Bible Commentary

1 Kings 11:5

1 Kings 11:5

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain

And Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians,.... Enticed by the Zidonian women, or woman, he had, 1Ki 11:1. According to the Phoenician histories , Solomon married a daughter of Hiram, king of Tyre and Zidon; so Clemens of Alexandria says , that Hiram gave his daughter to Solomon; Ashtoreth is Astarte, the same with the Venus of the Greeks, so Suidas ; and Lucian 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 ""and after Milcom the abomination of the Amnonites; the same with Molech, 1Ki 11:7.

See Gill on "Le 18:21".See Gill on "Am 1:13". After this he was drawn by his Ammonitish wife, or wives, 1Ki 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.

Apud Tatian. contr. Graecos, p. 171. Stromat. l. 1. p. 325. In voce Astarth.

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