_A.M. 3012. B.C. 992._ Solomon's many wives turn his heart from God, 1 Kings 11:1. God reproves and threatens him, 1 Kings 11:9. Stirs up Hadad and Rezon against him, 1 Kings 11:14. An account of Jeroboam, 1 Kings 11:26. Solomon's death and burial, 1 Kings 11:41.... [ Continue Reading ]
_King Solomon loved many strange women_ It was not a fault in him that he married Pharaoh's daughter; she being a proselyte, as is generally supposed, to the Jewish religion. But in marrying so many other women besides, he committed two sins against the law; one in multiplying wives, and another in... [ Continue Reading ]
_Concerning which the Lord said Ye shall not go in unto them _ This relates especially to the Hittites and the Zidonians, and consequently the rest of the seven nations of Canaan, with whom they were forbidden to make any marriage, (Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3,) for the weighty reason here mention... [ Continue Reading ]
_He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines_ This was multiplying them prodigiously indeed, and pouring contempt on the divine prohibition in the most notorious manner. David had multiplied wives too, although to no such extent as this; but probably the bad example which he... [ Continue Reading ]
_For it came to pass when Solomon was old_, &c. Having now reigned nigh thirty years, when it might have been expected that experience would have made him wiser; then God suffered him to fall so shamefully, that he might to all succeeding generations be an example of the folly and weakness of the wi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Solomon went after Ashtoreth_ Called also Astarte. See on Judges 2:13. _And after Milcom_ The same, it is thought, with Molech, who is here called an abomination, because highly detested by God. _Solomon built a high place for Chemosh_ That is, an altar upon a high place, as the manner of the heath... [ Continue Reading ]
_And likewise did he for all his strange wives_ For what he granted to one, the others would be disposed to claim, or else complain of his unkindness to them. One would have expected from his wisdom and piety rather to have found him instrumental in converting them all to his religion, than to be hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord was angry with Solomon_ Displeased with his actions, and determined to punish him for them; in which sense we are generally to understand such expressions, for we must always remember that human passions can have no place in God. _Because his heart was turned from the Lord, who had appeare... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon_ Probably by some prophet. _I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and give it to thy servant_ Namely, Jeroboam, whom God permitted to rise into power and influence, that he might take the greatest part of his kingdom from him. This was enough to astonish Sol... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord stirred up an adversary to Solomon_ All his glory, and riches, and human wisdom availed nothing to preserve his kingdom entire to his posterity, when he turned away from keeping God's covenant, and fell into idolatry. _Hadad the Edomite_ A young prince of the royal family of Idumea, who fl... [ Continue Reading ]
_When David was in Edom_ By his army to war against it; _and Joab was gone up to bury the slain_ The Israelites who were slain in the battle, (2 Samuel 8:13,) whom he honourably interred in some certain place, to which he is said to go up for that end. And this gave Hadad the opportunity of making h... [ Continue Reading ]
_They arose out of Midian_ They first went into Midian and stayed there a while, probably that they might send from thence to know whether Pharaoh would give them entertainment and protection. _And came to Paran_ Another country in the road from Edom to Egypt, where he hired men to attend him, proba... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh_ God so disposing Pharaoh's heart, that Hadad might be a scourge to Solomon for his impieties. Here Hadad married the sister of Tahpenes the queen, who bare him a son. _Whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house_ Having as great a fondness for the child... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hadad said Let me depart, that I may go to my own country_ To Edom, which he hoped to recover, now that the great enemies of it, David and Joab, (whom he feared as much as David,) were dead, and Solomon was young. Thither he accordingly came; and was there even from the beginning of Solomon's reign... [ Continue Reading ]
_Which fled from his lord Hadadezer_ When David had defeated him. _King of Zobah_ A part of Syria, between Damascus and Euphrates. _And he gathered men unto him_ Some of those that fled when David defeated Hadadezer, 2 Samuel 10:18. _And became captain over a band_ Who listed themselves under him as... [ Continue Reading ]
_He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon_ This, perhaps, is not to be understood of the whole reign of Solomon, which for the most part was peaceable, but of all the days which remained of his life, from the time that his wives publicly exercised their idolatry, unto the day of his dea... [ Continue Reading ]
_Even he lifted up his hand against the king_ Probably made some secret attempts to raise a dissatisfaction against Solomon; for we do not read of any open attempt. _And this was the cause_, &c. This was the occasion of Jeroboam's advancement, as it follows in the next verse. _Solomon built Millo_,... [ Continue Reading ]
_When Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem_ Probably to execute his charge. _The Prophet Ahijah found him_ Met with him as he was going along. “Ahijah was a native of Shiloh, and one of those who wrote the annals of King Solomon's reign, 2 Chronicles 9:29. And he is thought to have been the person who spa... [ Continue Reading ]
_And rent it in twelve pieces_ An emblem of what he was to acquaint him with; or rather a prediction of it. For there were two ways, in those ancient times, of foretelling future events; one in express words, the other by signs and resemblances, many instances of which we have often after this of Ah... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hands_ Solomon held even the ten tribes as long as he lived. _But I will make him prince all the days of his life_ This was an admonition to Jeroboam not to molest Solomon in his life-time, by raising a rebellion against him; and also to walk in God's wa... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will take thee_ From the condition wherein thou art, and place thee on a throne, as here follows. _Thou shalt reign according to all thy soul desireth_ According to thy utmost wishes and desires. It appears from this that he was a very aspiring and ambitious man, fond of power and pre-eminence; a... [ Continue Reading ]
_If thou wilt hearken to all that I command thee_, &c. He is hereby given to understand, that the grant of the crown to him and his descendants will be conditional, and that he and they will be upon their good behaviour.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will for this_ For Solomon's sin, mentioned 1 Kings 11:33; _afflict the seed of David_ By rending the greatest part of the kingdom from them; _but not for ever_ A time shall come when the seed of David shall not be thus molested by the kingdom of Israel, but shall flourish again in great power an... [ Continue Reading ]
_Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam_ How Solomon came to know what was secretly transacted between Ahijah and Jeroboam alone, is a great question: perhaps the prophet made no scruple to report what he had delivered in the name of the Lord. Or, Jeroboam himself, being puffed up with the expect... [ Continue Reading ]
_The rest of the acts of Solomon_, &c. It is probable that Solomon employed a chronologer, or historiographer, to write the annals of his reign, which public record is here termed, _The book of the acts of Solomon._ And out of these annals the sacred writer of this history took what he judged most u... [ Continue Reading ]
_The time that Solomon reigned was forty years_ His reign was as long as his father's, but not his life: sin shortened his days. _And Solomon slept with his fathers_ This expression is promiscuously used concerning good and bad, and signifies only, that they died as their fathers did. _And was burie... [ Continue Reading ]