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Solomon’s Foreign Wives

11 King Solomon loved many foreign women: the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, Hittite; from the nations which Yahweh had said to the Israelites,[a] “You shall not marry them,[b] and they shall not marry you.[c] They will certainly turn your heart after other gods.” But Solomon clung to them to love. He had seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart.

Solomon’s Apostasy

It happened at the time of Solomon’s old age that his wives guided his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully with Yahweh his God as the heart of David his father had been. Solomon went after Ashtoreth the god of the Sidonians and after Molech the abhorrence of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of Yahweh and did not fully follow after Yahweh as David his father. At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain which faces[d] Jerusalem and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites.[e] Thus he did for all of his foreign wives, offering incense and sacrificing to their gods.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 11:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. 1 Kings 11:2 Literally “go into them”
  3. 1 Kings 11:2 Literally “go into you”
  4. 1 Kings 11:7 Literally “was on the face of”
  5. 1 Kings 11:7 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”

Solomon’s Heart Turns from the Lord

11 But (A)King Solomon loved (B)many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, (C)“You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, (D)that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his (E)heart was not [a]loyal to the Lord his God, (F)as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after (G)Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after (H)Milcom[b] the abomination of the (I)Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. (J)Then Solomon built a [c]high place for (K)Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on (L)the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 11:4 Lit. at peace with
  2. 1 Kings 11:5 Or Molech
  3. 1 Kings 11:7 A place for pagan worship