The biblical king Solomon, the son of David, according to the Torah is one of the prophets, a symbol of judicial and religious wisdom is known not only for being considered the author of "Ecclesiastes", "Song of Songs" and "Book of Proverbs", but also for the fact that his reign fell on " the golden age”of the kingdom of Israel. The throne of this ruler is separately described in the Book of Kings as a structure that had no equal.
Description of the throne of King Solomon
The throne of King Solomon is described twice in the Old Testament, in the Chronicles or Chronicles and the Book of Kings. And there, and there the descriptions are almost identical. The throne is spoken of as a large ivory throne, inlaid with gold plates and installed on a gold pedestal, to which six golden steps lead. Gold armrests and gold lions are also mentioned there.
The New Testament does not mention the throne of King Solomon, but only speaks of the throne of his father, David.
In other, non-Old Testament sources, it is said that in addition to this, the throne was decorated with precious stones - rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls and topaz, and two animals stood on the steps leading to it. On the first step, a golden lion and a bull awaited the ascendant to the king, on the second - a golden wolf and a lamb, on the third - a tiger and a camel, also made of gold, the fourth step was decorated with a peacock and a cat, made of the same metal. The fifth and sixth steps were decorated with golden hawks and doves. At first, the hawk attacked the pigeon, at the very throne, the pigeon carried a hawk in its beak. All these figures were to symbolize the six commandments given to the kings of Israel.
Near the throne stood a golden menorah - a ritual seven-branched candlestick decorated with images of flowers, leaves and petals. Behind the menorah were seven golden branches leaning on either side. On one side they were engraved with the names of the seven "fathers of the world", and on the other - the seven godly ones. On either side of the throne were golden chairs - large for the high priest and his assistant, and thirty-five smaller chairs for the seventy members of the High Court, the Sanhedrin. Twenty-four golden vines entwined the throne of King Solomon, forming a huge canopy over it.
A more detailed description of the throne of King Solomon is found in the book of Esther.
Such splendor, an abundance of gold and precious stones, and without that should have thrilled everyone who saw the throne of King Solomon, but this was not the end of the miracles. Thousands of mechanisms were installed in the throne, forcing all animals on the way to the throne to substitute paws and wings for Solomon so that he could lean on them, ascending to the throne. When Solomon sat on the throne, a dove flew to his lap with Torah in its beak. According to sources, animals also started to move when a false witness appeared in front of the throne, terrifying the liar and forcing him to confess.
Where did Solomon's throne go?
According to Hebrew scriptures, the throne was seized by Nebuchadnezzar and brought to Babylon. When the king tried to ascend to the throne, a lion rushed at him and knocked him to the ground, frightening him so much that Nebuchadnezzar no longer attempted to ascend the throne. Then the throne was seized by Darius and taken to Persia. The next to the throne tried to ascend Ahasuerus, who was also defeated. This king ordered a copy of the throne from the Egyptian masters and rulers, sitting on it and passing it off as the true throne. After the fall of the Egyptian kingdom, the real throne of King Solomon was taken away by Alexander the Great. Further, the traces of this magnificent throne are lost.
