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The Wealth Of Solomon

Conclusion

Perhaps the most perceptive statement concerning Solomon came from Jesus (Mat 6:28-29). Even the lilies of the field were more glorious than Solomon. Was Jesus simply speaking of spiritual values, or did he know something we do not? I believe Jesus knew exactly what he was saying, spiritually and materially. The spiritual aspect has been examined by many. This section will attempt a material explanation.

The Bible states that Solomon was wealthier and had more honour and possessions than all the kings before him, and that none of the kings after him would be his equal (1 Kings 3:13, 2 Chronicles 1:12). Was this true?

Solomon had a total of 172997.643 gold talents over his 40 year reign. Each talent contained 10,000 gold shekels. Every shekel weighed 132 grains. There are 480 grains per troy ounce of gold. 172997.663 x 10000 x 132 / 480 =475743518.3 troy ounces of gold. (Price of gold per troy ounce on July 2, 1999 AD: $264.10 US) 475743518.3 x $264.10 =$125,643,863,200

126 billion dollars! Solomon’s 40 years of income could hardly equal the nations of today. The Canadian federal government spends over 100 billion a year. There are even individuals today who exceed Solomon’s income. But not one of them is a king, and not one of them equal his wisdom, glory and honour.

Even so, Solomon did not match a single flower of the field. Why? He was rich, but this came from hard work and much thought. We cannot examine his wisdom. Little remains of his written works. But we can examine his work recorded in the Bible.

The first clue is from 1 Kings 10:21, and reiterated in 2 Chronicles 9:20. Silver was not used in Solomon’s house. This does not mean silver was not used in the country! 2 Chronicles 9:27 says that silver was very common in Jerusalem. It does not say that silver and gold were common throughout the country. Now why would silver be common in Jerusalem? This is because Jerusalem was the end collection point of taxes. There was so much silver the ancient Hebrews could no longer count it. To manage this huge sum, Solomon counted every 27 silver talents as 1 gold talent. This was easier than counting millions of shekels of silver.

Solomon was not a miser. If he was a miser, and he hoarded all the silver and gold, what would the people use? They would be forced to use copper, or bronze. The Bible would not have been silent had Solomon been the greatest miser of all time. Israel would have rebelled long ago.

Our study confirms the fact that Solomon was not a miser. He spent most of the silver and gold he took in.

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