The birth story of Solomon is unique in the ancient Israelite historiography from the monarchic period. Though the birth name of the newborn child was “Solomon,” he received an additional name “Yedidyah.” The purpose of this name should be understood within three contexts: the immediate passage in 2 Samuel 12; the wider story regarding Solomon’s rise to power in 1 King 1–2; and comparable ancient Near Eastern texts that recount the claims of usurpers outside the royal line to a throne. The latter attempted to legitimize their kingship by introducing themselves as beloved or chosen by patron deities, occasionally taking a new throne-name to reflect their status vis-à-vis the god or gods. This historical and literary phenomenon is clearly reflected from Mesopotamian, Anatolian, Persian, and Egyptian writings of different periods. The discussion here reveals that in ancient Israel and in the surrounding cultures, both Semitic and non-Semitic, the method of self-legitimation by usurpers was to claim that they had divine legitimization.

所罗门的出生故事在君主制时期的古代以色列史书中是独一无二的。尽管新生婴儿的出生名字是“所罗门”，但他又获得了另外一个名字“ Yedidyah”。应在以下三种情况下理解此名称的目的：撒母耳记下2的立即通过；关于所罗门在1位国王1–2中上台的更广泛的故事；以及可比的远东近代古代文献，这些文献都将皇室外的篡夺者的主张重新归类为王位。后者试图通过介绍自己为赞助神所钟爱或选择的神来使他们的王权合法化，偶尔采用新的王位名称来反映他们对神灵的地位。美索不达米亚，安纳托利亚，波斯和埃及不同时期的著作清楚地反映了这种历史和文学现象。