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Which biblical book contains sayings attributed to Solomon?
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Solomon
The Judgment of Solomon, oil on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1617; in the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark), Copenhagen.
The biblical book most famously associated with sayings attributed to Solomon is The Proverbs. This book contains collections of aphorisms and wise teachings that bear his name, though scholarly analysis indicates that these materials were compiled over a long period and represent the work of various sages rather than a single author.123
Additionally, tradition has historically attributed two other books to Solomon:
- Ecclesiastes: While the author is unknown, the text identifies itself as the words of a son of David who was king in Jerusalem, which has traditionally been interpreted as a reference to Solomon.4
- Song of Solomon: The opening verse attributes this collection of love poems to Solomon, though this attribution is widely considered spurious by scholars due to the work's late vocabulary.53
Postbiblical tradition also attributed later works to him, such as the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon, as a tribute to his reputation as a sage and poet.3