King Solomon was known for being one of the wisest kings in Israel’s history. But did you know that the prophet Nathan gave Solomon another name, Jedediah, at birth?
We know that during his 40-year reign, the son of David and the third king of Israel spearheaded the temple’s construction in Jerusalem. He led the nation into an era of unparalleled peace and prosperity. He also added his wisdom to the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon in the Old Testament. So what does the name Jedediah say about him?
In the Bible, Jedediah is a name given to Solomon by the prophet Nathan. The name Jedediah appears specifically in the Second Book of Samuel:
2 Samuel 12:24-25: "Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedediah."
The name Jedediah means "beloved of the Lord" in Hebrew. This naming by Nathan symbolizes God's favor towards Solomon, marking him as cherished by God even from infancy. This special designation by God reflects the divine grace upon Solomon, who would later become king of Israel and be known for his wisdom, wealth, and the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem.
Despite the significant meaning of the name Jedediah and its divine blessing, Solomon is predominantly known by his more common name throughout the biblical texts. The name Jedediah is used this one time, and does not appear to have replaced Solomon as his primary name in other scriptural references or in the historical and religious traditions following the Bible.
Shortly after David’s wife Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, God sent word through the prophet Nathan, who named the baby “Jedediah for the Lord’s sake” (2 Samuel 12:24-25). However, this is the only time the name Jedediah is connected specifically to Solomon. Nowhere else in Scripture is he referred to by this name.
But as Jedediah (also spelled Jedidiah) means “beloved of the Lord,” it is safe to say the name given to him by Nathan foreshadowed the kind of blessing and favor God would bestow upon Solomon throughout his life.
However, it is important to remember that Solomon’s birth and renaming were as much a reminder of God’s mercy shown to his father, David, as they promised that things would come in his own life.
Solomon (Jedediah) was not David and Bathsheba’s first son. Before his birth, David had an affair with Bathsheba—who was married to Uriah, one of David’s mighty men. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David did everything he could to try and cover up his affair, going so far as to get Uriah drunk to encourage him to sleep with his wife and pass the baby off as his.
However, when David’s schemes failed, he resorted to an even more despicable act. David would send Uriah back to the frontlines and order Joab, the army commander, to place Uriah at the front of the vanguard. In the heat of the battle, the army would retreat, leaving Uriah and his men defenseless. As a result, David had effectively arranged the murder of one of his closest friends and trusted soldiers.
Unfortunately for David, the stain of his sin could not be hidden from God or covered up so easily.
The prophet Nathan would soon rebuke David for his actions, reminding him that God gave him his throne and many blessings, and doing evil in God’s sight was dishonorable (2 Samuel 12:7-9).
Nathan then delivered God’s sobering judgment. As a result of David’s sin in killing Uriah and unlawfully taking his wife for his own, the sword would never depart from the house of David (2 Samuel 12:10), and evil would rise within David’s own house (2 Samuel 12:11), and David’s wives would eventually be taken from him and given to another. What David had done in secret, another would do in broad daylight (2 Samuel 12:12). Nathan was prophesying the eventual rebellion of David’s son Absalom, who would temporarily usurp his father’s throne and plunge the nation into civil war (2 Samuel 15-18).
Having been confronted, David quickly confessed that he had sinned against the Lord. Nathan then informed him that while God had forgiven him, “because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:13-14). As promised, the son of David and Bathsheba eventually became ill and died.
Shortly after, however, Scripture tells us that “David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedediah for the Lord’s sake” (2 Samuel 12:24-25).
For the rest of David’s life, Solomon (Jedediah) would symbolize God’s forgiveness and remind David of the undeserved mercy and grace that God had given him. Appropriately, the name Solomon means “God is peace” or “His replacement.” And the name Jedediah, given to Solomon by the prophet, would further represent God’s faithfulness to the house of David. God proved Himself gracious despite David’s sin, and His promise to David would continue through Solomon’s reign.
As Solomon came of age, he would eventually be called upon to succeed his father as the next king of Israel. Solomon’s rise would be one of the first signs of God’s blessing as he was not the oldest of David’s sons nor the anticipated successor at the time of David’s death. Adonijah, one of David’s older sons, had already exalted himself as the next king of Israel on his father’s deathbed (1 Kings 1:5). Adonijah even had the support of the army commander Joab and the high priest Abiathar.
David, however, had other plans for his successor.
Calling his wife Bathsheba to his chambers, David vowed that Solomon would be king over his other sons:
“As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, surely as I vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place;’ I will indeed do so to this day.” (1 Kings 1:30)
Despite Abiathar’s claim to the throne, David summoned three men (Nathan, the priest Zadok, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada) to anoint Solomon as the next king of Israel (1 Kings 1:37).
Before he passed, David also charged Solomon to do the following:
“. . . be strong and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘if your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 2:2-4)
In response, one of Solomon’s first acts as king was to travel to Gibeon to offer sacrifices to the Lord. There, God appeared to the new king of Israel in a dream, telling him, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” (1 Kings 3:5).
In response, Solomon humbly requested that God give him “an understanding heart to judge the Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9)
The Bible tells us that Solomon loved the Lord and walked in the statutes of his father, David. Furthermore, it was pleasing to the Lord that Solomon asked for wisdom above a long life, riches, or victory over his enemies (1 Kings 3:10).
God granted Solomon “a wise and discerning heart,” unlike anyone who had come before him or anyone who would succeed him (1 Kings 3:12). He also blessed the son of David with what he did not ask for, lavish riches and honor. Furthermore, God promised that if Solomon followed God and kept His commands, as David had, He would prolong Solomon’s life (1 Kings 3:14).
Solomon would go on to orchestrate the temple’s construction in Jerusalem, a massive endeavor made possible by Solomon’s many foreign treaties and international trade deals with surrounding nations. Solomon’s commercial empire would expand the kingdom of Israel to an area covering over 50,000 square miles.
God’s blessing was upon Solomon as he ruled the nation. However, God’s divine favor and protection would only be poured out on Solomon if he obeyed God’s commands and remained faithful to his father’s God.
Unfortunately, Solomon’s later years did not follow the pattern of his younger years.
Upon the temple’s completion, God repeated his promise to Solomon:
“If you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 9:4-5)
However, God’s promise also came with a stern warning:
“. . . if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep my commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins.” (1 Kings 9:6-8)
Gradually, Solomon lost devotion to the God of Israel and even began participating in the worship and pagan practices of false religions.
But how did this happen? How did a once wise and righteous king fall so far from the God of his father? The answer is gradually.
In the aftermath of his many marriages, Solomon had allowed the religious practices of his foreign wives to infiltrate Israel from the top down. Soon, the demands of Solomon’s many wives began to influence the king. Before long, Solomon had moved from tolerating idolatry to approving of false worship to inevitably celebrating and practicing false religion. As a result, the idolatry of Solomon’s household weakened the king and, eventually, the nation.
Unable to resist temptation, the splendor of Solomon’s kingdom declined, as did its people’s religious and spiritual fervor. Heavy taxation, levied against the people to finance Solomon’s many building projects, further led to social unrest and rebellion. Beyond Israel’s borders, rival nations marshaled their forces, sensing Israel’s vulnerability.
Sadly, the same king who was once highly sought after for his wisdom and praised for his lavish riches became restless and unsatisfied in his old age, declaring in the book of Ecclesiastes that “all is vanity” (1:2).
Furthermore, Solomon’s weakness did little to inspire his son Rehoboam, who failed to unite the nation once he came to the throne.
Ultimately, the one named Jedediah was truly “beloved by God” throughout his life. However, God’s blessing and favor would eventually be removed following Solomon’s disobedience. Failing to heed God’s warning, the splendor of Solomon’s kingdom would also decline as the nation followed the pattern and practices of its once-wise king.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Sashkinw
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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