Perhaps no other king in biblical literature has generated as much controversy as Solomon. On the one hand, we are told that 'Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East'; on the other hand, we are told that Solomon, in direct contravention to Israelite law, instituted slave labour, married many foreign women, and had shrines built to pagan gods. How can one who is so wise be so foolish? This article explores the problem by focusing on what appears to be a volatile relationship between law and wisdom, and the implications of this relation ship for political ordering.
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