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While the Bible specifies the age of accession for most of the kings of Israel and Judah, Solomon's age is not given. In his dream at Gibeon Solomon describes himself as a נער קטן which may be part of the reason Seder Olam says he was twelve years old at accession. Solomon reigned for 40 years and when he died his 41-year-old son Rehoboam became king. Obviously this means Rehoboam was born one year before Solomon's accession. If we accept the Seder Olam figure, this means that Solomon became a father at the age of 11, two years before he had the legal ability to effect a marriage. That a minor cannot effect a marriage is taken as common-knowledge in the Talmud: קטן שקידש הכל יודעין שאין קידושי קטן כלום.

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  • A minor male can have a wife through yibbum
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Mar 1, 2022 at 12:42
  • In other words, Seder Olam may be saying that Naamah was Solomon's wife through levirate marriage. It is odd that no-one mentioned this if this was the case.
    – user19234
    Commented Mar 1, 2022 at 12:51
  • It would be odd and I'm not saying that's true, only noting that it is possible to have a wife before bar mitzva, unlike the suggestion in the question.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Mar 1, 2022 at 12:53
  • Could a 12 year old king take a concubine?
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Mar 1, 2022 at 12:54
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    @MosheWise yes. That was a typo
    – Chatzkel
    Commented Nov 4, 2022 at 12:40

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The question is based on the Talmud's statement that an underage boy cannot affect a marriage. This is correct, but it neglects the fact that a boy's father can affect a marriage on his behalf (Mishnah). Solomon acceded to the throne in his father's lifetime so David was certainly available to contract his marriage to Naamah when he was too young to marry her on his own.

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The Gemorroh in Sanhedrin 69b brings a machloikes Beis Shammei and Beis Hillel regarding the earliest age one can father a child 8\9 years old with detailed examples from Shlomo Hameleche's mother, grandfather and great grandfather Achitofel. the Geomorroh mentions Beis Hillel opinion ובית הלל סברי לא גמרינן מדורות הראשונים 'we do not learn form earlier generations'. One can understand this to mean that the rules were different then, and in earlier generation perhaps an 8 or 9 year old could effect a marriage unlike later periods

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  • The Talmudic discussion there appears to about the biological minimum age for paternity rather than the minimum marriage age for boys.
    – user19234
    Commented Nov 4, 2022 at 15:35
  • The 'earlier generations' that's mentioned there refers to the opinion that the biology in humans changed and that earlier generations had the ability to give birth at earlier ages. This gemara doesn't seem to apply here as it discusses the biology and not the legality of marriage / giving birth.
    – Shababnik
    Commented Aug 6, 2023 at 5:08

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