David’s Son Solomah, Not Solomon

The name translated Solomon in the Bible is the Hebrew S-l-m-h שלמה (Strong’s H8010). (Note: There were no vowels or accents in the original text, so I have translated שלמה as Solomah in this article to avoid using the mistranslated name Solomon.)

Solomah שלמה (Strong’s H8010) is the same form as H8011 (1 occurrence) that means ‘reward, recompense’ in Ps 91:8, from solom שלם Strong’s H7999 (116 occurrences) that means ‘complete, sound’, often translated ‘recompense, reward’, and ‘make whole, restore’ in the prophecy of the day of Yahweh in Joel 2:25.  Although it is translated “be ended/over” in Isa 60:20, it is likely that “the days of your mourning will be rewarded”.  Also, שלם is classified as Strong’s H8002 (87 occurrences) that means ‘peace offering’, which is an act of restitution for sins, or H8005 (1 occurrence) means ‘recompense’.

In 2 Sam 12: 24 – 25 David named his son Solomah שלמה, in-spite of the fact that Yahweh asked that David’s son be named Jedidiah ידידיה.  This is contradicted by 1 Chr 22:9 which claims Yahweh told David “A son בן will be born נולד to you לך himself הוא will be יהיה mighty one איש rest מנוחה and give rest והנחותי to him לו from all מכל his enemies אויביו from around מסביב, for כי Shemoloh שלמה will be יהיה his name שמו, and peace (shalom שלום) and quiet ושקט I will give אתן upon על Israel ישראל in his day בימיו.”

A son being born who would bring peace in 1 Chr 22:9 hearkens to the Messianic prophecy in Isa 9: 6 – 7; “For כי a child ילד is born ילד to us לנו, a son בן is given נתן to us לנו, and will be ותהי the government משרה upon על his shoulder שכמו, and will be called ויקרא his name שמו miraculous פלא and counsellor יועץ god אל mighty גבור, progenitor of אבי eternity עד, Prince שר Peace שלום.” Isaiah wrote this prophesy in 730 BC, and Solomah lives 260 years before this, from 990 BC to 931 BC, which means this prophecy was not about Solomah, but a future ruler.

Was Solomah the Son Conceived in Adultery with Bathsheba?

In Matt 1:6 it states “David begat Solomah שלמה from wife מאשת Uriah אוריה”.  Is this evidence that Solomah was their firstborn, and Yahweh did not kill their offspring because of David and Bathsheba’s adultery as stated in 2 Sam 12:15 – 23?  Are the translators try to cover up the evidence that Solomah was David’s bastard son, by translating the words “from wife מאשת Uriah אוריה” Berean Literal Bible, and similarly “by Uriah’s אוריה wife מאשת” in Berean Standard Bible, as “of her that had been the wife of Uriah” in KJV and NASB, and similarly “whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” in NIV?

Bathsheba bore four sons to David, Shammua, Shobab, and Nathan and Solomah in 2 Sam 5:14 and 1 Chr 3:5 (where the name Bathshua is found instead of Bathsheba and her father is listed as Ammiel, not Eliam as in 2 Sam 11:3).  Although it appears from this list that Solomah was the youngest son, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers points out that from 2 Sam 12:24 Solomah appears to have been the oldest of Bathsheba’s sons, otherwise he wouldn’t have been old enough to take charge of David’s kingdom at his death, because they were not born until later in David’s reign.  Is this another way of disguising the fact that Solomah was the son conceived in adultery with Bathsheba?

Would Yahweh pass judgment on David’s adultery with Bathsheba and rule that David would not die for his sin, but his child would die in his place as stated in 2 Sam 12: 7 – 20?

Solomon is the Name of an Assyrian King, Named After an Assyrian God!

Why would Solomah be translated as Solomon  שלמן, the name of an Assyrian king, Shalman שלמן (Strong’s H8020), who laid waste Beth-Arbel in Hos 10:14?  According to NAS Exhaustive Concordance, Shalman שלמן (Strong’s H8020) is perhaps the same as Shalman–etser שלמנ-אסר (Strong’s H8022) who carried the Israelite king into exile in 2 Kings 17:3, 18:8. 

Shulman or Shulmanu was a deity worshipped by the ancient Assyrians, incorporated into the name Shalmaneser that means ‘Sulman is chief’, assumed by five Assyrian kings from Shalmaneser I (1274 – 1245 BC) to Shalmaneser V (726 – 722 BC) according to the Encyclopedia of the Bible (found on Biblegateway.com/resources/).

The Hebrew name Shalman-eser, ends with אסר that means ‘to tie, bind, imprison’ (Strong’s H631 70 occurrences).  Perhaps it should be אשר since the letter ס and ש are interchangeable, and ashar אשר (Strong’s H833) is translated ‘leaders’ in Isa 9:16, that the name Assyria אשור is a form of.

Sadly, this mistranslation leads to accusations that the Biblical Solomon is taken from Assyrian history!