4. Solomon’s apostasy ch. 11The writer brought Solomon’s weaknesses and sins, to which he only hinted previously, into the light in this chapter. Solomon had sown some seeds of departure from God and His Word early in his reign. They bore bitter fruit as he grew older. read more
Solomon’s death 11:41-43The writer of Kings referred to other ancient records (1 Kings 11:41; cf. 1 Kings 14:19; cf. 1 Kings 14:29). The Acts of Solomon was the first of these. [Note: J. Liver, "The Book of the Acts of Solomon," Biblica 48:1 (1967):75-101.] It is no longer extant. Solomon’s long reign of 40 years (971-931 B.C.) ended with the king in decline both spiritually and politically. [Note: See Rodger C. Young, "When Did Solomon Die?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 46:4... read more
Solomon’s Errors and their Consequences. His DeathThis chapter furnishes an account of Solomon’s marriages with numerous foreign princesses, and traces the evil effect of such in the toleration of idolatry, which provoked the Lord’s anger. This was manifested in the growth of opposition abroad and disaffection at home, so that an otherwise brilliant reign had a cloudy ending.3. Seven hundred wives] The Persian king Darius Codomannus is said to have had, besides his own wife, 329 concubines. 4.... read more
(42) Forty years.—The reign of Solomon was thus of the same length as that of his father. (See 1 Kings 2:11.) The coincidence is curious; but the accurate historical character of the whole narrative forbids the idea that the numbers given are merely round numbers, signifying long duration. Josephus gives eighty years—either by error in his Hebrew text, or perhaps by confusing together the duration of the two reigns.NOTE.—The insertion in the LXX. version, found in the Vatican MS. after 1 Kings... read more
Solomon and Toleration 1 Kings 11:6-8 I. There is a proverb that tells us that 'no one became thoroughly bad all at once,' 'Nemo repente fit turpissimus'. And so it was with Solomon; as the stream of his career sweeps by us in Holy Scripture, windows, as it were, are opened for us through which we gaze out on that sunny flood, so full of promise, carrying on its bosom such rich opportunities and varied treasures, and we note that as it gets wider it loses its pure beauty, as it gets deeper it... read more
HOLLOW PROSPERITY1 Kings 11:1-43"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."- Ecclesiastes 1:2"At every draught more large and large they grow, A bloated mass of rank unwieldy woe, Till, sapp’d their strength, and every part unsound, Down, down they sink, and spread a ruin round." - GOLDSMITH.THERE was a ver rongeur at the root of all Solomon’s prosperity. His home was afflicted with the curse of his polygamy, his kingdom with the Curse of his despotism. Failure... read more
7. Solomon’s Failure: judgment Announced and the beginning of Disruption CHAPTER 11 1. Solomon’s polygamy and departure from God (1 Kings 11:1-13 ) 2. Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14-22 ) 3. Rezon the second adversary (1 Kings 11:23-25 ) 4. Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:26-40 ) 5. Solomon’s reign and death (1 Kings 11:41-43 ) “But--.” An ominous word with which this chapter begins. It introduces us to the sad picture of Solomon’s great apostasy. “He shall not multiply horses to himself, nor... read more
MANY MARRIAGES LEADING TO IDOLATRY (vs.1-13) Solomon also disobeyedDeuteronomy 17:17; Deuteronomy 17:17 in making many marriages with foreign women, from the Moabites, Alnmonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites (v.1). But not only was Deuteronomy disobeyed, which specially forbad a king to make such marriages. All the children of Israel were warned against intermarrying with these ungodly nations (Exodus 34:12-16). Did Solomon think that his superior wisdom would keep him from being badly... read more
CLOSE OF SOLOMON ’S REIGN WISDOM AND WEALTH (1 Kings 9:26 to 1 Kings 10:29 ) A look at a map in the back of your Bible may identify the locality of 1 Kings 9:26 , whence Solomon, with Hiram’s help, extended his influence by sea. Ophir (1 Kings 9:28 ) has been regarded as a general name for all the southern territory in the neighborhood of the inland seas. A “talent” is not easy to estimate but, on the supposition of some that a talent of gold represented about $30,000, we have here a... read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 11:42
1 Kings 11:42. Forty years— Josephus, Antiq. lib. 8: cap. 3 tells us, that Solomon lived to a great age, that he reigned eighty years, and died at ninety-four; but this is a manifest error in that historian; and our saying that the Scriptures give us an account of Solomon only while he continued in a state of piety, but that Josephus's computation takes in the whole of his life, is a poor and forced way of reconciling it. The authority of Josephus must never be put in balance with that of the... read more