מלכים א, פרק ט׳, פסוק ב׳

Following the completion of the magnificent Temple and the royal palace, Solomon experiences a direct divine revelation that confirms his status as a prophet [ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. This encounter mirrors his past experience, as God reveals Himself in the exact same manner and at the same elevated level of prophecy that characterized Solomon's very first vision in Gibeon [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Counting this event as the second time God appears to Solomon presents a historical puzzle. During the actual construction of the Temple, a divine message was already delivered to him, which would seemingly make this the third encounter. Commentators resolve this timeline in two distinct ways. One approach suggests that the message delivered during the construction was not spoken directly to Solomon, but was instead relayed through another prophet. As a result, this current encounter truly stands as his second direct revelation [אברבנאל].

Another perspective maintains that God did communicate directly with Solomon during the building phase, but that specific encounter was of a lower, incomplete prophetic nature. Because it lacked the intensity of a full revelation, it is not included in the primary count. Therefore, the current event marks only the second time Solomon achieves a state of complete and perfect prophecy, matching the absolute clarity of his initial experience in Gibeon [מלבי״ם].