And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh ,.... Perhaps for his comely personage, princely qualities, and good behaviour, as he grew up: so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen ; it seems the kings of Egypt used to marry their favourites to great personages; see Genesis 41:45 . read more
Premonitions of Wrath. Though the full weight of the judgment of God upon the sin of Solomon was not to come upon him in his lifetime, yet did he not, in this world, go altogether without punishment. The foreknowledge of the evils to come upon his family and people was in itself a heavy affliction. But in addition to this, the evening of his days was doomed to be disturbed. To this end— I. GOD STIRRED UP ADVERSARIES AGAINST HIM . 1 . In themselves these were... read more
The Divine Chastisements. I. CHASTISEMENT IS MERCY . Though the judgment was kept back, Solomon was meanwhile made to feel the rod of correction. We may be forgiven and yet chastised—yea, chastised because we are forgiven. "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth," etc. This, too, was mercy, for— 1 . It was fitted to lead him to seek God in truth . It is easier to feel and confess our folly and sin in adversity than when all is well with us, 2 . It revealed to... read more
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 [ LXX . θεκεμίνα . "No name that has any near resemblance to either Tahpenes or Thekemina has yet been found among those of the period". Rawlinson adds that the monuments of that age are extremely scanty] the queen . [Heb. גְּבִירָה the word generally used of the queen mother (as in 1 Kings 15:13 ). Here, and in 2 Kings 10:13 , however, it is... read more
1 Kings 11:19-20. Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh God so disposing Pharaoh’s heart, that Hadad might be a scourge to Solomon for his impieties. Here Hadad married the sister of Tahpenes the queen, who bare him a son. Whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house Having as great a fondness for the child, as the king had for his father; and kept the feast generally made at the weaning of a child. In all these things the providence of God was conspicuous, thus causing Hadad and... read more
Solomon’s idolatry (11:1-43)Although some of Solomon’s marriages were for political purposes, most of his wives and concubines were probably given to him as gifts. These women usually brought their gods into Israel, and Solomon’s weakness in worshipping these gods led finally to his downfall (11:1-8). God’s judgment on Solomon and Israel was to bring the long-standing friction between northerners and southerners to a climax in the division of the kingdom. Only Solomon’s tribe Judah (which had... read more
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 external adversaries 11:14-25Hadad hated Solomon because of Joab’s severe treatment of the Edomites. He may have been a relation of Solomon’s by marriage. Pharaoh Siamun, of dynasty 21, apparently gave his daughter to Solomon in marriage and his sister-in-law to Hadad (1 Kings 11:19)."The result of Hadad’s opposition was not only that it lost Solomon the full control of a satellite neighbor, but it cut off his southern route for trade. If he maintained his shipping out of Ezion-geber... 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
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 11:14-25
While Solomon kept closely to God and to his duty there was no adversary nor evil occurrent (1 Kgs. 5:4), nothing to create him any disturbance or uneasiness in the least; but here we have an account of two adversaries that appeared against him, inconsiderable, and that could not have done any thing worth taking notice of if Solomon had not first made God his enemy. What hurt could Hadad or Rezon have done to so great and powerful a king as Solomon was if he had not, by sin, made himself mean... read more