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 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him. 4When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. Solomon worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. 6Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight; he did not remain loyal to the Lord, like his father David had. 7Furthermore, on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom.

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 11:33I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did.
• Judges 2:13They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars.
• Judges 10:6The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtars, as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.
• 1 Samuel 7:3Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really turning to the Lord with all your hearts, remove from among you the foreign gods and the images of Ashtoreth. Give your hearts to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
• 1 Samuel 12:10Then they cried out to the Lord and admitted, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth. Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we may serve you.’
• 2 Kings 23:13The king ruined the high places east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Destruction, that King Solomon of Israel had built for the detestable Sidonian goddess Astarte, the detestable Moabite god Chemosh, and the horrible Ammonite god Milcom.
• Jeremiah 2:10Go west across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus and see. Send someone east to Kedar and have them look carefully. See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
• 1 Kings 11:7Furthermore, on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom.
• Leviticus 18:21You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, so that you do not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord!
• Leviticus 20:2“You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites or from the foreigners who reside in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones.
• Zephaniah 1:5I will remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, those who swear allegiance to the Lord while taking oaths in the name of their ‘king,’

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