Journal: Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal
Volume: DBSJ 28:1 (NA 2023)
Article: Solomon’s Coronation And Coregency: Identifying Three Stages In The Succession
Author: Todd Bolen

DBSJ 28 (2023) p. 53

Solomon’s Coronation And Coregency: Identifying Three Stages In The Succession

Todd Bolen1

Introduction

A reconstruction of Solomon’s accession to the throne is complicated by the two distinct accounts in Kings and Chronicles. In recent decades, evangelical scholars have proposed reconstructions that entail four or more distinct coronation events and assume a two-year coregency between David and Solomon. A reevaluation of the relevant biblical texts demonstrates that there is no basis for a two-year coregency, and further study identifies three stages in Solomon’s accession to the throne, corresponding to the three stages in Saul’s and David’s accessions.

Four texts in Chronicles and one text in Kings relate to Solomon’s accession:

1. When Adonijah attempts to make himself king, David sends Solomon to the Gihon Spring to be anointed king (1 Kgs 1:32–40).
2. David tells Solomon that the Lord revealed to him that he would have a son named Solomon who would build the temple during his reign (1 Chr 22:6–10).
3. When David is old, he makes his son Solomon king over Israel (1 Chr 23:1).
4. David gathers the tribes together and tells them that the Lord chose Solomon as king. David charges Solomon to be obedient and build the temple (1 Chr 28:1–29:22a).
5. The people acknowledge Solomon as king a second time, anointing him as king (1 Chr 29:22b–25).

Recent Proposals

This subject has received little attention in scholarly literature. Those who do not consider Chronicles to be historically trustworthy do not attempt to harmonize its account with that of Kings. Conservative scholars often do not engage with the issue. In more recent years, the

DBSJ 28 (2023) p. 54

proposal of Eugene Merrill seems to have been adopted without the careful analysis it deserves.

Merrill’s History

Eugene Merrill’s excellent Kingdom of Priests has had a dominating influence among evangelicals in the field of ancient Israel studies for more than thirty years now.2 He begins his reconstruction of Solomon’s accession by identifying the statement in 1 Chronicles 23:1 as a distinct event that established Solomon as coregent. Then “about two years later,” as Merrill dates it, the events of You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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