Solomon's Satans

Edward Greenstein's Fugitive Hero Applied to Hadad the Edomite

By: Antony Michael Hylton

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Not many people have been unfortunate enough to be given the title satan. Jobab was given that title by Abraham Abulafia, but unfortunately for Hadad the Edomite and Rezion the son of Eliada they were given the title satan by the Scriptures themselves. In this paper we will reflect on Hadad the Edomite. We think that the author of Kings understood that Hadad the Edomite of 1 Kings 11:14-25 was the same person as Hadar (d) the King who succeeded Baalhanan son of Achbor (David) as king in Edom who in turn succeeded Saul of Rehovoth (Saul) (Gen 36:37-39) and the ancestor to Ben Hadad I (1 Kgs 15:18-20). We will argue that he was a vassal of Pharaoh King of Egypt and that having returned from exile failed to gain enough support in Edom to revolt against Solomon so he moved north to Aram and aligned himself with Rezon of Damascus and established himself in the region of Aram. After he worked with Rezon ruler of Damascus against Solomon he left behind a line of kings called Ben Hadad. Hadad was not his only name we will suggest it was with Hadad Hezion or Hadad Tab-rimmon (1 Kings 15:18-21). The main damage he brought to Israel was the intelligence he sent back to Pharaoh regarding the wealth of Solomon and the weaknesses of Solomon and that in combination with Pharaoh's other vassal Jeroboam son of Nebat led to end of the United Kingdom, and all the wealth gained by Saul, David and Solomon which had been stored up in the Temple being taken by Shishak as spoil to Egypt (1 Kings 14:29) and any left overs by Ben Hadad I through Asa's request (1 Kgs 15: 18-21). This was in revenge for near total destruction of either ruling Edomite male population or the entire male population of Edom by Joab and David of Israel. On this understanding of Hadad King of Edom we will compare him to the Fugitive Hero Pattern. He will be seen to be a fugitive who returns to his land with the authority of Egypt. He then moves north and clearly succeeds in hurting the people who hurt his people, to the Edomites then he would be a hero but also to the Aramean who also saw the house of David as illegitimate rulers or oppressors. To fulfill the pattern however he needs to establish a cult, the evidence for this may be not so easy to obtain.