1 Kings 11:5

1 Kings 11:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
• New International Version (NIV)He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

Context of 1 Kings 11:5

3He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away [from God]. 4For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not completely devoted to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the [fertility] goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the horror (detestable idol) of the Ammonites. 6Solomon did evil [things] in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as his father David had done. 7Then Solomon built a high place for [worshiping] Chemosh the horror (detestable idol) of Moab, on the hill which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the horror (detestable idol) of the sons of Ammon.

1 Kings 11:5 word by word

וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אַחֲרֵ֣י עַשְׁתֹּ֔רֶת אֱלֹהֵ֖י צִדֹנִ֑ים וְאַחֲרֵ֣י מִלְכֹּ֔ם שִׁקֻּ֖ץ עַמֹּנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010
• wentיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• Ashtorethעַשְׁתֹּ֫רֶת‛ashtôreth · AshtorethH6253
• the goddessאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• of the Zidoniansצִידֹנִיtsîydônîy tsidônîy · SidonianH6722
• Milcomמִלכֹּםmalkâm milkôm · MilcomH4445
• the abominationשִׁקּוּץshiqqûts shiqqûts · abominationH8251
• of the Ammonitesעַמּוֹנִי‛ammônîy · AmmonH5984

Cross-references for 1 Kings 11:5

• 1 Kings 11:33because they have abandoned Me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways and followed My commandments, doing what is right in My sight and keeping My statutes and My ordinances as did his father David.
• Judges 2:13So they abandoned the Lord and served Baal [the pagan god of the Canaanites] and the Ashtaroth.
• Judges 10:6Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; they served the Baals, the Ashtaroth (female deities), the gods of Aram (Syria), the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not serve Him.
• 1 Samuel 7:3Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth (pagan goddesses) from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only; and He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.”
• 1 Samuel 12:10They cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘We have sinned because we have abandoned (rejected) the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now rescue us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’
• 2 Kings 23:13The king desecrated the high places which were opposite [east of] Jerusalem, which were on the right (south) of the mount of corruption which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the repulsiveness of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the repulsiveness of Moab, and for Milcom the repulsiveness of the sons (descendants) of Ammon.
• Jeremiah 2:10“For cross over to the coasts of Kittim (Cyprus) [to the west] and see, Send also to Kedar (Arabia) [to the east] and carefully observe and consider And see whether there has been such [a thing] as this!
• 1 Kings 11:7Then Solomon built a high place for [worshiping] Chemosh the horror (detestable idol) of Moab, on the hill which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the horror (detestable idol) of the sons of Ammon.
• Leviticus 18:21You shall not give any of your children to offer them [by fire as a sacrifice] to Molech [the god of the Ammonites], nor shall you profane the name of your God [by honoring idols as gods]. I am the Lord.
• Leviticus 20:2“Moreover, you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘Any Israelite or any stranger residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech (the god of the Ammonites) [as a human sacrifice] shall most certainly be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
• Zephaniah 1:5And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] on their housetops And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the Lord and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],

Commentaries on 1 Kings 11:5

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Ashtoreth was the Canaanite goddess of love and war. She was widely worshiped in the ancient Near East. She was also known as Ishtar and Astarte. The worship practices of Astarte influenced the Greek worship of the goddess Aphrodite. The worship of Molech, the god of the Ammonites, involved sacrificing children by fire (1 Kings 11:7; see Leviticus 20:1–5; 2 Kings 16:3; 23:5–10; Jeremiah 7:30–33; 19:4–6; 32:35). The writer strongly condemns these practices…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-75-7. Ashtoreth--Astarte, Milcom--Molech, and Chemosh--He built altars for these three; but, although he is described (1Ki 11:8) as doing the same for "all his strange wives," there is no evidence that they had idols distinct from these; and there is no trace whatever of Egyptian idolatry.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 11:5

• Ashtoreth
• Backsliders
• Character
• Fellowship
• Instability
• Molech
• Polygamy
• Rulers
• Solomon
• Wife
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Ashtoreth
• Solomon
• Ammonite
• Clad
• Moloch
• Notwithstanding
• Rend
• Abomination
• Abomination of Desolation
• Agriculture

Commentaries on 1 Kings 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings