1 Kings 11:2 kjv
Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
1 Kings 11:2 nkjv
from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.
1 Kings 11:2 niv
They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
1 Kings 11:2 esv
from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.
1 Kings 11:2 nlt
The LORD had clearly instructed the people of Israel, "You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods." Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.
1 Kings 11 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol... for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..." | God's exclusive claim & jealousy against idolatry. |
| Ex 23:24 | "You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them... but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces." | Command to destroy idols and avoid their worship. |
| Ex 34:14 | "for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." | Direct statement of God's jealousy for exclusive worship. |
| Ex 34:15-16 | "lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land... and you take of their daughters for your sons..." | Prohibition against covenants/intermarriage with pagans. |
| Lev 18:3-4 | "You shall not do according to the deeds of the land of Egypt... nor according to the deeds of the land of Canaan... You shall observe My ordinances and keep My statutes." | Call to separation from surrounding pagan practices. |
| Dt 4:24 | "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." | God's fiery jealousy and intolerance of sin. |
| Dt 6:14-15 | "You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples... For the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God." | Warning against apostasy and reiteration of God's jealousy. |
| Dt 7:3-4 | "Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters... for surely they will turn your sons away from following Me..." | Direct source of the prohibition and its rationale. |
| Dt 13:7-8 | "...gods of the peoples... from one end of the earth... You shall not consent to him or listen to him..." | Warning against enticing to idolatry. |
| Josh 23:12-13 | "For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations... know certainly that the LORD your God will not continue to drive out these nations..." | Consequences of alliance/intermarriage: divine judgment. |
| Josh 24:19 | "Joshua said to the people, 'You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God...'" | Reinforces God's holiness and His demanding jealousy. |
| Judg 2:1-3 | "I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you." | Failed obedience leading to remaining foreign presence & temptation. |
| 1 Kgs 11:1 | "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women... from the nations concerning which the LORD had said..." | Immediate context; Solomon's direct violation of this command. |
| 1 Kgs 11:4 | "For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods..." | Direct fulfillment of the warning about hearts being turned. |
| 1 Kgs 11:9-11 | "The LORD was angry with Solomon... He turned his heart away from the LORD God of Israel... So the LORD said... I will surely tear the kingdom from you." | Divine wrath and judgment on Solomon for apostasy. |
| 2 Chr 12:1-2 | "When the rule of Rehoboam was established... he abandoned the law of the LORD... they acted faithlessly against the LORD." | Long-term consequences of Israel's widespread apostasy, stemming from Solomon. |
| Ezr 9:1-2 | "The people of Israel... have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands... For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves..." | Repentance for intermarriage post-exile, acknowledging the ancient sin. |
| Neh 13:23-27 | "In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod... and I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them..." | Nehemiah's forceful action against renewed intermarriage. |
| Hos 4:12 | "My people consult their wooden idols... for a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, and they have played the harlot, departing from their God." | Prophetic language portraying idolatry as spiritual adultery, against a jealous God. |
| Mk 7:6-8 | "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites... they worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men... Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." | Echoes the danger of turning away from divine commands through human influence. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | "even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God... their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools... exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image..." | Explains how the heart is turned away and leads to idolatry. |
| 1 Cor 7:39 | "A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord." | New Testament principle of marriage "in the Lord," emphasizing spiritual alignment. |
| 2 Cor 6:14-16 | "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness... Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?" | Prohibition of "unequal yoking" for believers, paralleling the separation command. |
| Jas 4:4 | "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." | The spiritual adultery of desiring the world over God. |
| Rev 2:14-15 | "But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam... who teach Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality." | The perennial danger of idolatry and compromise through foreign influence within God's people. |
1 Kings 11 verses
1 Kings 11 2 Meaning
This verse recounts the divine prohibition against the children of Israel forming alliances or marrying into the surrounding pagan nations. The foundational reason given for this strict command is the inevitable spiritual corruption that would ensue: such relationships would turn Israel's collective "heart" away from their covenant God, leading them into the worship of foreign deities. The principle is underscored by the absolute demand for exclusive devotion from the Lord, who declares Himself a "jealous God," intolerant of any rival gods or affections among His people. This established divine standard serves as the backdrop to understanding subsequent narratives of Israel's faithfulness or failure, particularly Solomon's personal transgressions against this command.
1 Kings 11 2 Context
This verse is situated immediately after 1 Kings 11:1, which states that King Solomon "loved many foreign women" from nations specifically forbidden by the Lord. Verse 2, therefore, does not introduce a new command but explicitly refers back to a pre-existing divine injunction given centuries earlier to the children of Israel. This reference highlights Solomon's direct, conscious transgression of foundational covenant law. The broader chapter then proceeds to detail the tragic consequences of this disobedience: Solomon's heart being turned to other gods (1 Kgs 11:4), his building of high places for idols (1 Kgs 11:7-8), the Lord's anger, and the subsequent judgment of tearing the kingdom away from his lineage (1 Kgs 11:9-13). Historically, the command against intermarriage and close alliances was paramount as Israel settled in Canaan. The land was saturated with polytheistic beliefs, idolatrous practices often involving child sacrifice, and pervasive fertility cults. Maintaining distinctness from these cultures was vital for Israel's unique identity as God's chosen people and the purity of their worship. The injunction was a strong polemic against syncretism and polytheism prevalent in the Ancient Near East, emphasizing Yahweh's exclusive claim on His people.
1 Kings 11 2 Word analysis
"Of the nations": Hebrew: min ha-goyim (מִן־הַגּוֹיִם). Refers to specific, designated non-Israelite peoples. The article "the" indicates these were well-known, prescribed groups, primarily those surrounding Canaan with their distinct pagan worship. This is a deliberate distinction from "all humanity," emphasizing particular ethnic and religious entities.
"concerning which the LORD said": Establishes the divine origin and authoritative nature of the prohibition. "LORD" (Hebrew: YHWH, יְהוָה) signifies God's covenant name, underscoring that this command came from the very God with whom Israel had entered into a unique, binding agreement. This is not a human decree but an absolute, immutable word from their Sovereign.
"unto the children of Israel": Identifies the specific recipients. "Children of Israel" (Hebrew: bene Yisra'el, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל) emphasizes their covenant identity as God's chosen, set-apart people, distinct from all other nations. The command was exclusively for them to maintain their spiritual purity.
"Ye shall not go in to them": A clear and emphatic prohibition. The Hebrew verb "go in" (bo’, בּוֹא) implies entering into a relationship, particularly an intimate one like marriage, as the context of marrying foreign women clearly indicates. It warns against any step that begins the process of spiritual entanglement.
"neither shall they come in unto you": A reciprocal injunction, stressing that the prohibition is two-sided. It prevents foreign influence from entering Israel, reinforcing the need for Israel to guard against any spiritual or relational infiltration that would compromise their covenant relationship with God. It emphasizes mutual separation for the sake of purity.
"for surely they will turn away your heart": Introduces the dire consequence and primary rationale for the command. "Surely" (kî, כִּי) expresses certainty. "Turn away" (Hebrew: nāṭâ, נָטָה) conveys a deliberate diversion, inclining, or seduction. This implies a powerful spiritual shift. "Your heart" (Hebrew: levav-chem, לְבַבְכֶם) is the core of a person's being—the seat of their will, affections, intellect, and moral choices. To "turn away the heart" means a shift in fundamental loyalty and devotion.
"after their gods": Specifies the ultimate spiritual corruption—following foreign deities (Hebrew: 'elohim acheirim, אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים). This means adopting their religious systems, rituals, and practices, a direct violation of the first two commandments of the Decalogue. This is the gravest outcome God sought to prevent.
"ye shall not cleave unto them": Another explicit prohibition using strong language. "Cleave" (Hebrew: dāvaq, דָבַק) denotes adhering tightly, sticking, joining firmly. In other contexts, this word describes Israel's intended devotion to the Lord (e.g., Dt 4:4). Here, it is precisely this intimate devotion that is forbidden with pagan nations, demanding absolute distinction and fidelity.
"for the LORD your God is a jealous God": The ultimate theological ground for all these commands. "LORD your God" (Hebrew: YHWH Eloheykhem, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם) underscores His covenant identity. "Jealous God" (Hebrew: ’ēl qannā’, אֵל קַנָּא) describes a divine attribute of holy zeal. It's not human envy but God's fervent desire to protect His exclusive right to the worship and devotion of His covenant people. Any sharing of His people's heart with false gods is an affront to His holiness and a betrayal of the covenant relationship.
Words-group Analysis
- "Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel": This opening phrase establishes the clear divine mandate given to God's chosen people regarding specific, identifiable non-Israelite groups. It points to a well-known, pre-existing command central to Israel's national and spiritual identity.
- "Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you": This forms a reciprocal injunction emphasizing complete separation. It means not just active pursuit of relationships with forbidden nations but also passively allowing their influence or presence to permeate Israelite society. It underscores the dual danger and the imperative for mutual spiritual boundaries.
- "for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods": This clause provides the core prophetic and theological reasoning behind the prohibition. It's a divine prediction of inevitable apostasy. It highlights that the heart is the crucial battleground for faith, and external pagan influences would corrupt this internal center of devotion, leading directly to idolatry and spiritual compromise.
- "ye shall not cleave unto them: for the LORD your God is a jealous God": This pairing provides the culminating command and its ultimate, profound theological basis. "Not cleave" reiterates the call for utter distinction and non-allegiance, serving as a direct counterpoint to the required cleaving to the Lord. The phrase "for the LORD your God is a jealous God" clarifies that this demand for exclusive allegiance is rooted in God's very nature—His unyielding demand for absolute loyalty and His protective zeal for the covenant relationship, where any shared devotion is deemed a betrayal.
1 Kings 11 2 Bonus Section
The Hebrew word for "jealous" (קַנָּא, qannā’) used to describe God, carries the nuance of zeal, fervor, or passionate devotion. When applied to God, it refers to His intense and perfect zeal for His own glory, His holiness, and His covenant relationship with His people. Unlike human jealousy, which often stems from insecurity or envy, God's jealousy is righteous and holy, arising from His unique, singular status as the one true God who will not share His glory (Is 42:8) and who zealously protects His people from the destructive path of idolatry. This "jealousy" signifies His commitment to maintain the purity and integrity of the covenant He made with Israel, ultimately for their well-being. This divine characteristic highlights the utterly exclusive nature of the God-Israel covenant relationship. It makes Solomon's actions not merely a political mistake, but a profound spiritual betrayal, reflecting an "adulterous" heart (Jas 4:4) that turned away from its one true spouse.
1 Kings 11 2 Commentary
1 Kings 11:2 functions as a critical reiteration of long-standing Mosaic law, immediately following the mention of Solomon's prohibited foreign wives. It meticulously lays out God's rationale for forbidding intermarriage with surrounding nations: the absolute certainty that such unions would lead Israel's spiritual "heart" astray, fostering devotion to pagan gods. The emphasis on God as a "jealous God" reveals His intrinsic nature and the depth of His demand for exclusive worship, viewing any shared allegiance as spiritual infidelity. Solomon's transgression was thus not a minor oversight but a direct, knowing violation of a fundamental covenant principle. His renowned wisdom ultimately proved insufficient against the spiritual snare of compromise, demonstrating that covenant boundaries, born of God's love and protective zeal, are indispensable for spiritual integrity. This verse not only explains Solomon's fall but also provides a timeless warning about the subtle yet potent dangers of external influences that divert the heart from exclusive devotion to the Lord.