And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
This verse closes the record of Solomon's reign with three plain facts: how long he reigned, where, and over whom. What did those forty years produce? And what did they fail to produce? That is the question commentators press.
A kingdom at its height
These years cover the height of Solomon's glory. Writers read that glory as a picture of someone greater:
William KellySolomon was now at the height of his glory, a vivid picture of someone greater than Solomon. He really does prefigure the Lord Jesus as King. Only when we see this can we understand why God attaches such importance to the history of men like David in one light and Solomon in another. David as the warrior-king who actively puts down the enemies, Solomon as the man of peace who will reign over the conquered nations and kingdoms.
Forty years, like his father — and unlike
Solomon reigned as long as his father did. One writer turns that comparison on what each king handed down:
Leslie M. GrantSolomon reigned the same length of time as his father David — 40 years. But despite his great wisdom and the splendour of his kingdom, he did not leave his son a legacy nearly as valuable as David had left him. David had left Solomon a true regard for the living God. Solomon did not follow his father's path of obedience. What kind of example was this to Rehoboam? Why did Solomon not wisely consider that his days were numbered, just as David's had been? In Ecclesiastes 12 he wrote about how short life is. He concluded, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." Why did he not accept for himself the advice he gave to others?
Prosperity as a test
Writers also read these forty years as a test. God gave the wealth, and the wealth exposed what was really there:
Numerical Bible NotesSolomon's reign was just forty years. It was a time, they say, in which Judah was bound to have a special prominence. It was also a time in which the remarkable prosperity God gave them tested them as to their real condition. The departure of the people into idolatry, with Solomon himself drawn into it through his wives, was the sad answer to a test like this.
The silence at the close
The record gives the length of the reign and nothing of how Solomon ended. Two writers weigh what is missing. The first looks for repentance and finds none:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinAnd Solomon? Not a word of repentance! No tears like those his father wept. No confession as came from David's lips. Only one thing is stated. Only one act is mentioned of apostate Solomon. He sought to kill Jeroboam. After a reign of 40 years, Solomon passed away, not quite 60 years old.
The second sets Solomon's silence against his father's parting words:
W. W. FeredayDavid's latter-day words fill two long chapters. The simple faith and delight in the things of God found there lifts our souls as we read. But no last words of Solomon are recorded. ... It is the end of the race that tells with us all.
Mercy inside the forty years
One writer finds a comfort in Solomon's story. God dealt with him while he was still alive:
William KellyThis is almost the only comfort we have in the history given us of king Solomon — that God chastised him. He did not merely let the fruit of his evil appear in his family. He chastised Solomon himself, in his own lifetime. This is His way with His own people. In some cases it is almost your only hope that a person is a child of God: God does not let the evil pass. He deals with it now in this world.
A reign that will not be cut short
Solomon's forty years ended badly. Writers look past him to a reign that will outlast and outshine his:
H. L. RossierHis reign of righteousness will surpass Solomon's reign, so miserably cut short, in its splendour and its length. For they will fear Him "as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations." But it will also begin as Solomon's reign never began: "He shall come down like rain on the mown grass." It will bring heavenly blessing where judgment has done its work and left nothing to harvest.
Summary
- Height. Forty years over all Israel put Solomon at the height of his glory. He pictures a greater King — the man of peace.
- Test. That same prosperity was a test of what was really in the heart, and idolatry was the answer it drew out.
- Silence. The record gives his years but no repentance and no last words — the end of the race is what tells.
- Mercy. God chastised Solomon in his own lifetime. Writers read that as a reason to hope he belonged to God.
- Unbroken. Solomon's reign was cut short. The reign it pictured will surpass it in splendour and in length, and it will begin with blessing.