1 Kings 11:4

1 Kings 11:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
• New International Version (NIV)As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.

Context of 1 Kings 11:4

2They came from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “Never intermarry with them. They will surely tempt you to follow their gods.” But Solomon was obsessed with their love. 3He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 wives who were concubines. In his old age, his wives tempted him to follow other gods. He was no longer committed to the Lord his God as his father David had been. 5Solomon followed Astarte (the goddess of the Sidonians) and Milcom (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). 6So Solomon did what the Lord considered evil. He did not wholeheartedly follow the Lord as his father David had done.

1 Kings 11:4 word by word

וַיְהִ֗י לְעֵת֙ זִקְנַ֣ת שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה נָשָׁיו֙ הִטּ֣וּ אֶת־לְבָב֔וֹ אַחֲרֵ֖י אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְלֹא־הָיָ֨ה לְבָב֤וֹ שָׁלֵם֙ עִם־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔יו כִּלְבַ֖ב דָּוִ֥יד אָבִֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For it came to pass, whenעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010
• was oldזִקְנָהziqnâh · old ageH2209
• his wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• turned awayנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• his heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• otherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
• godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• was not perfectשָׁלֵםshâlêm · completeH8003
• with the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• his fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1

Cross-references for 1 Kings 11:4

• 1 Kings 11:42The length of Solomon’s reign in Jerusalem over all Israel was 40 years.
• 1 Kings 6:1Solomon began to build the Lord’s temple 480 years after Israel left Egypt. He began building in the month of Ziv (the second month) of the fourth year of his reign over Israel.
• 1 Kings 9:10It took Solomon 20 years to build the two houses (the Lord’s house and the royal palace).
• 1 Kings 14:21Rehoboam, son of Solomon, ruled Judah. He was 41 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 17 years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel, the city where the Lord put his name. Rehoboam’s mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah.
• 1 Kings 11:2They came from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “Never intermarry with them. They will surely tempt you to follow their gods.” But Solomon was obsessed with their love.
• Deuteronomy 7:4These people will turn your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the Lord will get very angry with you and will quickly destroy you.
• Deuteronomy 17:17The king must never have a large number of wives, or he will turn away ⌞from God⌟. And he must never own a lot of gold and silver.
• Nehemiah 13:26I said, “Wasn’t it because of marriages like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? There wasn’t a king like him among all nations. God loved him, and God made him king of all Israel. But his non-Israelite wives led him to sin.
• 1 Kings 11:6So Solomon did what the Lord considered evil. He did not wholeheartedly follow the Lord as his father David had done.
• 1 Kings 6:12“This concerns the temple you are building: If you live by my laws, follow my rules, and keep my commands, I will fulfill the promise I made about you to your father David.
• 1 Kings 8:61May your hearts be committed to the Lord our God. Then you will live by his laws and keep his commands as you have today.”
• 1 Kings 9:4“If you will be faithful to me as your father David was (with a sincere and upright heart), do everything I command, and keep my laws and rules,
• 1 Kings 15:3He followed the sinful example his father had set and wasn’t committed to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.
• 2 Kings 20:3“Please, Lord, remember how I’ve lived faithfully and sincerely in your presence. I’ve done what you consider right.” And he cried bitterly.
• 1 Chronicles 28:9“And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⌞we have⌟. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on.
• 1 Chronicles 29:19Make my son Solomon completely committed ⌞to you⌟ so that he will obey your commands, requests, and laws and do everything to build the palace I have planned.”

Commentaries on 1 Kings 11:4

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-8he did not follow the LORD completely: David committed a serious sin, but he truly repented when God's prophet confronted him (2 Samuel 11:1–12:23; Psalm 51:1–4). However, Solomon ignored God's warnings (1 Kings 3:14; 6:12–13; 9:4–9) and did not learn from Israel's history. Instead, he repeated their sins.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. when Solomon was old--He could not have been more than fifty. his wives turned away his heart after other gods--Some, considering the lapse of Solomon into idolatry as a thing incredible, regard him as merely humoring his wives in the practice of their superstition; and, in countenancing their respective rites by his presence, as giving only an outward homage--a sensible worship, in which neither his understanding nor his heart was engaged. The apology…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 11:4

• Backsliders
• Character
• Fellowship
• Influence
• Instability
• Molech
• Perfection
• Polygamy
• Rulers
• Solomon
• Temptation
• Wife
• Women

In the dictionaries

• David
• God
• Solomon
• Clad
• Notwithstanding
• Rend
• Agriculture
• Gods
• Jeroboam
• Kings, Books of

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