1 Kings 11:14-25
New English Translation
14 The Lord brought[a] against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of the Edomite king. 15 During David’s campaign against Edom,[b] Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom. 16 For Joab and the entire Israelite army[c] stayed there six months until they had exterminated every male in Edom.[d] 17 Hadad,[e] who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt.[f] 18 They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, gave him a house and some land and supplied him with food.[g] 19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well[h] he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes’ sister) as a wife.[i] 20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son,[j] named Genubath. Tahpenes raised[k] him in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons. 21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away[l] and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave[m] so I can return to my homeland.” 22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland?”[n] Hadad replied,[o] “Nothing, but please give me permission to leave.”[p]
23 God also brought against Solomon[q] another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah. 24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band.[r] When David tried to kill them,[s] they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city. 25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad, caused trouble. He loathed[t] Israel and ruled over Syria.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 11:14 tn Or “raised up.”
- 1 Kings 11:15 tn Heb “when David was [fighting (?)] with Edom.”
- 1 Kings 11:16 tn Heb “and all Israel.”
- 1 Kings 11:16 tn Heb “until he had cut off every male in Edom.”
- 1 Kings 11:17 tn The MT reads “Adad,” an alternate form of the name Hadad.
- 1 Kings 11:17 tn Heb “and Adad fled, he and Edomite men from the servants of his father, to go to Egypt, and Hadad was a small boy.”
- 1 Kings 11:18 tn Heb “and they arose from Midian and went to Paran and they took men with them from Paran and went to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and he gave to him a house and food he said to him, and a land he gave to him.”
- 1 Kings 11:19 tn Heb “and Hadad found great favor in the eyes of Pharaoh.”
- 1 Kings 11:19 tn Heb “and he gave to him a wife, the sister of his wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.”
- 1 Kings 11:20 tn Heb “bore him Genubath his son.”
- 1 Kings 11:20 tc The Hebrew text reads וַתִּגְמְלֵהוּ (vattigmelehu, “weaned him”) but a slight alteration of the consonantal text yields וַתִּגְדְלֵהוּ (vattigdelehu, “raised him”), which seems to make better sense.
- 1 Kings 11:21 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
- 1 Kings 11:21 tn Heb “send me away.”
- 1 Kings 11:22 tn Heb “Indeed what do you lack with me, that now you are seeking to go to your land?”
- 1 Kings 11:22 tn Heb “and he said.”
- 1 Kings 11:22 sn So Hadad asked Pharaoh…. This lengthy description of Hadad’s exile in Egypt explains why Hadad wanted to oppose Solomon and supports the author’s thesis that his hostility to Solomon found its ultimate source in divine providence. Though Hadad enjoyed a comfortable life in Egypt, when the Lord raised him up (apparently stirring up his desire for vengeance) he decided to leave the comforts of Egypt and return to Edom.
- 1 Kings 11:23 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 11:24 tn Heb “and he was the officer of a raiding band.”
- 1 Kings 11:24 tn The Hebrew text reads “when David killed them.” This phrase is traditionally joined with what precedes. The ancient Greek version does not reflect the phrase and some suggest that it has been misplaced from the end of v. 23.
- 1 Kings 11:25 tn The construction (Qal of קוּץ + בְּ [quts + bet] preposition) is rare, but not without parallel (see Lev 20:23).
1 Kings 11:14-25
Common English Bible
Solomon and Hadad
14 So the Lord raised up an opponent for Solomon: Hadad the Edomite from the royal line of Edom. 15 When David was fighting against Edom, Joab the general had gone up to bury the Israelite dead, and he had killed every male in Edom. 16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed there six months, until he had finished off every male in Edom. 17 While still a youth, Hadad escaped to Egypt along with his father’s Edomite officials. 18 They set out from Midian and went to Paran. They took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt and to Pharaoh its king. Pharaoh assigned him a home, food, and land. 19 Pharaoh was so delighted with Hadad that he gave him one of his wife’s sisters for marriage, a sister of Queen Tahpenes. 20 This sister of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son, Genubath. Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh’s house. So it was that Genubath was raised in Pharaoh’s house, among Pharaoh’s children. 21 While in Egypt, Hadad heard that David had lain down with his ancestors and that Joab the general was also dead. Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go to my homeland.”
22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here with me that would make you want to go back to your homeland?”
Hadad said, “Nothing, but please let me go!”
Solomon and Rezon
23 God raised up another opponent for Solomon: Rezon, Eliada’s son, who had escaped from Zobah’s King Hadadezer. 24 Rezon recruited men and became leader of a band when David was killing them. They went to Damascus, stayed there, and ruled it. 25 Throughout Solomon’s lifetime, Rezon was Israel’s opponent and added to the problems caused by Hadad. Rezon hated Israel while he ruled as king of Aram.
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