Solomon Turns from God

11 Now (A)King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations of which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “(B)You shall not [a]associate with them, nor shall they [b]associate with you; they will certainly turn your heart away [c]to follow their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. (C)He had seven hundred wives, who were [d]princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away [e]to follow other gods; and (D)his heart was not [f]wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been. For Solomon became a follower of (E)Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and of [g](F)Milcom the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as his father David had done. Then Solomon built a high place for (G)Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, on the mountain that is [h]east of Jerusalem, and for (H)Molech, the abhorrent idol of the sons of Ammon. He also did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 11:2 Lit go among
  2. 1 Kings 11:2 Lit go among
  3. 1 Kings 11:2 Lit after their
  4. 1 Kings 11:3 Or women of rank
  5. 1 Kings 11:4 Lit after other
  6. 1 Kings 11:4 Lit complete with
  7. 1 Kings 11:5 In Jer 49:1, 3, Malcam
  8. 1 Kings 11:7 Lit before

Solomon’s Unfaithfulness to God

11 King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter:(A) Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women(B) from the nations that the Lord had told the Israelites about, “Do not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn you away from Me to their gods.”(C) Solomon was deeply attached to these women and loved them. He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines,(D) and they turned his heart away from the Lord.(E)

When Solomon was old, his wives seduced him to follow other gods. He was not completely devoted to Yahweh his God, as his father David had been.(F) Solomon followed Ashtoreth,(G) the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom,(H) the detestable idol of the Ammonites.(I) Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, and unlike his father David, he did not completely follow Yahweh.

At that time, Solomon built a high place(J) for Chemosh,(K) the detestable idol of Moab, and for Milcom,[a](L) the detestable idol of the Ammonites, on the hill across from Jerusalem.(M) He did the same for all his foreign wives, who were burning incense and offering sacrifices to their gods.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 11:7 Lit Molech