SOLOMON'S ERRORS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES. HIS DEATH This chapter furnishes an account of Solomon's marriages with numerous foreign princesses, and traces the evil effect of such in the toleration of idolatry, which provoked the Lord's anger. This was manifested in the growth of opposition abroad and... [ Continue Reading ]
SEVEN HUNDRED WIVES] The Persian king Darius Codomannus is said to have had, besides his own wife, 329 concubines.... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT PERFECT] Solomon's heart was divided between the Lord and other gods. Without abandoning the service of Jehovah, he tolerated, and even took part in, the religious rites practised by his wives. His luxury and sensuality led to more serious errors still.... [ Continue Reading ]
ASHTORETH] the Phœnician name of the goddess worshipped by the Babylonians under the title of Ishtar, the goddess of love. MILCOM] identical with the Molech of 1 Kings 11:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUILD AN HIGH PLACE] i.e. construct an altar or sanctuary upon a height. Chemosh] The name of this god occurs on the inscription of Mesha, king of Moab, who was contemporary with Ahab. BEFORE JERUSALEM] i.e. E. of Jerusalem, the corresponding expression 'behind' being used to denote the W. (Joshua 8... [ Continue Reading ]
DAVID.. EDOM] see 2 Samuel 8:14. JOAB] cp. Psalms 60 (title). According to 1 Chronicles 18:12 the actual victory over the Edomites was gained by Abishai, the brother of Joab.... [ Continue Reading ]
MIDIAN.. PARAN] NE. and N. of the Sinaitic peninsula.... [ Continue Reading ]
PHARAOH] either the Egyptian king whose daughter Solomon had married, or his predecessor.... [ Continue Reading ]
ZOBAH] a small Syrian state lying eastward of Mt. Hermon.... [ Continue Reading ]
DAMASCUS] According to 2 Samuel 8:6; David had placed garrisons in Damascus, which Rezon and his followers must have expelled.... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHRATHITE] i.e. an Ephraimite (as in 1 Samuel 1:1), not a Bethlehemite (as in Ruth 1:2).... [ Continue Reading ]
MADE HIM.. CHARGE] RV 'gave him charge over all the labour'; see 1 Kings 5:13; 1 Kings 5:14. As the system of forced labour introduced by Solomon had as its object the adornment of his capital, which was most closely connected with Judah and Benjamin, it would be the more resented by the other tribe... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SHILONITE] i.e. a native of Shiloh (1 Kings 14:2).... [ Continue Reading ]
RENT IT.. PIECES] The prophets frequently illustrated the meaning of their utterances by the use of impressive symbolic actions: see 1 Kings 22:11; Isaiah 20:2; Jeremiah 19:1; Ezekiel 12 Zechariah 11:7; Zechariah 11:10; Zechariah 11:14... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE TRIBE] in 1 Kings 12:21; 1 Kings 12:23; Benjamin is reckoned with Judah, but see on 1 Kings 12:20.... [ Continue Reading ]
A LIGHT] cp. Psalms 132:17 and contrast Job 18:6. The figure is drawn from the fire or lamp which is usually associated with a permanent habitation.... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THOU WILT HEARKEN] the same condition as in Job 9:4. A SURE HOUSE] i.e. a long and unbroken line of descendants. As the condition imposed was not fulfilled, the promise was not carried out, and Jeroboam's house was extirpated in the second generation by Baasha.... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT FOR EVER] in spite of the humiliation suffered by the house of David through Jeroboam's revolt, the Davidic dynasty in Judah outlasted the kingdom of the Ten Tribes; and though it finally lost all temporal power, it attained higher preëminence than ever when Christ was born of Mary, a descendant... [ Continue Reading ]
SOUGHT.. TO KILL] This implies that Jeroboam had excited the king's suspicions by some open act of disloyalty. SHISHAK] i.e. Sheshonk, the first king of the 22nd dynasty, of Libyan descent.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BOOK, etc.] probably a history based on the official documents kept by the. 'recorder.' The instructiveness of Solomon's history is twofold. (1) Outward zeal for the honour of the Lord, such as Solomon showed by building the Temple, is no proof of inward devotion. (2) Material blessings bestowed... [ Continue Reading ]