Who is a King like unto Solomon?

And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee (kamoka) before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee (kamoka). And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour (kavod): so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee (kamoka) all thy days.

1 Kings 3:11ff (Spoke 11, Cycle 1)

God spoke these words to Solomon after he had asked for wisdom. The three highlighted occurrences of kamoka (like thee) are based on the role of Kaph in Hebrew grammar. As a prefix, Kaph signifies such ideas as like, according to, as, after the manner of, and so forth (BW book, pg 113). It is the sign of similarity. God displayed its role in one Alphabetic Verse:

• AV Psalm 119:88 Quicken me AFTER thy lovingkindness (k'hasd'ka); so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.

As a prefix to the interrogative mah (what?), it forms the question "like what?" or "how many?":

• AV Psalm 119:84 How many (kammah) are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?

The Kaph Prefix combines with the Kaph Suffix (sign of you or yours) to form kamoka, meaning like you. This is the word that God spoke three times to Solomon in the passage above. Its frequency is greatly maximized in 1 Kings where it appears six times, as opposed to twice or less in any other of the 12 Old Testament History Books. It is particularly striking that God's words to Solomon are unique to 1 Kings; kamoka is not used in the parallel verse in 2 Chronicles 1:12 (see BW book pg 274 for other examples). This is why the peak is restricted to Spoke 11. Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the Temple gives another very significant occurrence of kamoka:

And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee (kamoka), in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart.

1 Kings 8:23

After receiving Divine Wisdom, Solomon knew the only reason he would be a king unlike any other was because he had been blessed by the one True God who is unlike any other. All now who receive His Word are likewise blessed, since we have received a Divine Book unlike anything seen in the history of the world.

Next article: Who is a God like unto the Lord?

Questions? Comments? Join the discussion on the Bible Wheel Forum!