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 who were princesses and three hundred who were concubines, and they turned his heart away. 4When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. 6Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, and unlike his father David, he did not remain loyal to the Lord. 7At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, and for Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites, on the hill across from Jerusalem.

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 11:33For they have abandoned me; they have bowed down to Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, to Chemosh, the god of Moab, and to Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in my ways to do what is right in my sight and to carry out my statutes and my judgments as his father David did.
• Judges 2:13for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.
• Judges 10:6Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.
• 1 Samuel 7:3Samuel told them, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths that are among you, set your hearts on the Lord, and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
• 1 Samuel 12:10Then they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we abandoned the Lord and worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now rescue us from the power of our enemies, and we will serve you.’
• 2 Kings 23:13The king also defiled the high places that were across from Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the abhorrent idol of the Sidonians; for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab; and for Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites.
• Jeremiah 2:10Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look. Send someone to Kedar and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this:
• 1 Kings 11:7At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, and for Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites, on the hill across from Jerusalem.
• Leviticus 18:21“You are not to sacrifice any of your children in the fire to Molech. Do not profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.
• Leviticus 20:2“Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or alien residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the country are to stone him.
• Zephaniah 1:5those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the stars in the sky; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the Lord but also pledge loyalty to Milcom;

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