1 Kings 3:2-3

3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, ¹  because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord. ²  3:3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following ³  the practices ⁴  of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

1 Kings 11:3

11:3 He had 700 royal wives ⁵  and 300 concubines; ⁶  his wives had a powerful influence over him. ⁷ 

1 Kings 14:24

14:24 There were also male cultic prostitutes ⁸  in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations ⁹  that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.

1 Kings 18:18

18:18 Elijah ¹⁰  replied, “I have not brought disaster ¹¹  on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals.

1 Kings 21:26

21:26 He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, ¹²  just like the Amorites ¹³  whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.)

1 Kings 22:23

22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

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¹ sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.

² tn Heb “for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord”). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

³ tn Heb “Solomon loved the Lord by walking in.”

⁴ tn Or “policies, rules.”

⁵ tn Heb “wives, princesses.”

⁶ 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).

⁷ tn Heb “his wives bent his heart.”

⁸ tc The Old Greek translation has “a conspiracy” rather than “male cultic prostitutes.”

⁹ tn Heb “they did according to all the abominable acts of the nations.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Or “trouble.”

¹² tn The Hebrew word used here, גִלּוּלִים (gillulim) is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless things”) and הֲבָלִים (havalim, “vanities” or “empty winds”).

¹³ tn Heb “He acted very abominably by walking after the disgusting idols, according to all which the Amorites had done.”