JESUS A LEGAL HEIR OF SOLOMON

Matthew traces the descendants of Solomon down to Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, thus demonstrating that Jesus had the legal right to the throne of David through the kingly line. (Matt. 1:7, 16) Luke traces Jesus’ lineage to Heli (apparently the father of Mary) through Nathan, another son of David and Bath-sheba, and therefore Solomon’s full brother. (Luke 3:23, 31) Both lines of descent merge in Zerubbabel and Shealtiel and again branch out into two lines of descent. (Matt. 1:13; Luke 3:27) Mary the mother of Jesus was a descendant through Nathan, and Joseph his foster father descended through Solomon, so that Jesus was both the natural and legal descendant of David, with full right to the throne.—See GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST (Comparison of Genealogies by Matthew and Luke).

NEED TO GUARD THE HEART

As long as Solomon maintained an “obedient heart,” with which he was concerned at the beginning, he had Jehovah’s favor and prospered. But his bad outcome demonstrates that knowledge, great ability, or power, riches and fame are not the most important things, and that turning away from Jehovah is to forsake wisdom. Solomon’s own counsel proved true: “More than all else that is to be guarded, safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life.” (Prov. 4:23) His case illustrates the treacherousness and desperateness of the heart of sinful man, but more, it shows that the best of hearts can be enticed if constant vigilance is not kept. Loving what Jehovah loves and hating what he hates, constantly seeking his guidance and the doing of what pleases him, are a sure protection.—Jer. 17:9; Prov. 8:13; Heb. 1:9; John 8:29.

SOLOMON’S RULE A BASIS FOR MESSIANIC PROPHECIES

There are many similarities in the reign of Solomon with that of the great King Jesus Christ, as prophesied in the Scriptures. In many respects Solomon’s rule, as long as he was obedient to Jehovah, is a small-scale pattern of the administration of the Messianic Kingdom. Jesus Christ, “something more than Solomon,” came as a man of peace, and he builds up the congregation, the temple of God, by peaceful methods. (Matt. 12:42; 2 Cor. 6:16; John 14:27; 16:33; Rom. 14:17; Jas. 3:18) Solomon was of the line of David, as was Jesus. The meaning of Solomon’s name (“peaceable”) fits the glorified Jesus Christ as the “Prince of Peace.” His name Jedidiah (“beloved of Jah [Jehovah]”) harmonizes with God’s own statement about his Son at the time of Jesus’ baptism: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.”—Matt. 3:17.

Psalm 72 is a prayerful expression in behalf of the rule of Solomon: “Let the mountains carry peace to the people, . . . In his days the righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moon is no more. And he will have subjects from sea to sea [apparently the Mediterranean and the Red Sea (Ex. 23:31)] and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.”—Ps. 72:3-8.

F. C. Cook in his Commentary (Vol. IV, p. 332), says, on verse 7 (“until the moon is no more”): “This passage is important as shewing that the idea of a King whose reign should last to the end of time was distinctly present to the Psalmist’s mind. It determines the Messianic character of the whole composition.” And on verse 8, he remarks: “The kingdom was to be universal, extending to the ends of the earth. The extension of the Israelitish realm under David and Solomon was sufficient to suggest the hope, and might be regarded by the Psalmist as a pledge of its realization, but taken in connection with the preceding verses this declaration is strictly Messianic.”

The prophet Micah, in a prophecy almost universally accepted as Messianic, drew on the circumstance described in Solomon’s reign, that “Judah and Israel continued to dwell in security, everyone under his own vine and under his own fig tree, . . . . all the days of Solomon.” (1 Ki. 4:25; Mic. 4:4) Zechariah’s prophecy (at chapter 9, verses 9, 10) quotes Psalm 72:8, and Matthew applies Zechariah’s prophecy to Jesus Christ.—Matt. 21:4, 5.

SON

In ancient times married couples strongly desired a male offspring. (Gen. 4:1, 25; 29:32-35) As the psalmist expressed it: “Sons are an inheritance from Jehovah; . . . Happy is the able-bodied man that has filled his quiver with them.” (Ps. 127:3-5) With sons the line of descent was made certain, the name of the forefathers was preserved among posterity, and the hereditary possession of land remained in the family. (Num. 27:8) Israelite women desired to have sons, perhaps entertaining hope that one of their sons might prove to be the “seed” through whom blessings from God would come to mankind, as promised to Abraham. (Gen. 22:18; 1 Sam. 1:5-11) In due time the angel Gabriel announced to Mary, a virgin girl of the tribe of Judah, that she was a “highly favored one,” adding: “You will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus. This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father.”—Luke 1:28, 31, 32.

The Law prescribed that a son was to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. (Lev. 12:3; Luke 1:59; 2:21) After giving birth to a son the mother remained “unclean” for seven days and, additionally, “for thirty-three days more she will stay in the blood of purification.” This meant that she could not come into the holy place nor touch anything holy during this forty-day period. The period was twice as long in the case of the birth of a daughter. (Lev. 12:2-8; Luke 2:22-24) A firstborn son belonged to Jehovah and had to be redeemed with a redemption price.—Num. 18:15, 16.

PARENTAL AUTHORITY

The training and teaching of sons was primarily the responsibility of fathers, though the mother shared in this, particularly when the children were quite young. (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:6-8; 1 Sam. 1:23; Prov. 1:8; Eph. 6:4) As long as a son was in his father’s house, he was subject to the father. Under the Law, sons who grew up to be drunkards and gluttons and who were stubborn and rebellious toward their parents were to be turned over to the judges to be put to death. (Deut. 21:18-21) The parents often arranged for their sons’ marriage. (Gen. 24:2-4; 28:1, 2; Judg. 14:2) On the death of the father the family property was inherited by the sons, the firstborn receiving a double share and assuming headship of the household.—Deut. 21:17; See CHILD, CHILDREN; EDUCATION; INHERITANCE.

BROAD USE OF WORD

The Hebrew word ben and the Greek word hui·osʹ, both meaning “son,” are often used in a sense broader than merely to designate one’s immediate male offspring. “Son” may mean adopted son or son of a foster father (Ex. 2:10; John 1:45), a descendant (grandson, great-grandson, and so forth) (Ex. 1:7; 2 Chron. 35:14; Jer. 35:16; Matt. 12:23), son-in-law.—Compare 1 Chronicles 3:17 and Luke 3:27 (Shealtiel was evidently the son of Jeconiah and the son-in-law of Neri); Luke 3:23, “Joseph, the son of Heli,” evidently, the son-in-law (in this phrase hui·osʹ, “son”, does not appear in the Greek text, but is understood).

USE IN IDENTIFYING

Men were often identified or distinguished by their father’s name or that of a more distant forefather, as, (David) “the son of Jesse.” (1 Sam. 22:7, 9) The Hebrew and Aramaic words ben and bar, “son,” were frequently attached as prefixes to the father’s name, giving the son a surname, as Bar-Jesus (“son of Jesus”). (Acts 13:6) Some versions leave the prefix untranslated; others translate it in most cases; some give the translation in the margin. Or the prefix may be attached to the name because of the circumstances surrounding the birth of the child, as Benammi, meaning “son of my people,” that is, son of my relatives and not the son of foreigners; or Benoni, meaning “son of my sorrow,” Benjamin being so named by his dying mother Rachel.—Gen. 19:38; 35:18.

DESCRIPTIVE USE

Additionally, the word “sons” frequently serves a descriptive purpose, as: Orientals (literally, “sons of the East” [1 Ki. 4:30; Job 1:3, NW, 1957 ed., ftn.]); “anointed ones” (literally, “sons of the oil” [Zech. 4:14, NW, 1960 ed,, ftn.]); members (“sons”) of occupational classes, as, “sons of the prophets” (1 Ki. 20:35) or, “a member [“son”] of the ointment mixers” (Neh. 3:8); returned exiles (“sons of the Exile”) (Ezra 10:7, 16, NW, 1955 ed., ftns.); good-for-nothing men scoundrels (“sons of Belial”). (Judg. 19:22; 20:13, NW, 1953 ed., ftns.) Those who pursue a certain course of conduct, or who manifest a certain characteristic, are designated by such expressions as “sons of the Most High,” “sons of light and sons of day,” “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the wicked one,” “son of the Devil,” “sons of disobedience.” (Luke 6:35; 1 Thess. 5:5; Matt. 13:38; Acts 13:10; Eph. 2:2) So, too, with the judgment or outcome that corresponds with the characteristic, as, “a subject for Gehenna” (literally, “a son of Gehenna”); “the son of destruction.” (Matt. 23:15; John 17:12; 2 Thess. 2:3) Isaiah, who prophesied God’s chastisement of Israel called the nation “my threshed ones and the son of my threshing floor.”—Isa. 21:10.

SONS OF GOD

Angels, created by God, are sons of God. (Job 1:6; 38:7) Adam as a creation of God was a son of God. (Luke 3:38) Those judges and rulers in Israel against whom God’s word came were called “sons of the Most High,” doubtless because they held office in Israel as representing the divine rule, though they had transgressed. (Ps. 82:6) Those whom God selects to be joint heirs with his Son Jesus Christ are called “God’s sons.”—Rom. 8:14-17.

SONG

About one-tenth of the entire Bible is song, the foremost examples being the Psalms, The Song of Solomon and Lamentations. While the Scriptures do refer to secular songs, songs of contempt and of seduction, the majority of its some three hundred references to the subject relate to the worship of Jehovah God. In the main, singing is associated with joy, as when the disciple James wrote: “Is there anyone in good spirits? Let him sing psalms [songs of praise to God].” (Jas. 5:13) Songs expressing sorrow might more properly be termed dirges.—Amos 8:10; see DIRGE.

The first song recorded in the Bible was that sung by Moses and the men of Israel, to which Miriam and the women responded, upon their deliverance at the Red Sea. (Ex. 15:1-21) Among others are Moses’ farewell song, Deborah and Barak’s victory song and David’s dirge lamenting the death of Saul and his dear friend Jonathan. (Deut. 31:30; 32:1-43; Judg. 5:1-31; 2 Sam. 1:17-27) Additional compositions of David number at least seventy-three of the Psalms. The Bible also refers to the “song of Jehovah,” mentioned in connection with Hezekiah’s restoration of pure worship, and the ‘song of Moses and the Lamb.’—2 Chron. 29:27; Rev. 15:3, 4.

References to a “new song” appear not only in the Psalms but also in the writings of Isaiah and the apostle John. (Ps. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isa. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3) An examination of the context surrounding most occurrences of the expression “new song” reveals that such is sung because of a new development in Jehovah’s exercise of his universal sovereignty. As joyfully proclaimed in the ninety-sixth Psalm, verse 10: “Jehovah himself has become king.” The new developments in Jehovah’s extension of his kingship, as well as what these signify for heaven and earth, appear to be the subject of this “new song.”—Ps. 96:11-13; 98:9; Isa. 42:10, 13.

SONG OF SOLOMON, THE

A poetic book of the Hebrew Scriptures that tells of the unswerving love of a Shulammite girl (a country girl from Shunem, or Shulem) for a shepherd boy and King Solomon’s unsuccessful attempt to capture her love. The opening words of the Hebrew text designate this poem as “the song of songs,” that is, a “superlative song,” the most beautiful, the most excellent song. It is but one song and not a collection of songs.

At the outset Solomon is identified as the writer. (Song of Sol. 1:1) Internal evidence agrees with this, for it reveals the writer to have been one who was well acquainted with God’s creation, as was Solomon. (1 Ki. 4:29-33) Repeatedly plants, animals and precious stones and metals figure in the vivid imagery of the book. (1:12-14, 17; 2:1, 3, 7, 9, 12-15; 4:8, 13, 14; 5:11-15; 7:2, 3, 7, 8, 11-13) The writer, as would be expected from a king like Solomon, was very familiar with the land inhabited by the Israelites—the coastal plain, the low plains (2:1), the mountain ranges of Lebanon, Hermon, Anti-Lebanon and Carmel (4:8; 7:5), the vineyards of En-gedi (1:14) and “the pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim.”—7:4.

The poem was composed when Solomon had sixty queens and eighty concubines. (Song of Sol. 6:8) This points to the earlier part of his forty-year reign (1037-997 B.C.E.), since Solomon finally came to have seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.—1 Ki. 11:3.

The expressions of endearment contained in The Song of Solomon may seem very unusual to the Western reader. But it should be remembered that the setting for this song is an Oriental one of about three thousand years ago.

PERSONS INVOLVED

The central figure of The Song of Solomon is the Shulammite. Other persons mentioned in the poem are her shepherd lover (Song of Sol. 1:7) and her mother and brothers (1:6; 8:2), King Solomon (3:11), the “daughters of Jerusalem” (the ladies of Solomon’s court) and the “daughters of Zion” (women residents of Jerusalem). (3:5, 11) The individuals can be differentiated by what they say of themselves or by what is said to them. In the Hebrew text, grammatical forms often imply gender (masculine or feminine) as well as number (singular or plural), thereby facilitating identification of the characters. To make this distinction evident in the English language it is often necessary to add clarifying words to convey fully the meaning of the original. Thus at The Song of Solomon 1:5 the Hebrew reads literally: “Black I and comely.” However, the Hebrew words for “black” and “comely” are in the feminine gender. Therefore the New World Translation reads: “A black girl I am, but comely.”

THE DRAMA

The Shulammite met the shepherd at the place of his birth. (Song of Sol. 8:5b) Jealous for the chastity of their sister, the brothers of the Shulammite tried to protect her from temptation. Therefore, when she wanted to accept her lover’s invitation to join him in viewing the beauties of early spring (2:8-14), they became angry with her and, taking advantage of the seasonal need, appointed her to guard the vineyards against the depredations of the little foxes. (1:6; 2:15) Exposed to the sun’s rays, the Shulammite lost the fairness of her skin.—1:5, 6.

Later, while on her way to the garden of nut trees, she unintentionally came upon the encampment of