How do we know Naamah was Solomon’s first wife and is the woman he courted, proposed, married and became one with in Solomon’s song of songs? Because Naamah, Solomon’s wife, gave birth to Rehoboam. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he took over as King. Solomon reigned 40 years. This would mean that Naamah would of had to have been pregnant with Rehoboam withing 3 months of her marriage for she was a virgin “a garden locked up” on their wedding night.
1 The second anointing 2 The first anointing
1 Solomon’s second anointing. Song 1:2-3 and 1 Kings 1ff records Solomon’s first anointing when David is still alive. 1 Chron. 29:22 records Solomon’s “second” anointing on his “wedding day” Song 3:11 when David is dead. Oftentimes as I have studied this difficult Song and things weren’t so clear, I always go back to what is clear. This is why I talk about the second anointing first because it is clear that there were “two” anointings. And it is very clear that one of them happened in Song 3:11. The first anointing in Song 1:2-4 is not as clear as the second one in Song 3:11.
First fact that is clear. There were two anointings of Solomon 1 Chron 29:22. Interesting how we need to know this in order to find out if Naamah was Solomon’s first wife.
“And they made Solomon the son of David king a second time, and they anointed him as ruler for Yahweh and Zadok as priest.”1 Chronicles 29:22. Here you clearly have a “second time” Solomon was anointed king. Well, when was the first time.
The first time Solomon was anointed king was when David was dying but was still alive. Adonijah wanted to be king but Bathsheba said Solomon was the promised Messiah 1 Kings 1:30, 2 Sam. 7:12-15. 1 Kings 1:30ff records David having Solomon anointed the rightful co-regent king at Gihon. 1 Kings 1:39 records Solomon’s first anointing, “Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”
Now what is clear is that Solomon had two crownings where he was anointed king. The first crowning in 1 Kings and the second one in 1 Chron. 29:22.
Now we go to Solomon’s song of songs for a literal historical exegesis of Chapter 3 in order to connect the history of Solomon’s anointings with what the Song teaches. Are there any anointings or crownings in the Love Song? Yes, the clearest one happens on Solomon’s wedding day. “Go forth and see, O daughters of Zion, King Solomon with the crown with which his mother has crowned him on the day of his wedding” Song 3:11 Which crowning is this, the first or second one? To help answer this we have to take a closer look at Song 1:2-3.
Taking a closer look at Song 1:2-4 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth For your love is better than wine. 3 Your (anointing) oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil; Therefore the maidens love you. Draw me after you and let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you.” Here you have one particular woman falling in love with a “king” that has “anointing oils” ESV and RSV and others translate this right in my view. Every where else in the bible that word for oils, ointments and anointing oils is translated “anointing oils“. So you have a single woman falling in love with someone wearing “anointing oils”. She professes her love to him and how “pleasing” his “name” is to her as they cried out, “long live king Solomon” 1 Kings 1:39. Wants him to take her away with him. He, the king, takes her to his chambers where the daughters of Jerusalem are.
Anointing oils where set apart for holy use only. Ex. 30:22-33
Taking 1 Kings 1ff together with Song 1:2-4 and you have 1 A king in both passages 2 Anointing oils in both passages 3 You have a bunch of single women all wanting and praising the anointed king. This is enough for me to conclude that what is going on in Song 1:2-4 is a woman falling in love with the newly anointed King Solomon at Gihon 1 Kings 1:38-39. So, you have the first anointing of “king” Solomon in 1:2-4, and the “second” one in 1 Chron. 29:22, on his “wedding day” in 3:11.
We still don’t know who Solomon is marrying until we connect the wedding and crowning in Song 3:11 with Naamah. How old was Rehoboam (Naamah and Solomon’s first son) when he became king.
“Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon became king in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.” 1 Kings 14:21.
Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king. This would mean that Solomon was king for 1 year then him and Naamah gave birth to Rehoboam. Now figure out when Naamah would of had to of been pregnant in order for Rehoboam to be age 41 when he became king. If you take into account that as of Song 4:12, Naamah was a virgin “a garden locked up” on their wedding day, this would mean that she would have had to of been pregnant by Solomon with Rehoboam within 3 months of the wedding, assuming a 9 month pregnancy.
The other thing tying Naamah to Solomon’s song of songs is that she was an Ammonitess. Worshipers of Molech. Outcasts. Gentiles. Song 1:5-7 a “veiled woman” was a prostitute. She pleads with Solomon and the daughters of Jerusalem to not treat her as an outcast Gentile sinner.
Solomon reigned “forty years” 1 Kings 11:42 and Rehoboam, son of Solomon and Naamah, was 41 years old when he became king. Since the wedding and second anointing are on the same day then Naamah would have had to of been pregnant with Rehoboam within 3 months of the wedding and second crowning in Song 3:11 in order for him to be 41 years old when he became king. Age 41-40 year reign of Solomon leaves 1 year. Naamah being pregnant for 9 months with Rehoboam, leaves her getting pregnant within 3 months of Solomon’s first day of his 40 year reign as king which the first day of his reign is the same day of his wedding.
To me it is quite clear that Naamah meets Solomon at his first anointing when David is still alive. Naamah and Solomon court in Song 1, get engaged in Song 2. Then for sure by Song 3:6ff David is dead and the son of David, Solomon is crowned by Bathsheba and marries Naamah on the same day Song 3:11. Naamah, Solomon’s wife gets pregnant within 3 months of the wedding and second anointing then gives birth to Rehoboam before the end of the first year of Solomon’s reign. Solomon reigns for 40 years then Rehoboam, Naamah’s son, is 41 years old when he takes over the throne.
Solomon’s other wives. Yes, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines 1 Kings 11:3. But the wife he had in the Song describes him as a beloved above all others, having humility and majesty, a head like pure gold and altogether lovely and wholly desirable in Song 5:9-16. I highly doubt his wife would say these things if he was sleeping with other women. Plus he was the best husband around. I mean he had immeasurable wisdom 1 Kings 4:29 and an unquenchable, strong and priceless love Song 8:6-7. Also Solomon wasn’t led astray by them to worship other gods until he was “old” 1 Kings 11:4.
Naamah was an Ammonitess. The Ammonites, descendants of Ammon, worshiped Molech. This made Naamah of Gentile descent and not Jewish. Her father is not mentioned. Her mother taught her about love and life “I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother, who used to teach me;”.
Naamah was the only child of her mother, “She is the only one—my dove, my perfect one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the pure one of her who bore her.” Song 6:9.
At the time of meeting Solomon at his first anointing the sons of Naamahs mother hated her. They enslaved her to work for them. Her own duties and vineyard she neglected til falling in love with Solomon. Naamah’s skin was sun scorched and darkened. “Do not look at me because I am swarthy, For the sun has burned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.” Song 1:6
Naamah being Pharoah’s Daughter
“For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.” With her confession of having been enslaved by her mother’s son’s. Sons of Israel who take part in God’s promise of peace and rest, no more war!! No more fighting!! No dying?? No fear of harm from Israelite’s!
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