SOLOMON'S WEALTH IS LIKE A MYTH BECAUSE THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE TO PROVE WHAT THE BIBLE STATES. Yet Lord Jesus Said That He Was The Richest Man On Earth. Let's see how this could be possible.
Pinning Down the Borders
The biblical promise in Genesis 15:18 and references in 1 Kings 4:21 talk about Solomon’s kingdom extending:
“from the river (Euphrates) to the brook of Egypt.”
Brook of Egypt: Likely Wadi El-Arish, not the Nile, so not as far west as Egypt proper.
Euphrates River: Runs through modern Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
So the domain in question would’ve stretched over:
Modern Israel Jordan Parts of Lebanon and Syria Maybe into northern Saudi Arabia Western Iraq
That's a huge chunk of the Levant and Mesopotamian borderlands — the crossroads of the ancient world.
Trade Routes
If Solomon controlled that land, he'd be at the center of the most critical intercontinental trade routes in the ancient world.
1. The Via Maris ("Way of the Sea")
Major route along the Mediterranean coast connecting Egypt to Mesopotamia
Ran right through Canaan/Israel
Solomon would’ve had total control over this — major commercial advantage
2. The King's Highway
Ran north-south on the east side of the Jordan River, connecting Egypt with Arabia and Mesopotamia
Passed through Moab, Edom, Ammon — all mentioned as vassal states under Solomon in biblical accounts
3. Incense Route
Linked southern Arabia (Yemen/Oman) to Gaza
Through Dedan, Tayma, and up through the Negev
He may not have controlled southern Arabia, but he likely taxed and regulated the caravans as they entered his territory
4. Maritime Trade
Red Sea fleet via Ezion-Geber (modern-day Eilat)
Trade with Ophir, Sheba, and Tarshish (uncertain exact locations, most likely Africa and India, and maybe as far as the Philippines, and possibly the Americas)
Control of Trade Routes
Solomon would've dominated some of the most important interregional connections in Afro-Eurasia.
He wouldn’t control:
Silk Road routes into China/Central Asia (too far east)
Trans-Saharan or Nile routes deep into Africa
Western Mediterranean seaborne trade (Phoenicians & Greeks were dominant there)
Further Assessment
In the 10th century BCE, the Levant was like the Panama Canal of the ancient world — whoever controlled that land controlled how goods flowed between continents.
Solomon ruling the whole region:
Would've been insanely wealthy off trade taxes
Had a chokehold on East-West commerce
Was perfectly positioned for diplomatic and economic leverage
Big Picture
If Solomon ruled from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates:
He’d control the most valuable trade routes between Africa, Arabia, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean
Not every known route, but a kingpin position in global commerce
His wealth, as described in the Bible, makes a lot more geopolitical sense in this light
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