ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

King Solomon

King Solomon was a really important person who lived a long time ago. He was a king of a big country called Israel. People think he was very wise, which means he knew a lot and could make good decisions.

King Solomon was the son of King David, who was also a very important person in Israel's history. When David died, Solomon became the new king.

One of the most famous stories about King Solomon was when two women came to him, each claiming to be the mother of a baby. They asked the king to decide which one of them was the real mother. King Solomon thought about this very carefully and came up with a trick. He said that he would cut the baby in half and give each woman a part. The first woman agreed, but the second woman said she would rather let the other woman keep the baby than have it be hurt. King Solomon knew this meant the second woman was the real mother, because she cared more about the baby's safety than getting what she wanted.

King Solomon was also known for building a big and fancy temple for the God of Israel. He was very rich and had lots of gold and jewels. But he also had many wives and lovers, which some people thought was a bad thing because it went against the rules of their religion.

Overall, King Solomon was an important and famous king who was known for his wisdom and building a big temple.