1 Kings 11

Chapter context

What is happening in 1 Kings 11?

templewisdomidolatrydivision

1 Kings 11 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as temple building and royal splendor. First Kings tells of Solomon’s reign and temple, the split between north and south, and the rise of prophetic confrontation through Elijah. Read this chapter with the wider themes of temple, wisdom, and idolatry in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

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.

Study helps

Glossary

Ammon Place v. 1, 7, 33: Biblical region. Modern identification: Amman.
Edom Place v. 1, 14-16: Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.
Moab Place v. 1, 7, 33: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Sidon Place v. 1: A fishery, a town on the Mediterranean coast, about 25 miles north of Tyre. It received its name from the “first-born” of Canaan, the grandson of Noah ( Gen. 10:15 , 19). Modern identification: Sandikli archaeological site in Sidon.
David Person v. 4, 6, 12-13, 15, 21, 24, 27, 33-34, 36, 38-39, 43: Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25 .
Jerusalem Place v. 7, 13, 29, 32, 36, 42: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Mount of Olives Place v. 7: Biblical hill. Modern identification: Mount of Olives.
Joab Person v. 15-16, 21: 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 ).
Egypt Place v. 17-18, 21, 40: The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture. Modern identification: Ain Shams.
Midian Place v. 18: Biblical region. Modern identification: Al Bad.
Paran Place v. 18: Abounding in foliage, or abounding in caverns, ( Gen. 21:21 ), a desert tract forming the north-eastern division of the peninsula of Sinai, lying between the ‘Arabah on the east and the wilderness of Shur on the west. Modern identification: Paran.
Tahpenes Person v. 19-20: The wife of Pharaoh, who gave her sister in marriage to Hadad the Edomite ( 1 Kings 11:19 , 20).
Genubath Person v. 20: Theft, the son of Hadad, of the Edomitish royal family. He was brought up in Pharaoh’s household. His mother was a sister of Tahpenes, the king of Egypt’s wife, mentioned in 1 Kings 11:20 .
Rezon Person v. 23: Prince, son of Eliadah.
Zobah Place v. 23-24: Biblical region. Modern identification: Brital.
Damascus Place v. 24: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Damascus.
Syria Place v. 25: Biblical region. Modern identification: Damascus.
Jeroboam Person v. 26, 28-29, 31, 40: 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).
Nebat Person v. 26: Sight; aspect, the father of Jeroboam, the king of Israel ( 1 Kings 11:26 , etc. ).
Zeredah Place v. 26: The fortress, a city on the north of Mount Ephraim; the birthplace of Jeroboam ( 1 Kings 11:26 ). It is probably the same as Zaretan ( Josh. 3:16 ), Zererath ( Judg. 7:22 ), Zartanah ( 1 Kings 4:12 ), or the following. Modern identification: Deir Ghassaneh.
Zeruah Person v. 26: Stricken, mother of Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes ( 1 Kings 11:26 ).
City People v. 27, 32, 36, 43: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
City of David Place v. 27, 43: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: City of David.
Millo Place v. 27: Biblical fortification. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Ahijah Person v. 29-30: Brother (i. e., “friend”) of Jehovah. (1. ) One of the sons of Bela ( 1 Chr. 8:7 , R. V. ). In A. V. called “Ahiah. ” (2. ) One of the five sons of Jerahmeel, who was great-grandson of Judah ( 1 Chr. 2:25 ).
Shiloh Place v. 29: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Seilun.
Rehoboam Person v. 43: He enlarges the people, the successor of Solomon on the throne, and apparently his only son. He was the son of Naamah “the Ammonitess,” some well-known Ammonitish princess ( 1 Kings 14:21 ; 2 Chr. 12:13 ).