this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2025
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One nitpick- Solomon using demonic assistance to build his Temple is extrabiblical lore. I believe that Solomon's command over demons might be mentioned in the Talmud, but not in the Bible itself.
The story of Elisha and the boys deserves to be "nitpicked" as well. I haven't checked for myself, but from what I understand most secular and non-secular scholars agree that the Hebrew term includes babies all the way to "boys" who are in their twenties. This makes better sense of how the term is used in other passages and of why Elisha would encounter 42 of them (which only counts those who were mauled) just hanging out in the countryside.
While we're at it, myrrh was a fragrant resin used in all sorts of applications, not just for embalming.
I guess I'll keep it going. Moses means "to pull out from the water," so he wouldn't have been "Moses" while placing him in the basket.
Also, why would the daughter of the dude supposedly killing all of the slave babies be like, "I'm gonna name this baby using the slaves' language."
He was being chased by a gang of young men, not just being made fun of by some random children.
Translation is a scholarly art, and English translations - and the masses understanding of them - are like the restoration of the Ecce Homo fresco.
Here's a biblical scholar talking about it. The bible specifies small boys, so definitely not in their 20s. Not that having bears eat adults for making fun of your bald head is any better.
good thing the context tells us it was little boys
That's an apologist's take not a scholar's take. Modern translations use "small boys".
That was the one I didn't get. What's it about?
There is a tradition from numerous ancient and medieval sources that Solomon had command over demons because he was the wisest man who ever lived and knew their name and all the ways to control them. This developed into the idea that Solomon had such control over demons that he could force them to build a temple for God against their will, and this is how the First Temple was built. This belief was common in the middle ages but not ever officially sanctioned by the Church.
For more reading-
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_Solomon
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lesser_Key_of_Solomon
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testament_of_Solomon
It's a pretty metal legend. Solomon was a boss.
There is also a legend that Solomon was once outwitted by Asmodeus, who flung Solomon deep into the desert and shapeshifted to pretend to be him and rule in his place. Solomon then had to find his way back and take back his kingdom from Asmodeus.