Solomon was a king of Israel about three thousand years ago, the son of King David. He built the great temple in Jerusalem. But when English speakers use his name today, they almost always mean one thing: wisdom. There is a famous story about him. Two women came to him each saying the same baby was hers. There were no witnesses, no way to know. Solomon said: fine, cut the baby in half, one half each. One woman said yes. The other said no — give the baby to her, let him live. Solomon gave the baby to the second woman, because only the real mother would rather lose the child than see him die. That is what people mean by 'the wisdom of Solomon': not knowing a lot of facts, but finding the right answer when there is no clear way to find it, when any ordinary judge would be stuck. So you will hear it in phrases like 'it would take the wisdom of Solomon to settle this' — and notice that this is often said with a sigh, about a problem so difficult that the speaker is really saying nobody could solve it. There is also 'a judgement of Solomon' or 'a Solomonic decision', meaning a clever ruling that cuts straight through an impossible argument. Solomon is also an ordinary family name and first name in English-speaking countries, and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific carry the name too.