1 Kings 11

CHAPTER NINE

SOLOMON’S TRANSGRESSIONS AND TROUBLES

1 Kings 11:1-43

A long period of peace always proves a serious time of testing for a nation. Because of polygamy, idolatry, excessive taxation and neglect of the prophetic order, the kingdom of Solomon gradually deteriorated. Chapter 11 focuses on the royal transgressions and subsequent troubles which befell the nation. The chapter falls into three main divisions. First, the author describes the apostasy of King Solomon in the later years of his reign (1 Kings 11:1-13). Then he deals with the troubles which came upon Solomon as a consequence of his apostasy (1 Kings 11:14-40). The chapter concludes with a summary statement concerning the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41-43).

REVIEW OF CHAPTER NINE

I. FACTS TO MASTER

A. Identify the following:

1. Ahijah

2. Shishak

3. Rezon

4. Tahpenes

5. Rehoboam

6. Chemosh

7. Genubath

7*.* Jeroboam

11. Milcom

12. Ashtoreth

13. Hadad

B. Relate the importance of the following places in chapter 11:

1. Millo

2. Midian

3. Edom

4. Damascus

5. Zeredah

6. Par an

7. Shiloh

C. Other facts to know:

1. The number of Solomon’s wives and concubines
2. The names of the pagan gods to whom Solomon was inclined
3. The names and locations of Solomon’s adversaries
4. The length of Solomon’s reign

II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Is it right for us, in the absence of prophecy, to interpret national disasters as being due to specific acts of national apostasy?

Why did God permit Solomon, and David for that matter, to multiply wives? cf. 2 Samuel 12:8; Matthew 19:8; Deuteronomy 17:17. Did Solomon have before him any tragic examples of the negative effects of polygamy? See Genesis 16:1-6; Genesis 30:16; Genesis 34:30; Genesis 35:21.

How did the Lord speak to Solomon in 1 Kings 11:11-13?

What element of divine grace is found in the threats made to Solomon? 1 Kings 11:11-13; 1 Kings 11:34-36.

When did Hadad and Rezon become Solomon’s adversaries? Why are these accounts placed at the conclusion of the history of Solomon?

What are the indications that Hadad was graciously received in Egypt? Why this treatment from Pharaoh?

Did Ahijah’s message to Jeroboam precipitate the abortive rebellion against Solomon?

What can one deduce from this chapter about the leadership potential of Jeroboam?

What is the one tribe that Ahijah declared would remain with the house of David?

What is the problem as regards the tribe of Simeon in the tribal divisions mentioned by Ahijah?

What were the conditions in the divine promise made to Jeroboam?

Compare and contrast the lives of David and his son Solomon.

At what times during his reign did Solomon receive divine communication?

On what other occasions in the history of Israel did the tribe of Ephraim create dissension among the tribes of Israel? See Joshua 17:14; Judges 8:1; Judges 12:1.

SYNOPSIS OF PART TWO - THE SISTER KINGDOMS

1 Kings 12 - 2 Kings 17

NINETEEN KINGS OF ISRAEL

TWELVE KINGS OF JUDAH

931-722 B.C.

210 YEARS

Hostility

Harmony

Humiliation

Heyday

Homage

931-885 B.C.

885-841 B.C.

841-790 B.C.

790-750 B.C.

750-722 B.C.

Conflicts between the two kingdoms

Cooperation between the two kingdoms

Political low ebb

Political high tide

Decline and subjugation

Kings

Kings

Kings

Kings

Kings

I

I

I

I

I

Jeroboam

Omri

Jehu

Jeroboam

Menahem

Nadab

Ahab

Jehoahaz

Zechariah

Pekahiah

Baasha

Ahaziah

Jehoash

Shallum

Pekah

Elah

Jehoram

J

J

Hoshea

Zimri

J

(Athafiah)

Uzziah

J

J

Jehoshaphat

Joash

Jotham

Rehoboam

Jehoram

Amaziah

Ahaz

Abijam

Ahaziah

Hezekiah

Asa

1 Kings 12:1 to 1 Kings 16:20

1 Kings 16:21 -2Ki 9:37

2 Kings 10:1 to 2 Kings 14:20

2 Kings 14:21 to 2 Kings 15:15

2 Kings 15:16 to 2 Kings 17:41

Chapter s

Chapter s

Chapter s

Chapter

Chapter

Ten-Twelve

Twelve-Eighteen

Nineteen-Twenty

Twenty-one

Twenty-two

Entrance to a Vineyard Drawing by Horace Knowles from the British and Foreign Bible Society

1 Kings 11:1-13

I. SOLOMON’S TRANSGRESSIONS 11:1-13

**TRANSLATION

(1) And King Solomon loved many strange women, even Pharaoh’s daughter, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women (2) from the nations of which the LORD had said onto the children of Israel, Do not go among them, and they shall not come among you; surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Even these Solomon clung to in love. (3) And he had seven hundred wives who were princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. (4) And it came to pass in Solomon’s old age that his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not with the LORD his God as was the heart of David his father. (5) And Solomon went after Ashtoreth goddess**[292]** of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. (6) And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not go fully after the LORD as had David his father. (7) Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. (8) And thus he did for all his foreign wives who burnt incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. (9) And the LORD became angry with Solomon because he turned his heart from with the LORD God of Israel who had appeared unto him twice. (10) And He had commanded him concerning this thing not to go after other gods; but he did not keep that which the LORD commanded him. (11) And the LORD said to Solomon, Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes which I commanded you, I will surely rend the kingdom from you and I will give it to your servant. (12) But in your days I will not do it because of David your father; from the hand of your son I will rend it. (13) Only all of the kingdom I will not rend; one tribe I will give to your son because of David My servant and because of Jerusalem which I have chosen.**

[292] The masculine form of the word is actually used in the Hebrew because the language has no word for goddess.

COMMENTS

In 1 Kings 11:1-13 the author relates the sad story of how Solomon violated the third of the three prohibitions placed upon Israelite kings by almighty God in Deuteronomy 17. Previously Solomon’s multiplication of wealth (1 Kings 10:14-25) and of horses (1 Kings 10:27-29) has been narrated. In the present section the ruin of this great prince becomes inevitable as he multiplies wives unto himself. The account in Chronicles is altogether silent with regard to Solomon’s fall, as it is also with regard to David’s sin. The conjunction with which chapter 11 begins suggests that the account is a direct continuation of the preceding chapter. The polygamy was but a part of the worldliness of this king like the chariots and gold already mentioned.

Besides his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter, the uniqueness of which has already been indicated, Solomon married many other strange or foreign women. As a matter of fact, Solomon must have married Naamah the Ammonitess a couple of years before he became king, and thus before he married the Egyptian princess.[293] Pharaoh’s daughter is set apart from the other foreign wives in 1 Kings 11:1 not because she was his first wife or even his favorite wife, but because of the uniqueness of that marriage (cf. 1 Kings 3:1).

[293] Rehoboam the son of Naamah was forty-one when Solomon died at the end of a forty year reign (1 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 12:13). Thus the import of 1 Kings 11:1 cannot be that Pharaoh’s daughter was Solomon’s first and therefore legitimate wife and that all subsequent wives were strange in the sense of being illegitimate.

Among Solomon’s foreign wives were women of Moab and Ammon. Ammonites and Moabites were not to be received into the congregation of the Lord until the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3). While marriage to a woman of these nations was not, strictly speaking, forbidden, such marriages must have been repugnant. The Edomites were viewed with more favor, being allowed to enter the congregation of the Lord in the third generation (Deuteronomy 23:7). The mention of Sidonians among the wives of Solomon has given rise to the tradition that Solomon married a daughter of Hiram.[294] One would not expect, however, a marriage to Hiram’s daughter to be passed over without special mention. The Hittite women were from those kingdoms which had once been subject to the Hittite empire prior to the collapse of that empire about 1200 B.C. (1 Kings 11:1). With the exception of Jehoram who married Athaliah, the semi-Phoenician daughter of Ahab, none of Solomon’s successors on the throne of Judah married foreign princesses so far as the record goes.[295]

[294] Meander of Tyre states that Solomon married the daughter of Hiram. Quoted by Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1, 114.2.

[295] Honor, JCBR, p. 151.

God desired His people to be separated from the pagan nations round about. The prohibition against association with idolaters served as a safeguard against intermarriage with them. On numerous occasions God had warned His people about intermarriage with foreign peoples. Of the nations enumerated in 1 Kings 11:1, the law expressly forbade marriage with the Hittites alone (Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-4), although the Sidonians are probably to be included in the prohibition as being Canaanites (cf. Genesis 10:15). But the principle which applied to marriage with the seven nations of Canaan applied equally to all other idolaters, viz., they will turn away your sons from following after me (Deuteronomy 7:4). Thus by marrying any of these foreign women Solomon was certainly violating the spirit of the law. Despite the prohibitions of the law and the warnings regarding such marriages, Solomon clung unto these women in love (1 Kings 11:2). By placing the object of the preposition before the verb, the Hebrew suggests an emphasis which may be missed in the English: even them Solomon clung to. Instead of clinging to God as commanded in the Law (Deuteronomy 4:4; Deuteronomy 10:20; Deuteronomy 30:20), Solomon chose to cling to his women!

Seven hundred of Solomon’s wives were princesses, i.e., members of the royal houses of neighboring nations. His concubineswives of secondary ranknumbered three hundred. Keil suggests that these figures represent the total number in the harem at different periods of Solomon’s reign rather than the number present at any one time. In all due respect to the interpretive genius of Keil, this does not appear to be the natural interpretation of the words. These numbers, when compared with the practice of other monarchs of the Near East, are not found at all to be incredible.[296]

[296] Hammond, PC, p. 221. Darius Codomannus took with him on his expedition against Alexander three hundred sixty female attendants.

The vast number of the harem suggests that Solomon was not motivated by sensuality in gathering these women. It is difficult to believe that a thousand women were kept for mere purposes of passion! The mention that seven hundred of these women were princesses suggests that the object of this array of mistresses was to enhance Solomon’s state and renown. As he exceeded other kings in glory, wisdom, and power, so must he excel them, not only in armies, chariots, and horses, but also in the number of his wives. It was pride rather than passion that drove Solomon to violate God’s command against the multiplication of wives. Solomon paid the price for his pride, for these women turned his heart away from God (1 Kings 11:3). Like Samson he became too weak to withstand the constant pressure of female importunity.[297]

[297] Farrar, SHLT, p. 143.

The time, manner, and extent of Solomon’s defection are spelled out in 1 Kings 11:4. Solomon’s wives got to him when he was old. As he was but sixty at the time of his death, old is here used in a relative sense and must mean toward the close of his life. The king’s wives were successful in turning Solomon’s heart away from his God and toward pagan deities. This need not be taken to mean that Solomon himself took part in idolatrous practices, but only that he sanctioned such practices in the vicinity of Jerusalem.[298] In his early reign he had been uneasy at the mere presence of Pharaoh’s daughter in the city of David; but now he crowned the hills overlooking the Temple precincts with monuments to idolatry.

[298] A king who actually engaged in idolatry is said to have served other gods (cf. 1 Kings 16:31; 1 Kings 22:53; 2 Kings 16:3 etc.). The phrase went after other gods (1 Kings 11:5) is sometimes used of actual idolatry (Deuteronomy 11:28; Deuteronomy 13:2; Deuteronomy 28:14); but in the majority of passages, even this phrase is joined to some more precise phrase (e.g., and served them or and worshiped them) when participatory idolatry is intended.

Two of the deities to whom Solomon showed favor are named in 1 Kings 11:5. The first is Ashtoreth[299] who should not be confused with Asherah, the consort of Baal. Ashtoreth is the Hebrew name of Astarte, one of the principal Phoenician goddesses. She had many functions; in the main however she was goddess of fertility. As such she was worshiped by means of sexual intercourse in her temples. In Canaan she is first encountered among the offering lists and myths of the Ugaritic texts which date to about 1400 B.C. Her precise role in the Canaanite mythology is uncertain. Small clay figurines of her with her breasts and pudenda accentuated have been found in Palestinian excavations in great abundance.[300]

[299] The singular form of the name is found only here and in 2 Kings 23:13. More commonly the plural Ashtaroth is used in general statements about Canaanite paganism.

[300] Burrows, WMTS, p. 230f.

Milcom, the second deity mentioned in 1 Kings 11:5, was the god of the Ammonites. He is called an abomination because of the worship offered to him which included the sacrifice of little children. The children were not merely passed through the fire in some dedicatory rite, but were actually offered as whole burnt offerings to this deity. This is the first direct historical allusion to the worship of Milcom in the Old Testament, although a warning against this type of worship is found in Leviticus 20:2-5. The name is spelled Milcam in Jeremiah 49:13 and Amos 1:15, and Molech in 1 Kings 11:9 of the present chapter. It also would appear that the Ammonite god Milcom is the same deity called by the Moabites Chemosh[301] (1 Kings 11:7). Whether or not Solomon permitted the child sacrifice rituals to be performed in Jerusalem cannot be determined. Human sacrifice in Israel is first explicitly attested under Ahaz in Judah (2 Kings 16:3), and in Israel under Hoshea (2 Kings 17:17). No doubt the sacred historian would have voiced loud protest had Solomon permitted the sacrifice of innocent children in Jerusalem. Nonetheless, because of his inclination to permit idolatry within the environs of Jerusalem, Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord and was only half-hearted in his devotion to Him (1 Kings 11:6).

[301] Gray, OTL, pp. 258-59. Jephthah’s reply to the Ammonites (Judges 11:24) seems to support this conclusion.

The extent to which Solomon went after pagan gods is spelled out in 1 Kings 11:7-8. He is said to have built a high placea shrinefor Chemosh the god of Moab on a hill beside Jerusalem. The hill upon which this shrine was erected was the Mt. of Olives on the east side of Jerusalem, which is called in 2 Kings 23:13 the mount of corruption. In the same vicinity Solomon erected a shrine for Molech the national god of Ammon (1 Kings 11:7). The king also built places of worship for all the other gods worshiped by his foreign wives. The women made use of these sanctuaries by offering incense and animal sacrifices to their respective deities (1 Kings 11:8).

With regard to the question of Solomon’s apostasy, 1 Kings 11:8 is again suggestive. While Solomon built the altars, his wives sacrificed and worshiped at them. These shrines erected by Solomon remained for three hundred years inviolable and untouched even during the reigns of such reformers as Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah. At last they were removed during Josiah’s thorough reform movement in the seventh century before Christ (2 Kings 23:13). The divine appraisal of Solomon’s folly is nowhere more aptly stated than in the words of Nehemiah:

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin (Nehemiah 13:26).

The Lord was extremely angry with Solomon because his allegiance to Him had grown cold. Exceptional favors had been granted to this man. Twice he had been permitted to receive direct revelations from God (1 Kings 11:9)once at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:5) and a second time in Jerusalem (1 Kings 9:2). He had been solemnly warned about pursuing other gods; but he had paid no heed to what the Lord had commanded (1 Kings 11:10). Therefore, the Lord in His anger pronounced a solemn judgment upon Solomon. No doubt the pronouncement came through the mouth of one of God’s prophetsperhaps Ahijah or Iddofor it is hardly likely that God would condescend to grant this apostate prince yet another direct revelation. The message is dreadful. Because Solomon had failed to live up to his obligations before God, the Lord would rend the kingdom from him and give it to one of his servants (1 Kings 11:11).

How bitter is this decree! A mere servant would be heir to all of Solomon’s glory and treasure. Yet God tempered the threat with two gracious and merciful limitations: (1) the blow would not fall until after the death of Solomon (1 Kings 11:12); and (2) the disruption would only be partial. One tribe, Judah,[302] would remain under the control of the Davidic dynasty. Two reasons are given for these merciful limitations: (1) for David my servant’s sake, i.e., because of David’s piety and because of the promises made to David (cf. 2 Samuel 7:13); and (2) far Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen (1 Kings 11:13). God had chosen Jerusalem as the site of His Temple and as the appropriate capital of His earthly kingdom.

[302] The tribes of Benjamin and Simeon were also a part of the kingdom left to the descendants of Solomon, but they were too small in number and significance to be specified at this point.

DIVINE COMMUNICATION TO SOLOMON

TIME

REFERENCE

MEANS

SUMMARY

At the Beginning of his Reign

1 Kings 3:5-14

In a Dream

Solomon promised riches and honor as well as wisdom

During the Temple Construction

1 Kings 6:11-13

By a Prophet

If he is faithful. God will dwell in the Temple

At the Height of his Prosperity

1 Kings 9:1-9

In a Dream

Warning that apostasy would lead to national destruction

At the Time of his Apostasy

1 Kings 11:11-13

By a Prophet

Announcement that the kingdom would be taken from Solomon’s son

1 Kings 11:14-22

II. SOLOMON’S TROUBLES 11:14-40

While reading the preceding Chapter s, one has the impression that Solomon enjoyed a reign of uninterrupted peace and splendor. But here at the close of the account of this king the author has gathered all the significant information concerning Solomon’s adversaries. Owing to the fact that these accounts stand at the end of his history, many students have jumped to the conclusion that all Solomon’s troubles arose at the end of his reign. This conclusion is, however, not justified. The hated opposition of Hadad began at an early period of Solomon’s reign. So also, it would seem did the opposition of Rezon. These accounts are placed here because (1) it is the habit of the author to collect into one passage material related to a particular facet of Solomon’s reign;[303] (2) it was only in his later life that these adversaries materially affected Solomon’s position and rule; and (3) because these troubles are regarded as a chastisement for Solomon’s sin which has just been described. The accounts of Solomon’s adversaries recall to mind the words of Nathan to David: … if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men (2 Samuel 7:14). Solomon’s ultimate punishment for his sins was the rending of the kingdom from his descendants. However before that, God sent adversaries against him to chasten him and stir him to repentance. In this section the author discusses the rebellions led by (1) Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14-22); (2) Rezon and Damascus (1 Kings 11:23-25); and (3) Jeroboam of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26-40).

[303] Information respecting the Temple is gathered in Chapter s 6-8 and scattered notices respecting Solomon’s power and greatness are grouped in Chapter s 9-10.

A. THE REBELLION OF HADAD 11:14-22

(14) And the LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal seed in Edom. (15) For it had happened when David was in Edom,[304]** and Joab the captain of the host had gone up to bury the slam, and he had smitten every male in Edom. (16) (For six months Joab remained there along with all Israel until he had cut off every male in Edom.), (17) that Hadad fled, he and certain men, Edomites from the servants of his father with him, to go to Egypt while Hadad was yet a young lad. (18) And they arose out of Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he gave to him a house, and ordered food for him and gave land to him. (19) And Hadad found great favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, so that he gave to him as a wife the sister of his wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. (20) And the sister of Tahpenes bare for him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in the midst of the house of Pharaoh; and Genubath was in the house of Pharaoh among the sons of Pharaoh. (21) When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, then Hadad said unto Pharaoh, Dismiss me that I may go unto my land. (22) And Pharaoh said to him, But what have you been lacking with me that behold you are seeking to go unto your land? And he said, Nothing, but you must surely dismiss me!**

[304] Literally, with Edom. Keil interprets: When David had to do with Edom. The Septuagint and Syriac read, when David smote Edom.

COMMENTS

The first adversary[305] raised up by God was Hadad (also spelled Adad) the Edomite. Edom, to the south of Israel, had been a vassal state from the time it had been subdued by Joab under David (2 Samuel 8:13-14). Apparently Hadad was the title by which the kings of Edom were designated rather than the personal name of this particular king[306] (1 Kings 11:14). This Hadad had become the implacable foe of Israel from the time when the armies of David had entered Edom and had slain a goodly portion of the male population. According to Chronicles, Abishai slew eighteen thousand (1 Chronicles 18:12), while the title of Psalms 60 represents Joab as having slain twelve thousand at the same time and place. Both of these brothers were commanders in the army of David, and it is uncertain whether the two figures should be combined or whether the smaller figure is included within the larger. In any case, this fierce Israelite attack against Edom apparently was brought-’ on by a merciless Edomite invasion of Israel in which many Israelites were slain. It was after Joab had buried these dead Israelites that he led the armies of David into Edom in retaliation (1 Kings 11:15). It had taken Joab six months to complete this ruthless campaign even though he had at his disposal all Israel, i.e., the entire army of Israel. Every male (1 Kings 11:16) refers to men capable of bearing arms, who fell into the hands of the Israelites.

[305] Adversary is the English translation of the Hebrew word satan. In early Biblical literature satan is frequently used of human adversaries; in later Old Testament books it is a proper name of a superhuman adversary.

[306] Two kings of Edom before the time of the Hebrew monarchy bear this name (Genesis 36:31-39). Hadad was the proper name of the Canaanite god of thunder and rain who more frequently was simply called Baal, lord. The name Hadad was also a favorite among the kings of Aram as can be seen in the names Benhadad and Hadadezer.

Because of this Israelite invasion, the young crown prince and some of the royal servants fled toward Egypt (1 Kings 11:17). The party followed a somewhat unnatural route so as to escape the vigilant eyes of Joab’s men. For a while they seem to have taken refuge in the trackless waste of Midian south of Edom. They may have spent several years there before passing on to Egypt. Eventually Hadad and his company pressed on toward Egypt stopping in Paran to secure guides who would lead them across the Sinaitic peninsula to the kingdom of the Pharaohs.

In Egypt Hadad and his party were graciously received, the Pharaoh giving to the young prince a house and land and provision for his table (1 Kings 11:18). In due time Pharaoh gave Hadad the hand of his sister-in-law, the sister of Tahpenes the queen consort (1 Kings 11:19). This action reflects the political hopes which the Egyptians pinned on the Edomite heir. The fact that the Biblical historiographer was familiar with the name (or title) of the queen of Egypt accords with the high position and political influence wielded by the wives of the Pharaohs of the twenty-first dynasty. The name Tahpenes has not been identified in the few existing contemporary Egyptian sources. However, some Egyptologists are inclined to relate it to a name of a princess appearing on a statue attributed to the twenty-first dynasty.[307]

[307] Malamat, BAR, II, 90-91. It has also been asserted that Tahpenes is not a proper name at all, but an Egyptian title for king’s wife.

Hadad’s Egyptian wife gave birth to a son who was named Genubath. The queen herself took charge of the great festivities which accompanied the weaning of this child (cf. Genesis 21:8). Furthermore, Genubath was reared in Pharaoh’s palace and had all the privileges of the sons of Pharaoh (1 Kings 11:20).

When Hadad heard of the deaths of David and Joab, he requested that his Egyptian benefactor dismiss him in order that he might return to his own land (1 Kings 11:21). Pharaoh was reluctant to see Hadad, who had now been in Egypt for at least twenty-five years, leave his court. Nonetheless, Hadad insisted that he be allowed to return to Edom (1 Kings 11:22). Here the story abruptly ends; but 1 Kings 11:25 makes it clear that Hadad did return to his native land. At some point subsequent to his return Hadad led a rebellion against Solomon. Whether he succeeded in wresting any territory from Solomon’s control or merely acted as a constant menace to the Israelite merchant caravans is unclear.

1 Kings 11:23-25

C. THE REBELLION OF REZON 11:23-25

**TRANSLATION

(23) And God raised up to him an adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from Hadadezer king of Zobah, his lord. (24) And he gathered around him men and became captain of a band, after David slew them (of Zobah); and they fled to Damascus, and dwelled therein, and they ruled over Damas cus. (25) And he became an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the evil which Hadad did; and he loathed Israel and ruled over Aram.

COMMENTS**

The second adversary raised up by God against Solomon was Rezon,[308] an Aramean who established himself in Damascus. It would appear that during the reign of David, Damascus was part of the Aramean kingdom of Zobah. The city fell under Israelite control when David inflicted a crushing defeat on Hadadezer of Zobah (2 Samuel 8:3-12; 2 Samuel 10:6-19). Either just before or just after this battle with David, Rezon deserted his master Hadadezer (1 Kings 11:23). The stages of Rezon’s rise to power are indicated in 1 Kings 11:24. From being the adventurous chief of a roving gang, he rose to the position of leader of a group of warriors who advanced on Damascus, captured and settled in that city, and finally established themselves as the ruling power. According to 1 Kings 11:25, the entire country of Aram eventually recognized Rezon as their king.

[308] Some scholars feel that Rezon is a variant of Hezion who appears to be the founder of the Damascus dynasty in IS: 18. Others think Hezion was the proper name of this king and Rezon was his title. Still others assume that after Rezon, Hezion founded a new dynasty in Damascus. See Unger, IA, p. 57; and Mazar, BAR, II, 133-34.

It is not certain at what point in the reign of Solomon Rezon took control of Damascus. On the whole it seems best to assign this event to the late period of Solomon’s reign when his rule weakened and the state was disintegrating internally and externally.[309] In any case, the text gives no indication that the pacific Solomon made any attempt to thwart Rezon. Thus Solomon was faced with opposition simultaneously on the northern and southern frontiers of his empire (1 Kings 11:25). The phrase all the days of Solomon may refer to the time after the king had sinned and set up gods for his foreign wives. On the other hand, the author may mean that even before Rezon became king of Damascus he was a dangerous adversary as a roving bandit on the borders of Israel.

[309] Mazar, BAR, II, 133.

What is recorded here appears to be nothing less than the founding of the powerful Aramean kingdom of Damascus, which was destined to be the most formidable rival and enemy of Israel during the next two centuries. Rezon’s continued harassments and his increasing power toward the later years of Solomon’s reign threatened to disrupt Israelite control of the Aramean states. Shortly after the close of Solomon’s reign, probably in conjunction with Jeroboam’s revolt and the invasion of Pharaoh Shishak, Israel lost all control of these northern territories.[310]

[310] Bright, HI, p. 211.

1 Kings 11:26-40

D. THE REBELLION OF JEROBOAM 11:26-40

**TRANSLATION

(26) And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, even he raised up a hand against the king. (27) And this is the circumstance which caused him to raise up a hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and closed the breach of the city of David his father. (28) And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. And Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he appointed him over all the charge of the house of Joseph. (29) And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out from Jerusalem, that Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet, who had clothed himself with a new garment, found him in the way; and the two of them were alone in the field. (30) And Ahijah took hold of the new garment which was upon him, and tore it into twelve pieces. (31) And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD God of Israel, Behold I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I shall give to you ten tribes; (32) (But one tribe shall belong to him for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.) (33) because they have forsaken Me, and bowed down to Ashtoreth goddess of the Sidonians, and to Chemosh the god of Moab, and to Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do what is right in My eyes even with regard to My statutes and My judgments, like David his father. (34) Nevertheless, I will not take all of the kingdom from his hand, **but I will make him a prince all the days of his life, for the sake of David My servant whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes; (35) but I will take the kingdom out of the hand of his son and I will give it to you, ten tribes. (36) But to his son I will give one tribe, in order that there may be a lamp to David My servant continually before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself to put My name there. (37) And you I will take, and you shall reign over all which your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. (38) And it shall come to pass, if you hearken to all which I command you and you walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes to keep My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, then I will be with you, and I will build for you a sure house as I built for David, and I will give to you Israel. (39) And I will afflict the seed of David because of this, but not continually. (40) And Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt unto the death of Solomon.

COMMENTS

The third adversary of Solomon was an internal one, Jeroboam the son of Nebat. The author devotes considerably more space to this rebellion because of the bearing which it had on the subsequent history of Israel. This rebellion led to the disruption of the kingdom. Numerous indications of Solomon’s decline in piety have already been noted; the present passage points to the decadence of Solomon’s power. Solomon’s kingdom had passed its zenith. The assumption that it was Ahijah who delivered the divine message to Solomon in 1 Kings 11:9-13 gains support from the present passage, for Ahijah makes the same points in his words to Jeroboam.

Jeroboam is called an Ephrathite, i.e., an Ephraimite (cf. Judges 12:5; 1 Samuel 1:1). Ephraim was the most powerful of the Northern tribes, the constant rival of Judah throughout the history of the descendants of Jacob. Jeroboam’s hometown, Zereda, is mentioned only here and the location is uncertain. His mother’s name, Zeruah, means leper, and she is said to be a widow.[311] Perhaps these facts are recorded to emphasize Jeroboam’s humble origin.

[311] The Greek version says she was a harlot. This would appear to be a deliberate effort to discredit Jeroboam.

This servant or officer of Solomon lifted up his hand, i.e., rebelled, against his king (1 Kings 11:26). No account of this rebellion has survived. It apparently took place at the time Solomon was building Millo (1 Kings 11:27), about the twenty-fifth year of his reign (cf. 1 Kings 9:15). Because of his industry Jeroboam had been appointed superintendent over the workers of the house of Joseph (Ephraimites) who were compelled to labor on this project. The phrase mighty man of valor does not necessarily imply military expertise; in 1 Kings 11:28 it may be intended to connote industry and efficiency.[312] It must have been very distasteful for these proud Ephraimites to find themselves employed on the fortifications of Jerusalem. Their murmurings revealed to Jeroboam the unpopularity of Solomon and perhaps suggested thoughts of overt rebellion.

[312] Honor, JCBR, p. 160: Gray (OTL, p. 273) thinks the phrase refers to a man of property who had obligations in war.

It is not certain just how much the opening words of 1 Kings 11:29 should be stressed: at that time Jeroboam went out from Jerusalem. Was this a casual trip outside the capitol? Or is Whitcomb right when he conjectures that Jeroboam was on his way back to Ephraim to rally support for an attempted coup?[313]According to this intriguing theory, it was the prophet Ahijah’s aim to thwart this murderous plot. If Jeroboam would honor the Davidic kings and Zadokite priests in Jerusalem, God would give him a perpetual dynasty in the North.

[313] Whitcomb, STE, pp. 20-21.

At the time Jeroboam became Solomon’s overseer, Ahijah the Shilonite (i.e., one from the town of Shiloh[314]) sought out Jeroboam and privately conferred with him in a field near Jerusalem. The prophet[315] was clad in a new outer garment (1 Kings 11:29) which he took in his hands and tore into twelve pieces (1 Kings 11:30). This is the first instance in the Scriptures of an action parable performed by a prophet.[316] Israel is always reckoned as made up of twelve tribes. Since the tribe of Joseph had been divided into two, Ephraim and Manasseh, the total should have risen to thirteen. But since the number was left at twelve, it must be assumed that Levi was not included in the computation owing, no doubt, to the fact that the Levites were dispersed among all the tribes. The young Ephraimite was instructed to take ten of the pieces of cloth, symbolizing the ten tribes which God would rend from the hand of Solomon and give them to Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:31). There was something significant in the fact that Ahijah’s garment was new, for this is twice mentioned. No doubt this symbolizes the newness of the kingdom which was still young and vigorous.

[314] The sanctuary at Shiloh and the entire city had been destroyed by the Philistines in the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 4:11; cf. Jeremiah 7:12). There may have been a limited settlement, however, on or near the site of the former city.

[315] It is not without significance that nowhere in Kings is it said that Solomon consulted the will of God either through priest or prophet.

[316] Cf. 1 Samuel 15:27 ff. where Saul accidentally tore Samuel’s robe and the prophet seized the opportunity to emphasize the prediction that God would rend the kingdom from the house of Saul.

One tribe, Judah, would be left to the house of David. In 1 Kings 12:21 and 2 Chronicles 11:3; 2 Chronicles 11:23 Benjamin is also reckoned to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. In the present passage little Benjamin is simply not deserving of separate mention inasmuch as both Judah and Benjamin shared the holy city of Jerusalem. Some commentators take the present passage to mean that God would grant to the house of David one tribe besides Judah. It is obvious, however, that since the garment was torn into twelve pieces, and since Jeroboam had been given ten pieces that two tribes were left to the house of David. God’s graciousness to the house of David is based on two principles: (1) God’s love for and promises to David himself; and (2) God’s love for and choice of Jerusalem as His holy dwelling place (1 Kings 11:32).

The division and -disruption in Solomon’s kingdom came about because of the idolatrous leanings of Solomon and the overt worship of pagan deities by his wives. The king tolerated and perhaps participated in the worship of Ashtoreth, Chemosh, Milcom (cf. 1 Kings 11:5; 1 Kings 11:7) and other deities. He had rejected the Davidic path of absolute commitment to God (1 Kings 11:33). But the divine judgment against the house of David is tempered in two ways: (1) The entire kingdom would not be taken from Solomon; and (2) as long as Solomon lived he would retain the crown. God’s graciousness to Solomon is based on His faithfulness to David (1 Kings 11:34). Solomon may have broken his covenant with God, but God would not break His covenant with David. Therefore, the dispersion of the kingdom would be deferred until the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon.

As if to underscore what He already had declared, the Lord reiterated the threat: From Rehoboam He would take ten tribes and give them into the hand of Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:35). But Rehoboam would retain sovereignty over one tribe so that David would always have a lamp before God (1 Kings 11:36). The lighted lamp is frequently used in the Old Testament as a symbol of life, happiness, and prosperity. The figure may have been derived from the custom of keeping a lamp burning in the tent or home. The extinction of the lamp symbolized the breaking up of the home.[317] The reference to David having a lamp in Jerusalem is repeated in 1 Kings 15:4, 2 Kings 8:19 and 2 Chronicles 21:7.

[317] Honor, JCBR, p. 163.

The concluding words of Ahijah point to the privileges and the promise that pertained to Jeroboam, and to a prediction concerning the house of David. Jeroboam was assured that he would reign and enjoy all the privileges of kingship. As king, his every desire would be gratified (1 Kings 11:37).[318] Furthermore, he was given the divine promise that if he faithfully followed the Davidic path of steadfast obedience to God, the Lord would (1) be with him, and (2) give him a sure house, i.e., family or dynasty (1 Kings 11:38).

[318] The term Israel in 1 Kings 11:37 refers to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom as contrasted with Judah, the Southern Kingdom.

It should be noted that God did not promise Jeroboam an enduring kingdom as He had promised David. It was not God’s design to take away the kingdom from the house of David forever, and this is the thrust of the prediction in 1 Kings 11:39. God would afflict the house of David by means of the political schism, but not forever (lit., all the days). Thus Ahijah intimates what later prophets specifically would predict, viz., that in the future, the kingdom would be restored to the house of David. Jesus Christ, David’s greatest son, now rules over the kingdom of Israelthe spiritual Israel which includes all men who through faith have obeyed the Gospel.

1 Kings 11:41-43

III. CONCLUSION OF THE HISTORY OF SOLOMON 11:41-43

**TRANSLATION

(41) And the rest of the acts of Solomon and all which he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? (42) And the time that Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. (43) And Solomon slept with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son ruled in his stead.

COMMENTS**

As a consequence of Jeroboam’s rebellion, Solomon sought to slay his young Ephraimite overseer. Probably the rebellion specifically mentioned in 1 Kings 11:26 was the result of Ahijah’s private prophecy. But this in no way justified any treasonous act on the part of Jeroboam. The fact that God had revealed His purposes to the young man was no reason for Jeroboam to attempt to bring these things to pass. David had known that he was destined to be king, but in faith he patiently waited for God to place him on the throne. Jeroboam should have imitated that example. Furthermore, the rebellion of Jeroboam was all the more inexcusable in view of the fact that Ahijah specifically had declared that Solomon was to retain the kingdom during his lifetime. Nevertheless, Jeroboam lifted up his hand against his king, and it was because of this overt act of rebellion that Solomon sought to slay him. Consequently, Jeroboam fled for his life to Pharaoh Shishak in Egypt. Shishak is the first Pharaoh in the Bible who can be identified with certainty. He is known in Egyptian history as Sheshonk I who began to reign between 988 and 980 B.C. The fact that he granted asylum to Jeroboam proves that he was no friend of Solomon. Hence the official attitude of Egypt towards Israel had drastically changed since the days when one of Shishak’s predecessors had given Solomon the hand of his daughter in marriage.

In concluding his account of the reign of Solomon, the author indicates one of the sources which the Holy Spirit directed him to use: the book of the acts of Solomon[319] (1 Kings 11:41). The sources of this history are mentioned more specifically in 2 Chronicles 9:29. Like the reign of David, Solomon’s reign lasted forty years (1 Kings 11:42). It has been computed that he could not have been more than sixty at the time of his death.[320] The great king was buried in the city of Davidthat portion of Jerusalem which David had conquered from the Jebusites. Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, succeeded to the throne. As far as can be determined from Scripture, Rehoboam was Solomon’s only son.

[319] On the nature and content of this document, see section III of the introductory chapter. [320] Slotki, SBB, p. 90.

It is appropriate at this juncture to make some evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses, the successes and failures of this complex character Solomon. The son of David made Jerusalem a splendid citythe center of attraction to the world of his day. His foremost achievement was the construction of the Temple whose architectural magnificence was only exceeded by its spiritual significance. In addition to the Temple, a splendid group of governmental buildings, a magnificent city wall, six fortresses at strategic locations, two fleets of commercial vessels, industrial development, and the first scientifically planned tax system stand as the constructive accomplishments of his reign. He was a merchant prince and an industrial magnate. Because peace prevailed throughout his reign he was able to develop both commerce and culture. His reputation for wisdom spread throughout his world. He was led of the Holy Spirit to produce three major literary worksProverbs, Ecclesiastes and Canticles (Song of Solomon).

On the other hand, Solomon’s weaknesses were neither few nor trivial. He was selfish, over-ambitious, and out of sympathy with his people. He was a polygamist of the worst sort, and his harem proved his undoing. To accommodate the religious tastes of his many wives, Solomon filled Jerusalem with shrines to various deities. His early zeal for the Lord waned during the middle years of his life. The Book of Ecclesiastes may well have been his public confession of a misspent life. Through bitter experience he came to realize that the duty of man was to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).