1 Kings 11 · Verse 1

1 Kings 11:1

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
1 Kings 11:1, King James Version

1 Kings 11:1 in other translations

BSBKing Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.
WEBNow King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites,
ASVNow king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites;
YLTAnd king Solomon hath loved many strange women, and the daughter of Pharaoh, females of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Zidon, and of the Hittites,
DARBYBut king Solomon loved many foreign women, besides the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, Hittites;
BBENow a number of strange women were loved by Solomon, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
WebsterBut king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

What does 1 Kings 11:1 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 11:1-2
1Ki 11:1-8. Solomon's Wives and Concubines in His Old Age. 1-2. But King Solomon loved many strange women--Solomon's extraordinary gift of wisdom was not sufficient to preserve him from falling into grievous and fatal errors. A fairer promise of true greatness, a more beautiful picture of juvenile piety, never was seen than that which he exhibited at the commencement of his reign. No sadder, more humiliating, or awful spectacle can be imagined than the besotted apostasy of his old age; and to him may be applied the words of Paul (Ga 3:3), of John (Re 3:17), and of Isaiah (Is 14:21). A love of the world, a ceaseless round of pleasure, had insensibly corrupted his heart, and produced, for a while at least, a state of mental darkness. The grace of God deserted him; and the son of the pious David--the religiously trained child of Bath-sheba (Pr 31:1-3), and pupil of Nathan, instead of showing the stability of sound principle and mature experience became at last an old and foolish king (Ec 4:13). His fall is traced to his "love of many strange women." Polygamy was tolerated among the ancient Hebrews; and, although in most countries of the East, the generality of men, from convenience and economy, confine themselves to one woman, yet a number of wives is reckoned as an indication of wealth and importance, just as a numerous stud of horses and a grand equipage are among us. The sovereign, of course, wishes to have a more numerous harem than any of his subjects; and the female establishments of many Oriental princes have, both in ancient and modern times, equalled or exceeded that of Solomon's. It is probable, therefore, that, in conformity with Oriental notions, he resorted to it as a piece of state magnificence. But in him it was unpardonable, as it was a direct and outrageous violation of the divine law (De 17:17), and the very result which that statute was ordained to prevent was realized in him. His marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh is not censured either here or elsewhere (see on 1Ki 3:1). It was only his love for many strange women; for women, though in the East considered inferiors, exert often a silent but powerful seductive influence over their husbands in the harem, as elsewhere, and so it was exemplified in Solomon.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Introduction

Solomon's attachment to strange women, and consequent idolatry, 1Kgs 11:1, 1Kgs 11:2. Number of his wives and concubines, 1Kgs 11:3. In his old age they turn away his heart from God, 1Kgs 11:4. He builds temples to idols, burns incense and sacrifices to them, 1Kgs 11:5-8. The Lord is angry with him, and threatens to deprive him of the kingdom, but will leave one tribe for David's sake, 1Kgs 11:9-13. The Lord stirs up Hadad, the Edomite, to be his enemy; the history of this man, 1Kgs 11:14-22. He stirs another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah. He and Hadad plague Israel, 1Kgs 11:23-25. Jeroboam also becomes his enemy, and the reason why, 1Kgs 11:26-28. Ahijah the prophet meets Jeroboam, and promises, in the name of the Lord, that God will rend Israel from the family of Solomon, and give him ten tribes, 1Kgs 11:29-39. Solomon, hearing of this, seeks to put Jeroboam to death, who escapes to Egypt, where he continues till the death of Solomon, 1Kgs 11:40. Solomon dies, after having reigned over Israel forty years; and his son Rehoboam reigns in his stead, 1Kgs 11:41-43. Verse 1 Many strange women - That is, idolaters; together with the daughter of Pharaoh: she was also one of those strange women and an idolater. But many think she became a proselyte to the Jewish religion; of this there is no evidence.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 11:1-8
There is not a more melancholy and astonishing instance of human depravity in the sacred Scriptures, than that here recorded. Solomon became a public worshipper of abominable idols! Probably he by degrees gave way to pride and luxury, and thus lost his relish for true wisdom. Nothing forms in itself a security against the deceitfulness and depravity of the human heart. Nor will old age cure the heart of any evil propensity. If our sinful passions are not crucified and mortified by the grace of God, they never will die of themselves, but will last even when opportunities to gratify them are taken away. Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. We see how weak we are of ourselves, without the grace of God; let us therefore live in constant dependence on that grace. Let us watch and be sober: ours is a dangerous warfare, and in an enemy's country, while our worst foes are the traitors in our own hearts. (1Ki 11:9-13)

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

1 Kings 11:1 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהַמֶּ֣לֶךְve.ha.Me.lekhand the kingH4428
שְׁלֹמֹ֗הshe.lo.MohSolomonH8010
אָהַ֞ב'a.Havhe lovedH157
נָשִׁ֧יםna.ShimwomenH802
נָכְרִיּ֛וֹתna.khe.ri.YotforeignH5237
רַבּ֖וֹתra.BotmanyH7227
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
בַּת\־bat-[the] daughter ofH1323
פַּרְעֹ֑הpar.'OhPharaohH6547
מוֹאֲבִיּ֤וֹתmo.'a.vi.YotMoabite [women]H4125
עַמֳּנִיּוֹת֙'a.mo.ni.yOtAmmonite [women]H5984
אֲדֹ֣מִיֹּ֔ת'a.Do.mi.YotEdomite [women]H130
צֵדְנִיֹּ֖תtze.de.ni.YotSidonian [women]H6722
חִתִּיֹּֽת\׃chi.ti.YotHittite [women]H2850

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Kings 11:1

  • Deuteronomy 17:17

    Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

  • Proverbs 6:24

    To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

  • Nehemiah 13:23-27

    In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. 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. …

  • 1 Kings 11:8

    And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

  • Proverbs 2:16

    To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

  • Proverbs 7:5

    That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

  • Proverbs 5:8-20

    Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, …

  • Proverbs 22:14

    The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.

  • 1 Kings 3:1

    And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

  • Proverbs 23:33

    Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

  • Leviticus 18:18

    Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1 Solomon's wives and concubines.
4 In his old age they draw him to idolatry.
9 God threatens him.
14 Solomon's adversaries were Hadad, who was entertained in Egypt;
23 Rezon, who reigned in Damascus;
26 and Jeroboam, to whom Ahijah prophesied.
41 Solomon's acts, reign, and death. Rehoboam succeeds him.

A.M. 3020-3029. B.C. 984-975. loved.
8; Ge 6:2-5; De 17:17; Ne 13:23-27; Pr 2:16; 5:8-20; 6:24; 7:5
Pr 22:14; 23:33
together with. or, beside.
3:1; Le 18:18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Kings 11:1

    But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

  • 1 Kings 11:2

    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.

Read all of 1 Kings 11

1 Kings 11:1 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		EMPERO el rey Salomón amó, á más de la hija de Faraón, muchas mujeres extranjeras: á las de Moab, á las de Ammón, á las de Idumea, á las de Sidón, y á las Hetheas;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		*Mais le roi Salomon aima beaucoup de femmes étrangères, outre la fille du Pharaon: des Moabites, des Ammonites, des Édomites, des Sidoniennes, des Héthiennes,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der König Salomo liebte viele fremde Weiber, und zwar neben der Tochter des Pharao: moabitische, ammonitische, edomitische, zidonische, hethitische,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Rex autem Salomon adamavit mulieres alienigenas multas, filiam quoque Pharaonis, et Moabitidas, et Ammonitidas, Idumæas, et Sidonias, et Hethæas: