Now aking Solomon defiantly loved 1many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,It was a common practice among pagan rulers in the Near East to ratify treaties with other kingdoms by marriage to foreign wives. In Deut 17:17 the kings of Israel were strictly forbidden from participating in such alliances. Solomon’s defiance of God’s command led him into sin and the loss of his kingdom.Deut 17:17; Neh 13:23-27 2 from the very nations of whom the LORD said to the Israelites, “aYou shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for the result will be that they will turn away your hearts to follow their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these in love. Deut 17:17Ex 23:31-33; 34:12-16; Deut 7:3 3 aHe had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred 1concubines, and his wives turned his heart away from God.See note Gen 22:24.2 Sam 5:13-16 4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and ahis heart was not completely devoted to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.1 Kin 9:4 5 For Solomon went after aAshtoreth, the fertility goddess of the Sidonians, and after bMilcom the horror of the Ammonites. 1+@Kin 9:6-9Judg 2:13; 10:6; 1 Sam 7:3, 41 Kin 11:7 6 Solomon did evil things in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as his father David had done. 7 Then Solomon built a 1high place for worshiping aChemosh the horror of Moab, on the hill which is east of Jerusalem, and for bMolech the horror of the sons of Ammon.I.e. an altar on the top of a hill, which was customary for pagan worship. The only proper place for worship was the temple.Num 21:29; Judg 11:24; 2 Kin 23:13Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kin 23:10; Acts 7:43 8 And he did the same for all of his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 So athe LORD became angry with Solomon bbecause his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, cwho had appeared to him twice,Ps 90:71 Kin 11:2, 41 Kin 3:5; 9:2 10 and ahad commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not follow other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded.1 Kin 6:12; 9:6, 7 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, aI will certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.1 Sam 2:30; 1 Kin 11:29-31; 12:15, 16, 20; 2 Kin 17:15, 21 12 However, I will not do it in your 1lifetime, for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son .Lit days. 13 However, aI will not tear away all the kingdom; I bwill give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and cfor the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”2 Sam 7:15; 1 Chr 17:13; Ps 89:331 Kin 11:32, 36; 12:201 Kin 8:29
14 Then the LORD stirred up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of royal descent in Edom. 15 For it came about, awhen David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury those killed in battle and had bstruck down every male in Edom2 Sam 8:14; 1 Chr 18:12, 13Deut 20:13 16 (for Joab and all the army of Israel stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom), 17 that Hadad escaped to Egypt, he and some Edomites from his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was still a little boy. 18 They set out from Midian south of Edom and came to aParan, and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave young Hadad a house and ordered food and provisions for him and gave him land.Num 10:12; Deut 1:1 19 Hadad found great favor with Pharaoh, so that he gave Hadad in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 The sister of Tahpenes gave birth to Genubath, Hadad’s son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 But awhen Hadad heard in Egypt that David 1had died and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me leave, so that I may go to my own country.”Lit slept with his fathers and so throughout.1 Kin 2:10 22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me that now you ask to go to your own country?” He replied, “Nothing; nevertheless you must let me go.”
23 aGod also stirred up another adversary for Solomon, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, bHadadezer king of Zobah.1 Kin 11:142 Sam 8:3; 10:16 24 Rezon gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, aafter David killed those in Zobah. They went to Damascus and stayed there and they reigned in Damascus. 2+@Sam 10:8, 182 Sam 10:8, 18 25 So Rezon was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad inflicted. Rezon hated Israel and reigned over Aram .
26 aJeroboam, Solomon’s servant, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zeredah whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also brebelled against the king.1 Kin 11:11, 28; 12:2, 20; 2 Chr 13:62 Sam 20:21 27 Now this is the reason why he rebelled against the king: aSolomon built the Millo and he repaired and closed the breach of the city of his father David.1 Kin 9:15, 24 28 The man Jeroboam was a brave warrior and when aSolomon saw that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.Prov 22:29 29 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam left Jerusalem, that athe prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. Now Ahijah had covered himself with a new cloak; and the two of them were alone in the field.1 Kin 12:15; 14:2; 2 Chr 9:29 30 aThen Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.1 Sam 15:27, 28 31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, aI am going to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes—1 Kin 11:11, 12 32 abut he and his descendants shall have 1one tribe , for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, bthe city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel—It is evident from v 30 and later from 12:21 that two tribes are in view here: Judah and Benjamin. The Greek OT (the LXX) actually reads “two” here and in v 36, indicating that its translators rejected the Hebrew reading in both verses as an error. Other explanations are possible, however. Some have suggested that the tribe of Benjamin was often regarded as one with Judah. Another possibility is that Benjamin is not counted or mentioned because of the despicable sin committed by certain men of Gibeah (Judg 19:21 ff; Gibeah was a city in Benjamin), and the refusal by the tribe of Benjamin to turn the offenders over to justice (Judg 20:13). In fact, the tribe almost faced extinction as a result of their refusal and the war that followed between Israel and Benjamin (Judg 20:14-21:24).1 Kin 11:13; 12:211 Kin 11:13; 14:21 33 because 1they have abandoned Me and ahave worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, bChemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways and followed My commandments, doing what is right in My sight and keeping My statutes and My ordinances as did his father David.I.e. the people of Israel under the leadership of Solomon.1 Sam 7:3; 1 Kin 11:5-8Num 21:29; Jer 48:7, 13 34 However, I will not take the entire kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. 35 But aI will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you: ten tribes.1 Kin 11:12; 12:16, 17 36 Yet ato his son I will give 1one tribe, bso that My servant David may have a 2lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, cthe city where I have chosen to put My Name and Presence.See note v 32.I.e. a descendant on the throne.1 Kin 11:131 Kin 15:4; 2 Kin 8:19; Ps 132:17 37 I will take you Jeroboam, and you shall reign over whatever your soul desires; and you shall be king over Israel . 38 Then it shall be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, keeping and observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then aI will be with you and bbuild you an enduring house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.Deut 31:8; Josh 1:52 Sam 7:11, 27 39 And in this way I will afflict the descendants of David for this , but not forever.’” 40 So Solomon attempted to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam set out and escaped to Egypt, to aShishak king of Egypt, and stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.1 Kin 14:25; 2 Chr 12:2-9
41 aThe 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?2 Chr 9:29 42 The atime Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.2 Chr 9:30 43 And Solomon aslept in death with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. bRehoboam his son reigned in his place.1 Kin 2:10; 2 Chr 9:311 Kin 14:21; Matt 1:7