1 Kings 11

1 King Solomon [the peaceful ruler], however, loved [had affection for, was deeply attracted to] many foreign [strange, unfamiliar] women along with the daughter [female child] of Pharaoh [the king of Egypt]—women of Moab [Moabite women], Ammon [Ammonite women], Edom [Edomite women], and Sidon [Sidonian women], as well as Hittite [descendants of Heth] women. word study 2 These women were from the nations [Gentile, non-Hebrew] about which the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had told the Israelites [descendants of Jacob], “You must not intermarry [go in to them, become one with them] with them, for surely [with certainty, truly] they will turn [stretch, deflect] your hearts [innermost part, mind and emotions] after [following, pursuing] their gods [Elohim, supreme beings].” Yet Solomon [king of Israel] clung [to cleave or stick] to these women in [with, motivated by] love [affection or devotion]. word study 3 He had seven hundred [royal, princesses] wives of royal birth [daughters of kings] and three hundred [secondary, subordinate] concubines—and his wives [women, female companions] turned [led astray, deflected] his heart [inner being, will] away [from the Lord, into idolatry]. word study 4 For when Solomon [the king of Israel, successor of David] grew old [in his old age, as his life advanced], his wives [women, female companions] turned his heart [mind, will, and emotions] after [toward, following] other [different, foreign] gods, and he was not [no longer] wholeheartedly [completely, fully] devoted [committed, loyal] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] his God [Elohim, the one true God], as [like, similar to] his father [ancestor, predecessor] David [the king of Israel, a man after God’s heart] had been. word study 5 Solomon followed [worshiped, went after] Ashtoreth [Astarte, goddess of love] the goddess [El, deity] of the Sidonians [people of Sidon] and Milcom [Molech, vile God] the abomination [disgusting idol] of the Ammonites [descendants of Lot]. word study 6 So Solomon [a king of Israel] did evil [morally wrong, wicked] in the sight [before the eyes, in the presence] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]; unlike his father [ancestor, paternal figure] David, he did not follow [walk after, obey] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] completely [fully, with all his heart]. word study 7 At that time [then, in a past era] on a hill [mountain, elevation] east of Jerusalem [the city of peace], Solomon [the king of Israel] built [constructed, established] a high place [cultic platform, worship site] for Chemosh [the national deity of Moab, a false god] the abomination [something disgusting, filthy] of Moab [the land and descendants of Lot’s son] and for Molech [the chief deity of the Ammonites, a detestable idol] the abomination [a vile, repulsive thing] of the Ammonites [the descendants of Lot’s son, a neighboring nation]. word study 8 He did the same [thus, in this manner] for all [every one of] his foreign [strange, unfamiliar] wives, who burned incense [perfuming, making offerings] and sacrificed [offering slaughtered animals] to their gods [Elohim, idols, false deities]. word study 9 Now the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] grew angry [be enraged, breathe hard] with Solomon, because his heart [the innermost part, including mind, will, and emotions] had turned away [to stretch, spread out, morally deflect] from the LORD [the supreme God], the God [Elohim, the one supreme God] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], who had appeared [to see, look after, provide] to him twice [a second time, again]. word study 10 Although He had [explicitly, clearly] warned Solomon [given him a charge, commanded him] explicitly not to follow [go after, worship] other gods [Elohim, deities], Solomon did not keep [obey, guard] the LORD’s [Yehovah, the Lord God] command [instruction, word]. word study 11 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to Solomon, “Because [since, for the reason that] you have done this and have not kept My [divine, covenantal] covenant [promise, agreement] and My statutes [ordinances, divine laws], which I have commanded [given orders, appointed] you, I will tear [rend, violently separate] the kingdom [dominion, rulership] away from you and give it to your servant [slave, bondservant]. word study 12 Nevertheless [Notwithstanding, However], for the sake [because, out of regard] of your father [ancestor, forefather] David, I will not do [make, bring about] it during your lifetime [days, time on earth]; I will tear [rend, take away] it out of the hand [power, control] of your son [descendant, heir]. word study 13 Yet I will not tear [completely rend away] the whole kingdom [all the dominion] away from him. I will give one tribe [a single clan or family group] to your son [descendant, heir] for the sake of My servant [faithful attendant, bondslave] David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] and for the sake of Jerusalem [the city of peace, the chosen capital], which I have chosen [selected, set apart].” word study 14 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] raised up [stirred up, encouraged] against Solomon [king of Israel] an adversary [Satan, an opponent], Hadad [an Edomite king] the Edomite [from the region of Edom, descended from Esau], from the royal [king’s] line [seed, offspring] of Edom [descended from Esau]. word study 15 Earlier [previously, at an earlier time], when David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] was in Edom [the region where Esau lived], Joab [Jehovah is father] the commander [captain, ruler] of the army [a large group of people] had gone to bury [inter, lay to rest] the dead [slain, those who had been killed] and had struck down [smitten, hit] every male [man, male person] in Edom [the Edomites, the descendants of Esau]. word study 16 Joab [the commander, Jehovah is father] and all [every single one] Israel had stayed [to dwell, remain] there [in that place, Edom] six [a period of six lunar cycles] months, until [as far as the point in time when] he had killed [cut off, destroyed] every [all, each one] male [man, male person] in Edom [the region of Esau’s descendants]. word study 17 But Hadad [a young boy, still a little child], still just a young boy, had fled [escaped, run away] to Egypt [the land of the Nile, a country in northeastern Africa], along with some Edomites [people from Edom, descendants of Esau] who were servants [slaves, attendants] of his father [parent, ancestor]. word study 18 Hadad and his men set out [arose, stood up] from Midian [a region in northwest Arabia] and went to Paran [a desert area in Arabia]. They took men [individuals, people] from Paran with them [together, as companions] and went to Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa], to Pharaoh [the king, ruler] king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house [a dwelling place, home] and land [a territory, region] and provided him with food [sustenance, nourishment]. word study 19 There Hadad [the Edomite king] found such great [exceedingly, very] favor [kindness, graciousness] in the sight [eyes, gaze] of Pharaoh [the king of Egypt] that he gave to him in marriage [as a wife] the sister [biological sibling, close relative] of Queen Tahpenes [the Egyptian queen], his own wife [woman, female companion]. word study 20 And the sister [close relative, female sibling] of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son [descendant, male child] named Genubath [theft, stolen away]. Tahpenes herself [personally, as a mother] weaned [nourished, cared for] him in Pharaoh’s [the king of Egypt, ruler] palace [royal residence, house], and Genubath lived [dwelt, resided] there among [in the midst of, surrounded by] the sons [children, princes] of Pharaoh [the Egyptian king, ruler]. word study 21 When Hadad [the Edomite king] heard in Egypt [the northeastern African nation] that David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] had rested [slept, lain down] with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors] and that Joab [Jehovah is father, the army general], the commander [ruler, captain] of the army [a large group of people], was dead [had died, passed away], he said to Pharaoh [the king of Egypt, a powerful leader], “Let me go [send me away, depart], that I may return [walk, go back] to my own country [land, territory].” word study 22 But Pharaoh [the king of Egypt, a powerful leader] asked him, “What have you lacked [been in need of, been short of] here with me [in my presence, under my care] that you suddenly [without warning, unexpectedly] want to go back [to return, to depart] to your own country [your native land, your homeland]?” “Nothing [no thing, not anything],” Hadad replied, “but please [I beseech you, I implore you] let me go [send me away, release me].” word study 23 And God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler] raised up [stirred, encouraged] against Solomon another adversary [trouble-maker, opponent], Rezon [a Syrian leader] the son [descendant, offspring] of Eliada, who had fled [run away, escaped] from his master [lord, ruler], Hadadezer [meaning Hadad is help] king [ruler, monarch] of Zobah [a region in Syria], word study 24 and had gathered [collected, assembled] men to himself [as followers, under his leadership]. When David [the king of Israel] killed [slew, defeated] the Zobaites [the people of Zobah], Rezon [the leader, captain] captained [led, commanded] a band [troop, group] of raiders [outlaws, rebels] and went to Damascus [the capital city of Syria], where they settled [dwelt, lived] and gained control [reigned, ruled] [as king, with authority]. word study 25 Rezon was Israel’s [arch-] enemy throughout the days [all the time, every moment] of Solomon, adding to the trouble [mischief, evil] caused by Hadad [the Edomite king]. So Rezon ruled [reigned, exercised power] over Aram [Syria, the region] with hostility [abhorrence, hatred] toward Israel. word study 26 Now Jeroboam [an Ephrathite] son of Nebat was an Ephraimite [from the tribe of Ephraim] from Zeredah [a town in Palestine] whose mother [a widow, a woman without a husband] was a widow [without a husband to care for her] named Zeruah [a woman of Israel]. Jeroboam was a servant [a slave, one who serves] of Solomon [the king of Israel, a wise ruler], but he rebelled [lifted up his hand, rose up in opposition] against the king [the ruler, the one in authority], word study 27 and this [the specific account, the reason] is the account of his rebellion [lifting his hand, rising up] against the king [the ruler, the monarch]. Solomon [the king of Israel] had built [constructed, established] the supporting terraces [Millo, the citadel] and repaired [closed, shut] the gap [breach, broken place] in the wall of the city [the town, the metropolis] of his father [ancestor, paternal figure] David [the king of Israel]. word study 28 Now Jeroboam [a mighty warrior, a man of strength] was a mighty man [a valiant and powerful individual] of valor [strength, courage]. So when Solomon [the king of Israel, a wise ruler] noticed that the young man [a youth, an industrious person] was industrious [hardworking, diligent], he put him in charge [made him ruler, gave him authority] of the whole labor force [all the work, the burden] of the house [the family, the tribe] of Joseph [Jehovah has added, a son of Jacob]. word study 29 During that time [at that moment, when it came to pass], the prophet [one who speaks for God, a spokesperson] Ahijah [brother of Jehovah] the Shilonite [from Shiloh, a city of rest] met Jeroboam [the people will contend] on the road [way, path] as he was going out [leaving, departing] of Jerusalem [the city of peace]. Now Ahijah had wrapped [covered, clad] himself in a new [fresh, recently created] cloak [garment, outer clothing], and the two [a pair] of them were alone [by themselves, separate] in the open [flat, cultivated] field [land, territory]. word study 30 And Ahijah [brother of Jehovah, a prophet] took hold of the new [recently created, fresh] cloak [garment, outer clothing] he was wearing, tore [rent, ripped] it into twelve pieces [rags, torn fragments], word study 31 and said to Jeroboam, “Take [receive, get] ten pieces [rags, torn pieces of fabric] for yourself, for this is what the LORD [Yehovah], the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear [rend, pull apart] the kingdom [dominion, reign] out of the hand [power, control] of Solomon, and I will give [bestow, grant] you ten tribes [clans, groups of people]. word study 32 But one [single, united] tribe will remain for the sake of My servant [faithful attendant, slave] David and for the sake of Jerusalem [the city of peace, the chosen city], the city [excitement, a place with a wall] I have chosen [selected, picked out] out of all [everything, the whole] the tribes [clans] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s people]. word study 33 For they have forsaken [abandoned, turned away from] Me to worship [bow down to, pay homage to] Ashtoreth [the goddess of love and fertility] the goddess of the Sidonians [inhabitants of Sidon], Chemosh [the national deity] the god of the Moabites [descendants of Lot], and Milcom [the great king, a false idol] the god of the Ammonites [a neighboring nation]. They have not walked [conducted their lives, followed] in My ways [paths, manner of life], nor done [performed, carried out] what is right [just, upright] in My eyes [sight, judgment], nor kept [obeyed, preserved] My statutes [ordained laws, decrees] and judgments [righteous decisions, ordinances], as Solomon’s father David [a man after God’s heart] did. word study 34 Nevertheless, I will not [completely remove] take the whole kingdom [entire dominion] out of Solomon’s hand, because I have made him [appointed as] ruler [leader, prince] all the days of his life [the duration of his existence] for the sake of David [as a descendant of David] My servant [faithful attendant, chosen one], whom I chose [selected, elected] because he kept [obeyed, guarded] My commandments [laws, decrees] and statutes [ordinances, precepts]. word study 35 But I will take [out of his power, away from] ten tribes [a decade of clans, ten family groups] of the kingdom [kingship, royal domain] from the hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share] of his son [descendant, heir] and give [bestow, grant] them to you [as a gift, to possess]. word study 36 I will give one [single, unique] tribe to his son [descendant, heir], so that My servant [faithful attendant, devoted follower] David will always have a lamp [a candle, a light] before Me [in My presence, face to face] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, God’s chosen dwelling place], the city where I chose [selected, appointed] to put My Name [My identity, reputation, character]. word study 37 But as for you, I will take [receive, choose] you, and you shall reign [rule, have dominion] over all [everything, whatsoever] that your heart [soul, inner being] desires [longs for, wishes], and you will be king [ruler, monarch] over Israel [God’s chosen people, the nation]. word study 38 If you listen [hearken, give attention] to all that I command [give orders, appoint] you, walk [follow, journey] in My ways [path, journey], and do [make, perform] what is right [just, straight] in My sight [eye, presence] in order to keep [obey, guard] My statutes [ordinances, laws] and commandments [precepts, instructions] as My servant [slave, bondservant] David did, then I will be [exist, come into being] with [together, accompanying] you. I will build [establish, construct] you a lasting [faithful, enduring] dynasty [house, family] just as I built [established, constructed] for David, and I will give [bestow, grant] Israel [God’s chosen people] to you. word study 39 Because of this [for this reason, due to Solomon’s sins], I will humble [afflict, oppress, bring low] David’s descendants [seed, offspring]—but [only, surely] not [never, at no time] forever [for all days, throughout all time].’” word study 40 Solomon [the king of Israel, son of David] therefore sought [to find, to pursue] to kill [to put to death, to destroy] Jeroboam [the future king of Israel]. But Jeroboam arose [stood up, rose to action] and fled [to escape, to run away] to Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa], to Shishak [an Egyptian king] king of Egypt, where he remained [stayed, dwelled] until [as far as, until the time of] the death [the end of life, the passing away] of Solomon [the king of Israel]. word study 41 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [chronicles, events] of Solomon [a king of Israel]—all [everything, the entirety] that he did [made, accomplished], as well as his wisdom [prudence, good judgment]—are they not [is it not the case] written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Acts [chronicles, matters] of Solomon? word study 42 Thus the time [period, span of years] that Solomon [king of Israel] reigned [ruled, had dominion] in Jerusalem [city of peace, capital of Israel] over [upon, with authority over] all [every, the entire nation of] Israel [God’s chosen people] was forty [a significant period of time, 40 years] years. word study 43 And Solomon [slept with his fathers, died] rested with his fathers and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in the city [town, settlement] of his father [ancestor, predecessor] David. And his son [descendant, heir] Rehoboam reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study