At the dawn of his reign, King Solomon experiences an extraordinary nighttime revelation. God approaches him with an open offer, asking what gift he wishes to receive [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This divine proposal sets the stage for Solomon's famous request for wisdom [מדוד ועד לחורבן]. The nature of this nighttime encounter sparks a deep discussion among commentators, centering on whether Solomon experienced a full prophetic vision or a lower level of spiritual inspiration.
The approach brought in the name of [הרמב״ם] argues that Solomon did not achieve the level of a full prophet, but rather experienced divine inspiration. This view points out that the encounter happened in a dream, and when the experience ended, Solomon awoke and realized it had been a dream. This indicates that during the vision, he lacked the absolute certainty that characterizes a true prophet, who knows immediately and clearly that he is receiving a prophecy. Furthermore, the books Solomon later wrote were placed in the section of the Bible known as the Writings, rather than the Prophets, reinforcing the idea that he was not a prophet in the fullest sense.
A strongly opposing view maintains that Solomon did indeed experience a complete and true prophecy [אברבנאל]. According to this perspective, the direct conversation between God and Solomon matches the exact style used to describe the experiences of other true prophets. The fact that Solomon awoke and realized it was a dream is explained differently. The prophetic vision was so clear, pure, and tangible that Solomon believed he was completely awake, feeling as though he were physically speaking and listening. Only upon waking did he understand that the prophecy had been delivered to Him through a dream. His initial confusion did not stem from a lower level of revelation, but simply from his youth and lack of prophetic experience. This is similar to the prophet Samuel, who also did not recognize God's voice at the beginning of his journey.
As for why Solomon's books are not included among the Prophets, this approach explains that while Solomon did achieve full prophecy at certain points in his life, including this nighttime encounter, he did not write his books while in a state of prophecy. Instead, he authored them using the lower level of divine inspiration, which is why they were categorized in the Writings [אברבנאל].