I Kings 11:4

Solomon's attachment to strange women, and consequent idolatry, Kg1 11:1, Kg1 11:2. Number of his wives and concubines, Kg1 11:3. In his old age they turn away his heart from God, Kg1 11:4. He builds temples to idols, burns incense and sacrifices to them, Kg1 11:5-8. The Lord is angry with him, and threatens to deprive him of the kingdom, but will leave one tribe for David's sake, Kg1 11:9-13. The Lord stirs up Hadad, the Edomite, to be his enemy; the history of this man, Kg1 11:14-22. He stirs another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah. He and Hadad plague Israel, Kg1 11:23-25. Jeroboam also becomes his enemy, and the reason why, Kg1 11:26-28. Ahijah the prophet meets Jeroboam, and promises, in the name of the Lord, that God will rend Israel from the family of Solomon, and give him ten tribes, Kg1 11:29-39. Solomon, hearing of this, seeks to put Jeroboam to death, who escapes to Egypt, where he continues till the death of Solomon, Kg1 11:40. Solomon dies, after having reigned over Israel forty years; and his son Rehoboam reigns in his stead, Kg1 11:41-43.

when Solomon was old--He could not have been more than fifty. his wives turned away his heart after other gods--Some, considering the lapse of Solomon into idolatry as a thing incredible, regard him as merely humoring his wives in the practice of their superstition; and, in countenancing their respective rites by his presence, as giving only an outward homage--a sensible worship, in which neither his understanding nor his heart was engaged. The apology only makes matters worse, as it implies an adding of hypocrisy and contempt of God to an open breach of His law. There seems no possibility of explaining the language of the sacred historian, but as intimating that Solomon became an actual and open idolater, worshipping images of wood or stone in sight of the very temple which, in early life, he had erected to the true God. Hence that part of Olivet was called the high place of Tophet (Jer 7:30-34), and the hill is still known as the Mount of Offense, of the Mount of Corruption (Kg2 23:13).

And it came to pass, when Solomon was old,.... Toward the latter end of his reign, when he might be near sixty years of age; for Rehoboam his son and successor was forty one when he began to reign, Kg1 14:21 which is observed either as an aggravation of the sin of Solomon, that in his old age, when by long experience he might have been thought to be still wiser, and less lustful: and yet that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; or as pointing at the advantage his wives took of his age: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father; who, though guilty of many sins, never inclined to idolatry; his heart was always right in that point, and sincere in his worship, see Psa 18:20.

This chapter begins with as melancholy a "but" as almost any we find in all the Bible. Hitherto we have read nothing of Solomon but what was great and good; but the lustre both of his goodness and of his greatness is here sullied and eclipsed, and his sun sets under a cloud. I. The glory of his piety is stained by his departure from God and his duty, in his latter days, marrying strange wives and worshipping strange gods (Kg1 11:4-8). II. The glory of his prosperity is stained by God's displeasure against him and the fruits of that displeasure. 1. He sent him an angry message (Kg1 11:9-13). 2. He stirred up enemies, who gave him disturbance, Hadad (Kg1 11:14-22), Rezon (Kg1 11:23-25). 3. He gave away ten tribes of his twelve, from his posterity after him, to Jeroboam, whom therefore he sought in vain to slay (Kg1 11:26-40), and this is all that remains here to be told concerning Solomon, except his death and burial (Kg1 11:41-43), for there is nothing perfect under the sun, but all is so above the sun.

11:4-8 instead of being completely faithful: Although David had committed grievous sin, he genuinely repented when rebuked by God’s prophet (2 Sam 11:1–12:23; Ps 51:1-4). However, Solomon failed to heed God’s warnings (1 Kgs 3:14; 6:12-13; 9:4-9) or to learn from Israel’s past; instead, he reproduced their sins.