The editorial superscription (1.1) and a brief royal autobiography (1.12–2.26) associate the speaking subject with Solomon, the final king of Israel's short-lived United Monarchy (ca. 968–928 bce), who was renowned for his wisdom (see 1 Kings 3–4). Solomon, however, is never named explicitly, but only indirectly evoked as the “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1.1; see also 1.12). Since the speaker does not elsewhere present himself as a king, and the editorial postscript describes him as a teacher rather than a king (12.9–14), the royal persona appears to be more rhetorical than historical.
