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Texts -- 1 Kings 11:1-27 (NET)

Context
The Lord Punishes Solomon for Idolatry
11:1 King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter ), including Moabites , Ammonites , Edomites , Sidonians , and Hittites . 11:2 They came from nations about which the Lord had warned the Israelites , “You must not establish friendly relations with them ! If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods .” But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them. 11:3 He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines ; his wives had a powerful influence over him. 11:4 When Solomon became old , his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods ; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God , as his father David had been. 11:5 Solomon worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom . 11:6 Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight ; he did not remain loyal to the Lord , like his father David had. 11:7 Furthermore , on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom . 11:8 He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods . 11:9 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance away from the Lord , the God of Israel , who had appeared to him on two occasions 11:10 and had warned him about this very thing , so that he would not follow other gods . But he did not obey the Lord’s command . 11:11 So the Lord said to Solomon , “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant . 11:12 However , for your father David’s sake I will not do this while you are alive. I will tear it away from your son’s hand instead. 11:13 But I will not tear away the entire kingdom ; I will leave your son one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem .” 11:14 The Lord brought against Solomon an enemy , Hadad the Edomite , a descendant of the Edomite king . 11:15 During David’s campaign against Edom , Joab , the commander of the army , while on a mission to bury the dead , killed every male in Edom . 11:16 For six months Joab and the entire Israelite army stayed there until they had exterminated every male in Edom . 11:17 Hadad , who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt . 11:18 They went from Midian to Paran ; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt . Pharaoh , king of Egypt , supplied him with a house and food and even assigned him some land . 11:19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes ’ sister ) as a wife . 11:20 Tahpenes ’ sister gave birth to his son , named Genubath . Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh’s palace ; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons . 11:21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away and that Joab , the commander of the army , was dead . So Hadad asked Pharaoh , “Give me permission to leave so I can return to my homeland .” 11:22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland ?” Hadad replied , “Nothing , but please give me permission to leave .” 11:23 God also brought against Solomon another enemy , Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master , King Hadadezer of Zobah . 11:24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band . When David tried to kill them, they went to Damascus , where they settled down and gained control of the city . 11:25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad , caused trouble . He loathed Israel and ruled over Syria . 11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat , one of Solomon’s servants , rebelled against the king . He was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah . 11:27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king : Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David .

Pericope

NET
  • 1Ki 11:1-40 -- The Lord Punishes Solomon for Idolatry

Bible Dictionary

  • Solomon

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...
    [smith] (peaceful). I. Early life and occasion to the throne . --Solomon was the child of David?s old age, the last born of all his sons. (1 Chronicles 3:5) The yearnings of the "man of war" led him to give to the new-horn infant ...
    [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...

  • Jeroboam

    [ebd] increase of the people. (1.) The son of Nebat (1 Kings 11:26-39), "an Ephrathite," the first king of the ten tribes, over whom he reigned twenty-two years (B.C. 976-945). He was the son of a widow of Zereda, and while still ...
    [isbe] JEROBOAM - jer-o-bo'-am (yarobh`am; Septuagint Hieroboam, usually assumed to have been derived from riyb and `am, and signifying "the people contend," or, "he pleads the people's cause"): The name was borne by two kings of I...
    [nave] JEROBOAM: 1. First king of Israel after the revolt. Promoted by Solomon, 1 Kin. 11:28. Ahijah's prophecy concerning, 1 Kin. 11:29-39; 14:5-16. Flees to Egypt to escape from Solomon, 1 Kin. 11:26-40. Recalled from Egypt by...

  • Hadad

    [ebd] Adod, brave(?), the name of a Syrian god. (1.) An Edomite king who defeated the Midianites (Gen. 36:35; 1 Chr. 1:46). (2.) Another Edomite king (1 Chr. 1:50, 51), called also Hadar (Gen. 36:39; 1 Chr. 1:51). (3.) One of "the...
    [isbe] HADAD - ha'-dad: (1) (chadhadh, "sharpness"): One of the twelve sons of Ishmael (Gen 25:15, where the King James Version, following a mistake in Hebrew text, has "Hadar"; but "Hadad" is found in parallel passage 1 Ch 1:30; t...
    [smith] (mighty), originally the indigenous appellation of the sun among the Syrians, and thence transferred to the king as the highest of earthly authorities. The title appears to have been an official one, like Pharaoh. It is found...
    [nave] HADAD 1. A successor of Husham as king of Edom. Vanquished the Midianites on the field of Moab, Gen. 36:35; 1 Chr. 1:46. 2. A son of Ishmael, 1 Chr. 1:30. Called Hadar in Gen. 25:15. 3. Successor of Baal-hanan, king of Ed...

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Pharaoh

    [ebd] the official title borne by the Egyptian kings down to the time when that country was conquered by the Greeks. (See EGYPT.) The name is a compound, as some think, of the words Ra, the "sun" or "sun-god," and the article phe,...
    [isbe] PHARAOH - fa'-ro, fa'-ra-o (par`oh; Pharao); Egyptian per aa, "great house"):em; the King James Version Pharacim): One of the families of temple-servants who returned with Zerubbabel (1 Esdras 5:31; not found in Ezra or Nehe...
    [smith] the common title of the native kings of Egypt in the Bible, corresponding to P-ra or Ph-ra "the sun," of the hieroglyphics. Brugsch, Ebers and other modern Egyptologists define it to mean ?the great house," which would corres...
    [nave] PHARAOH 1. King of Egypt at the time of Abraham, Gen. 12:14-20; Psa. 105:14. 2. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the famine. See: Egypt; Israelites. 3. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the deliverance and exodus of the children ...

  • Citizenship

    [nave] CITIZENSHIP. Duties of Ex. 22:28 Acts 23:5. Num. 27:20; Ezra 6:10; Ezra 7:26; Ezra 10:8; Prov. 16:14, 15; Prov. 24:21; Prov. 25:6, 7, 15; Eccl. 8:2-4; Eccl. 10:4, 20; Jer. 29:7; Matt. 17:24-27; Matt. 22:17-21 Mark 12:14-17...

  • Rulers

    [nave] RULERS Appointed and removed by God. See: Government, God in. Chastised, Dan. 4. See: Nation. Monarchical, See: Kings. Patriarchal, Gen. 27:29, 37. Instances of Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-10. Abraham, Gen. 14:13-24; 17:6; 21:2...

  • Joab

    [ebd] Jehovah is his father. (1.) One of the three sons of Zeruiah, David's sister, and "captain of the host" during the whole of David's reign (2 Sam. 2:13; 10:7; 11:1; 1 Kings 11:15). His father's name is nowhere mentioned, alth...
    [isbe] JOAB - jo'-ab (yo'-abh, "Yahweh is father"; Ioab): (1) Son of Zeruiah, David's sister. He was "captain of the host" (compare 2 Sam 19:13) under David. 1. Joab and Abner: (a) Joab is first introduced in the narrative of the w...
    [nave] JOAB 1. Son of David's sister, 1 Chr. 2:16. Commander of David's army, 2 Sam. 8:16; 20:23; 1 Chr. 11:6; 18:15; 27:34. Dedicated spoils of his battles, 1 Chr. 26:28. Defeated the Jebusites, 1 Chr. 11:6. Defeats and slays ...

  • Women

    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Polygamy

    [isbe] POLYGAMY - po-lig'-a-mi: 1. Meaning of the Term 2. Origin of Polygamy 3. The Old Testament and Polygamy 4. Polygamy Unnatural The Eunuch 5. Weakness of Polygamy 1. Meaning of the Term: Polygamy has been and is the open blazo...
    [nave] POLYGAMY Forbidden, Deut. 17:17; Lev. 18:18; Mal. 2:14, 15; Matt. 19:4, 5; Mark 10:2-8; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Tit. 1:6. Authorized, 2 Sam. 12:8. Tolerated, Ex. 21:10; 1 Sam. 1:2; 2 Chr. 24:3. Practiced, Job 27:15; by Lamech, Ge...

  • Rezon

    [ebd] prince, son of Eliadah. Abandoning the service of Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, on the occasion of his being defeated by David, he became the "captain over a band" of marauders, and took Damascus, and became king of Syria (1...
    [isbe] REZON - re'-zon (rezon; Rhazon): Son of Eliadah, and a subject of Hadadezer, king of Zobah (1 Ki 11:23). The name appears to be given as chezyon; Hazein (1 Ki 15:18; see HEZION), where he is the father of Tabrimmon, whose so...
    [smith] (prince), son of Eliadah, a Syrian, who when David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, put himself at the head of a band of freebooters and set up a petty kingdom at Damascus. (1 Kings 11:23) He harassed the kingdom of Solom...
    [nave] REZON, king of Damascus. An adversary of Solomon, 1 Kin. 11:23-25.

  • WOMAN

    [isbe] WOMAN - woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"): I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 1. Prominence of Women 2. Social Equality 3. Marriage Laws 4. Inheritance 5. Dome...

  • EGYPT

    [isbe] EGYPT - e'-jipt: I. THE COUNTRY 1. The Basis of the Land 2. The Nile Valley 3. Earliest Human Remains 4. Climate 5. Conditions of Life 6. The Nile 7. The Fauna 8. The Flora 9. The Prehistoric Races II. THE HISTORY 1. 1st and...

  • Fellowship

    [nave] FELLOWSHIP. Eccl. 4:9-12; Amos 3:3 See: Fraternity; Fellowship. With God Gen. 5:22, 24; Gen. 6:9; Ex. 29:45; Ex. 33:14-17; Lev. 26:12; Isa. 57:15; Zech. 2:10; Mark 9:37; John 14:23; John 17:21, 23; 2 Cor. 6:16; 2 Cor. 13:...

  • Molech

    [nave] MOLECH, called also Moloch and Milcom. An idol of the Ammonites, Acts 7:43. Worshiped by the wives of Solomon, and by Solomon, 1 Kin. 11:1-8. Children sacrificed to, 2 Kin. 23:10; Jer. 32:35; 2 Kin. 16:3; 21:6; 2 Chr. 28:3;...

  • TEMPLE, A1

    [isbe] TEMPLE, A1 - tem'-p'l (hekhal, "palace"; sometimes, as in 1 Ki 6:3,5, etc.; Ezek 41:1,15 ff, used for "the holy place" only; bayith, "house," thus always in the Revised Version (British and American); hieron, naos): A. STRUC...

  • Instability

    [nave] INSTABILITY. Gen. 49:3, 4; Ex. 8:15 v. 32.; Ex. 9:34 Ex. 10:8-11, 16-20; 14:5. Ex. 32:8-10 Ex. 19:8; 24:3, 7. Judg. 2:17; 1 Kin. 18:21; Psa. 106:12, 13; Prov. 24:21, 22; Prov. 27:8; Jer. 2:36; Hos. 6:4, 5; Matt. 6:24; Matt....

  • Tahpenes

    [ebd] the wife of Pharaoh, who gave her sister in marriage to Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:19, 20).
    [isbe] TAHPENES - ta'-pe-nez, ta-pe'-nez (tachpenec; Septuagint Thekem(e)ina): Queen of Egypt, the sister of Hadad's wife and the foster-mother of his son Genubath (1 Ki 11:19 f). See PHARAOH.
    [smith] an Egyptian queen, was wife of the Pharaoh who received Hadad the Edomite, and who gave him her sister in marriage. (1 Kings 11:18-20) (B.C. about 1000.)
    [nave] TAHPENES, a queen of Egypt, 1 Kin. 11:19, 20.

  • Judgments

    [nave] JUDGMENTS On the serpent, Gen. 3:14, 15. Eve, Gen. 3:16; Adam, Gen. 3:17-19. Cain, Gen. 4:11-15; the Antediluvians, Gen. 6; 7; Sodomites, Gen. 19:23-25; Egyptians, the plagues and overthrow, Ex. 7-14; Nadab and Abihu, Lev....
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Arts

Questions

  • First, one needs to understand from the Old Testament, why the Law restricted marriage. Recall that it was the "seed of the woman" though whom salvation was to come (Genesis 3:15), and then this "seed" was further defined a...
  • You will not find the names of all of Solomon's wives. If they were recorded, it would be a book in and of itself. We know that one of his wives was the daughter of Pharaoh (1 Kings 9:16; 2 Chronicles 8:11). And we are told h...
  • They were descendants of Esau. They inhabited a fertile and rich country specially given to them (Deu. 2:5; Gen. 27:39). Their country was traversed by roads though it was mountainous and rocky (Num. 20:17; Jer. 49:16). They ...
  • The Ammonites were so called (Deu. 2:19). They were a cruel, covetous, proud, reproachful, vindictive, superstitious and idolatrous nation (see Amos 1:13; Zep. 2:10; Eze. 25:3,6; Judg. 10:6; Jer. 27:3). Their chief city was R...
  • These people were descendants of Sidoa, a son of Canaan, and were formerly a part of the Phoenician nation (Matt. 15:21,22; Mark 7:24,26). They dwelt on the sea-coast in the cities of Zidon and Zarephath (Josh. 11:8; I Kin. 1...
  • The primary passage in Scripture that forbids marrying close relatives is Leviticus 18:6-18. The following is a comment on this passage from the "Bible Knowledge Commentary." 18:6-18. The general principle of this sectio...
  • They were the descendants of Lot and were neighbors of the Amorites on the opposite side of the River Arnon (Num. 21:13). They were governed by kings and possessed many great cities (Num. 21:28-30; Is. 15:1; Num. 23:7). They ...

Sermon Illustrations

Biblical Polygamists

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "Chapters 23 and 24 are two of the brightest chapters in the book of Numbers. Scores of wonderful things are said about Israel, mainly prophetical. The dark sins of the past were forgotten; only happy deliverance from Egypt w...
  • Moses recognized that when Israel settled in Canaan and took on the characteristics of other nations (e.g., a homeland, political organization, etc.) her people would desire a king. As he revealed the mind of God here a king ...
  • The writer referred to Canaan as "the land of the sons of Israel"first here in Scripture (v. 22). The Anakim were the mighty warriors that the 10 spies had feared (Num. 13:28). Israel destroyed most of these."The hardening of...
  • The Israelites' return to apostasy brought discipline from two different directions at the same time. In the east the Ammonites oppressed Israel while in the west God raised up the Philistines."The acuter pressure at this sta...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Again David sinned by multiplying wives (Deut. 17:17). Nevertheless in spite of this sin God continued to bless him with fertility because he was God's elect and, for the most part, God's obedient servant. Fortunately God doe...
  • The fact that this book opens and closes with death should be a clue as to its message.It opens with David's death, and it closes with Ahab's death. The intervening period of about a century and a half is a story of national ...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • Should Solomon have married Pharaoh's daughter? In view of 11:1-2 and 2 Chronicles 8:1 there is no way we can say yes. Furthermore Solomon already had a wife when he married Pharaoh's daughter (14:21; cf. Gen. 2:24). Why then...
  • Solomon was able to provide lavishly for his Egyptian wife. He probably should not have married her in the first place (cf. 11:1-2).
  • The writer's condemnation of Solomon in verses 1-2 rests on Deuteronomy 23:3-9 as well as Deuteronomy 7:3-4. The phraseology goes back to 23:3-9 and the motive to 7:3-4 (cf. Exod. 23:31-33; 34:15-16; Ezra 9:1; Neh. 13:26). So...
  • Hadad hated Solomon because of Joab's severe treatment of the Edomites. He may have been a relation of Solomon's by marriage. Pharaoh Siamun apparently gave his daughter to Solomon in marriage and his sister-in-law to Hadad (...
  • Jeroboam, who would become the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was from Ephraim, the most prominent tribe in the North (v. 26).Part of Benjamin affiliated voluntarily with Judah eventually (v. 32; cf. 12:21; 2 C...
  • Rehoboam's choice was whether he would regard himself as the people's servant under Yahweh's authority, as David and Solomon had done, or as the supreme authority in Israel, as Saul had done. His pride led to his downfall.The...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • Josiah began to seek Yahweh when he was 16 years old and began initiating religious reforms when he was 20 (2 Chron. 34:3-7). His reforms were more extensive than those of any of his predecessors. One of them was the repair o...
  • Chapter 21 records the fulfillment of God's second personal promise to David, namely, that He would appoint a place where Israel could dwell securely (17:9). This was a promise of peace for Israel, but as the verses following...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • The Chronicler omitted any reference to Solomon's apostasy that resulted in the division of the kingdom (cf. 1 Kings 11:9-11). By doing so, he was not trying to whitewash Solomon's record. The Book of Kings was available to t...
  • The Mosaic Law strictly forbade intermarriage with the native Canaanites (Exod. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:1-5). Furthermore intermarriage with other non-Israelites had resulted in tragic consequences in Israel's earlier history (cf. ...
  • The occasion for this psalm was Israel's victory over the Arameans and the Edomites (cf. 2 Sam. 8:13; 1 Kings 11:15-16; 1 Chron. 18:12). Naharaim (lit. rivers) and Zobah were regions in Aramea. In this battle Joab was respons...
  • Many references to Solomon throughout the book confirm the claim of 1:1 that Solomon wrote this book (cf. 1:4-5, 12; 3:7, 9, 11; 6:12; 7:5; 8:11-12; 1 Kings 4:33). He reigned between 971 and 931 B.C.How could Solomon, who had...
  • These verses summarize the theme of the book.8:5a Evidently these are the words of the daughters of Jerusalem. The couple is coming up out of the wilderness. The "wilderness"connoted Israel's 40 years of trials to the Jewish ...
  • Several facets of Israel's national life, all evidences of self-sufficiency rather than trust in Yahweh, invited judgment (cf. Mic. 5:10-14).2:6 Israel must walk in Yahweh's light because God had forsaken her in her present c...
  • This chapter records an incident late in Jeremiah's ministry. How much later than chapter 43 is unknown. Many commentators suppose it dates from about 580 B.C. because it would have taken some time for the Judean refugees to ...
  • 16:15 However, Jerusalem became self-centered and unfaithful to the Lord; she forgot Him when she became preoccupied with His blessings (cf. Deut. 6:10-12; 8). She went after every people that passed by rather than remaining ...
  • What follows in this chapter is another oracle against a foreign nation (cf. chs. 25-32). What is it doing here? Evidently the writer included this oracle here because it promises to desolate an enemy of Israel that wanted to...
  • 13:1 When members of the tribe of Ephraim spoke, the other Israelites trembled because they looked to Ephraim for leadership (cf. Judg. 8:1-3; 12:1-6). Jacob had prophesied that Ephraim would lead (Gen. 48:13-20), and the fir...
  • Pride was not the only reason God would humble Edom. The Edomites had also cursed the people whom God had purposed to bless, the Israelites (cf. Gen. 27:40-41; Exod. 15:15; Num. 20:14-21; Deut. 2:4; Judg. 11:17-18; 1 Sam. 14:...
  • Though God had not responded to the prophet's questions previously, He did eventually, and Habakkuk recorded His answer. The form of this revelation is an oracle.1:5 The Lord told Habakkuk and his people (plural "you"in Hebre...
  • There are several connections between this section and the preceding ones that provide continuity. One is the continuation of water as a symbol (cf. 2:6; 3:5; 4:10-15). Another is the continuation of conversation in which Jes...
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