Monarchy may be on the ropes in the 21st Century, but that doesn’t abrogate the principle that it’s good to be the king. Consider the case of King Solomon, whose name is almost synonymous with wisdom.
Solomon was the son of David, slayer of Goliath, and King of the Israelites roughly 1,000 years B.C. David hand-picked Solomon as his successor even though he was not the first-born son. This was controversial enough, never mind the fact that Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba, who had been raped/seduced/porked (take your pick) by David, who ordered her husband, Uriah the Hittite, into the front line of battle where he was killed. Thus David passed into history as a forceful if flawed leader; as for Uriah, if you had to come up with a poster boy for great cuckolds of history, he would be the ideal candidate.
At any rate, Solomon’s 40-year reign was legendary. Israel enjoyed peace and prosperity and Solomon did pretty well also. According to the Bible, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. If they had tabloids in those days, just imagine what a field day the Jerusalem Daily News would have had with Solomon!
Obviously, after 3,000 years it would be hard to verify the numbers of his sex partners, but even if only 10% of it were true (i.e., 70 wives and 30 concubines), it would still be impressive. (I select 10% because the Bible also says that Methuselah lived to age 969; I’ll accept 10% of that, so I use that percentage as my yardstick.)
Surprisingly, or maybe not, a good deal of Solomonic wisdom encompasses women, and a lot of his animadversions appear in the Book of Proverbs, sort of an ancient self-help book.
To a large degree Solomon’s pronouncements are binary. He excoriates the harlots and praises the NAWALTs. The following quotations are from the King James Bible. Let’s start with the harlots:
2:18-2:19
For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.None that go under her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
5:3-5:5
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil.But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.6:25
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.6:27-6:28
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
6:32
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.7:22-7:23
He goeth after her straightaway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
7:26-7:27
For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
22:14
The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.23:27
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.30:20
Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
Such eloquent slut-shaming! Eat your heart out, Sandman! Granted, some of Solomon’s verses might reflect regrets about his dalliance with the Queen of Sheba. Given all those wives and concubines, his plate was already full. A side dish was the last thing he needed.
Of course, the Old Testament warned us about women right from the start. Remember Eve? Another woman, Lilith, was scratched from the Book of Genesis. Why? Well, let’s just say she was Adam’s first wife and she was bad news – worse than Eve. She didn’t need a serpent to induce her to misbehave.
You might think Solomon sounds like an old school version of Jordan Peterson….or maybe Jordan Peterson is a contemporary version of Solomon. In truth, Peterson does have a sort of Old Testament elder vibe. Of course, he attracts more flak than Solomon because the New Testament has offered us a kinder, gentler God – a non-judgmental, all-forgiving deity, your BFF – and I do mean Forever. This makes the Old Testament God – a real FAFO deity – appear cruel and vindictive.
Unfortunately, Solomon’s admonishments about harlots appeared too late to help Samson, whose betrayal by Delilah in the Book of Judges has given us perhaps western culture’s greatest fable of female treachery – not to mention a classic Cecil B. DeMille Biblical epic (Samson and Delilah, 1947).
Solomon, however, shamed more than sluts. He did not suffer airheads gladly:
9:13
A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.
And he wasn’t too crazy about harpies:
27:15
A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.21:9
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
As the above quote shows, Solomon anticipated the man cave. In fact, he was so taken with this concept he doubled down by repeating the above quote almost word-for-word just a few chapters later. Or maybe he was just having a senior moment and forgot he had already said it:
25:24
It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
It’s a shame Bible reading is no longer allowed in public schools. Imagine how amusing it would be to read passages like those above and await the reaction from the technicolor-hair brigade.
Solomon, however, was not a woman-hater. In fact, he exalted the NAWALT. Apparently, this mythical creature existed in ancient times. No question she is extinct today, but three millennia ago, Solomon sang her praises:
5:19
Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.11:16
A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.12:4
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.14:1
EVERY wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.31:10
Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.31:13
She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.31:15
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.31:16
She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.31:19
She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.31:27
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.31:30
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
God-fearing men are often praised in the Old Testament, but Solomon in his inclusive wisdom offers praise for the God-fearing woman. Yes, a woman can be a great benefit to a man if she knows her place. Sounds reasonable to me but I wouldn’t say that in public without first checking to see where the nearest emergency exit is.
One of the more interesting pronoun quirks of the ancient world was the gendering of the abstract concept of wisdom (she/her/hers). The Greek name Sophia, for example, is synonymous with wisdom (philosophy, therefore, is a love of wisdom).
Like the ancient Greeks, Solomon personified wisdom as a female. In fact, wisdom and the NAWALT have a lot in common. According to Solomon:
3:15-3:18
She is more precious than rubies;: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
4:8-4:9
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
7:4
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:9:1-9:3
Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: FUN FACT: The Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a book by T.E. Lawrence, on which the film Lawrence of Arabia is based.
Exactly why the ancients feminized the concept of wisdom is a mystery. After all, how many female ancient philosophers can you name? In western art, the female is used to personify wisdom in paintings and statues (she is literally on a pedestal). The muse of the artist is also assumed to be female, yet great female artists are few and far between. Ironically, many great philosophers and artists were MGTOW before MGTOW was a thing.
Speaking of MGTOW, notice that there is just one letter of difference between Solomon and Solo Man. Something to think about.
MGTOW or not, Solomonic wisdom is worthy of reconsideration in our secular world. Granted, reading the King James Bible may not be as entertaining as listening to a Turd Flinging Monkey podcast, but the messaging is similar.
There is something to be said for old wine in old bottles.
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Editor’s note: AVfM takes no stand on religion or lack of religion, and avoids publishing articles whose aim is either to proselytize or to denigrate religious belief. The above article however provides red pill wisdom from Solomon which applies regardless of one’s belief or lack thereof, and for that we are happy to publish it.
