1 Kings 11:3–5 gives further details about these foreign women. Regarding this, the first thing the writer states is the number of women that were involved 700 princesses and 300 concubines, totalling 1000 women. Some commentators believe that these numbers are literally accurate, and others believe that they are intentional exaggerations. Those who take this accounting as literal might ask, What purpose is served by such an exaggeration? The second group questions the possibility of such a vast number of marital relationships. It is difficult to speak with certainty on this matter.
The mention of princesses does tell us enough to conclude that all of these or most of these marriages were political in nature. In both ancient and modern times, royal marriages were often political alliances as much as, or more than, romantic relationships. Yet, it is also true that such marriages, though begun in political expediency, matured into truly emotional attachments. Yet we do not wish to indicate that the fact that Solomon loved these women is to legitimize what he did in marrying them. Many unbiblical relationships can have strong emotional attachments, but that does not make them righteous in the eyes of the Lord.
The second detail we are given about these marriages is that these women turned the heart of Solomon away from the Lord. This was already mentioned in citing the bookends that Dale Ralph Davis sees in Solomon’s activity. No possible benefit of political advantage could justify such behaviour on the part of Solomon. We might ask the question, Why didn’t Solomon turn the hearts of these women away from their pagan idols? The teachings of Scripture from one end to the other tell us that unbelieving spouses are more likely to turn the believer’s heart away from God than it is likely that the unbelievers’ hearts would be turned toward God. The writer tells us that the result of this was a very great distinction in how we view David and Solomon. The distinction is found in the orientation of their hearts. David’s heart was oriented toward Yahweh, while Solomon’s heart turned away from the God of Israel.
1 Kings 11:5 tells us of two pagan false gods that Solomon worshipped in addition to the Lord: Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
The phrase Solomon went after
reveals that he worshipped them. This was not merely an indication of a wrong-headed decision to provide private places of worship for his foreign wives, while he personally kept to the worship of Yahweh alone.
It is interesting that, while Ashtoreth is called a goddess,
Milcom is named an abomination.
The meaning assigned to the Hebrew word is a detestable thing,
that is, something that causes absolute disgust.1 Why is such a term used in relation to Milcom? Are not all idols detestable to God and his people?
3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.