Affiliation:
1. London School of Theology, UK
Abstract
The subject of embodiment has become a popular topic in biblical scholarship in general and in studies of kingship in particular. Despite the lack of an explicit characterization of Solomon via a commentary on his body, his material is not entirely devoid of body politics. This article explores the construction of Solomon’s wisdom in 1 Kings 1–11 via bodily features associated with epistemological processes. Against the backdrop of ANE conceptualizations of wisdom, it analyses ways in which 1 Kings inflates Solomon’s powers of discernment by means of rhetorically enlarged body parts and the conflation of functions of organs of cognition. In the broader context of his reign, these elements of corporeality underscore Solomon’s misappropriated wisdom, leading to the deconstruction of his royal ideology.