1 Kings 11 · WEB
Solomon's Apostasy and the Kingdom's Coming Division
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Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites;
2of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, "You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon joined to these in love.
3He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
4For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and didn't go fully after Yahweh as David his father did.
7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn't keep that which Yahweh commanded.
11Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.
12Notwithstanding, I will not do it in your days, for David your father's sake; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen."
14Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite. He was of the king's seed in Edom.
15For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom—
16for Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had cut off every male in Edom—
17Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.
18They arose out of Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and appointed him food and gave him land.
19Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
20The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house. Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh.
21When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me depart, that I may go to my own country."
22Then Pharaoh said to him, "But what have you lacked with me, that you seek to go to your own country?" He answered, "Nothing; however let me go."
23God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah.
24He gathered men to him, and became captain over a marauding band, when David killed them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and lived there, and reigned in Damascus.
25He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief of Hadad; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria.
26Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.
27This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo and repaired the breach of the city of David his father.
28The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph.
29At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the field.
30Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it in twelve pieces.
31He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces; for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you
32(but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel);
33because they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.
34"'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes;
35but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to you — ten tribes.
36To his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for me to put my name there.
37I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel.
38It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with you and build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.
39I will for this afflict the offspring of David, but not forever.'"
40Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
41Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren't they written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
42The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
43Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
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Summary
The tragic fall of Solomon is recorded with devastating brevity: the man whom God gave unparalleled wisdom allowed his foreign wives to turn his heart to other gods in his old age. He built high places for Chemosh, Molech, and Ashtoreth — the abominations of Israel's neighbors — on the very hills outside Jerusalem where he had built God's Temple. God raises adversaries against him and pronounces that the kingdom will be torn from his son's hands. The prophet Ahijah tears his garment into twelve pieces and gives ten to Jeroboam, the man God has chosen to rule the northern tribes.
Themes
- Compromise with idolatry — the slow corruption of a great heart
- God's faithfulness to his covenant even in judgment — David's line preserved
- The consequences of disobedience are delayed but not cancelled
- God's sovereignty over history — he raises up adversaries as instruments of discipline
Key verses
- 1 Kgs 11:11 — “Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes... I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.”
- 1 Kgs 11:38 — “If you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways... I will be with you and build you a sure house, as I built for David.”
- 1 Kgs 11:4 — “When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father.”
Context & background
The high places Solomon built for Chemosh and Molech were located on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem (modern Jerusalem, Israel), and were known as the "Mount of Corruption" (2 Kgs 23:13). Ashtoreth was the Phoenician/Canaanite fertility goddess (associated with Tyre and Sidon in modern Lebanon), Chemosh was the national god of Moab (modern Jordan), and Milcom/Molech was the god of the Ammonites (also modern Jordan). Jeroboam fled to Egypt under Pharaoh Shishak, who would later invade Judah (ch. 14). The tearing of the garment into twelve pieces — ten for Jeroboam, one for Judah, one implied for Benjamin — is a powerful acted parable of what is about to happen to the nation.
Cross-references
- 1 Kgs 3:3 — Solomon's early devotion to Yahweh, in contrast to ch. 11
- 2 Sam 7:14-16 — God's promise to maintain David's line even through discipline
- Deut 17:17 — The king must not multiply wives, lest his heart be turned away — exactly what happened
- Matt 6:24 — Jesus's warning that no one can serve two masters
- Neh 13:26 — Nehemiah cites Solomon's failure as a warning about foreign marriages