1 Kings 11

1 Kings 11 is the final chapter of the account of Solomon's reign. 1 Kings 10 depicts the visit of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon's wealth and wisdom. This chapter continues the narrative, recording Solomon's apostasy in his later years, the announcement of judgment, and his death.

Outline

• Verses 1–8 In addition to the daughter of Pharaoh, Solomon loved women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and the Hittites; he had seven hundred wives of royal rank and three hundred concubines. When he was old, his wives turned his heart, and he went after Ashtoreth and Milcom. On the hill before Jerusalem he built high places (sites of worship on elevated ground) for Chemosh and Molech.
• Verses 9–13 The Lord is angry and declares that He will tear the kingdom away from Solomon and give it to his servant. For David's sake, however, He will do so not in Solomon's lifetime but in the days of his son, and He will leave him one tribe.
• Verses 14–22 Hadad the Edomite rises up as an adversary. He had fled to Egypt as a boy and married the sister of Pharaoh's wife. On hearing that David and Joab were dead, he asks to return to his homeland.
• Verses 23–25 Rezon the son of Eliadah becomes king in Damascus and opposes Israel all the days of Solomon.
• Verses 26–40 The prophet Ahijah the Shilonite meets Jeroboam, a supervisor of labor, on the road. Ahijah tears a new garment into twelve pieces, gives him ten, and delivers the word that ten tribes will be given to him. When Solomon seeks to kill Jeroboam, he flees to Shishak king of Egypt.
• Verses 41–43 Solomon reigns forty years, dies, and is buried in the city of David. His son Rehoboam succeeds him on the throne.

Key Verses

• 1 Kings 11:4 "His wives turned away his heart after other gods" — identifies the cause of the wise king's downfall.
• 1 Kings 11:31 "Take thee ten pieces" — a symbolic act foreshadowing the division of the kingdom in the next chapter.
• 1 Kings 11:36 "That David my servant may have a light alway before me" — shows that the Davidic covenant is upheld even in the midst of judgment.

People and Places

• Solomon: son of David and the third king of Israel.
• David: repeatedly cited as the standard of obedience.
• Hadad: a member of the Edomite royal family who grew up in Egypt and became Solomon's adversary.
• Joab: commander of David's army.
• Rezon: a man who fled from Hadadezer king of Zobah and became king in Damascus.
• Jeroboam: son of Nebat, an Ephraimite, who later becomes the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel.
• Ahijah: a prophet from Shiloh.
• Shishak: the king of Egypt who gave Jeroboam refuge.
• Rehoboam: Solomon's son and successor.
• Places: Jerusalem, Egypt, Moab, Ammon, Edom

Points for Reflection

• Many interpreters read this chapter in light of the law in Deuteronomy 17, which forbids the king to multiply wives lest his heart turn away.
• The garment is torn into twelve pieces, yet Jeroboam receives ten and the house of David one tribe, so the numbers do not add up. Interpretations vary; some explain the discrepancy by connecting it with Benjamin's siding with Judah in chapter 12.
• The text does not say whether Solomon repented. A traditional reading regards Ecclesiastes as his reflection in old age, but this interpretation goes beyond the text itself.
• In the New Testament, Solomon and Rehoboam appear in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. Jesus refers to Solomon's glory (Matthew 6:29) and his wisdom (Matthew 12:42).