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(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
1 Kings 11:1–8, “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 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. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 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. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 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. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.”
Kings would make alliances with their neighbouring kingdoms through marriage. One king would give his daughter to another king. The daughter’s first loyalty was to her father and she was obliged to look after his interests and, hopefully, be the mother of the next king. On the other hand, she would be a hostage in the king’s palace and might be killed if her father did anything against the alliance. Solomon was rich and powerful and many kings from the region wanted to ensure their own safety so they arranged marriages with Solomon. These women were traded like goods, in many cases and their emotions were never considered. Of course, Solomon was expected to spend time with these women to show his virility and respect for the other kingdoms as well. Not only did Solomon make marriages, he took many slave women into his be as well. Slowly but surely these women led Solomon astray. He gave them temples for their own gods and even started worshipping these gods as well. Solomon had promised the Lord that he would remain faithful throughout his life but he wasn’t able to keep these promises because he had so many wives and sexual slaves.
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