King Solomon Temple Coin

Depicted here is King Solomon, third king of Israel. His posture is one of immense authority; his right hand rests on the throne while his left firmly grips a royal scepter, the symbol of his power to decree justice.

The two women who brought their dispute before the king are visually contrasted to tell the story. The true mother kneels, her arms outstretched in a desperate plea to save her child, even if it means giving him up. The false mother stands apart, her posture rigid and unmoved, exposing her lack of maternal compassion.

The living infant is the silent, central figure of the moral drama. He represents innocence, life, and the subject of justice. The immediate threat to his life is the catalyst that forces a true, instinctual response from his mother. He is the fragile truth that Solomon's wisdom is designed to protect.

This small, still figure is the source of the entire conflict. As told in 1 Kings 3, the false mother's child died in the night, and she swapped the dead infant for the living one. Its presence on the coin establishes the initial tragedy and the deceitful act that necessitated the king's judgment.

The royal guard is the instrument of Solomon’s test. He holds the sword horizontally, poised to carry out the king's shocking order to divide the child. This threatening posture is not a symbol of cruelty but of discernment; it is the brilliant, if terrifying, device intended to cleave deception from truth by provoking a reaction of pure love.

The inscriptions evoke the sanctity and memory of Jerusalem and its Temple. The Hebrew establishes the location's holiness, while the English adds a poetic call for its renewal, echoing a theme central to Jewish prayer.

* Original language (Hebrew): "מִקְדָּשׁ מֶלֶךְ עִיר מְלוּכָה"

* Transliteration: *Mikdash Melekh Ir Melukha*

* Translation: "Shrine of the King, royal city"

* Original language (English): "Shrine of the King, royal city, arise! Come forth from thy ruins."

* Context: The final phrase, "arise! Come forth from thy ruins," is a direct echo of the famous hymn *Lekhah Dodi* ("Come, my beloved"), sung to welcome the Sabbath. It expresses the deep yearning for Jerusalem's restoration.

This ornate crown symbolizes the Davidic monarchy, the line of kings from which Solomon came. Its position floating directly above the Temple links the institution of kingship to the sacred purpose of building a house for God. It represents both temporal authority and divine covenant.

*Beit HaMikdash*, the First Temple built by Solomon. The central site of Israelite worship, it was considered the dwelling place of the divine presence on Earth.