But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
But king Solomon loved many strange women, х naakriyowt (H5237), foreign women; Septuagint, Vatican, een filogunees; Alexandrine, philogunaios een]. Solomon's extraordinary gift of wisdom was not sufficient to preserve him from falling grievous and fatal errors. A fairer promise of true greatness, a more beautiful picture of juvenile piety, never was seen, than that which he exhibited at the commencement of his reign. No sadder, more humiliating, or awful spectacle can be imagined than the besotted apostasy of his old age; and to him may be applied the words of Paul (Galatians 3:3), of John (Revelation 3:17), and of Isaiah (Isaiah 14:21). A love of the world, a ceaseless round of pleasure, had insensibly corrupted his heart, and produced, for a while at least, a state of mental darkness. The grace of God deserted him; and the son of the pious David-the religiously-trained child of Bath-sheba (Proverbs 31:1-3) and pupil of Nathan-instead of showing the stability of sound principle and mature experience, became at last an old and foolish king (Ecclesiastes 4:13). His fall is traced to his love of "many strange women."
Polygamy was tolerated among the ancient Hebrews; and although most countries of the East the generality of men, from convenience and economy, confine themselves to one woman, yet a number of wives is reckoned an indication of wealth and importance, just as a numerous stud of horses and a grand equipage are among us. The sovereign of course wishes to have a more numerous harem than any of his subjects; and the female establishments of many Oriental princes have, both in ancient and modern times, equaled or exceeded that of Solomon's. It is probable, therefore, that in conformity with Oriental notions, he resorted to it as a piece of state magnificence. But in him it was unpardonable, as it was a direct and outrageous violation of the divine law (Deuteronomy 17:17), and the very result which that statute was ordained to prevent was realized in him. His marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh is not censured either here or elsewhere (see the notes at 1 Kings 3:1). It was only his love for many strange women of that collective body of Canaanites with whom the Israelites of all classes had been interdicted from intermarrying (Exodus 34:15-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-3; Ezra 9:1-2; Ezra 10:3; Nehemiah 13:23); because women, though in the East considered inferiors, exert often a silent but powerfully seductive influence over their husbands in the harems, as elsewhere; and so it was exemplified in Solomon.