Melakhim I Chapter 5 | "Every Man Will Sit Beneath His Grapevine, Under His Fig Tree"

When reading the chapters about Shlomo’s reign, it's hard not to be impressed. The Tanakh specifically and colorfully describes the wealth, economic collaborations, and the tremendous success of Shlomo’s kingdom, leaving the impression that everything is simply good. God fulfills His promise from Chapter 3, and Shlomo achieves wealth, power, and glory unparalleled by any king before or after him.

However, if we pause and analyze the details a bit carefully, warning signs begin to appear. In this chapter, we read about Shlomo’s military might and his horse stables. At first glance, this seems positive. But when we read carefully, we recall that the Torah prohibits the king from having horses: "He must not acquire many horses for himself, he must not make the people return to Egypt to acquire more horses" (Devarim 17:16).

In an article in Megadim journal issue 31, Dr. Hanan Gafni points out that the connection to Egypt — also mentioned in the prohibition of having many horses in Devarim — stands out throughout these chapters. Pharaoh's daughter, whom Shlomo marries, is the daughter of the king of Egypt, and the connection is further emphasized through the many literal parallels between Israel’s enslavement to Shlomo and the enslavement in Egypt to Pharaoh.

Even in this chapter, there are striking parallels:
* “King Shlomo began to levy forced labor (מס) upon all of Israel” (Melakhim I 5:27) parallels “So they placed slave masters (שרי מיסים)” (Shemot 1:11).
* “And Shlomo had seventy thousand porters (נושא סבל)” (Melakhim I 5:29) parallels “to oppress them with forced labor (ענותו בסבלותם)” (Shemot 1:11).
* “And served (ועובדים) Shlomo all his life” (Melakhim I 5:1) parallels “The Egyptians imposed (ויעבידו) backbreaking labor on the Israelites” (Shemot 1:13).
* “Prefect officers (הרודים) in charge of the labor who supervised the people who performed the labor” (Melakhim I 5:30) resembles the prohibition of oppressive labor: “Do not rule them harshly (תרדה) with backbreaking labor” (Vayikra 25:43).
Further parallels appear in later chapters.

So, what is the true judgment of Shlomo’s reign? Was it the greatest period of kingdom in Israel, or a period of oppression and an imitation of Egypt’s ways?

It seems that the Tanakh aims to create a reading experience that mirrors the feelings of the Israelites at the time. Both the royal court and the people of that era looked at Shlomo’s dazzling success and were amazed. The success blinded them. It is difficult to criticize someone who appears so successful. The Tanakh describes Shlomo’s wealth and accomplishments so convincingly that we, too, are certain that God is with him. Yet, when we pause and look closely, we see that the magnificent buildings came at a heavy cost, the chariot army represented a sin that would ultimately lead back to Egypt, and that the seeds of downfall had already been planted.