Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ 1 Kings

[Bad Sammy]

Would God had not been angry with King Solomon if his many wives and concubines were Israelites?

I, along with many others, always thought what Solomon did wrong in this story was have too many women and not adhere to monogamy.

However, after reading the chapter, without my own cultural biases, it seems like the issue is that the women were foreign and so led Solomon to worship their gods.

So the question is if the women weren't foreign, would God had be fine with Solomon's polygamy?

[jimwalton]

I agree with you that the problem was not multiple wives, but wives who compromised his relationship with God. In those days, wives were the way they secured political treaties, so Solomon could not have Israel at peace with all its neighbors without all these treaties (i.e., wives). Walton and Walton write: "Marriage in the ancient world was primarily an alliance between families. It is not surprising, then, that international and political alliances also came to be established by marriage among the parties. These marriages were purely diplomatic and did not serve any of the purposes that marriage serves in the modern Western world. ... Royal polygamy was essential for international treaties and also demonstrated the power of the king. Prohibiting the practice to Israel’s king does not represent some monogamous ideal. The reason for the prohibition in Dt. 17.17 is to prevent his heart from being led astray. Israel is thus called to resist what was a standard behavior in the ancient world because such a practice would prove detrimental to the nation’s covenant loyalty to YHWH."

Verse 2 makes clear what the problem was. It wasn't multiple wives, but wives that "will surely turn your hearts after their gods."

So it's not even the case that if Solomon had married Israelite women it would have been OK, since marrying Israelite women would not have accomplished the goal of international treaties.

[In Your Beard]

Part of the problem also was that God specifically told the Israelites not to trade with some nations (such as the Egyptians).

[jimwalton]

Where are those texts?

[In Your Beard]

Thanks for asking I probably should have included them in my original comment. Deuteronomy 17:16-17 I remember being taught more details which I had assumed were biblical but I’m not seeing them after a quick search and don’t have time to dig into it at the moment.

[jimwalton]

OK, well, I'm wondering about that and questioning it. It doesn't say not to take brides from Egypt (or any other nation). It says not to acquire a great number of horses, which means not to rely on military capabilities. It says not to return to Egypt to get horses, or to go back to Egypt at all.

And then it says not to take many wives, without specifying the source of those wives. Prohibiting the practice to Israel’s king does not represent some monogamous ideal. The idea that the more wives = the more potential for the king's heart to be led astray. Many marriages = possible detriment to the covenant and the nation's loyalty to YHWH. It was not unusual for countries to limit the number of political alliances; many wives (i.e., many treaties) constituted political and spiritual rebellion. But there's no mention of not taking wives specifically from Egypt.

[In Your Beard]

Yeah. I am actually thinking that I spoke too hastily.