1 Kings 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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
when	לְעֵת֙ le.'Et	H6256	time · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
Solomon	שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה she.lo.Moh	H8010	Shelomah · proper noun, a man's name
old	זִקְנַ֣ת zik.Nat	H2209	old age · noun, common feminine singular construct
wives	נָשָׁיו֙ na.Shav	H802	a woman · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
away	הִטּ֣וּ hi.Tu	H5186	to stretch or spread out · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural
heart	לְבָב֔וֹ le.va.Vo	H3824	the heart (as the most interior organ) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
after	אַחֲרֵ֖י 'a.cha.Rei	H310	properly · cardinal number, masculine plural construct
other	אֲחֵרִ֑ים 'a.che.Rim	H312	properly · adjective, masculine plural absolute
gods	אֱלֹהִ֣ים 'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
heart	לְבָב֤וֹ le.va.Vo	H3824	the heart (as the most interior organ) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
perfect	שָׁלֵם֙ sha.Lem	H8003	complete (literally or figuratively) · adjective, masculine singular absolute
LORD	יְהוָ֣ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
God	אֱלֹהָ֔יו 'e.lo.Hav	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
heart	כִּלְבַ֖ב kil.Vav	H3824	the heart (as the most interior organ) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
David	דָּוִ֥יד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
father	אָבִֽיו 'a.Viv	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Kings 9:4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have c…
1 Kings 8:61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
1 Kings 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searchet…
Deuteronomy 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.
1 Kings 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:…
2 Chronicles 17:3 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;
2 Chronicles 34:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 11:1-8

This is a sad story, and very surprising, of Solomon's defection and degeneracy. I. Let us enquire into the occasions and particulars of it. Shall Solomon fall, that was the beauty of Israel, and so great a blessing of his generation? Yes, it is too true, and the scripture is faithful in relating it, and repeating it, and referring to it long after, Neh 13:26. There was no king like Solomon who was beloved of his God, yet even him did outlandish women cause to sin. There is the summary of his apostasy; it was the woman that deceived him, and was first in the transgression. 1. He doted on strange women, many strange women. Here his revolt began. (1.) He gave himself to women, which his mother…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 11:4

when Solomon was old--He could not have been more than fifty. his wives turned away his heart after other gods--Some, considering the lapse of Solomon into idolatry as a thing incredible, regard him as merely humoring his wives in the practice of their superstition; and, in countenancing their respective rites by his presence, as giving only an outward homage--a sensible worship, in which neither his understanding nor his heart was engaged. The apology only makes matters worse, as it implies an adding of hypocrisy and contempt of God to an open breach of His law. There seems no possibility of explaining the language of the sacred historian, but as intimating that Solomon became an actual a…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 11:3

He had seven hundred wives, princesses - How he could get so many of the blood royal from the different surrounding nations, is astonishing; but probably the daughters of noblemen, generals, etc., may be included. And 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 Israelitish king as Hagar and Keturah did to the patriarch. Here then are one thousand wives to form this great bad man's harem! Was it possible that such a person could have any piet…

Dictionary and topics

Solomon — Peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David’s second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father…
Alliance And Society With The Enemies Of God · Exemplified: Solomon — Exemplified: Solomon
Ammonites, The · Solomon intermarried with, and introduced idols of into Israel — Solomon intermarried with, and introduced idols of into Israel
Backsliders · . — .
Backsliding · Exemplified: Solomon — Exemplified: Solomon
Influence · EVIL — EVIL
Instability · . — .
Molech · Worshiped by the wives of — Worshiped by the wives of
Perfection · .David — .David
Polygamy · General references — General references
Wife · wives — wives

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Kings 11:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 11:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 11:4

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 11:3

Dictionary and topics

1 Kings 11:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 11:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 11:4

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 11:3

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Kings 11:4

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 11:1-13

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Kings 11:4-8

Rashi on 1 Kings 11:1