Proverbs of King Solomon. The Parable of King Solomon's Ring

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

King Solomon is a ruler known for his wisdom and ability to make wise and correct decisions in situations that seem intractable. The parables of King Solomon are studied in schools, the monarch's quotes are used as parting words, and the life experience of this person is set as an example to those who have gone astray. This ruler was destined by fate to become what he became. After all, his very name Shlomo (Solomon) is translated from Hebrew as “peacemaker” and “perfect”.

Ascension to the throne

Solomon was the youngest, fourth son of King David and his wife Bathsheba. His two older brothers, Amnon and Avshalom, died while still very young. The eldest was now the third son, whose name was Adonijah. The laws of those times required that it was he who occupied the throne of the king, but David swore to his wife that only Solomon would be his successor, and only hehe will transfer the right to lead the entire Israeli state. Adonijah's father's decision caused grief, so he enlisted the support of those who considered him a more suitable heir. These persons were the commander of Yoav and the high priest of Eviatar. Those who took the side of Solomon expressed the opinion that Adonijah was not the firstborn offspring of David, and therefore the monarch could judge the children as he saw fit.

Even during the life of David, Solomon and Adonijah began a struggle for the right to rule. Adonijah wanted to win over the people with a truly royal feast. He surrounded himself with a large number of horsemen, started many walkers and chariots. Adonijah set the day when he would proclaim himself the new ruler of Israel. At the appointed time, he gathered all his close associates and, in honor of the holiday, arranged a stormy celebration in the vicinity of the city. Bathsheba became aware of this event and, turning to the prophet Nathan, she was able to convince her husband to immediately appoint Solomon as head of the country. Near the source of Gihon, in the presence of the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan and a detachment of bodyguards, the clergyman blessed Solomon for the kingdom. All those who, at least out of the corner of their ears, heard about the perfect rite, recognized the newly-made monarch as their ruler.

Adonius became aware of what had happened. He was afraid of his brother's wrath and fled to the sanctuary. Solomon promised him his pardon in exchange for decent behavior. This is told in the parables of King Solomon, which have come down to our days.

Saint Tatevatsi and hisinterpretation

Grigor Tatevatsi (XIV-XV centuries) - a great philosopher, church leader, teacher and theologian from Armenia. He left an extraordinary mark in the history of literature and science of the Middle Ages. It was he who wrote a work called "The Interpretation of the Proverbs of Solomon." The work was of small volume, therefore, like other treatises of this category, it was not awarded the attention of publishers and textual critics. And this is due to the fact that in his manuscripts the philosopher commented on different parts of the Bible, revealing his own economic, ethical, pedagogical and socio-political views.

We can safely say that the parables of King Solomon, the interpretation of which was undertaken by Tatevatsi, are worthy of being published and given a scientific assessment. "The Interpretation of the Parables of Solomon" is a book that belongs to the number of moralizing works written by Tatevatsi. They are addressed to those who study biblical texts in great detail. Commenting on the parables of the king, Grigor in some places also refers to his own views of an ethical nature. He also interprets religious morality in his own way, which the legendary king expresses in parables. Explaining the meaning of the parables, Tetevatsi reinforces each of his remarks with a large number of references and quotations to other books of Holy Scripture.

The most famous ring in the world

The parables of King Solomon number about three thousand writings, which made up 31 sections of the Book of Solomon's parables. Royal tales are parting words to a young lady on how to live correctly inworld.

One of the most famous parables is the parable of King Solomon's ring. She tells how Solomon turned to his court sage with a request to help him cope with his feelings. The son of David was reputed to be a wise man, but his life was restless, he often succumbed to passions that upset him incredibly. To this, the sage replied that he was giving the ruler a ring with an engraved inscription: “It will pass!” He said that as soon as Solomon felt joy or disappointment, he should look at the decoration and read the engraving, which would sober up the ruler. It is in her that he must find salvation from oppressive experiences.

Thanks to the sage, Solomon found peace. But once the king became angry like never before, and even the inscription on the ring did not help him. He took off the jewelry and wanted to throw it away, but on the inside he found the following phrase: “This too shall pass!”

An old song with a modern twist

The parable of King Solomon “Everything will pass” was highly appreciated not only by our ancestors, but also by our contemporaries. So, on its basis, the latter composed their own, so to speak, wisdom: one person turned to a psychologist to help him. After all, he lost his job, there is practically no money to exist, his wife left, and all his friends turned away. The doctor told the man to spread out in all rooms, in all prominent places, a piece of paper with the inscription: "Everything will pass." After some time, the man again came to the doctor and said that everything was fine: he found a great job, reconciled with his wife, foundnew friends. He asked the doctor if the notes could be thrown away, but the doctor replied: “Why? Let them lie still.”

Great Wisdom

Israel spoke of the great wisdom of King Solomon after he judged two women. The parable of King Solomon about the child proved that this ruler is indeed a perspicacious ruler and judge. The essence of the legend is that two mothers appeared before the monarch. Both gave birth to sons on the same day, but one of them had a boy who died. Each claimed that the living child was her baby. Then Solomon ordered to bring a sword and cut the crumb in half, so that one and the other woman would get half of the child. One mother shouted in horror not to do this, but to give the child alive to her opponent. The other, on the contrary, agreed to such a decision, they say, let neither her nor me get it. The king proclaimed that the son should be given to the one who was against cutting the baby up, for only a real mother is capable of mercy.

The best years in the history of the country

King Solomon ruled Israel from 965 BC. e. to 928 BC. e. This time is called the era when the monarchy flourished. During the 40 years of his reign, Solomon gained fame as the wisest ruler in the whole world. The Temple in Jerusalem on Mount Zion was built during the lifetime of the king. The parables of King Solomon prove the true wisdom of the ruler and his greatness. Moreover, they have not lost their relevance to this day.