2 Chronicles 8:11 - Homilies By T. Whitelaw

The consort of a king.

I. THE QUEEN 'S PERSON . The daughter of Pharaoh. As to which Pharaoh, see homily on 2 Chronicles 8:1-6 . If the Song of Solomon was an epithalamium in honour of his wedding with this lady, her personal attractions, after making allowances for the rhapsody peculiar to a lover and the luxuriance of fancy characteristic of an Oriental, must have been considerable (So Song of Solomon 1:8 , Song of Solomon 1:10 ; Song of Solomon 4:1-7 ; Song of Solomon 7:1-9 ).

II. THE QUEEN 'S CHARACTER . A heathen. However charming externally, there is no reason why her inward graces may not have been attractive. Like Egyptian ladies of rank, she would probably be skilled in needlework, perhaps also in using the spindle and in weaving. But still she was not acquainted with the true religion, being a worshipper of the god Ra, and the other divinities that claimed the homage of her countrymen, rather than of Jehovah living and true God. Physical loveliness may be a precious gift of Heaven, and moral sweetness desirable in one who is to be a wife; but nothing can compensate for the absence of religion. "Favour is deceitful," etc. ( Proverbs 31:30 ).

III. THE QUEEN 'S WEDDING .

1 . Celebrated early in the king ' s reign ( 1 Kings 3:1 ), and doubtless with becoming splendour. It is not good for princes any more than for peasants to be alone, and "he that findeth a wife" (provided she be a woman that feareth the Lord) "findeth a good thing" ( Proverbs 18:22 ).

2 . Politically advantageous for the state, though this is questionable. Israel required no buttress, either from Egypt or Assyria, so long as she remained true to Jehovah ( Isaiah 30:3 ; Jeremiah 2:18 ; Jeremiah 42:19 ). In any case, neither political expedience nor social convenience is a proper motive for contracting marriage, which should always be inspired by love between the parties ( Ephesians 5:25-28 ).

3 . Possibly against the Law of God. On the one hand, it is argued (Keil, Bahr)

On the other hand, it is contended (Adam Clarke)

The affirmative, however, of this last assertion is supposed to be justified by the following considerations:

But none of these is convincing.

4 . Extremely unadvised on Solomon ' s part, It led to his decline into idolatry, if not directly yet indirectly, by leading him to add more wives and concubines to his harem.

IV. THE QUEEN 'S RESIDENCE ,

1 . In a separate house in the city of David. On her wedding, Solomon did not bring her into his father's palace where himself resided—though some hold he did (Bertheau)—but lodged her in a temporary dwelling (Keil, Bahr), assigning as a reason that the rooms of the royal palace had been consecrated and rendered holy by the presence of the ark of Jehovah, and meaning thereby that to have introduced into them an Egyptian queen, even though a proselyte, with probably an establishment of heathen maids, would have been, to say the least, an impropriety. The fact that Solomon could not lodge his wife in his father's house should have made him hesitate as to his marriage. That matrimonial alliance must be doubtful the contemplation of which leads one to apprehend the Divine displeasure, or which one sees to be incongruous with right religious feeling.

2 . In a house contiguous to Solomon ' s palace . This house, specially prepared for her, not for a harem (Thenius), formed part of Solomon's own dwelling ( 1 Kings 7:8 ), being situated either behind (Winer) or above (Keil), or perhaps at the side of it.

LESSONS .

1 . Marriage is honourable in all ( Hebrews 13:4 ).

2 . The duty of wedding only in the Lord ( 1 Corinthians 7:39 ).

3 . The sin of polygamy.

4 . The obligation of husbands to maintain their wives.—W.