of his wives, and out of his affection for
them. This very thing our legislator suspected, and so admonished us
beforehand, that we should not marry women of other countries, lest we
should be entangled with foreign customs, and apostatize from our own;
lest we should leave off to honor our own God, and should worship their
gods. But Solomon was Gllen headlong into unreasonable pleasures, and
regarded not those admonitions; for when he had married seven hundred
wives, 19 the daughters of princes and of eminent persons, and three
hundred concubines, and those besides the king of Egypt's daughter, he
soon was governed by them, till he came to imitate their practices. He
was forced to give them this demonstration of his kindness and affection
to them, to live according to the laws of their countries. And as he
grew into years, and his reason became weaker by length of time, it was
not sufficient to recall to his mind the institutions of his own
country; so he still more and more contemned his own God, and continued
to regard the gods that his marriages had introduced nay, before this
happened, he sinned, and fell into an error about the observation of the
laws, when he made the images of brazen oxen that supported the brazen
sea, 20 and the images of lions about his own throne; for these he made,
although it was not agreeable to piety so to do; and this he did,
notwithstanding that he had his father as a most excellent and domestic
pattern of virtue, and knew what a glorious character he had left behind
him, because of his piety towards God. Nor did he imitate David,
although God had twice appeared to him in his sleep, and exhorted him to
imitate his father. So he died ingloriously. There came therefore a
prophet to him, who was sent by God, and told him that his wicked
actions were not concealed from God; and threatened him that he should
not long rejoice in what he had done; that, indeed, the kingdom should
not be taken from him while he was alive, because God had promised to
his father David that he would make him his successor, but that he would
take care that this should befall his son when he was dead; not that he
would withdraw all the people from him, but that he would give ten
tribes to a servant of his, and leave only two tribes to David's
grandson for his sake, because he loved God, and for the sake of the
city of Jerusalem, wherein he should have a temple.

6. When Solomon heard this he was grieved, and greatly confounded, upon
this change of almost all that happiness which had made him to be
admired, into so bad a state; nor had there much time passed after the
prophet had foretold what was coming before God raised up an enemy
against him, whose name was Ader, who took the following occasion of his
enmity to him. He was a child of the stock of the Edomites, and of the
blood royal; and when Joab, the captain of David's host, laid waste the
land of Edom, and destroyed all that were men grown, and able to bear
arms, for six months' time, this Hadad fled away, and came to Pharaoh
the king of Egypt, who received him kindly, and assigned him a house to
dwell in, and a country to supply him with food; and when he was grown
up he loved him exceedingly, insomuch that he gave him his wife's
sister, whose name was Tahpenes, to wife, by whom he had a son; who was
brought up with the king's children. When Hadad heard in Egypt that both
David and Joab were dead, he came to Pharaoh, and desired that he would
permit him to go to his own country; upon which the king asked what it
was that he wanted, and what hardship he had met with, that he was so
desirous to leave him. And when he was often troublesome to him, and
entreated him to dismiss him, he did not then do it; but at the time
when Solomon's affairs began to grow worse, on account of his
forementioned transgressions 21 and God's anger against him for the
same, Hadad, by Pharaoh's permission, came to Edom; and when he was not
able to make the people forsake Solomon, for it was kept under by many
garrisons, and an innovation was not to be made with safety, he removed
thence, and came into Syria; there he lighted upon one Rezon, who had
run away from Hadadezer, king of Zobah, his master, and was become a
robber in that country, and joined friendship with him, who had already
a band of robbers about him. So he went up, and seized upon that part of
Syria, and was made king thereof. He also made incursions into the land
of Israel, and did it no small mischief, and spoiled it, and that in the
lifetime of Solomon. And this was the calamity which the Hebrews
suffered by Hadad.

7. There was also one of Solomon's own nation that made an attempt
against him, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had an expectation of
rising, from a prophecy that had been made to him long before. He was
left a child by his father, and brought up by his mother; and when
Solomon saw that he was of an active and bold disposition, he made him
the curator of the walls which he built round about Jerusalem; and he
took such care of those works, that the king approved of his behavior,
and gave him, as a reward for the same, the charge of the tribe of
Joseph. And when about that time Jeroboam was once going out of
Jerusalem, a prophet of the city Shilo, whose name was Ahijah, met him
and saluted him; and when he had taken him a little aside to a place out
of the way, where there was not one other person present, he rent the
garment he had on into twelve pieces, and bid Jeroboam take ten of them;
and told him beforehand, that "this is the will of God; he will part the
dominion of Solomon, and give one tribe, with that which is next it, to
his son, because of the promise made to David for his succession, and
will have ten tribes to thee, because Solomon hath sinned against him,
and delivered up himself to women, and to their gods. Seeing therefore
thou knowest the cause for which God hath changed his mind, and is
alienated from Solomon, be thou...."

8. So Jeroboam was elevated by these words of the prophet; and being a
young man, 22 of a warm temper, and ambitious of greatness, he could not
be quiet; and when he had so great a charge in the government, and
called to mind what had been revealed to him by Ahijah, he endeavored to
persuade the people to forsake Solomon, to make a disturbance, and to
bring the government over to himself. But when Solomon understood his
intention and treachery, he sought to catch him and kill him; but
Jeroboam was informed of it beforehand, and fled to Shishak, the king of
Egypt, and there abode till the death of Solomon; by which means he
gained these two advantages to suffer no harm from Solomon, and to be
preserved for the kingdom. So Solomon died when he was already an old
man, having reigned eighty years, and lived ninety-four. He was buried
in Jerusalem, having been superior to all other kings in happiness, and
riches, and wisdom, excepting that when he was growing into years he was
deluded by women, and transgressed the law; concerning which
transgressions, and the miseries which befell the Hebrews thereby, I
think proper to discourse at another opportunity.