THE COST OF THE WEDDING GIFT OF GEZER

1 KINGS 9

The Temple-palace complex in Jerusalem was the most magnificent of Solomon’s architectural achievements, but Solomon’s passion to strengthen the security of his kingdom motivated him to initiate other construction projects outside Jerusalem. Hazor, Megiddo, Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor all experienced design enhancement during the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 9:15–19).20 Yet no fortified city may be as important to the enduring security of Jerusalem as Gezer, a city Solomon received as a wedding gift (1 Kings 9:16) for a reason.

During the early days of Solomon, Egypt was politically divided and struggling to assert power beyond its own borders. During the reign of Pharaoh Siamun, the Egyptian army advanced against the Philistines. As is often the case, the dispute motivating this incursion may have been money. Since the Philistines controlled the International Highway in this sector of the world, a dispute over trade rights or taxation is what likely brought Egyptian soldiers to Philistine soil.21 It is somewhat uncertain whether Israel participated with Egypt in this war against the Philistines or was merely an additional target on their agenda. In either case, Pharaoh Siamun formed an alliance with King Solomon and offered one of his daughters in a marriage designed to seal this international treaty. During the campaign mentioned above, Siamun captured Gezer, burned it, and gave it to Solomon as a wedding gift.22

Geography suggests this was an invaluable gift. Gezer promised its residents an abundance of water, fields for growing grain, and green pastures for their flocks. But beyond natural resources, it was Gezer’s position astride the International Highway and at the mouth of the Aijalon Valley that promised a greater reward. The Aijalon Valley is so wide that it resembles a plain much more than it does an enclosed valley. It departs the coastal area as an inviting roadway heading east toward the Beth Horon Ridge, a natural ramp leading into the central mountains and onto the plateau of Benjamin. From there, a turn south and a short walk led directly to the northern edge of Solomon’s Jerusalem. The natural east/west roadway that connected Jerusalem with its seaport at Joppa and with the International Highway flowed right past Gezer. It was the gateway that created an international trade market for the residents of landlocked and mountain-enclosed Jerusalem.

The site of ancient Gezer (view looking northeast).

If one of the armies of the ancient world wished to bring their weapons rather than trade goods to the capital of Israel, they too would march right past Gezer on that very route to attack Jerusalem. In fact, the future history of this city bears out that fact again and again. From ancient to modern times, an attack against Jerusalem consistently pursued its course on the Gezer–Beth Horon–Benjamin route.23 An attack from this direction was particularly threatening to ancient Jerusalem since it brought the invader to the northern, most vulnerable side of Jerusalem where the topography offered the least defensive assistance to the city.

Agricultural calendar (eleventh to tenth century BC) discovered at Gezer.
© Dr. James C. Martin. Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

Solomon received Gezer as a wedding gift for a reason. He captured many cities, fortified them, and enhanced the security of his country in the process. No gift would seem more important than Gezer. But in making a treaty with Egypt, Solomon took the pharaoh’s daughter as a wife. In this act, Solomon turned his heart away from the ultimate Gift Giver (1 Kings 11:1–2). The Lord, for whom he built the Temple, had expressly warned against Israel’s idolatry. This treaty and its accompanying gift, along with Solomon’s other transgressions, ultimately cost Solomon the kingship of the United Monarchy of Israel and severed his relationship with the living God.

Jerusalem’s “Hill of Corruption” (view looking east), where Solomon kept his foreign wives and enabled their idol worship.