Interesting Facts

• Salomon is identified as one of the sons of Dan.
• According to the Book of Jubilees, Salomon died in Egypt in the same year that he entered.
• Dan had five sons who journeyed with him to Egypt, and Salomon was among them.
• The sources indicate that all of Dan’s sons, with the exception of Hushim, met their demise in Egypt during the year of their arrival.

Genealogy

• Salomon was the son of Dan.
• Dan was a son of Jacob (also called Israel) and Bilhah, who was Rachel’s handmaid.
• Therefore, Salomon’s paternal grandparents were Jacob and Bilhah.
• His uncles (Jacob’s other sons) included Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, and Naphtali, and his aunt was Dinah [as inferred from his father’s lineage as a son of Jacob within the larger family structure].
• Salomon had four brothers: Hushim, Samon, Asudi, and ‘Ijaka. Like Salomon, Samon, Asudi, and ‘Ijaka also died in the year of their entry into Egypt.

Historical Context

Salomon’s existence transpired in the land of Canaan during the period immediately preceding the onset of a severe famine that afflicted the region, as documented in the Book of Jubilees. This famine brought about barrenness throughout Canaan, contrasting sharply with the provisioned land of Egypt, where Joseph had diligently amassed the produce of the seven preceding years of abundance. Consequently, Jacob, along with his entire household comprising seventy souls, made the significant decision to migrate to Egypt in search of sustenance. Salomon was among those who embarked on this journey and entered Egypt. Notably, the text of Jubilees specifies that Salomon died within the same year that he arrived in Egypt. This temporal proximity suggests that the hardships associated with the famine in Canaan, or the rigors of the journey to Egypt itself, may have contributed to his early death shortly after reaching the land of Goshen, the designated dwelling place for Jacob and his family under the auspices of Joseph.

Narrative

The personal narrative of Salomon within the confines of these selected texts is exceptionally limited, confined primarily to his inclusion within the genealogical records of Jacob’s descendants who journeyed to Egypt. His significance is rooted principally in his connection to the lineage of Dan and his participation in the migration of Jacob’s family during the famine. The salient detail pertaining to Salomon is his death, along with three of his brothers, in the same year that they entered Egypt. This event stands in contrast to the subsequent flourishing and multiplication experienced by numerous other members of Jacob’s house in the region of Goshen. While the sources provide no account of Salomon’s individual actions or dialogues, his existence and early demise contribute to the overarching narrative of the challenges and vulnerabilities encountered by Jacob’s family during this critical period of transition. His story underscores the profound impact of the severe famine and the difficulties inherent in the quest for refuge in Egypt. Salomon’s name, therefore, serves as a brief, yet poignant, testament to the human cost associated with this pivotal migration in the history of Israel.