Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded.
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Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon joined to these in love. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away. When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father was. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and didn’t go fully after Yahweh, as David his father did. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded. Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand. However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”
Parallel Translations
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Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon.
So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded.
-
Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
Show all 3 translations
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Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh the detestation of Moab, in the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestation of the children of Ammon.
And so did he for all his foreign wives, who offered and sacrificed unto their gods.
And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice,
and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
Cross-references (52)
- 1 Kings 3:5 (v9) In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”
- 1 Kings 9:2 (v9) Yahweh appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
- Numbers 21:29 (v7) Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon king of…
- Judges 11:24 (v7) Won’t you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever Yahweh our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we…
- Exodus 4:14 (v9) Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold,…
Show all 52 cross-references
- Numbers 12:9 (v9) Yahweh’s anger burned against them; and he departed.
- Deuteronomy 3:26 (v9) But Yahweh was angry with me because of you, and didn’t listen to me. Yahweh said to me, “That is enough! Speak no more to me of this…
- Deuteronomy 7:4 (v9) For that would turn away your sons from following me, that they may serve other gods. So Yahweh’s anger would be kindled against you, and…
- Deuteronomy 9:8 (v9) Also in Horeb you provoked Yahweh to wrath, and Yahweh was angry with you to destroy you.
- 2 Samuel 6:7 (v9) Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by God’s ark.
- 1 Kings 6:12-13 (v10) “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to…
- Acts 7:43 (v7) You took up the tabernacle of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship. I will carry you away beyond…
- Genesis 33:2 (v7) He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
- Leviticus 20:2-5 (v7) “Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, ‘Anyone of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Israel,…
- Leviticus 26:30 (v7) I will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and cast your dead bodies upon the bodies of your idols; and my soul…
- Numbers 33:52 (v7) then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images,…
- Deuteronomy 9:20 (v9) Yahweh was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
- Deuteronomy 13:14 (v7) then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination was done among…
- Deuteronomy 17:3-4 (v7) and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the stars of the sky, which I have not commanded,…
- Deuteronomy 27:15 (v7) ‘Cursed is the man who makes an engraved or molten image, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up…
- 2 Samuel 15:30 (v7) David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went barefoot. All the people…
- 1 Kings 9:4-7 (v10) As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that…
- 1 Kings 11:1 (v8) Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians,…
- 2 Kings 21:2-3 (v7) He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. For…
- 2 Kings 23:10 (v7) He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the…
- 2 Kings 23:13-14 (v7) The king defiled the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mountain of corruption, which Solomon the…
- 2 Chronicles 7:17-22 (v10) “As for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my…
- Psalms 78:58 (v7) For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
- Isaiah 44:19 (v7) No one thinks, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned part of it in the fire. Yes, I have also baked bread on…
- Jeremiah 48:13 (v7) Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
- Ezekiel 16:22-29 (v8) In all your abominations and your prostitution you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, and were…
- Ezekiel 18:12 (v7) has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed…
- Ezekiel 20:28-29 (v7) For when I had brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every high hill, and every thick tree, and they…
- Daniel 11:31 (v7) “Forces will stand on his part, and they will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering.…
- Daniel 12:11 (v7) “From the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there will be one thousand…
- Hosea 4:11-12 (v8) Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding. My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed…
- Zechariah 14:4 (v7) His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in…
- Matthew 26:30 (v7) When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
- Acts 1:9 (v7) When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
- Acts 1:12 (v7) Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
- 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 (v8) Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.…
- 1 Corinthians 10:20-22 (v8) But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I don’t desire that you would have…
- Revelation 17:4-5 (v7) The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of…
- 2 Samuel 11:27 (v9) When the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that…
- 1 Kings 11:2-4 (v9) of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for…
- 1 Chronicles 21:7 (v9) God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.
- Psalms 78:58-60 (v9) For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images. When God heard this, he was…
- Psalms 90:7-8 (v9) For we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of…
- Proverbs 4:23 (v9) Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
- Isaiah 29:13-14 (v9) The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from…
- Hosea 4:11 (v9) Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
- 2 Timothy 4:10 (v9) for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia; and Titus to Dalmatia.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (19 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v7 Thus the Scripture termeth whatsoever man doth reverence and…
Thus the Scripture termeth whatsoever man doth reverence and serve as God.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv7–10 1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place…
1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that [is] before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
Ver. 7. For Chemosh.] Unde Kωμος et Comessatio. Some take it to be Bacchus, others Pluto.
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In the hill that is before Jerusalem.] Even in Mount Olivet - called for that cause, the "mount of corruption" and of "scandal" {2Ki 23:13} - in the very face of God’s house; so that God never looked out of the sanctuary, but he saw that vile hill of abominations.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv7–9 Then did Solomon build, i. e. suffer to be…
Then did Solomon build, i. e. suffer to be built, or gave money for it.
A high place, i.e. an altar upon the high place, as the manner of the heathens was: See Poole "Num 22:41" See Poole "Num 23:1".
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In the hill that is before Jerusalem, i.e. in the Mount of Olives, which was nigh unto Jerusalem, 2Sa 15:30, and from this act was called the mount of corruption, 2Ki 23:13; idolatry being often called and esteemed a corruption.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v9 Here is, I. God's anger against Solomon for his…
Here is, I. God's anger against Solomon for his sin. The thing he did displeased the Lord. Time was then the Lord loved Solomon (Sa2 12:24) and delighted in him (Kg1 10:9), but now the Lord was angry with Solomon (Kg1 11:9), for there was in his sin, 1. The most base ingratitude that could be. He turned from the Lord who had appeared unto him twice, once before he began to build the temple (Kg1 3:5) and once after he had dedicated it, Kg1 9:2. God keeps account of the gracious visits he makes us, whether we do or no, knows how often he has appeared to us and for us, and will remember it against us if we turn from him. God's appearing to Solomon was such a sensible confirmation of his faith as should have for ever prevented his worshipping any other god; it was also such a distinguishing favour, and put such an honour upon him, as he ought never to have forgotten, especially considering what God said to him in both these appearances. 2. The most wilful disobedience. This was the very thing concerning which God had commanded him - that he should not go after other gods, yet he was not restrained by such an express admonition, Kg1 11:10. Those who have dominion over men are apt to forget God's dominion over them; and, while they demand obedience from their inferiors, to deny it to him who is the Supreme.
II. The message he sent him hereupon (Kg1 11:11): The Lord said unto Solomon (it is likely by a prophet) that he must expect to smart for his apostasy. And here, 1. The sentence is just, that, since he had revolted from God, part of his kingdom should revolt from his family; he had given God's glory to the creature, and therefore God would give his crown to his servant: "I will rend the kingdom from thee, in thy posterity, and will give it to thy servant, who shall bear rule over much of that for which thou hast laboured." This was a great mortification to Solomon, who pleased himself no doubt with the prospect of the entail of his rich kingdom upon his heirs for ever. Sin brings ruin upon families, cuts off entails, alienates estates, and lays men's honour in the dust. 2. Yet the mitigations of it are very kind, for David's sake (Kg1 11:12, Kg1 11:13), that is, for the sake of the promise made to David. Thus all the favour God shows to man is for Christ's sake, and for the sake of the covenant made with him. The kingdom shall be rent from Solomon's house, but, (1.) Not immediately. Solomon shall not live to see it done, but it shall be rent out of the hand of his son, a son that was born to him by one of his strange wives, for his mother was an Ammonitess (Kg1 14:31) and probably had been a promoter of idolatry. What comfort can a man take in leaving children and an estate behind him if he do not leave a blessing behind him? Yet, if judgments be coming, it is a favour to us if they come not in our days, as Kg2 20:19. (2.) Not wholly. One tribe, that of Judah, the strongest and most numerous, shall remain to the house of David (Kg1 11:13), for Jerusalem's sake, which David built, and for the sake of the temple there, which Solomon built; these shall not go into other hands. Solomon did not quickly nor wholly turn away from God; therefore God did not quickly nor wholly take the kingdom from him.
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Upon this message which God graciously sent to Solomon, to awaken his conscience and bring him to repentance, we have reason to hope that he humbled himself before God, confessed his sin, begged pardon, and returned to his duty, that he then published his repentance in the book of Ecclesiastes, where he bitterly laments his own folly and madness (Ecc 7:25, Ecc 7:26), and warns others to take heed of the like evil courses, and to fear God and keep his commandments, in consideration of the judgment to come, which, it is likely, had made him tremble, as it did Felix. That penitential sermon was as true an indication of a heart broken for sin and turned from it as David's penitential psalms were, though of another nature. God's grace in his people works variously. Thus, though Solomon fell, he was not utterly cast down; what God had said to David concerning him was fulfilled: I will chasten him with the rod of men, but my mercy shall not depart from him, Sa2 7:14, Sa2 7:15. Though God may suffer those whom he loves to fall into sin, he will not suffer them to lie still in it. Solomon's defection, though it was much his reproach and a great blemish to his personal character, yet did not so far break in upon the character of his reign but that it was afterwards made the pattern of a good reign, Ch2 11:17, where the kings are said to have done well, while they walked in the way of David and Solomon. But, though we have all this reason to hope he repented and found mercy, yet the Holy Ghost did not think fit expressly to record his recovery, but left it doubtful, for warning to others not to sin upon presumption of repenting, for it is but a peradventure whether God will give them repentance, or, if he do, whether he will give the evidence of it to themselves or others. Great sinners may recover themselves and have the benefit of their repentance, and yet be denied both the comfort and credit of it; the guilt may be taken away, and yet not the reproach.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv7–10 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh,…
Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Mesh,.... Of this idol see Gill on Jer 48:7, an high place for which he ordered to be built, or at least suffered it to be built, at the instigation of his Moabitish woman or women, Kg1 11:1, this was built in the hill that is before Jerusalem; on the mount of Olives, as Jarchi, called from hence afterwards the mount of corruption, Kg2 23:15 and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon, Kg1 11:5.
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1 Kings 11:8
kg1 11:8
kg1 11:8
kg1 11:8And likewise did he for all his strange wives,.... That is, built high places for their idols, or suffered them to be built; for when he had done it for one, he could not refuse it to another, without greatly disobliging them; even for as many of them,
which burnt incense, and sacrificed unto their gods; the gods of the countries from whence they came, and in the worship of which they had been brought up: this shows that the best and wisest of men, when left to themselves, may do the worst and most foolish of all things; as nothing can be more so than the worship of such wretched deities.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv7–8 An high place - That is, an altar upon…
An high place - That is, an altar upon the high place, as the manner of the Heathens was. The hill - In the mount of olives, which was nigh unto Jerusalem, 2 Sam. xv, 30, and from this act was called the mount of corruption, 2 Kings xxiii, 13. As it were, to confront the temple.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv7, 9 Verse 7. The hill that is before Jerusalem] This…
Verse 7. The hill that is before Jerusalem] This was the Mount of Olives.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv8–9 1Ki 11:8. And likewise did he for all his…
1Ki 11:8. And likewise did he for all his strange wives — For what he granted to one, the others would be disposed to claim, or else complain of his unkindness to them. One would have expected from his wisdom and piety rather to have found him instrumental in converting them all to his religion, than to be himself seduced to theirs! But, alas! he does not appear to have taken any pains with them for any such purpose, being too much given up to his pleasures, and thinking, perhaps, that he could reconcile his religion with theirs, and find a good meaning in all their superstitious. And sacrificed unto their gods — See what need those have to stand upon their guard, who have been eminent for religion. The devil will set upon them most violently; and if they miscarry, the reproach is the greater. It is the evening that commends the day. Let us therefore fear, lest, having run well, we come short.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v7 Chemosh (Num 21:29 note), seems to have been widely…
Chemosh (Num 21:29 note), seems to have been widely worshipped in Western Asia. His name occurs frequently on the “Moabite-Stone.” Car-Chemish, “the fort of Chemosh,” a great city of the northern Hittites, must have been under his protection. In Babylon he seems to have been known as Chomus-belus, or Chemosh-Bel.
The hill - Olivet. At present the most southern summit only (the “Mons Offensionis”) is pointed out as having been desecrated by the idol sanctuaries: but the early Eastern travelers tell us that in their time the most northern suburb was believed to have been the site of the high p ace of Chemosh, the southern one that of Moloch only.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv7, 9 Chamos. Bacchus or Priapus, called Greek: Komos, by the…
Chamos. Bacchus or Priapus, called Greek: Komos, by the Greeks, as he presided over "feasting." His worship was most shameful, and therefore performed in the night. The temples erected by Solomon, were not entirely demolished till the reign of Josias. (Tirinus) --- Hill. Hebrew, "Then Solomon erected a high place (temple, altar, or grove) to Chamos, the abomination of Moad, on the, &c., hill;" it is supposed of olives, (Haydock) to the east of Jerusalem, which was hence called, the mount of offence, 4 Kings xxiii. 13. (Calmet) --- Yet no place was consecrated to idols within the city. (Menochius) --- The idols of Egypt are not specified, though the daughter of Pharao would, probably, interest herself in their favour. The Jews were more prone to those of Chanaan. We find, however, that they were addicted to the worship of Adonis, who was highly revered in Egypt; (Ezechiel viii. 14.; Calmet) and the golden calves were an imitation of Apis. (Haydock) --- Six temples were probably built, as wives of so many different nations are specified, ver. 1. (Abulensis) (Salien)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv8–9 burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods--The first was…
burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods--The first was considered a higher act of homage, and is often used as synonymous with worship (Kg2 22:17; Kg2 23:5).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv7–9 7. Chemosh — The national god of the Moabites;…
7. Chemosh — The national god of the Moabites; worshipped also by the Ammonites, probably with abominable practices similar to those used in the worship of Molech. See on Jdg_11:24; Num_21:29.
The hill that is before Jerusalem — That is, the hill now known as the Mount of Olives. On its three most conspicuous eminences it is probable that the idol altars were erected, and not, as some will have it, on the southern slope, now known as the “Mount of Offence.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv7–10 7. a high place] That ‘high places’ were not…
7. a high place] That ‘high places’ were not abolished in Solomon’s time we can see from 1Ki_3:2-3, where see notes. The idea was that on a lofty height the worshipper drew nearer to his god, and so was able to offer a more acceptable sacrifice. Hence the erection of altars on the tops of hills, and these were frequently accompanied with some house or shrine for the image of the god, and hence we read of the ‘houses of the high places.’ Cf. 1Ki_12:31; 1Ki_13:32; 2Ki_17:29; 2Ki_17:32; 2Ki_23:19. This form of worshipping was so firmly rooted among the Israelites that we read of it constantly down to the reign of Josiah, by whom at length it appears to have been put down (2Ki_23:19).
for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab] Chemosh, though generally called the national god of the Moabites, is said (Jdg_11:24) to have been also the god of the Ammonites. He is first mentioned in Num_21:29. The worship now introduced into Jerusalem by Solomon was put down by Josiah (2Ki_23:13). There is nothing in any of the Biblical notices to guide us to an opinion either about the meaning of the name or the nature of the worship offered to Chemosh. An ancient Jewish tradition relates that Chemosh was worshipped under the form of a black star, hence some have identified him with Saturn. But this is no more than conjecture. Milton alludes to the identification of Chemosh with Baal-peor:
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‘Peor his other name, when he enticed
Israel in Sittim on their march from Nile.’
Par. L. I. 412.
in the hill that is before Jerusalem] The hill facing Jerusalem is the mount of Olives. It is described in Eze_11:23 as ‘the mountain which is on the east side of the city,’ and in Zec_14:4 as ‘the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.’ The LXX. (Vat.) has omitted any mention of ‘the hill before Jerusalem.’ Milton alludes to the position of these idolatrous erections:
‘the wisest heart
Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
His temple right against the temple of God
On that opprobrious hill.’
Par. L. I. 400.
The last words allude to a name given to this height in consequence of these buildings, ‘Mons offensionis.’ This name is said (Dictionary of Bible, 11. 627) to be of late origin. But the words occur in the Vulgate (2Ki_23:13) ‘ad dexteram partem montis offensionis.’
and for Molech] See above on Milcom in 1Ki_11:5. The LXX. translates the proper name, and reads καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ. Milton also reminds us that the word could be translated:
‘First Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears
Though for the noise of drums and timbrels loud
Their children’s cries unheard.’
The allusion in the last words is to the name ‘Tophet,’ as the valley of the son of Hinnom was called where the Moloch-worship went on. This was thought by some to be derived from the Hebrew word תף (toph) a timbrel. Hence the tradition of drums beaten to drown the cries of the suffering children. There is no warrant for the derivation, nor probably for the tradition. On the whole subject, see Selden, de Dis Syris, p. 172.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv7–8 (7) On the hill that is before Jerusalem.—evidently on…
(7) On the hill that is before Jerusalem.—evidently on the Mount of Olives (part of which still traditionally bears the name of the “Mount of Offence”), facing and rivalling the Temple on Mount Moriah. Tophet, the place of actual sacrifice to Molech, was “in the valley of the son of Hinnom” (2Ki_23:10; Jer_7:31), which (see Jer_19:2) was east or south-east. of the city, and would lie not far from the foot of the mountain.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv7–10 Then did Solomon build a high place (see on…
Then did Solomon build a high place (see on 1Ki_3:2) for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab The meaning of "Chemosh" is uncertain. Gesenius suggests "Vanquisher Chemosh was the god of war. The mention of Ashtar-Chemosh on the Moabite stone "connects the Moabite religion with the Phoenician," where Ashtar is the masculine form of Astarte, and suggests that "Chemosh was connected with the androgynous deities of Phoenicia". (Speaker"s Comm. on Num_21:29) It is probable, in fact, that Chemosh, Baal, Ashtoreth, Molech, etc., were originally so many names of the one supreme God, worshipped under different attributes, and with various rites in different countries, in the hill that is before Jerusalem see 2Ki_23:13. The hill is of course the mount of Olives. The altar would seem to have stood on the south peak, which is now known, as it has been for centuries past, as the Mons Scandali, or the Mons Offensionis (the Vulg. rendering of 2Ki_1:8) See Robinson, 1:565, 566, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. Ewald sees in these altars a wise religious tolerance ("Hist. Israel," 3. pp. 297, 298).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh.
1Ki_11:7-8
Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh.
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Solomon and toleration
1. Proverbs, it has been said, are the wisdom of many and the wit of one, at least they are most often trustworthy exponents of a uniform experience. And there is a proverb which tells us that no one ever became thoroughly bad all at once. And so it was with Solomon; as the stream of his career sweeps by us in Holy Scripture, windows, as it were, are opened for us through which we gaze out on that sunny flood, so full of promise, carrying on its bosom such rich opportunities and varied treasures, and we note that as it gets wider it loses its pure beauty, as it gets deeper it parts with its simplicity. Here and there these glimpses into his life prepare us for a catastrophe. It requires a vast store of wisdom to keep a man unspoiled amidst popular applause. The power of wealth with all its opportunities may very easily sweep away the calmer dictates of a higher reason. Solomon is the liberal patron of error. He is not an idolater; it would not be fair to call him that. But as he would tell us, he is no bigot, that the Zidonians and Moabites were sincere in what they believed and practised. That his first duty was to the empire, and to consolidate the acquisitions which he had made. After all, there is an element of truth underlying all religions--All worships are true. Take care, Solomon! The next step is only too easily taken,. which goes on to proclaim, All worships are false. I suppose there is no chapter in Church history which we look back upon with such unfeigned horror and humiliation as that which deals with religious persecution. We never shall forget the fires of Smithfield, or look with anything but disapproval at the stern and repressive violence of the Puritan Rebellion. At the same time it must be remembered that there is one thing which, if less repulsive, may be equally deadly in Gods sight. Toleration, which springs from a real respect for our neighbours convictions, is one thing; indifference, which does not feel strongly enough to oppose, is another. At the present moment we are oddly enough confronted with these two developments combining in their efforts to weaken religion.
2. But Solomon does not stop at undenominationalism. No one does. It is an impossible position. He settles down a step further into aestheticism--the worship of the beautiful, the luxurious, the fascinating. A protest against Ritualism is, no doubt, an excellent thing in which every intelligent Churchman should join, if we mean by the term a religion which consists of mere rites and ceremonies, void of real significance, subversive of the sterner realities of religious truth. There is always a tendency, in view of the extreme difficulty of religion, to put up with something easy, in which the heart and the intellect, and the better part of man, need of necessity have no share. Some people think they can saunter into heaven on a ceremony; or be wafted there on the wings of music; or be carried there on a text of the Bible; or be admitted without any trouble, if they sufficiently protest against somebody else. But the very essence of religion is intense personal exertion and personal devotion, and religion has always had to pay the penalty of this difficulty, which belongs to all true excellence, in the various shifts and substitutes invented by indolent humanity. Ritual, music, the accessories of Divine service, are utterly abhorrent unless they mean something. Solomon was not spreading religion when he erected his numerous shrines for the manifold superstitions of the East, and their attractive rites. He was degrading it, he was vitiating the religious instinct and depraving the religious sense. Do let us remember, dear brethren, that all the beauty, all the magnificence of the services of the Church, are for the honour and glory of God, and that if we fail to honour Him, fail to find Him, fail to worship Him, they only add to our own condemnation.
3. But the worship of aestheticism has no finality about it. It is a religion of butterflies after all, who flit from flower to flower, who expand in the sunshine and die in the frost, who are here to-day and are gone to-morrow. Ephemeral, creatures of a day! Do not suppose it, for one moment, if any of you have given up vital belief, if you have teased to believe in God, that you will be able to go on finding religious satisfaction in beautiful sounds, and artistic sights; you will either get better, or you will get worse--and it is terribly easy to get worse. The end of Solomons career is not encouraging; the best you can say of it is, that it is shrouded in gloom. It was an easy step from a worship of the beautiful to the nature-worship so-called, which was the distinguishing feature of so many of the cults which he imported to Jerusalem. There is a seamy side to many a renaissance, so-called, and there is a seamy side to much which is dignified now by the name of the love of the beautiful. Nature-worship in its simplest form, and apparently its least harmful form, takes the shape of the worship of what we take to be our own nature. It is startling to find how intensely people dislike anything in religion which is stern, or causes them trouble, or appeals to self-denial. This appears in all manner of little ways. Solomon erects his nature-shrine for the pent up denizen of the city, at some little distance outside, and tells him that it is far better for him to go and worship God in the green fields, and among the hedgerows, or even on the river, than to shut himself up in a musty church in Jerusalem. He will tell him that the Sabbath was made for man, and that to fill his lungs with pure air, and to scent the flowers and be cheerful, is the best worship which God seeks from him. And the worshipper of nature comes back with a tired body, a dissatisfied mind, and a starved soul, and believes that he has spent a happy Sunday. There, in the old temple at Jerusalem, are the double sacrifices and the long round of services, because those who have studied the mind of God believe that He requires on His day a certain proportion of our time, not the smallest contribution which a Christian can make, at the earliest possible hour in the morning, or the latest moment at night. And if they ask for happiness and enjoyment, they remember how Mary says, He fills the hungry with good things, or how the Psalmist says that God never fails them that seek Him. But Solomon turns his back, his wisdom departs from him, and he seeks for other gods. He is indifferent, and he calls it toleration. He is intolerant, and he calls it religion. He dishonours the Church, and he thinks that he does God service. He becomes aesthetic, he is lingering now in the courts of the temple, he has turned his back on her realities, he is like a man who just stays a little longer to hear the anthem. He has turned his back, he is gone, he is worshipping nature, in all the downward gradations of that terrible cult. Wise Solomon! who began with building the temple, goes on by tolerating error, to become a besotted voluptuary, and to insult God. It is the history of many a soul, who has forgotten the lesson of his youth, who is false to his tradition, and falls below his own standard. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceits? There is more hope of a fool, than of him. (W. C. E. Newbolt, M. A.)
The half-and-half man
Up to a certain point, being a true Christian is a terrible thing. The advantage lies in carrying it far beyond that point where fruit is to be reaped. As long as the nights are long and the days are short we have the stern certainties of winter; as long as the days are long and the nights are short we have the sweet, precious, genial hours of summer; but when the days and the nights are just about alike, and the equinox comes on, and light and dark strive for the mastery, that is the time for storms to rage. And so, in Christian experience, so long as the night is longest, you have the peace of darkness; and when the day is longest, you have the peace of light; but when the night and the day are of about the same length, and they strive to see which shall rule, that is the time for storms. The hardest way to live is to be half a Christian and half a sinner. The easiest way to live is to be wholly a sinner or wholly a Christian. Harmonise on one side or the other, if you want quiet. Take the middle ground, if you want perpetual gales. (H. W. Beecher.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v9 1Ki_11:11. Forasmuch as this is done of thee; or,…
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—
1Ki_11:11. Forasmuch as this is done of thee; or, is purposed of thee.
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HOMILETICS OF 1Ki_11:9-13
THE DIVINE ANGER AND HUMAN DISOBEDIENCE
I. That the Divine anger is a fact. “And the Lord was angry with Solomon.” It is the fashion with many to expatiate on the Divine benevolence while they ignore the Divine anger. But the fact of that anger is one of the plainest and most awful revelations of the Bible (Isa_13:13; Joh_3:36; Rom_1:18). Divine anger is no sudden burst of passion, no low and hateful motion of revenge, as human anger often is, and with which too many are prone to associate their idea of the Divine anger. It is rather the deep, eternal antagonism of holiness to sin, of truth to error, of right to wrong. However much God may love the human soul as such, if that soul cleaves unto sin, it must of necessity place itself along with the sin in enmity towards God, and so be exposed to the Divine anger. It requires a sound judgment and a heart of tenderest love to speak with profit on the subject of the Divine anger.
II. That the Divine anger is excited by human disobedience. “Because his heart was turned from the Lord” (1Ki_11:9).
1. Disobedience is aggravated when committed against definite commands. “And had commanded him concerning this thing” (1Ki_11:10; comp. 1Ki_6:12; 1Ki_9:6). When law is violated ignorantly it is still a sin, but is not so aggravated as when committed with the full knowledge of the prohibition. Princes who have dominion over others are apt to forget the Divine dominion over them, and while they exact obedience from their own subjects, to neglect on their part to render obedience to the Great Ruler of all. The mariner who disregards the lights and landmarks which define the path of safety is the more reprehensible when he wrecks his vessel among the treacherous shoals.
2. Disobedience it aggravated when committed notwithstanding repealed Divine manifestation. The Lord “appeared unto him twice” (1Ki_11:9; comp. 1Ki_3:5; 1Ki_9:1-2). Good turns aggravate unkindnesses. It is a great privilege to receive the law through the lips of God’s ministers, but a greater still to hear it from the lips of God Himself. Solomon was singularly favoured with Divine blessings. His recalcitrance excited the greater displeasure, and merited the greater punishment. The Lord does not trifle with men in the declarations of His word, and He will not eventually allow men to trifle with Him.
III. That the Divine anger will manifest itself in some form of punishment (1Ki_11:11). The threat to divide the kingdom was carried out: the subsequent repentance and restoration of Solomon did not prevent it. There are some things in which repentance comes too late. Repentance does not arrest the course of physical law. It must have been a bitter experience to Solomon to know that the magnificent empire it had been his life-work to build up must ere long be rent asunder and crumble into ruins. “Solomon had let go the sincere service of God by sharing himself betwixt Him and his idols; his servant therefore shall share the kingdon with his son, and bear away the better half from him.” The Divine anger is not a theological scare-crow set up to frighten timid souls, but a terrible reality, as the evil-doer will by-and-by discover to his dismay. Homer has given expression to a similar idea:—
Fast by the threshold of Jove’s court are placed
Two casks, one stored with evil, one with good.
To whom He gives unmixed
The bitter cup, He makes that man a curse,
His name becomes a by word of reproach,
His strength is hunger-bitten, and he walks
The blessed earth unblest, go where he may.
IV. That the Divine anger is ever tempered with mercy.
1. Mercy in delaying punishment. “Notwithstanding in thy day I will not do it” (1Ki_11:12). Compare a similar mitigation of punishment promised to Josiah (2Ki_22:20). Delay affords space for repentance. If the opportunity it presents is despised, the punishment will be the heavier, and the sufferer be without excuse.
2. Mercy in moderating the severity of punishment. “Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom, but will give one tribe to thy son” (1Ki_11:13). Two tribes were really retained. The tribe of Benjamin seems to have been absorbed into the tribe of Judah, to which David belonged (1Ki_12:21). This second mitigation of the sentence reveals the tender compassion of God, and His unwillingness to punish. Solomon did not at once turn from God: his defection was gradual; and Jehovah did not at once wrest the kingdom from him. This additional proof of the Divine mercy must have greatly affected Solomon; and there is room to hope that it led him to repent and retrace his wanderings. Kindness succeeds where a stern severity fails.
3. Mercy shown on account of ulterior Divine purposes. “For David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen” (1Ki_11:13). The line of the Messiah must be preserved. The prevailing lion must come out of the tribe of Judah: not only the tribe must be preserved, but the regal line and the regal right. All this must be done for the true David’s sake; and this was undoubtedly, observes Dr. A. Clarke, what God had in view by thus miraculously preserving the tribe of Judah and the royal line in the midst of so general a defection. As David was a type of the Messiah, so was Jerusalem a type of the true church: therefore the old Jerusalem must be preserved in the hands of the tribe of Judah, till the true David should establish the new Jerusalem in the same land and in the same city. And what a series of providences did it require to do all these things! The prosperous career of Solomon was only part of a great scheme for the benefit of the entire race; and the failure of even so great a man as Solomon must not be allowed to frustrate the Divine intention.
LESSONS:—
1. Man cannot sin with impunity.
2. The Divine anger is righteous.
3. The manifestation of the Divine anger it terrible.
4. God has more delight in showing mercy than in punishing.
5. He who most delights in mercy most resembles God.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki_11:9. Had not this man’s delinquency been strongly marked by the Divine disapprobation, it would have had a fatal effect upon the morals of mankind. Vice is vice, no matter who commits it. And God is as much displeased with sin in Solomon as He can be with it in the most profligate, uneducated wretch. And, although God sees the same sin in precisely the same degree of moral turpitude as to the act itself, yet there may be circumstances which greatly aggravate the offence, and subject the offender to greater punishment. Solomon was wise; he knew better: his understanding showed him the vanity as well as the wickedness of idolatry. God had appeared unto him twice. The promises of God had been fulfilled to him in a most remarkable manner. All these were aggravations of Solomon’s crimes, as to their demerit; for the same crime has, in every case, the same degree of moral turpitude in the sight of God; but circumstances may so aggravate as to require the offender to be more grievously punished: so the punishment may be legally increased where the crime is the same. Solomon deserved more punishment for his worship of Ashtoreth than any of the Sidonians did, though they performed precisely the same acts. The Sidonians had never known the true God: Solomon had been fully acquainted with Him.—A. Clarke.
1Ki_11:9-11. The sin of idolatry.
1. Is a tendency of fallen humanity.
2. Is an insult to God.
3. Is a violation of the most specific prohibitions.
4. Is the cause of national disgrace and ruin.
1Ki_11:9-13. The punishments that fell upon Solomon show us—I. The holiness and righteousness of God (Psa_145:17; Jer_17:10; Luk_12:47). II. His faithfulness and mercy (1Ki_11:12-13). He knows how to punish so that His gracious promises remain firm (2Ti_2:13; Rom_3:3). God makes known to us His judgments through His Word, so that we may have time to repent and to turn unto Him (Eze_33:2). If judgment fell specially on Solomon, notwithstanding the fact that the Lord appeared unto him twice in a dream, and he was honoured with distinguished grace, what judgment must we expect, to whom He has appeared tenderly in Christ Jesus (1Co_1:30; Heb_2:3; Heb_10:29). God knows how, in the proper time, to belittle him who abandons and forsakes the Lord and His cause in order to become great and distinguished in the eyes of the world (Dan_4:34).—Lange.
1Ki_11:12-13. In the midst of the horror of this spectacle, able to affright all the sons of men, behold some glimpse of comfort. Was it of Solomon that David his father prophesied—“Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand”? If sensible grace, yet final mercy, was not taken from that beloved of God. In the hardest of this winter, the sap was gone down to the root, though it showed not in the branches. Even while Solomon removed, that word stood fast: “He shall be my son, and I will be his father.” He that foresaw his sin, threatened and limited his correction (Psa_89:31-33). Behold, the favour of God doth not depend upon Solomon’s obedience. If Solomon shall suffer his faithfulness to fail towards his God; God will not requite him with the failing of his faithfulness to Solomon: if Solomon break his covenant with God, God will not break His covenant with the father of Solomon, with the son of David. He shall smart; he shall not perish. O gracious word of the God of all mercies, able to give strength to the languishing, comfort to the despairing, to the dying, life! Whatsoever we are, thou wilt be still thyself, O Holy one of Israel, true to thy covenant. The sins of thy chosen can neither frustrate thy counsel, nor outstrip thy mercies.—Bp. Hall.
1Ki_11:13. One tribe remains to him—that is, of the Divine grace only a single part of the sovereignty over all Israel is left to him. This view is confirmed by the observation that even the standing distribution in the Old Testament of Israel into twelve tribes has its most proper ground, not in the fact that Jacob had exactly twelve sons, as after the recognition of Ephraim and Manasseh as separate tribes, the people properly formed thirteen tribes; but is to be sought in the import which this number had acquired in the remotest antiquity by the observation of the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac.—Keil.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7, 9 Chemosh ... Molech
Chemosh ... Molech
These are the names of false gods. (See: How to Translate Names)
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sacrificed to their gods at them
Here the words "at them" refer to the shrines that Solomon built.
translationWords
Solomon
high place
Moab
Jerusalem
Molech
Ammon
alien
incense
sacrifice
false god
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7, 9 11:7 The Moabite god Chemosh is mentioned on the…
11:7 The Moabite god Chemosh is mentioned on the Mesha Stela (Moabite Stone) detailing the Moabite-Israelite conflict (see 2 Kgs 3).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.