1 Kings 11:3

11:3 He had 700 royal wives ¹  and 300 concubines; ²  his wives had a powerful influence over him. ³ 

1 Kings 15:12

15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols ⁴  his ancestors ⁵  had made.

1 Kings 22:46

22:46 He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa. ⁶ 

[11:3]  ¹ tn Heb “wives, princesses.”

[11:3]  ² sn Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. The usage in the present passage suggests that after the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (cf. also 2 Sam 21:10-14).

[11:3]  ³ tn Heb “his wives bent his heart.”

[15:12]  ⁴ tn The word used here, גִלּוּלִים [gillulim], is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), “vanities” or “empty winds” (הֲבָלִים, havalim).

[15:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).

[22:46]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the rest of the male cultic prostitutes who were left in the days of Asa his father, he burned from the land.” Some understand the verb בִּעֵר (bi’er) to mean “sweep away” here rather than “burn.” See the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.