Solomon’s Many Wives

11 King Solomon loved many ·women who were not from Israel [^Lforeign women]. He loved the daughter of ·the king of Egypt [^LPharaoh], as well as women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites [Prov. 5–7]. ² The Lord had told the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel], “You must not ·marry people of other nations [or associate with them; ^Lcome into them, and they must not come into you]. If you do, they will cause you to ·follow [^Lturn your hearts to] their gods.” But Solomon ·fell in love with these women [^Lclung/held fast to them in love]. ³ He had seven hundred wives who were from royal families and three hundred ·slave women who gave birth to his children [concubines; ^Ca secondary wife of lower status than a primary wife, but higher than a common servant]. His wives ·caused him to turn away from God [led him astray; ^Lturned his heart away]. ⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives ·caused him to follow [led him astray after; ^Lturned his heart away after] other gods. ·He did not follow the Lord completely [^LHis heart was not wholly devoted/faithful to the Lord his God] as ·his father David had done [the heart of his father David had been]. ⁵ Solomon ·worshiped [followed; went after] Ashtoreth, the goddess of the people of Sidon, and ·Molech [^LMilcom], the ·hated [detestable] god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord] and ·did not [refused to] follow the Lord completely as his father David had done.

⁷ On a hill east of Jerusalem [^Cthe Mount of Olives], Solomon built two ·places for worship [^Lhigh places; 3:2]. One was a place to worship Chemosh, the ·hated [detestable] god of the Moabites, and the other was a place to worship Molech, the ·hated [detestable] god of the Ammonites. ⁸ Solomon did the same thing for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their gods.