John Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 11:5

A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.

Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.

And Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, etc.] Enticed by the Zidonian women, or woman, he had, (<111101>1 Kings 11:1). According to the Phoenician histories f285, Solomon married a daughter of Hiram, king of Tyre and Zidon; so Clemens of Alexandria says f286 , that Hiram gave his daughter to Solomon; Ashtoreth is Astarte, the same with the Venus of the Greeks, so Suidas f287; and Lucian f288 expressly says, the Sidonians had a temple, said by them to belong to Astarte, which he takes to be the moon; and both Venus and Juno signify the same planet; (see Gill on “<070213>Judges 2:13”) and after Milcom the abomination of the Amnonites; the same with Molech, (<111107>1 Kings 11:7). (See Gill on “<031821>Leviticus 18:21”). (See Gill on “<300101>Amos 1:13”). After this he was drawn by his Ammonitish wife, or wives, (<111101>1 Kings 11:1), though the Jewish writers think he did not worship these idols, but suffered his wives to do it, and connived at it, which was his sin; so Ben Gersom and Abarbinel.

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