There were specific instructions for the king of Israel to not acquire many wives for himself, since that could have the effect of turning his heart away from the Lord. New International Version (NIV). Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! So, we are here because we want to offer all the answers to all of your questions about us. A wise as King Solomon in the bible, why did he choose to have so many wives and concubine? Born to his parentsa year before Solomon reigned as king of Judah and Israel, he wasnt raised with the virtues of God. Rehoboam died after ruling for 17 years. Each of his first six wives bore David a son, while Bathsheba bore him four sons. WebNevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. King Solomon accepted her offer and married her. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? Seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. 9. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. 3He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines,(D) and his wives led him astray. 11So the Lord said to Solomon, Because you have chosen to break your agreement with me and have not obeyed my commands, I will tear your kingdom away from you and give it to one of your officers. Some of these relationships were friendly and beneficial, while others were less positive. April 30, 2023. According to the Bible, King Solomon had many wives and concubines, and it is likely that he had many children as a result. "Women of Solomon: Bible." 23And God raised up against Solomon another adversary,(Z) Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer(AA) king of Zobah. Due to the indiscretions of Solomon, the united kingdom of Judah and Israel had begun to falter. According to the Bible, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth In addition to these famous wives, King Solomon married the daughter of the king of Gaza. How many wives and concubines did King Solomon had? Of the eight, five are mentioned only once. Rezon had run away from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. Along with theAmmonites and Amalekites, Elgon attacked the people and took over their city, the City of Palms. NIV, The Woman's Study Bible, Full-Color, Red Letter: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation, NIV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NIV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story, NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture, NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible, Comfort Print: Follow Gods Redemptive Plan as It Unfolds throughout Scripture. However, the Bible only mentions a few of his Bathsheba The relationships between King Solomon and his wives and concubines have significantly impacted his legacy. 'king') and nab (, lit. 38If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right(AS) in my eyes by obeying my decrees(AT) and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. Is a downhill scooter lighter than a downhill MTB with same performance? When King Solomon was a young man, he traveled with a caravan through the land of Gaza. The tradition in 1 Kgs 11:18 about Solomons marriage to foreign wives, whether based on historical records or not, employs the motif of the dangerous foreign woman to condemn Solomon for idolatry in his later years (see Neh 13:26). His wives were to have included the daughter of Pharaoh and the women of Moabite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite origins. This relationship is said to have led to the majority of Israel turning away from the worship of God and falling into idolatry. There is, in fact, no such prohibition in Scripture, EXCEPT for Church LEADERS! Solomon was filling in the land and repairing the wall of Jerusalem, the city of David, his father. If they chose to continue to practice their native customs and cults, they would pass these on to their children and might also influence their husbands to adopt some non-Israelite practices as well. Who Was Naamah, Wife of Solomon, Mother of Rehoboam. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. He reigned from 968 to 928 B.C.E. 25Rezon was Israels adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. Are there any canonical examples of the Prime Directive being broken that aren't shown on screen? Did Solomon himself actually offer sacrifices to other gods? King Solomon with three of his wives by Giovanni Venanzi di Pesaro. Abigail: Davids second wife, Abigail, is found in 1 Samuel 25 during the saga of Davids life when he fled King Saul. 21While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Reporting from London. Photo credit: Getty Images/Monkey Business Images. The stories of King Solomon wives are essential because they help us learn more about the rulers life. If they were recorded, it would be a book in and of itself. Why did King Solomon have so many wives and concubines? During the time of his inauguration another central figure, Jeroboam returned from exile. Perhaps this is why Solomon needed so many wives and concubines. in Narrative Technique. In A An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 5He followed Ashtoreth(H) the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek(I) the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did not follow the Lord completely as his father David had done. 15Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. Answer King David had many wives, according to the Bible, although only eight of them are named. England: 1985. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). The Rabbis claim this was a divine punishment for Solomon's having failed to follow three divine commands, and Solomon was forced to wander from city to city, until he eventually arrived in an Ammonite city where he was forced to work in the king's kitchens. Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings, edited by Athalya Brenner, They have lasting effects. 24After David defeated the army of Zobah, Rezon gathered some men and became the leader of a small army. They not only gave him advice and counsel, but they also helped to shape his political decisions. ), is said to have had a harem that included 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kgs 11:3). Nothing, Hadad replied, but do let me go!. I have been having this concerns for a while so I thought I could ask to get some clarity on it. You will not find the names of all of Solomons wives. David offered his services to a man named Nabal, Abigails husband before David. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. King Solomon, who has great riches in wisdom and all the worlds wealth, obedient and faithful king to the Lord, may still stumble and cause an excellent sin for his idolatry in marrying many women, which has caused his heart a significant burden that leads him to repentance. King Solomon decided to attack Egypt and take back the treasure when he heard this. If they decided to continue practicing their customs and cult, they would influence these in their children and might sway their husbands to embrace some non-Israelite practices. 39I will humble Davids descendants because of this, but not forever.. What Do We Know About Naamah in the Bible? The Wife We can infer from this that at least some, or perhaps many, of the marriages were likely marriage alliances (which is why 1 Kings 11:1 notes that many of them were foreign). WebKing Solomon with his wives. Solomon have If we believe the sages of tradition, Solomon spent the rest of his life gathering wisdom and wine, whores and wives, vanities upon vanities. Hes believed to have had as many as 700 wives and 300 concubines from different religions. King Solomon is said to have been wise and wealthy, and his many wives were a testament to his power and influence. We dont live in isolation and neither do our actions and sins. How many wives does Deuteronomy allow a king to have? Among the many nations, there is no king like him. 11King Solomon loved many women who were not from Israel. He was an Ephraimite from the town of Zeredah, and he was the son of a widow named Zeruah. king Solomon As influential as the King of Israel is, hundreds of women had their eyes on the king. When she heard of King Solomons reputation as a wise man, she decided to travel to Jerusalem to present herself as a wife to him. Simple deform modifier is deforming my object. He would also often build these women shrines and temples of their 13I will not tear away all the kingdom from him, but I will leave him one tribe to rule. The Bible also tells us that these wives turned Solomon away from God, leading to his downfall. 1 Kings 11:3 states He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three Solomons foreign wives, by contrast, portray the negative side of foreign women. 1 Kings 11:3 - Solomon's Foreign Wives - Bible Hub History of Ancient Israel and Judah. 40Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled(AV) to Egypt, to Shishak(AW) the king, and stayed there until Solomons death. And we are told how many wives he had (1 Kings 11:1-10). If Solomon also averaged the same ratio of children per spouse as his son Rehoboam then he would have How many children did King Solomon had in the Bible? Start your free trial today! Its hard to define a moment where both Solomon andRehoboam turned away from God. This site is dedicated to all kinds of people. While it is believed that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, there is some debate about the exact number. Solomon and the king's daughter wandered the desert until they reached a coastal city, where they bought a fish to eat, which just happened to be the one which had swallowed the magic ring. Narnian. We tend to follow in the footsteps of our parents as was the case with Rehoboam. The Lord was angry with Solomon, 10because he had commanded Solomon not to follow other gods. A So he was an enemy of Israel all the time Solomon was alive. The latter group is usually understood to represent wives who were added to the harem as a means of sealing treaty agreements with these five foreign powers. 3 He had seven hundred wives who were from royal families and three hundred slave women who gave birth to his children. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. In the end his kingdom is divided and his legacy is the punch-line/by-word of the Deuteronomist's warning against kings. Who were Solomons wives? | Bible.org Article. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. Brenner, Athalya. [1] She was an Ammonite, and, as such, one of only two of all the Queen Mothers of Israel or Judah who was a foreigner (the other being Jezebel). How many wives did King David have? | GotQuestions.org King Solomon was crowned as the third king of Israel. The other three wives 1 Kings 11:3 records that among Solomon's women were 700 princesses and 300 concubines. WebSolomon, third king of Israel (reigned c. 968928 B.C.E. The And why did he not marry one wife? Episode 91: Israel at 75: Voices of Protest. 1 Kings 11:2 These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts Deuteronomy 17: 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, You are not to go back that way again. 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He even built altars to the foreign gods, encouraging idol worship of false deities. Unfortunately, Rehoboam followed the advice of his peers leading him to lose half of his kingdom. WebSolomon clung to these in love. What is Wario dropping at the end of Super Mario Land 2 and why? Web3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. The Like Potiphars wife (Genesis 39), Samsons wife (Judges 1416), and the foreign woman of Proverbs 19, they remain loyal to their own personal or political interests and, as a result, disrupt law and order in their adoptive Israelite community.