Solomon, the tenth son of David and the second son he had by Bathsheba, became the third king of Israel in 970 B.C. He reigned for forty years. Though his path to the throne was marked by the murder of his political rivals (1 Kgs 2:25,34,46), Solomon's kingship was regarded as Israel's "Golden Age." It was a time of peace, prosperity, and great cultural achievements. The name "Solomon" in Hebrew means "peaceful." Only one military campaign is recorded during his time (2 Chr 8:3). The long period of peace during Solomon's reign caused great unity in Israel and loyalty to the throne. It also provided the time and wealth needed for Solomon's most important project, the construction of the Jerusalem temple. It was built from the materials generously provided by David (1 Chr 22) and, like the sacred tent before it, the temple symbolized God's continuing presence with his people.

Solomon acquired large amounts of tax money by controlling major trade routes that went through Israel (1 Kgs 9:26-28; 10:14,15). Even so, he was always in debt because of his many other building projects (1 Kgs 7:1-12). His financial problems forced him to give up territory (1 Kgs 9:11,12), to charge the people heavy taxes, and to make many people work on his projects without pay (1 Kgs 4:1-6). Unrest grew throughout his kingdom. While the taxes continued to be paid during his lifetime (1 Kgs 4:21), many places, such as the countries of Edom and Damascus, became increasingly independent (1 Kgs 11:14,23-25).

More important to the biblical writers was Solomon's spiritual failure, which they attributed in part to the influence of his many non-Israelite wives, who worshiped foreign gods (1 Kgs 11:1-9). God was prompted to say, "You did what you wanted and not what I told you to do. Now I'm going to take your kingdom from you and give it to one of your officials" (1 Kgs 11:11). When Solomon died, his son Reheboam became king. He could not keep the northern tribes from breaking away and forming their own nation. The descendants of David and Solomon continued to rule over the two southernmost tribes, which became known as the nation of Judah. By allowing one of Solomon's sons to rule from Jerusalem (1 Kgs 11:12,13, 34-36), God was keeping the promise he had made to Solomon's father David (2 Sam 7:5-16).