What is the meaning of 1 Kings 11:7? At that time • The phrase anchors us in Solomon’s later years, after “his wives turned his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:4–6). • It signals a tragic shift from the early days when he “loved the LORD” (1 Kings 3:3) to a period of compromise foretold in Deuteronomy 17:17, where Israel’s king is warned not to multiply wives “lest his heart go astray.” • The timing reminds us that spiritual decline often happens gradually, yet culminates in visible acts of disobedience. on a hill east of Jerusalem • This hill is the Mount of Olives—close enough to overlook the temple Solomon had dedicated to the LORD (1 Kings 8:27–30), making the offense glaring. • Centuries later Josiah would “defile the high places that were east of Jerusalem…which Solomon king of Israel had built” (2 Kings 23:13). • The location highlights how sin can creep into the very shadow of previous devotion, echoing David’s earlier ascent of the same hill in sorrow (2 Samuel 15:30). Solomon built a high place • A “high place” was an elevated shrine; God had commanded Israel to “tear down” such sites (Deuteronomy 12:2–3). • By constructing, rather than destroying, Solomon reverses his earlier role as temple-builder and directly violates the covenant. • The act shows deliberate endorsement, not merely passive tolerance, underlining why the LORD later tells him, “Since you have done this… I will surely tear the kingdom away from you” (1 Kings 11:11). for Chemosh the abomination of Moab • Chemosh was Moab’s national deity; Scripture calls him an “abomination” (1 Kings 11:7) because worship involved detestable practices (Numbers 21:29; 2 Kings 3:27). • By honoring Chemosh, Solomon aligns with a nation long hostile to Israel (Judges 11:24), ignoring God’s clear identity as Israel’s sole deliverer (Psalm 18:2). • The move erodes Israel’s witness and blurs the line between God’s people and their pagan neighbors. and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites • Molech (Milcom) was infamous for child sacrifice: “You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech” (Leviticus 18:21). • Building a shrine to this god invites practices God had decreed punishable by death (Leviticus 20:2–5) and later condemned through prophets (Jeremiah 32:35). • Solomon’s action plants seeds that future kings will nurture until righteous Josiah finally destroys the site (2 Kings 23:10), illustrating how leadership choices shape generations. summary • The verse records a specific moment when Solomon’s heart-level compromise became concrete construction. • His shrine-building occurs in his later years, on the prominent Mount of Olives, in open defiance of God’s commands. • Chemosh and Molech represent nations and practices God had clearly labeled detestable, yet Solomon grants them real estate just outside the holy city. • The narrative warns that no amount of past faithfulness excuses present disobedience; when leaders drift, their people and posterity suffer the fallout. |
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