1 Kings 11

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1King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter–Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.

2They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

3He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

4As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

5He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.

6So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

7On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.

8He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

9The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

10Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command.

11So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.

12Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

13Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

14Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.

15Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom.

16Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom.

17But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father.

18They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking men from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.

19Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage.

20The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh's own children.

21While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”

22“What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?” Pharaoh asked. “Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but do let me go!”

23And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

24He gathered men around him and became the leader of a band of rebels when David destroyed the forces of Zobah; the rebels went to Damascus, where they settled and took control.

25Rezon was Israel's adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel.

26Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon's officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

27Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father.

28Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

29About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country,

30and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

31Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes.

32But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe.

33I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.

34“ ‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes.

35I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes.

36I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.

37However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel.

38If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.

39I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.’ ”

40Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon's death.

41As for the other events of Solomon's reign–all he did and the wisdom he displayed–are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon?

42Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

43Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

Commentary

CHAPTER 111Ki 11:1-8. Solomon's Wives and Concubines in His Old Age.1, 2. But King Solomon loved many strange women—Solomon's extraordinary gift of wisdom was not sufficient to preserve him from falling into grievous and fatal errors. A fairer promise of true greatness, a more beautiful picture of juvenile piety, never was seen than that which he exhibited at the commencement of his reign. No sadder, more humiliating, or awful spectacle can be imagined than the besotted apostasy of his old age; and to him may be applied the words of Paul (Ga 3:3), of John (Re 3:17), and of Isaiah (Isa 14:21). A love of the world, a ceaseless round of pleasure, had insensibly corrupted his heart, and produced, for a while at least, a state of mental darkness. The grace of God deserted him; and the son of the pious David—the religiously trained child of Bath-sheba (Pr 31:1-3), and pupil of Nathan, instead of showing the stability of sound principle and mature experience became at last an old and foolish king (Ec 4:13). His fall is traced to his "love of many strange women." Polygamy was tolerated among the ancient Hebrews; and, although in most countries of the East, the generality of men, from convenience and economy, confine themselves to one woman, yet a number of wives is reckoned as an indication of wealth and importance, just as a numerous stud of horses and a grand equipage are among us. The sovereign, of course, wishes to have a more numerous harem than any of his subjects; and the female establishments of many Oriental princes have, both in ancient and modern times, equalled or exceeded that of Solomon's. It is probable, therefore, that, in conformity with Oriental notions, he resorted to it as a piece of state magnificence. But in him it was unpardonable, as it was a direct and outrageous violation of the divine law (De 17:17), and the very result which that statute was ordained to prevent was realized in him. His marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh is not censured either here or elsewhere (see on [311]1Ki 3:1). It was only his love for many strange women; for women, though in the East considered inferiors, exert often a silent but powerful seductive influence over their husbands in the harem, as elsewhere, and so it was exemplified in Solomon.

But King Solomon loved many strange women,.... His love was a lustful and not a lawful one, and of women who were not only of foreign countries, but not his lawful wives, and these many:

together with the daughter of Pharaoh; besides her, or as he loved her, and perhaps more; his sin was not that he loved her who was his lawful wife, but others with her; it is very probable she was a proselytess, and had no hand in turning him to idolatry, since we read not of any high place built for an Egyptian idol:

women of the Moabites, Anmonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; all of the neighbouring nations. Some think he did this with political views, to get intelligence of the state of those countries, or to abate and extinguish their enmity; but it rather seems to be the fruit of lust or pride.

Chapter 11 This chapter begins with as melancholy a "but" as almost any we find in all the Bible. Hitherto we have read nothing of Solomon but what was great and good; but the lustre both of his goodness and of his greatness is here sullied and eclipsed, and his sun sets under a cloud. I. The glory of his piety is stained by his departure from God and his duty, in his latter days, marrying strange wives and worshipping strange gods (v. 4-8). II. The glory of his prosperity is stained by God’s displeasure against him and the fruits of that displeasure. 1. He sent him an angry message (v. 9–13). 2. He stirred up enemies, who gave him disturbance, Hadad (v. 14–22), Rezon (v. 23–25). 3. He gave away ten tribes of his twelve, from his posterity after him, to Jeroboam, whom therefore he sought in vain to slay (v. 26–40), and this is all that remains here to be told concerning Solomon, except his death and burial (v. 41–43), for there is nothing perfect under the sun, but all is so above the sun.Verses 1-8 This is a sad story, and very surprising, of Solomon’s defection and degeneracy.I. Let us enquire into the occasions and particulars of it. Shall Solomon fall, that was the beauty of Israel, and so great a blessing of his generation? Yes, it is too true, and the scripture is faithful in relating it, and repeating it, and referring to it long after, Neh. 13:26. There was no king like Solomon who was beloved of his God, yet even him did outlandish women cause to sin. There is the summary of his apostasy; it was the woman that deceived him, and was first in the transgression.1. He doted on strange women, many strange women. Here his revolt began. (1.) He gave himself to women, which his mother had particularly cautioned him against. Prov. 31:3, Give not thy strength unto women (perhaps alluding to Samson, who lost his strength by giving information of it to a woman), for it is that which, as much as any thing, destroys kings. His father David’s fall began with the lusts of the flesh, which he should have taken warning by. The love of women has cast down many wounded (Prov. 7:26) and many (says bishop Hall) have had their head broken by their own rib. (2.) He took many women, so many that, at last, they amounted to 700 wives and 300 concubines, 1000 in all, and not one good one among them, as he himself owns in his penitential sermon (Eccl. 7:28), for no woman of established virtue would be one of such a set. God had, by his law, particularly forbidden the kings to multiply either horses or wives, Deu. 17:16, 17. How he broke the former law, in multiplying horses, and having them out of Egypt too (which was expressly prohibited in that law) we read ch. 10:29, and here we are told how he broke the latter (which proved of more fatal consequence) in multiplying wives. Note, Less sins, made gold with, open the door to greater.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG ንጉሡም ሰሎሞን ከፈርዖን ልጅ ሌላ፥ በሞዓባውያንና በአሞናውያን በኤዶማውያን በሲዶናውያንና በኬጢያውያን ሴቶች፥ በብዙ እንግዶች ሴቶች ፍቅር ተነደፈ። አማርኛ BCV ንጉስ ሰሎሞን ኣብ ልዕሊ ጓል ፈርዖን ብዙሓት ጓኖት ኣንስቲ፥ ሞኣባውያን፥ ኣሞናውያን፥ ኤዶማውያን፥ ሲዶናውያን፥ ኬጢያውያን ፈተወ። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Solomoon mootichi warra ormaa keessaa intaloota baay'ee in jaallate; inni intala mootii Gibxii malee, durba warra Mo'aa… Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወሰሎሞንሰ ንጉሥ መፍቀሬ እንስት ውእቱ እምነ ነኪር ሕዝብ፡ ወለተ ፈርዖንሂ ወሞአባውያትሂ ወአሞናዊያትሂ ወእምሶርያ ወእምሲዶና ወእምኤዶምያስ ወእምኬጤዎን ወእምነ አሞሬዎን። giz GAZGAZ Solomoon mootichi warra ormaa keessaa intaloota baay'ee in jaallate; inni intala mootii Gibxii malee, durba warra Mo'aa… Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ንጉስ ሰሎሞን ኣብ ልዕሊ ጓል ፈርዖን ብዙሓት ጓኖት ኣንስቲ፥ ሞኣባውያን፥ ኣሞናውያን፥ ኤዶማውያን፥ ሲዶናውያን፥ ኬጢያውያን ፈተወ። ትግርኛ AMHNIV ንጉሥ ሰሎሞን ከፈርዖን ልጅ ሌላ ብዙ የባዕድ አገር ሴቶችን ማለትም ሞዓባውያትን፣ አሞናውያትን፣ ኤዶማውያትን፣ ሲዶናውያትን፣ ኬጢያውያትን አፈቀረ። አማርኛ SWAHSUV Mfalme Sulemani akawapenda wanawake wengi wageni, pamoja na binti yake Farao, wanawake wa Wamoabi, na wa Waamoni, na wa… Kiswahili