The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 218

CHAPTER XI. 1-18. little personal ooneideration In the one oase as in the other" (Kitto)] many [He is blamed SoLOHON's DEFECTION. -The observant fo~_their number. This was against Deut. reader will have already remarked in this xvu. 17] strange [not merely foreign, though that is the primary meaning of history some intimations of Solomon's ap- the word, bnt strange as opposed to a law- proaching fall. Among these are, first, the ful wife. Cf. Prov. v. 20; vi. 24; vii. 5, repeated warnings which are addressed to &c. No doubt the harlots in Israel were him, especially in eh. ix. 6-9, and, second, principally aliens] women, together with his repeated transgressions of the law by ['1l-n~-n.~l i.e., praeter filiamPh. (Manrer). which he rnled. We have already heard Pharaoh's daughter is regarded as his lawful wife] the daughter of Pharaoh [see of the multiplication of silver and gold note on oh. iii. 1] , women of the Moabites, (eh. x. 14-25), in defiance of Dent. xvii. Ammonites [Heb. Moabitesses, &c. Per- 17, and of the multiplication of horses haps these two nations are mentioned first (eh. x. 27-29), in disregard of ver.16 of the because such alliances as these, though so.me chapter. We now read how the rnin not forbidden in terms by the law, would nevertheless, from its spirit and bearing of thiB great prince was completed by the towards these races, be looked upon with multiplication of wives. The historian especial disfavour. If the A.mmonite or obviously had the words of Dent. xvii in his Moabitewas not to be received into the con- mind as he wrote. It is remarkable that gregation until the tenth generation (Deut. the chronicler is altogether silent as to xxiii. 3) ; if the Israelite was not to seek their peace or prosperity all the days of Solomon's fall, as he is also as to David's his life (ver. 6), then the idea of inter- sin. marriage with them must have been alto- Ver. 1.-But [Heb . .And. This chapter is a gether repugnant to the Hebrew polity, as direct continuation of the preceding. LXX. indeed we may gather from the book of Ruth], rru o /3a111AEvt .:.r.:\. The polygamy was but Edom1tes [Favourably distinguished (Deut. a part of his worldliness, like the chariots, xxiii. 7) from the two preceding races. The gold, &c.] king Solomon loved [The LXX. Edomite was a "brother." His children of ,iv q,J..oyuv11r is misleading. It is perfectly the third generation might enter into the clear that it cannot have been mere sensn- congregation], Zidonians [Rawlinson thinks ality led to this enormons harem. This is this word lends " some e01mtenance to the evident from (1) his time of life. It was tradition recorded by Menander (ap. Clem. "when he was old "-i.e., when passions Alex. • Strom.' i. p. 386), that Solomon a.re not at their strongest-that his wives married a daughter of Hiram, king of Tyre." turned away hiB heart. (2) The nnmber- But such tradition was snre to arise; the if the nnmbers are to be trn.sted--0f hiB uxorious character of Solomon and his close wives. A thousand concnbines cannot be relations with Hiram are quite sufficient to kept for mere purposes of passion. (3) The account for its growth. And a daughter of large nnmber of princesses, which shows Hiram would hardly have been passed over that the object of this array of mistresses without special mention], and mttites [see was to enhance his state and renown. As on eh. x. 29] . he exceeded other kings in glory, wisdom, Ver. 2.-Of the nations concerning which and power, so mnst he excel them not only the Lord said unto the children of Israel in armies, chariots, and horses, but also in [Of the nations just enumero.ted, the law the number of his wives. It is clear, there- expressly forbade marriage with the Hittites fore, that the "lust of the eye" and "the alone (Exod. xxxiv. 11-16; Deut. vii. 1-4), pride of life" had their part in this huge though the Zidonians are probably to be establishment. " The same consideration included, as being Canaanites (Gen. x. 16). of state which leads a Western prince or But the principle which applied in the co.se no~le to multiply horses, leads an Eastern of the seven nations of Cano.an applied pnnce to multiply wives, with often BB equally to all other idola.ters. " They will CB, XI, 1-18,] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 221