1 BUT king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.
11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
14 And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.
15 For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;
16 (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:)
17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.
18 And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt; which gave him an house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him land.
19 And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
20 And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house: and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country.
22 Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he answered, Nothing: howbeit let me go in any wise.
23 And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:
24 And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.
25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.
26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.
27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father.
28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:
30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
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:)
33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
34 Howbeit 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, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:
35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.
36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.
38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.
39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.
40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

1But King Solomon loued many strange women, ( together with þe daughter of Pharaoh) women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians & Hittites:

2Of the nations concerning which the Lord said vnto the children of Israel, Yee shall not goe in to them, neither shall they come in vnto you, for surely they will turne away your heart after their gods: Solomon claue vnto these in loue.

3And he had seuen hundred wiues, Princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wiues turned away his heart.

4For it came to passe when Solomon was old, that his wiues turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of Dauid his father.

5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddesse of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Amorites.

6And Solomon did euill in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did Dauid his father.

7Then did Solomon build an hie place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Ierusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon.

8And likewise did hee for all his strange wiues, which burnt incense and sacrificed vnto their gods.

9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared vnto him twise,

10And had commaunded him concerning this thing, that hee should not goe after other gods: but hee kept not that which the Lord commanded.

11Wherefore the Lord said vnto Solomon; Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my Couenant, and my Statutes which I haue commanded thee, I wil surely rend the kingdome from thee, and will giue it to thy seruant.

12Notwithstanding in thy dayes I wil not doe it, for Dauid thy fathers sake: but I wil rend it out of the hand of thy sonne.

13Howbeit, I wil not rend away all the kingdome: but wil giue one tribe to thy sonne, for Dauid my seruants sake, and for Ierusalems sake, which I haue chosen.

14 And the Lord stirred vp an aduersary vnto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: hee was of the kings seed in Edom.

15For it came to passe when Dauid was in Edom, and Ioab the captaine of the host was gone vp to bury the slaine, after he had smitten euery male in Edom:

16(For sixe moneths did Ioab remaine there with all Israel, vntil hee had cut off euery male in Edom.)

17That Hadad fled, he and certaine Edomites of his fathers seruants with him, to goe into Egypt: Hadad being yet a litle childe.

18And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran, and they tooke men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, vnto Pharaoh king of Egypt, which gaue him an house, and appointed him vitailes, and gaue him land.

19And Hadad found great fauour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gaue him to wife the sister of his owne wife, the sister of Tahpenes the Queene.

20And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his sonne, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaohs house: and Genubath was in Pharaohs houshold among the sonnes of Pharaoh.

21And when Hadad heard in Egypt that Dauid slept with his fathers, and that Ioab the captaine of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine owne countrey.

22Then Pharaoh said vnto him, But what hast thou lacked with mee, that, behold, thou seekest to goe to thine owne countrey? And hee answered, Nothing: Howbeit, let mee goe in any wise.

23 And God stirred him vp another aduersary: Rezon, the sonne of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:

24And he gathered men vnto him, and became captaine ouer a band, when Dauid slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.

25And he was an aduersarie to Israel all the dayes of Solomon, beside the mischiefe that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned ouer Syria.

26 And Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomons seruant, (whose mothers name was Zeruah a widow woman) euen he lift vp his hand against the king.

27And this was the cause that hee lift vp his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the citie of Dauid his father.

28And the man Ieroboam was a mightie man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, hee made him ruler ouer all the charge of the house of Ioseph.

29And it came to passe at that time when Ieroboam went out of Ierusalem, that the Prophet Ahiiah the Shilonite found him in the way: and hee had clad himselfe with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field.

30And Ahiiah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelue pieces.

31And he said to Ieroboam, Take thee tenne pieces: for thus sayth the Lord the God of Israel, Behold, I will rent the kingdome out of the hand of Solomon, and will giue ten tribes to thee:

32(But hee shall haue one tribe, for my seruant Dauids sake, and for Ierusalems sake, the citie which I haue chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

33Because that they haue forsaken mee, and haue worshipped Ashtaroth the goddesse of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Anunon, and haue not walked in my wayes, to doe that which is right in mine eyes, and to keepe my Statutes, and my Iudgements, as did Dauid his father.

34Howbeit, I will not take the whole kingdome out of his hand: but I will make him Prince all the dayes of his life, for Dauid my seruants sake, whom I chose, because hee kept my Commandements and my Statutes:

35But I will take the kingdome out of his sonnes hand, and will giue it vnto thee, euen ten tribes.

36And vnto his sonne will I giue one tribe, that Dauid my seruant may haue a light alway before me in Ierusalem, the citie which I haue chosen me to put my Name there.

37And I will take thee, and thou shalt reigne according to all that thy soule desireth, and shalt be King ouer Israel.

38And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken vnto all that I command thee, and wilt walke in my wayes, and doe that is right in my sight, to keepe my Statutes and my Commandements, as Dauid my seruant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for Dauid, and will giue Israel vnto thee.

39And I will for this afflict the seed of Dauid, but not for euer.

40Solomon sought therefore to kill Ieroboam, and Ieroboam arose, and fledde into Egypt, vnto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt vntill the death of Solomon.

41 And the rest of the actes of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisedome, are they not written in the booke of the actes of Solomon?

42And the time that Solomon reigned in Ierusalem, ouer all Israel, was fourtie yeeres.

43And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the citie of Dauid his father: and Rehoboam his sonne reigned in his stead.

I == Deut 17:17 ; Neh 13:26

 

 

II == Ex 34:16 ; Deut 7:3-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV == Deut 17:17 ; 1st Kings 8:61 ; 9:4 ; Neh 13:26

 

V == Judg 2:13 ; 1st Kings 11:33 ; 2nd Kings 23:13

 

VI == Num 14:24

 

VII == Num 21:29 ; 33:52 ; Judg 11:24 ; 2nd Kings 23:13

 

 

 

 

IX == 1st Kings 3:5 ; 9:2 ; 11:2-3

 

X == 1st Kings 6:12 ; 9:6

 

XI == 1st Kings 11:31 ; 12:15-16

 

 

 

 

 

XIII == Deut 12:11 ; 2nd Sam 7:15 ; 1st Kings 12:20 ; Ps 89:33

 

XIV == 1st Chr 5:26

 

XV == Num 24:19 ; Deut 20:13 ; 2nd Xam 8:14 ; 1st18:12-13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXI == 1st Kings 2:10 , 34

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXIII == 2nd Sam 8:3

 

XXIV == 2nd Sam 8:3 ; 10:8 , 18

 

 

 

 

XXVI == 2nd Sam 20:21 ; 1st Kings 12:2 ; 2nd Chr 13:6

 

XXVII == 1st Kings 9:24

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXIX == 1st Kings 14:2

 

 

 

XXX == 1st Sam 15:27 ; 24:5

XXXI == 1st Kings 11:11 , 13

 

 

 

 

 

XXXIII == 1st Kings 11:5-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXV == 1st Kings 12:16-17

 

XXXVI == 1st Kings 15:4 ; 2nd Kings 8:19 ; Ps 132:17

 

 

 

XXXVIII == Josh 1:5 ; 2nd Sam 7:11 , 27

 

 

 

 

 

XLI == 2nd Chr 9:29

 

 

 

 

XLII == 2nd Chr 9:30

 

XLIII == 2nd chr 9:31 ; Matt 1:7

 

 

 

1 King Solomon loved many foreign women besides the daughter of Pharaoh (Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites),

2 from nations with which the LORD had forbidden the Israelites to intermarry, "because," he said, "they will turn your hearts to their gods." But Solomon fell in love with them.

3 He had seven hundred wives of princely rank and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart.

4 When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of his father David had been.

5 By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,

6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.

7 Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites, on the hill opposite Jerusalem.

8 He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

9 The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice

10 (for though the LORD had forbidden him this very act of following strange gods, Solomon had not obeyed him).

11 So the LORD said to Solomon: "Since this is what you want, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I enjoined on you, I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.

12 I will not do this during your lifetime, however, for the sake of your father David; it is your son whom I will deprive.

13 Nor will I take away the whole kingdom. I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

14 The LORD then raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite, who was of the royal line in Edom.

15 Earlier, when David had conquered Edom, Joab, the general of the army, while going to bury the slain, put to death every male in Edom.

16 Joab and all Israel remained there six months until they had killed off every male in Edom.

17 Meanwhile, Hadad, who was only a boy, fled toward Egypt with some Edomite servants of his father.

18 They left Midian and passing through Paran, where they picked up additional men, they went into Egypt to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house, appointed him rations, and assigned him land.

19 Hadad won great favor with Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife.

20 Tahpenes' sister bore Hadad a son, Genubath. After his weaning, the queen kept him in Pharaoh's palace, where he then lived with Pharaoh's own sons.

21 When Hadad in Egypt heard that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab, the general of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, "Give me leave to return to my own country."

22 Pharaoh said to him, "What do you lack with me, that you are seeking to return to your own country?" "Nothing," he said, "but please let me go!"

23 God raised up against Solomon another adversary, in Rezon, the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer, king of Zobah,

24 when David defeated them with slaughter. Rezon gathered men about him and became leader of a band, went to Damascus, settled there, and became king in Damascus.

25 He was an enemy of Israel as long as Solomon lived; this added to the harm done by Hadad, who made a rift in Israel by becoming king over Edom.

26 Solomon's servant Jeroboam, son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah with a widowed mother, Zeruah, also rebelled against the king.

27 This is why he rebelled. King Solomon was building Millo, closing up the breach of his father's City of David.

28 Jeroboam was a man of means, and when Solomon saw that he was also an industrious young man, he put him in charge of the entire labor force of the house of Joseph.

29 At that time Jeroboam left Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. The two were alone in the area, and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.

30 Ahijah took off his new cloak, tore it into twelve pieces,

31 and said to Jeroboam: "Take ten pieces for yourself; the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon's grasp and will give you ten of the tribes.

32 One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant, and of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

33 The ten I will give you because he has forsaken me and has worshiped Astarte, goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, god of Moab, and Milcom, god of the Ammonites; he has not followed my ways or done what is pleasing to me according to my statutes and my decrees, as his father David did.

34 Yet I will not take any of the kingdom from Solomon himself, but will keep him a prince as long as he lives for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and statutes.

35 But I will take the kingdom from his son and will give it to you - that is, the ten tribes.

36 I will give his son one tribe, that my servant David may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city in which I choose to be honored.

37 I will take you; you shall reign over all that you desire and shall become king of Israel.

38 If, then, you heed all that I command you, follow my ways, and please me by keeping my statutes and my commandments like my servant David, I will be with you. I will establish for you, as I did for David, a lasting dynasty; I will give Israel to you.

39 I will punish David's line for this, but not forever.'"

40 When Solomon tried to have Jeroboam killed for his rebellion, he escapedto King Shishak, in Egypt, where he remained until Solomon's death.

41 The rest of the acts of Solomon, with all his deeds and his wisdom, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of Solomon.

42 The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

43 Solomon rested with his ancestors; he was buried in his father's City of David, and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.

 

v 1-8. Pharaoh’s daughter was only the first of many foreign wives who turned Solomon’s heart from the Lord as warned in Deut. 17:17. They got him to worshiping Ashtoreth, the goddess of sex, and since he would not consort with temple prostitutes, this may account partly for his 700 wives and 300 concubines. He apparently had a harem in some part of the building complex, which added to his prestige among the heathen kings. Worshipers of Molech (same as Milcom) sacrificed children, but it is unlikely Solomon did that. He had not abandoned God and had a form of religion, 1 Kings 9:25, but added the others to Him. Chemosh was also cruel and licentious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 9-13. It is amazing that one to whom God had appeared twice could turn so far from Him, but that is a warning to us, 1 Cor. 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. He had thrown away the promise of 9:4,5, and God informed him, v 11, that he would give part of the kingdom to one of his subordinates. Out of love for David, God would not do this in Solomon’s lifetime, and according to His unconditional promise, 1 Chr, 17:11-14, He left the tribe of Judah with him, 12:20. (Eventually Benjamin and a remnant of Simeon who had not migrated north, 2 Chr. 15:9; 34:6, were with Judah known as the Southern Kingdom.) David had done some gross sins, but he had a repentant heart, which Solomon did not.

v 14-22. Hadad was a boy prince of Edom who escaped to Egypt when David destroyed Edom. Pharaoh liked him and gave him the sister of his wife, Taphenes, for a wife. Apparently he waited for a day of revenge until after David died, and leaving the comfort of Egypt, he caused trouble, probably raids, on Israel’s southern edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 23--25. Rezon was a rebel from the king of Zobah who went slightly north to Damascus and formed a band, and apparently made raids on northern Israel.

 

 

 

 

v 26-28. Jeroboam was from Ephraim, the leading tribe in the Northern Kingdom, and had worked for Solomon in building supporting terraces and filling in the gap in the wall of the City of David. He did good work and was promoted foreman over all the forced labor in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.

v 29-33. Ahijah the prophet located Jeroboam privately outside Jerusalem in a field. He tore his own new coat in pieces and gave him ten, to show him that he would become leader of the ten northern tribes, leaving only one (actually Benjamin and Judah) for Solomon, because he had forsaken God for idols.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 34-36.  For David’s sake, this would not be in Solomon’s lifetime, but in that of his son. He would retain one tribe so that the promise of a continuing Davidic kingdom would be maintained.

 

 

 

v 37-39. Jeroboam could rule as he chose, and was given a conditional promise for a perpetual kingdom, much as David was given and unconditional promise. Seed of David would be afflicted, but not forever, because of the promise to David. This is looking forward to David’s greatest descendent, Christ.

 

v 40. Solomon knew he was loosing the kingdom to a subordinate, 11:11, But foolishly tried to kill the man God chose, just as Saul had done. Probably Jeroboam had tried to rebel prematurely in “lifting up his hand”, v 26. 

v 41-43.(Books of Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo no longer exist)  The Bible records no more. It is sad that with all the blessings and wisdom to do right, Solomon threw it away for the lusts of the flesh. No wonder he wrote Ecclesiastes. Rehoboam followed.