1 Kings 11 3

1 Kings 11:3 kjv

And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

1 Kings 11:3 nkjv

And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.

1 Kings 11:3 niv

He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

1 Kings 11:3 esv

He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

1 Kings 11:3 nlt

He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the LORD.

1 Kings 11 verses

1 Kings 11 3 Meaning

King Solomon possessed an extraordinarily vast harem, comprising seven hundred wives of royal lineage, referred to as princesses, and an additional three hundred concubines. This massive accumulation of foreign women, acquired through political alliances and personal desire, directly contradicted God's specific prohibitions for kings. The narrative explicitly states that these wives ultimately corrupted his moral and spiritual integrity, causing his heart, the very core of his allegiance and will, to turn away from complete devotion to the Lord God of Israel.

1 Kings 11 3 Context

This verse precisely details the extensive nature of King Solomon's disobedience, serving as a critical point in his tragic downfall. Chapter 11 marks a distinct shift in Solomon's narrative, moving from his unparalleled wisdom and prosperity (1 Kgs 1-10) to his catastrophic moral and spiritual apostasy. Historically and culturally, accumulating many wives, especially royal princesses from foreign lands, was a common practice among ancient Near Eastern monarchs to solidify political alliances and display power and wealth. However, for the kings of Israel, this practice was explicitly forbidden by God (Deut 17:17). Solomon's alliances, initially perhaps intended to secure his kingdom's peace and prosperity, led him to integrate foreign women who brought their own pagan deities and cultic practices directly into the heart of Israel. This narrative implicitly serves as a polemic against the dangers of political expediency over divine command, highlighting how easily foreign cultural influences could erode the unique monotheistic identity and covenant relationship of Israel. The sheer number of wives and concubines listed emphasizes the extreme extent of Solomon's violation and his disregard for God's clear instructions regarding the character and conduct of an Israelite king.

1 Kings 11 3 Word analysis

• And he had: The Hebrew phrase וַיְהִי־ל֛וֹ (vayhî-lō) means literally "And there was to him," conveying possession or existence in relation to him. This introduces the significant enumeration of his vast harem, emphasizing a quantitative accumulation.
• seven hundred wives: In Hebrew, שֶׁבַע מֵא֣וֹת נָשִׁים (ševaʿ mêʾôṯ nāšîm). This colossal number is far beyond typical royal harems and profoundly contradicts the explicit command in Deuteronomy 17:17, which warns kings against multiplying wives. It denotes an unprecedented indulgence and deviation from divine law.
• princesses: The Hebrew word שָׂר֖וֹת (śārôṯ) specifically means "noblewomen" or "princesses." This is a crucial detail, indicating that these were not merely women Solomon acquired but politically strategic marriages, often sealed with foreign rulers. These alliances frequently carried the stipulation of allowing the foreign queen to maintain her native religious practices, thereby introducing idolatry into the kingdom of Israel.
• and three hundred concubines: The Hebrew וּשְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֑ים (ûšᵊlōš mêʾôṯ pîlagšîm). Pilagshim refers to secondary wives who held a recognized, though often subordinate, legal status to wives. This adds to the extraordinary size of his harem, signaling his vast wealth and desire for pleasure and prestige, further highlighting his excessive lifestyle beyond what was prescribed by God.
• and his wives: The specific agent of Solomon's downfall. The narrative clearly places the blame, not solely on Solomon's own desires, but also on the direct influence and practices of these women.
• turned away: From the Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah), which in the Hiphil causative stem means "to cause to incline," "to lead astray," or "to pervert." This signifies a deliberate, causative action by the wives, leading Solomon into spiritual deviation. It is not passive, but an active influence on his heart's direction.
• his heart: The Hebrew word לֵב (lev or leb) denotes not merely the emotional organ but the very center of a person's being—their intellect, will, conscience, and moral character. For his "heart to turn away" signifies a complete shift in his allegiance, his inner disposition, and his core loyalty from the Lord to other gods. This is a betrayal of the deepest possible commitment.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines:" This phrase comprehensively details the quantitative and qualitative aspects of Solomon's transgression. The immense numbers convey an extravagant indulgence far beyond human necessity or wisdom, defying God's kingly mandates (Deut 17:17). The specific mention of "princesses" highlights the politically driven nature of these unions, which implicitly carried obligations to honor the deities of their homelands. This entire accumulation represented a dangerous compromise of Israel's unique identity as a nation set apart for Yahweh.
• "and his wives turned away his heart." This directly states the spiritual consequence of his actions. It asserts a causal link between his wives and his spiritual downfall. The idiom "turned away his heart" points to a deviation from complete devotion to God, emphasizing that external influences, if embraced, can corrupt one's deepest spiritual core. It serves as a stark warning about the spiritual dangers of unholy alliances and desires, regardless of how wise or great one initially seems.

1 Kings 11 3 Bonus section

The total of one thousand wives and concubines for Solomon, an otherwise symbolic number in ancient literature, represents completeness and perfection, which in this context underscores the utter fullness and excessive nature of Solomon's ungodly desires and his complete violation of the covenant. His embrace of such extensive polygamy was an antithesis to the original creation pattern of one man and one woman in marriage (Gen 2:24) and directly flouted God's direct injunctions against an Israelite king amassing personal power through human means rather than trusting in God alone. This numerical emphasis is a literary device highlighting the extremity of his transgression, underscoring the tragic contrast between the king who built God's magnificent Temple and the king who simultaneously built high places for foreign gods right outside Jerusalem.

1 Kings 11 3 Commentary

1 Kings 11:3 stands as a pivotal verse explaining Solomon's dramatic apostasy. Despite being blessed with unparalleled wisdom by God, Solomon willfully disregarded specific divine instructions for kings, especially the command against multiplying wives (Deut 17:17). His massive harem, totaling one thousand women, particularly the "princesses" or royal foreign wives, symbolizes the extent of his worldly accumulation and compromise. These unions, often forged for political security, inherently brought with them foreign deities and their associated cultic practices. The passage explicitly identifies these wives as the instruments through which Solomon's heart was "turned away." This "turning away" signifies a deep spiritual shift in his inner being, moving from undivided loyalty to the Lord to syncretism and idolatry. It illustrates that even immense wisdom and prior faithfulness are insufficient guards against temptation when divine commands are willfully transgressed and one's heart is not guarded. This tragic failure serves as a perpetual reminder of the need for steadfast, singular devotion to God, and the insidious nature of compromise.