The Psalms of Solomon consist of 18 poetic texts written in Jerusalem during the first century b.c. Greek and Syriac translations preserved the collection after the original Hebrew documents disappeared. Scribes attributed the works to the ancient king Solomon. Modern historical criticism identifies the actual authors as anonymous Jewish dissidents living in Judea. These writers structured their texts as lamentations and hymns. They aimed to explain a catastrophic political collapse using traditional poetic forms.
A brutal geopolitical shift triggered the composition of these poems. In 63 b.c. the Roman general Pompey marched his legions over 300 miles south from Antioch and besieged Jerusalem. Roman troops breached the temple walls and slaughtered thousands of residents within the city limits. The authors of the psalms documented this invasion in detail. They described Pompey breaching the sanctuary and seizing control of the region. The texts record his eventual assassination in Egypt in 48 b.c. The writers interpreted Roman military occupation as divine punishment directed at the ruling class.
The Hasmonean dynasty governed Judea for decades before the Roman conquest. The psalmists accused these leaders of widespread corruption and illegal usurpation of the royal throne. According to the texts, the Hasmoneans looted temple treasuries and violated purity laws. The writers separated themselves from this ruling family. They identified themselves as the pious and the righteous. They viewed the Roman slaughter as a necessary purge of a corrupt Jewish leadership that had compromised the nation.
The collection introduces a sharp political vision for the future of Jerusalem. The 17th psalm describes a forthcoming ruler from the line of David. The authors expected this military and political leader to expel Gentile forces from the region. The text states this king will crush arrogant rulers and establish a rigid administrative center in Jerusalem. He will divide the land among the tribes and prohibit foreigners from residing within the city limits. The writers grounded their hopes in a physical revolution and military conquest rather than a spiritual escape.