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1 Kings 11:3-5
New English Translation
1 Kings 11:3-5
New English Translation
3 He had 700 royal wives[a] and 300 concubines;[b] his wives had a powerful influence over him.[c] 4 When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to[d] other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been.[e] 5 Solomon worshiped[f] the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom.[g]
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- 1 Kings 11:3 tn Heb “wives, princesses.”
- 1 Kings 11:3 sn Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. The usage in the present passage suggests that after the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (cf. also 2 Sam 21:10-14).
- 1 Kings 11:3 tn Heb “his wives bent his heart.”
- 1 Kings 11:4 tn Heb “bent his heart after.”
- 1 Kings 11:4 tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the Lord his God, like the heart of David his father.”
- 1 Kings 11:5 tn Heb “walked after.”
- 1 Kings 11:5 tn Heb “Milcom, the detestable thing of the Ammonites.”
New English Translation (NET)
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