Why was king Solomon a unhappy figure in the bible?

Answer 1

The opening of the book of Ecclesiastes describes the author as "the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem." Most understand this to refer to King Solomon, who was the son of David and was renowned for being exceedingly wise. The book of Ecclesiastes goes on to paint an arguably "unhappy" picture of life: no matter what man may do or accomplish, he will soon die and it all becomes "meaningless."

Indeed, the record of Solomon's reign in the books of the Kings and Chronicles parallel those themes--although Solomon managed to grow the small kingdom he inherited into a world power, it was short lived. His son managed to split the kingdom in two with his very first public decree. The two kingdoms would never reunite, and neither would ever posses the power and glory of Solomon's.

The biblical story suggests that after Solomon achieved fame and power for himself, he became bored and dissatisfied. His earlier devotion for God faded, and he attempted to satisfy himself with women (according to The Bible, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines), wealth, and philosophy. In I Kings 11:1-8, the author concludes that in the end, Solomon failed as a godly king, doing "what was evil in the sight of the Lord."