The wisest king in Israel’s history did not fall in a single day. In 1 Kings 11, Solomon — the man who built the temple and prayed for an understanding heart — slowly lets his love for many foreign wives pull his worship away from the LORD toward the gods of the nations around him.
This chapter is a sober turning point. God, who had appeared to Solomon twice, tells him plainly that the kingdom will be divided. It will not happen in Solomon’s own lifetime, and one tribe will be kept for David’s sake, but the seeds of a split nation are sown here through adversaries like Hadad and Rezon and a young servant named Jeroboam.
The Story of Solomon’s Heart Turns
King Solomon loved many foreign women, including the daughter of Pharaoh, along with women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. These were from the very nations the LORD had warned Israel about, saying they would turn the people’s hearts after their gods. Solomon held to these women in love, taking seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred concubines.
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was no longer fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of his father David had been. He went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not follow the LORD fully as David had done.
Solomon even built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the hill east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their own gods. What began as marriages of alliance became a public turn toward idol worship in the heart of the kingdom.
The LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him not to go after other gods. Because Solomon had not kept the covenant, the LORD told him He would surely tear the kingdom away from him and give it to his servant. Yet for David’s sake He would not do it in Solomon’s days but in the days of his son, and He would leave one tribe for the sake of David and Jerusalem.
The LORD then raised up adversaries against Solomon. Hadad the Edomite, of the royal line of Edom, had fled to Egypt as a child after Joab struck down the men of Edom, and he now returned to trouble Israel. God also stirred up Rezon, the son of Eliadah, who gathered a band of men, took Damascus, and reigned there, remaining an enemy to Israel throughout Solomon’s reign.
A third figure was Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an able young man whom Solomon had put in charge of the labor of the house of Joseph. One day the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road, took the new garment he was wearing, and tore it into twelve pieces. He told Jeroboam to take ten pieces, for the LORD would tear the kingdom from Solomon and give ten tribes to him, leaving one tribe for David’s line.
Because of this word, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, and Jeroboam fled to Egypt until Solomon died. Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. When he died, he was buried in the city of David his father, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place, inheriting a kingdom already marked for division.
Key Verses
“Seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart” 1 Kings 11:3
“The LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel” 1 Kings 11:9
“I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant” 1 Kings 11:11
“Take thee ten pieces … I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee” 1 Kings 11:31
“Solomon slept with his fathers … Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead” 1 Kings 11:43
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Solomon’s Heart Turns Teaches Us
This chapter shows that wisdom and blessing do not make a person immune to drifting from God. Solomon knew the LORD, built the temple, and had received great gifts, yet his heart was slowly pulled away by influences he allowed close to him. Faithfulness is kept day by day, not settled once and forgotten.
It also shows that God takes covenant seriously. The LORD had appeared to Solomon twice and given clear commands, so the turning to other gods was not a small matter. The consequences were real, but even in judgment God showed restraint and mercy, delaying the division and keeping one tribe for the sake of the promises He had made to David.
Finally, the passage reminds us that God remains in control even when leaders fail. The rise of Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam was not random; it unfolded within God’s stated purpose. Human choices carry weight, and God still works out His plan through the events that follow.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Solomon’s heart turn away from God?
His many foreign wives turned his heart after their gods. As Solomon grew old, he began following idols like Ashtoreth and Milcom instead of remaining fully devoted to the LORD as his father David had been.
Which gods did Solomon follow?
He went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. He also built high places for Chemosh, the god of Moab, and for Molech of the Ammonites.
What did God say would happen to Solomon’s kingdom?
God said He would tear the kingdom away and give it to Solomon’s servant. However, for David’s sake He would not do it during Solomon’s lifetime but in the days of his son, and He would leave one tribe for David’s line.
Who were Solomon’s adversaries in this chapter?
God stirred up Hadad the Edomite and Rezon the son of Eliadah as adversaries. A third figure, Jeroboam, was told by the prophet Ahijah that he would rule over ten tribes.
What happened to Solomon at the end of the chapter?
Solomon reigned over Israel for forty years, then died and was buried in the city of David. His son Rehoboam became king in his place.