Extended Lore
Etymology · Phonology · Orthography · Cultural Legacy · Primary Sources
Essential information about Šəlōmōh, King, Sage
From original script to Unicode restoration
BHS points the name שְׁלֹמֹה (1 Kings 1:1). The initial shewa is vocal (šəwa naʿ) because it opens the word; the two holams are long [oː]. The final he is silent. Modern Israeli Hebrew flattens the vowels to [o] and often elides the shewa, but the Tiberian tradition distinguishes length. HALOT s.v. שְׁלֹמֹה; TDOT s.v. Solomon.
Character-by-character philological analysis
| Character | Unicode | Name | Block | Phonetic Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Š | U+0160 | Latin Capital Letter S with Caron | Latin Extended-A | Same, capitalized and fricative |
| ə | U+0259 | Latin Small Letter Schwa | IPA Extensions | Schwa vowel |
| l | U+006C | Latin Small Letter L | Basic Latin | Same |
| ō | U+014D | Latin Small Letter O with Macron | Latin Extended-A | Macron: long vowel |
| m | U+006D | Latin Small Letter M | Basic Latin | Same |
| ō | U+014D | Latin Small Letter O with Macron | Latin Extended-A | Macron: long vowel |
| h | U+0068 | Latin Small Letter H | Basic Latin | Heh h |
The Tier 2 classification reflects which ancient features stress, length, or script are preserved in this restoration.
From ancient cult to modern Unicode
Šəlōmōh is the king who turns peace into architecture. Son of David, he inherits a united kingdom and spends it on cedar, gold, and wisdom. His Temple in Jerusalem becomes the fixed center of Israelite worship; his judgment becomes proverbial; his trade fleets reach the edges of the known world. Yet his story ends in fracture: the kingdom he built splits the moment he dies.
In Islam, Solomon is Sulaymān, a prophet who commands the wind, speaks with birds, and rules over jinn under God's permission (Qur'an 27). Jewish tradition expands him into a master of demons, a magician-king whose seal controls spirits. Christianity sees him as a type of Christ the wise king and builder of a spiritual temple. Ethiopian legend makes him the father of Menelik I through the Queen of Sheba, founding the Solomonic dynasty claimed by Ethiopian emperors into the twentieth century. The figure of Solomon thus drifts from history into legend, from king into archetype.
Šəlōmōh gave the world the idea of the wise king whose wealth is justified by understanding. The 'judgment of Solomon' has entered legal and popular language as a decision that exposes truth by risking loss. The Temple he built remains the imagined heart of Jerusalem, mourned in Jewish liturgy and yearned for in apocalyptic expectation. His attributed writings — Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs — are among the most read books of the Bible, while the Seal of Solomon became a protective amulet across Jewish, Christian, and Islamic magic. In modern archaeology, Solomon is also a battleground: the dating of Iron Age monumental gates at Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer is central to debates about the historicity and scale of his kingdom.
Restoring Šəlōmōh in a domain name is more than orthographic accuracy. It is a statement that the internet should recognize the full range of human writing — not only the ASCII keyboard.
Common questions about Šəlōmōh, King, Sage, and Unicode restoration
In reconstructed pronunciation, Šəlōmōh is /ʃəloːˈmoː(h)/ — approximately 'shuh-LOH-moh' — start with a quick 'shuh'; both later 'o' sounds are long and steady, like 'show'..
Šəlōmōh means Third king of Israel, builder of the Temple in the canaanite tradition.
Šəlōmōh is associated with Temple (The fixed house of YHWH in Jerusalem, the center of Israelite cult and identity), Seal / signet (The legendary ring that commanded demons and animals in later Jewish and Islamic folklore), Scales (The instrument of his wise judgment and the balance of peace (šālôm)), Peacock and gold (The exotic wealth of his international trade and the opulence of his court), Crown (The throne of ivory overlaid with gold and the apex of Israelite royal power).
Plain ASCII solomon strips the stress, length, and script that make the name specific. Unicode restoration returns the name to its original written dignity.
When Solomon becomes king, God appears to him at Gibeon and offers whatever he asks. Solomon does not ask for riches or long life but for 'an understanding mind to govern your people.' Pleased, God grants him wisdom and adds wealth and honor besides. The episode establishes Solomon as the archetype of the wise ruler.
The philological foundations of this restoration
Every claim on this page is grounded in established scholarship. The orthographic restorations follow disciplinary convention. The etymological chain follows the best available reference works. This is not invention — it is resurrection through scholarship.
You have traced the name from its earliest attestation to its Unicode restoration. Now return to the myth. The story is where the name lives.
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