How Many Wives Did Solomon REALLY Have?

The Trustworthiness of Song of Solomon Despite Solomon’s Sin

King Solomon had a thousand wives and concubines, yet his name is also on Song of Solomon, a romantic and sensuous book of poetry describing sexual intimacy between a young man and his bride. So how can this book be trusted when it's written by a polygamist?

First of all, that shouldn't matter. The author of the Bible is God. Every writer was a sinful man, but God remains holy and His Word is pure. The scriptures pull no punches when talking about Solomon's many wives and how he did evil in the sight of the Lord by worshiping their false gods.

Whether Solomon Is the Actual Author of Song of Solomon

That being said, Solomon is likely not the author of the Song of Solomon. Though the book begins the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's, that doesn't mean it was written by him, but in his honor. The young man in this poetic narrative is a shepherd and the young woman a shepherdess.

There are several occasions when the young woman calls her husband Solomon, but this is because she sees her husband as being as fine and desirable as the king himself. Solomon was the envy of the entire world.

Even the Queen of Sheba came to behold all she'd heard of him. So a young wife might look at her husband, common to everyone else, as Solomon in her eyes. Either Solomon is idealized in the story as a country shepherd, which doesn't seem likely.

That's not an ideal occupation. Or the shepherd is idealized by his bride as Solomon, which makes more sense. Song of Solomon has been interpreted as an allegory of God's love for His people. However this pertains to the bigger picture, there's no question the poetry describes physical intimacy between two young lovers.

The Celebration of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage

God created sex to be enjoyed between a husband and a wife. There's a whole book celebrating it, when we understand the text.