Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Kings 11:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
At 1 Kings 11:4, the narrator locates Solomon's divided loyalty in old age while comparing him unfavorably with David.
Read It With
- 1 Kings 11:1–11:8
Read 1 Kings 11:4 with 1 Kings 11:1–11:8, titled “Solomon's loves and worship turn his heart.” Locates Solomon's divided loyalty in old age while comparing him unfavorably with David.
Why This Verse Appears Here
1 Kings 11:4 locates Solomon's divided loyalty in old age while comparing him unfavorably with David; this distinct detail carries 1 Kings 11:1–11:8 from “1 Kings 10:26–10:29 has just shown: Chariots and horses make Solomon an arms broker.” toward “1 Kings 11:9–11:13 next develops: The kingdom will be torn after Solomon.”
Read 1 Kings 11:1–8 together
Why these verses belong together: Solomon's loves and worship turn his heart is the complete reviewed scene, prayer, oracle, list, or regnal notice bounded at 11:1–11:8.
Verse 1. 1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
Verse 2. 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
Verse 3. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
Verse 4. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Verse 5. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
Verse 6. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
Verse 7. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
Verse 8. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
Follow the Context
- Opens Solomon's decline with his attachment to many foreign royal women, including Pharaoh's daughter
- Adds that Solomon accommodated the worship practices of all his foreign wives
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Solomon's responsibility does not permit making foreign women or foreign peoples targets of misogyny, xenophobia, ethnic purity, or modern enemy mapping.
What Remains True
Because 1 Kings 11:4 locates Solomon's divided loyalty in old age while comparing him unfavorably with David, responsible reading keeps the narrated action, source limits, accountable agents, and affected people together; Solomon's responsibility does not permit making foreign women or foreign peoples targets of misogyny, xenophobia, ethnic purity, or modern enemy mapping.
How It Can Shape Life
- When an analogous issue arises, use 1 Kings 11:4 to name the specific conduct—locates Solomon's divided loyalty in old age while comparing him unfavorably with David—then document power, evidence, uncertainty, safeguards, and people at risk.
Teach It Back
In 55–180 words, explain how 1 Kings 11:4 locates Solomon's divided loyalty in old age while comparing him unfavorably with David, why it needs 1 Kings 11:1–11:8, and what the complete unit does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 1 Kings 11:1–11:8 — Solomon's loves and worship turn his heartSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The received Hebrew narrative and its KJV presentation are clear enough to follow this movement, while precise source history, chronology, motives, textual development, and external correlation require graded confidence rather than invented certainty.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Kings 11:1–11:8, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Kings
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording and morphology used for lexical, grammatical, name, clause, and older-English checks; this is not a critical apparatus or historical proof.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Kgs.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 11:1–11:8
Open source ↗