1 Kings 3:1 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 3:1-4

We are here told concerning Solomon, I. Something that was unquestionably good, for which he is to be praised and in which he is to be imitated. 1. He loved the Lord, 1 Kgs. 3:3. Particular notice was taken of God's love to him, 2 Sam. 12:24. He had his name from it: Jedidiah?beloved of the Lord. And here we find he returned that love, as John, the beloved disciple, was most full of love. Solomon was a wise man, a rich man; yet the brightest encomium of him is that which is the character of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 3:1

And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt ,.... Pharaoh was a common name of the kings of Egypt, of whom no mention is made in Scripture from the times of Moses until this time; which may seem strange, when it is considered that that kingdom was a potent one, and near the land of Canaan; but it was governed by a race of kings in this period of time, of whom, as Diodorus Siculus F9 Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 42. says, there is nothing worthy of relation. The name of this Pharaoh,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 3:1

Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh - This was no doubt a political measure in order to strengthen his kingdom, and on the same ground he continued his alliance with the king of Tyre; and these were among the most powerful of his neighbors. But should political considerations prevail over express laws of God? God had strictly forbidden his people to form alliances with heathenish women, lest they should lead their hearts away from him into idolatry. Let us hear the law: Neither shalt... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 3:1

EXPOSITION THE BEGINNING OF SOLOMON 'S REIGN .—In the preceding chapter we have seen the establishment of Solomon's rule (verse 46) by the removal of internal foes, i.e; of disaffected and rebellious subjects. In this we see him strengthening his position by an external alliance, by a marriage with an Egyptian princess. This event, however, is related here, not because the historian had this connexion of ideas in his mind, but probably because the marriage came next in... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 3:1

What Pharaoh is meant is uncertain. It must have been a predecessor of Shishak (or Sheshonk), who invaded Judaea more than 40 years later 1 Kings 14:25; and probabilities are in favor, not of Psusennes II, the last king of Manetho’s 21st dynasty, but of Psinaces, the predecessor of Psusennes. This, the Tanite dynasty, had become very weak, especially toward its close, from where we may conceive how gladly it would ally itself with the powerful house of David. The Jews were not forbidden to... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 3:1

1 Kings 3:1. Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh As being a powerful neighbour. And took Pharaoh’s daughter To wife, which was not unlawful, if she was first instructed in, and made a proselyte to, the Jewish religion, as, in all probability, she was. For Solomon was not yet fallen from God, but loved the Lord, and walked in the statutes of David, (1 Kings 3:3,) and therefore would not have married a gross idolater, which would have been directly contrary to God’s law, and most... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 3:1-28

Solomon’s wisdom (3:1-28)David’s power had come through war and conquest; Solomon’s came through clever commercial and political agreements with neighbouring countries. Solomon gave impressive public display of his loyalty to God, but he ignored God’s warnings when he saw advantages to be gained through foreign alliances. His marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh guaranteed peace for Israel in a region where Egypt was the chief power, but it probably required Solomon to pay respect to Egypt’s... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Kings 3:1

affinity = relationship by marriage. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Kings 3:1

THE BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF SOLOMON(Note: 1 Kings 3:3-11 are devoted to a discussion of the reign of Solomon)In a sense, the previous chapter gave us the beginning of Solomon's reign, but it was concerned chiefly with his "liquidation" of potential enemies such as Shimei and Abiathar and with his carrying out of David's sentence of death upon Joab. Here, we have the actual beginning of Solomon's reign, which is usually described in the most complimentary terms. As LaSor said, "For some... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 3:1

1 Kings 3:1. And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh— There are many who blame this action of Solomon's; observing, that whatever augmentation of power he might promise himself from this alliance, he certainly ran the hazard of having his religion corrupted. Others, however, have observed, that as the sacred Scriptures commend the beginning of Solomon's reign, in all other respects except the people's sacrificing in high places, which might be the rather tolerated because there was no house... read more