After centuries led by judges, around 1030 BC the people of Israel ask for a king “like all the other nations.” Samuel first anoints Saul and, later, David, who conquers Jerusalem and makes it his capital. When David dies, his son Solomon builds the Temple in that same city, a sign of God’s presence in the midst of his people. This is the fourth stage of the Old Covenant.
In the previous article we traced the conquest of Canaan and the age of the judges. Now we move on to the fourth stage, dated approximately between 1030 and 931 BC: the beginning of the monarchy.
This overview follows the structure of Bible Portico, Saxum’s own work offering chronologies, maps and infographics to help readers understand Sacred Scripture more deeply. Drawing on that material, we take a closer look at this fourth stage, told across eight books:
Book / Description
- 1 Samuel — The story of the prophet Samuel and King Saul.
- 2 Samuel — The story of King David.
- 1 Kings, chapters 1-11 — The story of King Solomon.
- 1 and 2 Chronicles, chapters 1-9 — The history of Israel from Adam to David.
- Psalms — Religious poems, many attributed to King David.
- Proverbs — Collections of maxims, sayings and comparisons, many attributed in the text to King Solomon.
- Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) — A wisdom book. Its opening verse attributes it to a king of Jerusalem, son of David.
- Song of Songs — A book about spousal love, interpreted as a reflection of the love between God and his people. Its opening verse attributes it to King Solomon.
Historical Background of the Beginning of the Monarchy
For nearly two centuries, Assyria and Babylon in the north, and Egypt in the south, pass through a period of decline. That power vacuum allows the tribes of Israel to settle permanently in Canaan and, for the first time, to develop an independent kingdom.
It is against that backdrop that, around 1050 BC, Israel is defeated by the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant is captured (1 Samuel 4). The defeat marks the lowest point of the age of the judges and the trigger for the change that follows: the shift from a people of scattered tribes to a unified kingdom.
The Beginning of the Monarchy – Bible Portico
1 and 2 Samuel: From Judges to Monarchy
The books of Samuel relate the transition from the age of the judges, when each tribe acted on its own, to the institution of the monarchy (c. 1070–970 BC). Their genre is above all narrative, though they also include powerful lyrical compositions, such as Hannah’s canticle (1 Samuel 2:1-11) and David’s psalm (2 Samuel 22). The two books form the center of the “Deuteronomistic History”: the events they narrate were probably passed down orally at first, and some episodes were written down and copied, until a first version was compiled in the time of Josiah (640-609 BC). The final wording took shape as the Deuteronomistic History itself was composed, that is, during the exile or shortly afterward.
Institution of the monarchy: In a solemn but private rite, the prophet Samuel anoints Saul as the first king of Israel, making clear that the initiative belongs to God. Israel faces the Philistines, its greatest external threat, but God ultimately rejects Saul for his unfaithfulness and sends Samuel to anoint a new king in secret: David.
David and Saul: The story of David and Goliath opens the rivalry between the two men. Saul becomes the paradigm of the sinner who persists in wrongdoing despite the proofs of God’s protection, while David, protected by God, survives Saul’s attempts to kill him. The books go on to narrate the military campaigns of David and Saul, down to Saul’s death in battle against the Philistines.
David, king of Judah and Israel: David is first consecrated king of Judah at Hebron and, after various intrigues, accepted as king of all the tribes. Around 1000 BC he conquers Jerusalem and consolidates his victory over the Canaanite peoples (2 Samuel 5), making it his capital.
Dynastic prophecy: When David expresses his wish to build a “house” —a Temple— for God, the prophet Nathan announces the opposite: it is God who will build David a “house,” that is, a dynasty that will last forever.
Epilogue: David commits adultery with Bathsheba and engineers her husband’s death; repentant and forgiven, he has another son by her, Solomon, with whom the House of David begins. The account closes with the intrigues over the succession, which justify Solomon’s rise to the throne despite his not being the eldest son.
The books of Samuel highlight the religious meaning of history. God chooses a people to carry out his saving purpose, and within that people he chooses certain individuals. In a way, God adapts to the choices they make.
The establishment of the monarchy in Israel is presented as a defiance of God, yet the Lord makes use of it to carry out his plan of salvation. God always rejects evil and demands justice, though in some cases he tolerates the unloving deeds of his chosen ones, seeking reconciliation and forgiveness: God remains faithful to the Covenant, all-powerful, and rich in mercy.
1 Kings, Chapters 1-11: The Reign of Solomon
Half of this first Book of Kings centers on the succession to David and the reign of Solomon (970-931 BC). Like the rest of the books of Kings, it was written during the exile in Babylon, drawing on earlier written records, with the purpose of making the exiled Jews see that unfaithfulness to God leads to disaster.
Gift of wisdom: At the start of his reign, Solomon asks God for a wise and understanding heart to govern with justice, rather than riches or military victories. God grants it to him, and with it also power, riches, peace and glory.
Building and dedicating the Temple: Solomon fulfills the promise made by his father David and builds a temple to God in Jerusalem, roughly between 966 and 959 BC. The Ark of the Covenant is kept there, and its altar is the only place where sacrifices may be offered to God.
A renewed promise from God: The Lord renews to Solomon the promise made to his father David —that there will always be a descendant of David on the throne of Israel— though he now makes it conditional on the people keeping the commandments under the king’s leadership.
The book goes on to describe the splendor of Solomon’s court and, at the same time, the eventual weakening of his rule, already foreshadowing the division of the kingdom that will follow his death.
The Temple is the key concept of this section: the building, planned by David and completed by Solomon, becomes the center of Israel, God’s own house and the place where the people come to meet him.
THE KINGDOM OF SOLOMON – Bible Portico
1 and 2 Chronicles, Chapters 1-9: A Priestly Re-Reading
The books of Chronicles trace the history of the people of God from Adam to the edict of Cyrus that ends the Babylonian captivity (539/538 BC); the first book ends with the death of David, and the second begins with the reign of Solomon. They are attributed to an anonymous author known as “the Chronicler,” writing around 400-350 BC, who rereads the history of Israel from a priestly standpoint centered on the Temple and its worship: for example, he omits the less edifying episodes of David’s life in order to stress that David made Jerusalem a holy city and planned the building of the Temple.
The opening chapters give the genealogies of Judah and Levi —important because of David, and because of the priests and Levites— the death of Saul presented as a punishment for his unfaithfulness, the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem, the preparations for building the Temple, and David’s testament, in which several of his speeches, addressed to the people, to Solomon, and to God himself, center on that same undertaking. Once the reign of Solomon begins, most of the text is devoted to the building and dedication of the Temple, describing Solomon as full of wisdom and immensely wealthy because of the honor of carrying it out.
For the Chronicler, Israel is a people chosen and loved by God, called to hold on to hope in the ancient promises —including the promise of a future Messiah descended from David— because the Lord is always present in the midst of his own, something expressed above all through the Temple of Jerusalem and its institutions of worship.
Psalms: The Prayer of Israel
The Psalms are religious poems — 57 of the 150 carry the Hebrew name mizmor, “a song accompanied by an instrument” — expressing the believer’s basic attitudes before God: supplication, thanksgiving, praise, wisdom.
Their composition spans from the time of the monarchy to the 2nd century BC, drawing on earlier partial collections; a good number of the oldest are attributed to David, also linked to the organization of worship that Solomon would later continue in the Temple. According to the Gospels, Jesus turns to the psalms at the most intense moments of his life, giving them their fullest meaning.
Proverbs: The Practical Wisdom of Solomon
Proverbs is the book that best represents the Bible’s wisdom literature: collections of maxims, sayings and comparisons that weave together human wisdom and faith in the God of Israel. Several of these collections are attributed to Solomon, who was said to have composed three thousand proverbs (1 Kings 4:32); to that core was later added, around 700 BC, the collection copied “by the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah” (Proverbs 25:1).
The book does not dwell on faithfulness to the Covenant or on sacrifices, but instead offers counsel for family life, work, justice and personal relationships. In chapter 8, Wisdom appears personified, in a passage that the prologue of St John’s Gospel will echo when speaking of the relationship between God the Father and the Word.
Qoheleth: The Vanity of Merely Human Wisdom
Attributed to “the son of David, king in Jerusalem,” though it was probably written several centuries later, in the 3rd century BC. In the Hebrew Bible it is one of the scrolls read on Jewish feast days.
Its opening chapters warn against merely human wisdom — “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) — before inviting the reader to seek true wisdom, which is born of the fear of God and of living the present moment with gratitude as a gift received from him.
The book is read at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), once the harvest is over. It invites the people to enjoy their blessings with gratitude, without forgetting that they are a gift from God.
Song of Songs: Spousal Love
A lyric poem about spousal love that probably brings together several love-songs composed in different periods, joined into a single book after the exile in Babylon. Although it is attributed to Solomon —and his wedding is precisely the poem’s central scene (Song 3:6–5:1)— tradition has always read in the joy of bride and bridegroom an image of God’s love for his people.
Solomon’s Temple and Jerusalem, from Saxum Visitor Center
Understanding the beginning of the monarchy —from the anointing of Saul to David’s conquest of Jerusalem and Solomon’s building of the Temple— helps explain why Jerusalem holds a central place throughout the Bible, close to where, centuries later, Jesus Christ would preach his message.
Saxum Visitor Center, strategically located near Jerusalem, offers a living experience that connects the Bible, history, archaeology and Christian spirituality. Through its audiovisual and educational resources, it helps pilgrims and visitors better understand the biblical message of the Holy Land and deepen their grasp of the historical background that precedes the Gospels.