Problem: Solomon says, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath” (1 Kings 8:23). Critical scholars note that this passage seems to support henotheism: the notion that there is one infinite-personal God who is in control of other gods. This is sort of a mix between monotheism and polytheism. Is this the case?
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Problem: Solomon says, “I have surely built You [God] a lofty house, a place for Your dwelling forever” (1 Kings 8:13). Does this mean that God was confined to a space? Does it mean that he really isn’t omnipresent?
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Problem: How many baths, 2,000 or 3,000 in 1 Kings 7 and 2 Chronicles 4?
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Problem: Solomon’s worker, Hiram, made a sea of bronze for the Temple. 1 Kings 7:23 states, “[Hiram] made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference.” This would make pi as a 3 to 1 ratio, when we know that pi is actually 3.14. Isn’t this an example of a clear error in the Bible?
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Problem: Scholars vigorously debate the date of the Exodus. Most are split between two different views: the late date and the early date. Hoffmeier notes, “Most biblical scholars and archaeologists accept one of these two dates.”[1]
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Problem: How many supervisors were there? 3,300 or 3,600? 1 Kings 5:16 and 2 Chronicles 2:2
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Problem: How many stalls of horses did Solomon have, 4,000 or 40,000? 1 Kings 4:26 and 2 Chronicles 9:25 have different amounts. Which is true?
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Problem: 1 Kings 4:26 states that Solomon had 40,000 stalls. However, 2 Chronicles 9:25 states that he had 4,000. Which is true?
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Problem: God told Solomon, “I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you” (1 Kings 3:12). Does this mean that Solomon was even wiser than Jesus? How is this possible?
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Problem: We know that Adonijah was trying to usurp the throne, lining up horses and chariots ready to protect his coup (1 Kings 1:5-6). Solomon already warned Adonijah for trying to do this, telling him that he was walking on egg shells (1:52). But why was this act of taking Abishag such an egregious offense?
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