1 Kings 11:23-25

11:23 God also brought against Solomon ¹  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. ²  When David tried to kill them, ³  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 ⁴  Israel and ruled over Syria.

1 Kings 11:1

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.

1 Kings 18:5-6

18:5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas ⁵  so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill ⁶  some of the animals.” 18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went ⁷  one way and Obadiah went the other.

Isaiah 7:8

7:8 For Syria’s leader is Damascus,

and the leader of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years Ephraim will no longer exist as a nation. ⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “and he was the officer of a raiding band.”

³ 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.

⁴ tn The construction (Qal of קוּץ + בְּ [quts + bet] preposition) is rare, but not without parallel (see Lev 20:23).

⁵ tn Heb “grass.”

⁶ tn Heb “to cut off.”

⁷ tn The Hebrew text has “alone” here and again in reference to Obadiah toward the end of the verse.

⁸ tn Heb “Ephraim will be too shattered to be a nation”; NIV “to be a people.”