1 Kings 11

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

In noticing successively Solomon’s excessive accumulation of silver and gold 1Ki_10:14-25, his multiplication of horses 1Ki_10:26-29, and his multiplication of wives, the writer has in mind the warning of Moses against these three forms of princely ostentation, all alike forbidden to an Israelite monarch. A melancholy account is here given of Solomon’s fall. His many wives and concubines, in his old age, lead him into idolatry. The Lord’s displeasure. Solomon’s chastisement, and death. An account of his successor in the kingdom.

Zidonians - Phoenician women. A tradition states that Solomon married a daughter of Hiram, king of Tyre.

Many strange women - That is, idolaters; together with the daughter of Pharaoh.

Solomon loved many strange women - His love was a lustful and not a lawful one, and of women who were not only of foreign countries, some who were not his lawful wives. Strange women; that is haters of the God of Israel, concerning which the Lord had strictly commanded Israel never to intermarry. Deu_7:2-4 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. It was a direct and outrageous violation of the divine law Deu 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. 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 1Ki 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. It was only his love for many strange women.

The idolatry into which Solomon fell in his old age appears strange in a king so wise and God-fearing as Solomon showed himself to be at the dedication of the temple. It shows that great wisdom and a refined knowledge of God are not a defense against the folly of idolatry, since this has its roots in the heart, and springs from sensual desires and the lust of the flesh.  Jas 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. The cause assigned in the biblical account for Solomon's falling away from the Lord, is that he loved many strange foreign or heathen wives, who turned his heart from the Lord to their own gods in his old age. Consequently the falling away did not take place suddenly, but gradually, as Solomon got old, and was not a complete renunciation of the worship of the Lord, to whom he offered solemn sacrifices three times a year, and that certainly to the day of his death (1Ki_9:25), but consisted simply in the fact that his heart was no longer thoroughly devoted to the Lord (1Ki_11:4), and that he inclined towards the idols of his foreign wives and built them altars (1Ki_11:5-8); We may even infer from the repeated warnings of God (1Ki_3:14; 1Ki_6:12; 1Ki_9:4), that from the earliest years of his reign Solomon was in danger of falling into idolatry.

Despite the call to love the Lord with all his heart Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  Solomon turned to the world. Solomon was at first friendly with the world Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.  then tainted by the world Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. then he loved the world1Jn 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. then he conformed with the world Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. A steady progression further from the Lord and further into sin, as warned by Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  For this, Solomon was judged and chastened. 1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

the daughter of Pharaoh – some speculate that because she was specifically mentioned that she was a convert to Judaism, and had no hand in turning him to idolatry nor is there any mention of any high place built for an Egyptian idol: There is no biblical support for that view.

women of the Moabites, Anmonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites - all of the neighboring nations. Some think he did this for political reasons; but it rather seems to be the fruit of lust or pride.

Solomon loved many strange women - The daughter of Pharaoh is distinguished from the foreign wives who turned away Solomon's heart from the Lord, so that the blame pronounced upon those marriages does not apply to his marriage to the Egyptian princess (1Ki_3:1). All that is blamed is that, in opposition to the command in Deu_17:17, Solomon loved many foreign wives of the nations with whom the Israelites were not to intermarry, Moabitish, Ammonitish, and other wives,. All that the law expressly prohibited was marriage with Canaanitish women (Deu_7:1-3; Exo_34:16. The Moabites and Ammonites, moreover, were not to be received into the congregation at all, not even to the tenth generation, and of the Edomites only the children in the third generation were to be received (Deu_23:4, Deu_23:8-9). There was all the less reason, therefore, for permitting marriages with them, that is to say, so long as they retained their nationality or their heathen ways.

1Ki 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.

Ye shall not go in unto them - These words are not a quotation from the Pentateuch. They merely give the general meaning of the two passages prohibiting intermarriage with neighboring idolators. Strictly speaking, the prohibition in the Law of intermarriage was confined to the Canaanite nations. But the principle of the prohibition applied equally to the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites who all bordered on the holy land; and was so applied by Ezra and Nehemiah Ezr 9:1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. Neh 13:23 In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:

Of the nations concerning which the Lord said - That is, they should not intermarry with one another; the Hittites were one of the seven nations this law respected, Deu 7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;

surely they will turn away your heart after their gods - which is the reason given for the making the above law, and was sadly seen in Solomon:

1Ki 11:3  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

He had seven hundred wives, princesses - possibly the daughters of noblemen, generals, etc., may be included. In Son_6:8 the number of Solomon’s legitimate wives is said to be sixty, and that of his concubines eighty. Some think that the text has in this place suffered corruption. For “700” should read “70” in their view.

he had seven hundred wives, princesses — Some were possibly, according to an existing custom, the daughters of tributary chiefs, given as hostages for good conduct of their fathers.

three hundred concubines - These were wives of the second rank, who were taken according to the usages of those times; but their offspring could not inherit. Sarah was to Abraham what these seven hundred princesses were to Solomon; and the three hundred concubines stood in the same relation to the Israelite king as Hagar and Keturah did to the patriarch.

1Ki 11:4  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

Solomon was old - About fifty or fifty-five. From his age at his accession he could not have been more than about sixty at his death.

when Solomon was old - Toward the latter end of his reign, when he might be near sixty years of age; for Rehoboam his son and successor was forty one when he began to reign, 1Ki_14:21 which is observed either as an aggravation of the sin of Solomon, that in his old age, when by long experience he might have been thought to be still wiser, and less lustful: and yet he strayed into sin.

his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father - who, though guilty of many sins, never inclined to idolatry; his heart was always right in that point, and sincere in his worship.

his wives turned away his heart after other gods — There seems no possibility of explaining the language of the sacred historian, but as intimating that Solomon became an actual and open idolater, worshipping images of wood or stone in sight of the very temple which, in early life, he had erected to the true God.

his wives turned away his heart after other gods — Was his apostasy final? Yes, so far as we can gather from the narrative. Not only is there no statement of his repentance, but the silence with which he receives the divine announcement of retribution is suspicious; and the prophecy of Ahijah to Jeroboam, which obviously comes later in time than the threatenings of the text, treats the idolatry as still existing (1Ki_11:33). Further, we learn from 2Ki_23:13 that the shrines which he built stood till Josiah’s time. If Solomon had ever abandoned his idolatry, he would not have left them standing. So we seem to have in him a case of a fall which knew no recovery.

1Ki 11:5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

Went after - This expression is common in the Pentateuch, and always signifies actual idolatry.

Ashtoreth – same as Astarte. Astarte was the chief female deity of all the Canaanite tribes; her worship was also transplanted from Tyre to Carthage, where it flourished greatly.

Milcom – same as Molech.

1Ki 11:6  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord - As idolatry is, nothing more provoking to him: In his final years of life, the Preacher Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. Were these words written in hindsight? Ecc 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father - for though he did not relinquish the worship of the true God, and the service of the temple, yet inasmuch as he worshipped other gods besides, or connived at the worship of them, he did not wholly, and constantly, and solely serve the Lord, as his father did.

1Ki 11:7  Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

Chemosh - Chemosh seems to have been widely worshipped in Western Asia. His name occurs frequently on the “Moabite-Stone.” Car-Chemish, “the fort of Chemosh,” a great city of the northern Hittites, must have been under his protection. In Babylon he seems to have been known as Chomus-belus, or Chemosh-Bel.

The hill which is before Jerusalem - This was the Mount of Olives. This lay east of Jerusalem;

1Ki 11:8  And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

And likewise did he for all his strange wives - That is, built high places for their idols, or suffered them to be built; for when he had done it for one, he could not refuse it to another, without greatly disobliging them; even for as many of them,

which burnt incense, and sacrificed unto their gods - the gods of the countries from whence they came, and in the worship of which they had been brought up: this shows that the best and wisest of men, when left to themselves, may do the worst and most foolish of all things; as nothing can be more so than the worship of such wretched deities.

burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods — The first was considered a higher act of homage, and is often used as synonymous with worship (2Ki_22:17; 2Ki_23:5). Burning incense is mentioned before sacrificing, because vegetable offerings took precedence of animal sacrifices in the nature-worship of that region.

And likewise did he for all his strange wives - built altars for their gods. These three altars, which are only mentioned in the complete account in 2Ki 23:13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile. were sufficient for all the deities of the foreign wives. For the Hittites and Edomites do not appear to have had any deities of their own that were peculiar to themselves. The Hittites no doubt worshipped Astarte in common with the Sidonians, and the Edomites probably worshipped Milcom. In the whole of the Old Testament the only place in which gods of the Edomite are mentioned is in 2Ch_25:20, and there no names are given. Of course we must except Pharaoh's daughter, according to 1Ki_11:1, and the remarks already made in connection with that verse; for she brought no idolatrous worship to Jerusalem, and consequently even in later times we do not find the slightest trace of Egyptian idolatry in Jerusalem and Judah.

1Ki 11:9  And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

which had appeared unto him twice - once at Gibeon, and again after his prayer at the dedication of the temple, 1Ki_3:5, which is mentioned here as an aggravation of his sin, that he should fall into it, when the Lord had condescended to appear to him so graciously.

1Ki 11:10  And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.

And had commanded him concerning this thing - Which is another aggravation of his sin that it was against an express command of God, and was particularly given him, and he was warned to observe it, and threatened with evil should he break it:

1Ki 11:11  Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

Forasmuch as this is done of thee - that he did not kept His covenant and statutes which the Lord commanded but broke them by his idolatry:

Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon - Not in a vision, as before, but by a prophet; Jewish scholars believe Ahijah the Shilonite, which is probable, 1Ki 11:29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:

I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and I will give it to thy servant - meaning Jeroboam, who was not only a subject, but in office under him, 1Ki_11:26.

I will surely rend the kingdom from thee – Note the contrast between the language used here and the actions from the prophet Ahijah in 1 Kings 11:30, where he tears Jeroboam’s robe into 12 pieces, signifying not only the loss of the domain of Solomon’s kingdom but also the ferocity of it. The division of the kingdom will not occur easily.

1Ki 11:12  Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake - Not for the merits of David, but the promises made to him, 2Sa 7:12=15 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

1Ki 11:13  Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.

Will give one tribe - the tribe of Judah. Benjamin was looked upon as absorbed in Judah, so as not to be really a tribe in the same sense as the others. Still, in memory of the fact that the existing tribe of Judah was a double one 1Ki_12:2 l, the prophet Ahijah tore his garment into twelve parts, and kept back two from Jeroboam 1Ki_11:30-31.

Will give one tribe - The line of the Messiah must be preserved. The prevailing lion must come out of the tribe of Judah: not only the tribe must be preserved, but the regal line and the regal right. All this must be done for the true David’s sake: and this was undoubtedly what God had in view by thus miraculously preserving the tribe of Judah and the royal line, in the midst of so general a defection.

And for Jerusalem’s sake - As David was a type of the Messiah, so was Jerusalem a type of the true Church: therefore the Old Jerusalem must be preserved in the hands of the tribe of Judah, till the true David should establish the New Jerusalem in the same land, and in the same city.

but will give one tribe to thy son - it seems he had both Benjamin and Judah, and only ten tribes were rent from him; the reason of this mode of expression may be, either because he gave him one of the tribes of Israel, besides that of Judah, which was his own tribe; or only the tribe of Judah is meant, the whole tribe of Benjamin not being his, since Bethel, and some other places in that tribe, were in the possession of Jeroboam; or rather both these are called but one, because their inheritances lay together, and were mixed with one another; and particularly both had a share in the city of Jerusalem, and the kingdom always after the division went by the name of Judah only.

for David my servant's sake - because of the promise to him, that there should not want one of his seed to sit on his throne, 1Ki 9:5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

I will give one tribe to thy son — There were left to Rehoboam the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi (2Ch_11:12, 2Ch_11:13); and multitudes of Israelites, who, after the schism of the kingdom, established their residence within the territory of Judah to enjoy the privileges of the true religion (1Ki_12:17). These are all reckoned as one tribe.

1Ki 11:14  And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.

Hadad the Edomite - Hadad was a royal title both in Syria and in Idumaea

The Lord stirred up an adversary - The writer has reserved for this place the various troubles of Solomon’s reign, not allowing them to interrupt his previous narrative. He has, consequently, not followed chronological order. Hadad’s 1Ki_11:23 and Rezon’s opposition belong to the early years of Solomon’s reign. During the war of extermination, which Joab carried on in Edom (2Sa_8:13), this Hadad, of the royal family, a mere boy when rescued from the sword of the ruthless conqueror, was carried into Egypt, hospitably entertained, and became allied with the house of the Egyptian king. In after years, the thought of his native land and his lost kingdom taking possession of his mind, he, on learning the death of David and Joab, renounced the ease, possessions, and glory of his Egyptian residence, to return to Edom and attempt the recovery of his ancestral throne. The movements of this prince seem to have given much annoyance to the Hebrew government; but as he was defeated by the numerous and strong garrisons planted throughout the Edomite territory, Hadad seems to have offered his services to Rezon, another of Solomon’s adversaries (1Ki_11:23-25).

the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon -Though He did not take his kingdom from him for his sin, He chastised him with the rod of men, as He said He would; suffering one, and then another, to rise up and disturb his peace in his old age, 2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon -Although the punishment with which Solomon was threatened for his apostasy was not to be inflicted till after his death, the Lord raised up several adversaries even during his lifetime, who endangered the peace of his kingdom, and were to serve as constant reminders that he owed his throne and his peaceable rule over the whole of the kingdom inherited from his father solely to the mercy, the fidelity, and the long-suffering of God. - The rising up of Hadad and Rezon took place even before the commencement of Solomon's idolatry, but it is brought by (1Ki_11:14) into logical connection with the punishment with which he is threatened in consequence of that idolatry, because it was not till a later period that it produced any perceptible effect upon his government, yet it ought from the very first to have preserved him from self-security.

1Ki 11:15  For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;

The verse gives certain additional particulars of David’s conquest of Edom. Joab was left, or sent, to complete the subjugation of the country, with orders to exterminate all the grown male inhabitants. It was not very often that David acted with any extreme severity in his wars; but he may have considered himself justified by policy, as he certainly was by the letter of the Law Deu 20:13-14 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. in adopting this fierce course against Edom.

Was gone up to bury the slain – any of the dead, including the slain Edomites; for Joab had in the course of six months exterminated all the males, except Hadad and his servants, who escaped to Egypt.

when David was in Edom - Fighting with the Edomites, and subduing them, and putting garrisons in the land, 2Sa_8:14.

1Ki 11:16  (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:)

Every male in Edom - every male whom he could find. As did Hadad and his company 1Ki_11:17, so others would escape in various directions. The Edomite nation was not destroyed on the occasion since after this they increased again, and became a powerful people, and had a king over them, and revolted from Judah, 2Ki_8:20.

1Ki 11:17  That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.

1Ki 11:18  And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt; which gave him an house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him land.

Midian - A town in the south of Judah. Paran is the desert tract immediately to the south of Judaea.

These arose out of Midian - They at first retired to Midian, which lay to the southwest of the Dead Sea. Not supposing themselves in safety there, they went afterwards to Paran in the south of Idumea, and getting a number of persons to join them in Paran, they went straight to Egypt, where we find Hadad became a favorite with Pharaoh, who gave him his sister-in-law to wife; and incorporated him and his family with his own.

Pharaoh king of Egypt - King of the twenty-first dynasty; one commentary says he was Psusennes I, however the dates do not appear to fit the chronology of David’s reign. Siamun was Pharaoh at the time of Joab killed the men of Edom and for 15 years after that. It appears to have been the policy of the Pharaohs about this time to make friends and contract alliances with their eastern neighbors.

they took men with them out of Paran - either as guides and guards through the wilderness, or to make the better appearance before Pharaoh, and that they might meet with the better reception:

and gave him land -  for his servants to cultivate, and from thence to raise a revenue for his support;

1Ki 11:19  And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

1Ki 11:20  And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house: and Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.

Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh - brought up among them, as if he was one of them.

1Ki 11:21  And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country.

Let me depart - That Hadad should wait for the death of Joab before requesting leave to return to Idumaea shows how terrible an impression had been made by the severe measures which that commander had carried out. The inability of refugees to depart from the court without the king’s leave, and his unwillingness ordinarily to grant leave, are illustrated by many passages in the history of that region.

David slept with his fathers - Was dead and buried, as the death of princes is soon known in other countries, and especially a king of such fame as David:

Joab the captain of the host was dead - whose name might be terrible to Hadad, because of the slaughter of men he had made in his country:

1Ki 11:22  Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he answered, Nothing: howbeit let me go in any wise.

Let me go in any wise - whether he acquainted Pharaoh with his view in this request is not said. At this time there must have been peace between Israel and Egypt, Solomon having married the daughter of Pharaoh.

what hast thou lacked with me - Either of an equipage suitable to his birth and marriage, or of provisions for his household, or of honor and respect, or of any favor from him:

1Ki 11:23  And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:

God stirred him up another adversary -  One from the north, as the other was from the south:

Rezon, the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah - when David fought with him; and this man seeing the battle go against his master, and that he was like to be worsted, deserted him and fled, 2Sa 8:3 David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.

Rezon, the son of Eliadah - Rezon probably fled from his lord for some reason which is not mentioned, when the latter was engaged in war with David, before his complete overthrow, and collected together a company from the fugitives, with which he afterwards marched to Damascus, and having taken possession of that city, made himself king over it. This probably did not take place till towards the close of David's reign, or even after his death, though it was at the very beginning of Solomon's reign; for “he became an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon (during the whole of his reign),

1Ki 11:24  And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.

And reigned in Damascus - Rezon was one of the captains of Hadadezer, whom David defeated. It seems that at this time Rezon escaped with his men; and; having lived, as is supposed, some time by plunder, he seized on Damascus, and reigned there. But after Solomon’s defection from God, Rezon, finding that God had departed from Israel, harassed Solomon during his reign.

1Ki 11:25  And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria - not Hadad, but Rezon; he had an aversion to them, was a thorn in their side, and gave them much trouble, as well as had them in contempt, and bid them defiance, having made himself not only master of Damascus, but of all Syria. One scholar thinks this was only when Solomon started his idolatry and to the end of his reign. Others think it began early in his reign.

1Ki 11:26  And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.

Jeroboam the son of Nebat - From the context we learn that Jeroboam while a young man was employed by Solomon to superintend the improvements and buildings at Millo, and had so distinguished himself there by his industry and good conduct as to attract general notice, and to induce Solomon to set him over all the laborers employed in that work, belonging to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, called here the house of Joseph.

Jeroboam — This was an internal enemy of a still more formidable character. He was a young man of talent and energy, who, having been appointed by Solomon superintendent of the engineering works projected around Jerusalem, had risen into public notice, and on being informed by a very significant act of the prophet Ahijah of the royal destiny which, by divine appointment, awaited him, his mind took a new turn.

an Ephrathite of Zereda - some where in the tribe of Ephraim, but nowhere else mentioned.

Solomon's servant - not only his subject, but one that had been advanced by him to an office, and served under him, 1Ki_11:28,

In telling the reason why God rent the kingdom from the house of Solomon, Ahijah warned Jeroboam to take heed of sinning away his preferment.

Solomon falls into the background in the last part of the story of his reign, and his enemies are more prominent than himself. So long as he walked with God, he was of importance for the historian; but as soon as he forsook God, and was consequently forsaken of His wisdom, he becomes as insignificant as an empty vessel which has once held sweet perfume.

1Ki 11:27  And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father.

Solomon built Millo - Millo was probably fortified in Solomon’s twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth year.

1Ki 11:28  And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.

A mighty man of valor - A man of great strength of body, and fortitude of mind: Solomon made Jeroboam superintendent of all the forced labor exacted from his tribe - the tribe of Ephraim - during the time that he was building Millo and fortifying the city of Jerusalem 1Ki_9:15.

he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph - the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, to be a prince or a deputy governor of them; or rather to collect the king's tax from them, or the revenues of that part of the country.

1Ki 11:29  And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:

That is the second stage in the story,-the spark on the tinder. We have heard nothing of prophets during Solomon’s reign; but now this man from Shiloh, the ancient seat of the Tabernacle, meets the ambitious young officer in some solitary spot, with the message which answered to his secret thoughts and made his heart beat fast. The symbolic action preceding the spoken word, as usual, supplied the text, of which the word was the explanation and expansion. How pathetic is the newness of the garment! Unworn, strong, and fresh, it yet is rent in pieces. So the kingdom is so recent, with such possibilities of duration, and yet it must be shattered! It is little more than a century since Saul’s anointing, little more than seventy years since the choice of David, and already the fabric, which had such fair promise of perpetuity, is ready to vanish away. If we may say so, that ‘new garment’ represents the divine disappointment and sorrow over the swift corruption of the kingdom. It was probably merely some loose square of cloth which Ahijah tore, with violence proportioned to its newness, into twelve pieces, ten of which he thrust into the astonished Jeroboam’s hands. The commentary followed.

Ahijah’s prophecy is substantially the same as the previous threatenings to Solomon, which had done no good. Their incipient fulfilment in the wars with Edom and Syria had been equally futile; and therefore God, who never strikes without warning, and never warns without striking if men do not heed, now drops the message into ears that were only too ready to hear. The seed fell on prepared soil, and Jeroboam’s half-formed plans would be consolidated and fixed. The separation of the kingdoms was a divine act, and yet it is treated often in the later books as a crime and rebellion. God works out His purposes through men’s deeds, and their motives determine whether their acts are sins or obedience. The separation of the kingdoms was God’s doing, but it was brought about by the free action of men obeying most secular impulses of political discontent, and led by a cunning, self-seeking schemer.

The Shilonite - An inhabitant of Shiloh in Mount Ephraim, the earliest and most sacred of the Hebrew sanctuaries (Jos_18:10; Jdg_18:31; 1Sa_4:3, etc.) This prophet was of the city of Shiloh, and where was now his abode,

Ahijah the Shilonite - He was one of those who wrote the history of the reign of Solomon, as we find from 2Ch_9:29, and it is supposed that it was by him God spoke twice to Solomon; and particularly delivered the message which we find in this chapter, 1Ki_11:11-13.

Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way - not accidentally, but purposely was in the way to meet him, and converse with him;

he had clad himself with a new garment - Jeroboam, not the prophet.

they two were alone in the field - it is possible Jeroboam might have some servants with him; but Ahijah desiring some private conversation with him, he sent them onwards, or bid them stay at some distance; who yet might be capable of observing what was done otherwise how should Solomon come to the knowledge of it? 1Ki_11:40.

1Ki 11:30  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

By the tearing of the new garment into twelve pieces, of which Jeroboam was to take ten for himself, the prophetic announcement was symbolized in a very emphatic manner. This symbolical action made the promise a completed fact. There was something significant also in the circumstance that it was a new garment, which is stated twice, and indicates the newness, the still young and vigorous condition, of the kingdom.

The first instance of the “acted parable.” Generally this mode was adopted upon express divine command (Jer_13:1-11; Eze_3:1-3). A connection may be traced between the type selected and the words of the announcement to Solomon

rent it in twelve pieces - as symbolical of the twelve tribes of Israel.

1Ki 11:31  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LO RD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

Take thee ten pieces - The garment was the symbol of the kingdom of Israel; the twelve pieces the symbol of the twelve tribes; the ten pieces given to Jeroboam, of the ten tribes which should be given to him, and afterwards form the kingdom of Israel, to distinguish it from the kingdom of Judah, ruling in Jerusalem.

First, 1Ki_11:31-33 announce the punishment, with the reservation of a dwindled dominion to the Davidic house, for the sake of their great ancestor and of God’s choice of Jerusalem, and solemnly charge on the people the idolatry which the king had introduced. The second part (1Ki_11:34-36) postpones the execution of the sentence till after Solomon’s death, and assigns the same two reasons for this further forbearance. The third part (1Ki_11:37-39) promises Jeroboam the kingdom, and lays down the conditions on which the favors promised to David and his house may be his. The whole closes with the assurance that the affliction of the seed of David is not to be for ever.

1Ki 11:32  (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

1Ki 11:33  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

Because that they have forsaken me - both Solomon and the children of Israel following his example; which is not to be wondered at, considering how prone they always were to idolatry:

have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father - the several laws of God relating to religious worship especially, which David was a strict observer of; and therefore Solomon, having such a pattern before him, was the more blameworthy.

1Ki 11:34  Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:

1Ki 11:35  But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.

I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand - All but the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:

will give it unto thee, even ten tribes - signified by ten pieces of the rent garment he had given him, 1Ki_11:31.

1Ki 11:36  And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

That David may have a light - That his posterity may never fail, and the regal line never become extinct. This, as we have already seen, was in reference to the Messiah. He was not only David’s light, but he was a light to enlighten the Gentiles.

unto his son will I give one tribe - Judah and Benjamin reckoned as one;

1Ki 11:37  And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.

According to all that thy soul desireth - It appears from this that Jeroboam had affected the kingdom, and was seeking for an opportunity to seize on the government. God now tells him, by His prophet, what he shall have, and what he shall not have, in order to prevent him from attempting to seize on the whole kingdom, to the prejudice of the spiritual seed of David.

thou shall reign according to all that thy soul desireth - he being ambitious of the kingdom, and having already formed in his mind some designs upon it:

1Ki 11:38  And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

And build thee a sure house - The condition on which the kingdom of Jeroboam was to last was the same as that on which Solomon had also been promised the continuance of his throne in 1Ki_3:14; 1Ki_6:12; 1Ki_9:4, namely, faithful observance of the commandments of God.

And build thee a sure house - On the condition named, the Lord would build him a lasting house, as He had done for David. In the case of Jeroboam, however, there is no allusion to a lasting duration of the kingdom such as had been ensured to David; for the division of the kingdom was not to last forever, but the seed of David was simply to be chastised because of the apostasy already mentioned. Jeroboam did not fulfil this condition, and therefore his house was destroyed at the death of his son 1Ki_15:28.

And build thee a sure house - He would have continued his posterity on the throne of Israel, had he not by his wickedness forfeited the promises of God, and thrown himself out of the protection of the Most High.

1Ki 11:39  And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

But not forever - David had been distinctly promised that God should never fail his seed, whatever their shortcomings Psa_89:28-37. The fulfillment of these promises was seen, partly in the Providence which maintained David’s family in a royal position until Zerubbabel, but mainly in the preservation of his seed to the time fixed for the coming of Christ, and in the birth of Christ - the Eternal King - from one of David’s descendants.

But not forever - for when the ten tribes were carried captive, the kingdom of Judah flourished under Hezekiah, Josiah, etc. and though the tribe of Judah was carried captive, yet it returned after seventy years captivity, and had rulers over it of the seed of David; and especially to the Messiah has God given the throne of his father David, of whose kingdom there will be no end, Luk_1:32,

But not forever – The restoration of the division of kingdom comes with promised Messiah.

Eze 37:16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

Eze 37:17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

Eze 37:18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

Eze 37:19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

Eze 37:20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

Eze 37:21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

Eze 37:22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

Eze 37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

Eze 37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

Eze 37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

Eze 37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Eze 37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

hos 3;5 amos 9;11-12

1Ki 11:40  Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

1Ki_11:40 is a continuation of 1Ki_11:26; for 1Ki_11:27-39 contain simply an explanation of Jeroboam's lifting up his hand against Solomon.

The announcement of Ahijah was followed within a little while by rebellion on the part of Jeroboam. As Solomon’s luster faded, as his oppression became greater and its objects more selfish, and as a prospect of deliverance arose from the personal qualities of Jeroboam 1Ki_11:28, the tribe of Ephraim to which he belonged, again aspired after its old position. Jeroboam, active, energetic, and ambitious, placed himself at their head. The step proved premature. The power of Solomon was too firmly fixed to be shaken; and the hopes of the Ephraimites had to be deferred until a fitter season.

Fled to Egypt - the common sanctuary of persons in distress in those days: The “exact” date of Jeroboam’s flight into Egypt cannot be fixed. It was certainly not earlier than Solomon’s twenty-fourth year, since it was after the building of Millo 1Ki_11:27. But it may have been several years later.

Shishak - This king is the first Pharaoh mentioned in Scripture who can be certainly identified with any known Egyptian monarch. He is believed to be Sheshonk I from the 22nd dynasty.  Sheshonk I has left a explicit records of his expedition against Judah, which accords well with what is related of Shishak 1Ki_14:25-26; 2Ch_12:2-4.

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam - He thought by this means to prevent the punishment due to his sins.

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam - Which is another instance of his folly, to seek to detest the counsel of God, when he himself was assured by the Lord the kingdom should be rent, and given to his servant, 1Ki_11:11 and especially if he was informed of what passed between Ahijah and Jeroboam, as it should seem by this he was; either through Ahijah's making no secret of it, or through Jeroboam not being able to keep his own counsel, or through the report of the servants what they saw done.

It is obvious from this that Jeroboam had organized a rebellion against Solomon; and also, as 1Ki_11:29 is closely connected with 1Ki_11:28, that this did not take place till after the prophet had foretold his reigning over ten tribes after Solomon's death. But this did not justify Jeroboam's attempt; nor was Ahijah's announcement an inducement or authority to rebel. Ahijah expressly declared to Jeroboam that Jehovah would let Solomon remain prince over Israel during the remainder of his life. This deprived Jeroboam of every pretext for rebellion. Moreover the prophet's announcement, even without this restriction, gave him no right to seize with his own hand and by means of rebellion upon that throne which God intended to give to him. Jeroboam might have learned how he ought to act under these circumstances from the example of David, who had far more ground, according to human opinion, for rebelling against Saul, his persecutor and mortal foe, and who nevertheless, even when God had delivered his enemy into his hand, so that he might have slain him, did not venture to lay his hand upon the anointed of the Lord, but waited in pious submission to the leadings of his God, till the Lord opened the way to the throne through the death of Saul. By the side of David's behavior towards Saul the attempt of Jeroboam has all the appearance of a criminal rebellion, so that Solomon would have been perfectly justified in putting him to death, if Jeroboam had not escaped from his hands by a flight into Egypt.

Shishak - Shishak is campaigned against the Kingdom of Judah in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, as recorded in 1 Kings 14:25 and 2 Chronicles 12:1-12. Shishak carried off many of the treasures of the temple and the royal palace in Jerusalem.

1Ki 11:41  And the 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?

The book of the acts of Solomon - These acts were written by Nathan the prophet, Ahijah the Shilonite, and Iddo the seer; as we learn from 2Ch 9:29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? Possibly the Books of Kings and Chronicles were composed from these but the original documents are long since lost.

1Ki 11:42  And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

1Ki 11:43  And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead

Conclusion of the history of Solomon - Whether Solomon turned to the Lord again with all his heart cannot be ascertained from the Scriptures. If the Preacher of Eccelsiastes is Solomon we should find in this evidence of his conversion, or at least a proof that at the close of his life Solomon discovered the vanity of all earthly possessions and aims, and declared the fear of God to be the only abiding good, with which a man can stand before the judgment of God.

Conclusion of the history of Solomon - Though nothing is said of Solomon's repentance, there is evidence that he may have repented of his sins, and was saved; as may be concluded from the commendations of him after his death, 2Ch 11:17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon. He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes after his fall, which contains an acknowledgment of his evils, a recantation of them, and repentance for them. Although some scholars think there is no repentance in that book for the sin of idolatry and that indicates that he did not repent from his sins.