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Nach YomiI Kings · מלכים א׳Chapter 11

I Kings 11

מלכים א׳ פרק י״א

Section: נביאים · נביאים ראשונים | Book: I Kings | Chapter: 11 of 22 | Day: 111 of 742

Date: June 2, 2026

קלאוד על הנ״ך

Chapter 11 is the verdict that chapter 10 quietly recorded. The Torah’s law of the king in Devarim 17:16-17 had prohibited three accumulations to a Davidic monarch — horses, women, and silver and gold — and the previous chapter had catalogued each in turn, never naming the prohibition but laying the evidence side by side. Now the chapter opens with the words “v’hamelech Shlomo ahav nashim nochriyot rabbot” (וְהַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה אָהַב נָשִׁים נׇכְרִיּוֹת רַבּוֹת), and the middle clause of the Torah’s warning — the wives who will “turn aside his heart” — becomes the engine of everything that follows. Seven hundred sarot bearing the dignity of full marriage contracts, and three hundred pilagshim without them, are drawn from precisely the nations Hashem had said Israel must not enter into: Moav, Ammon, Edom, Tzidon, and the Hittites. The phrase “le-et ziknat Shlomo” (לְעֵת זִקְנַת שְׁלֹמֹה) frames the tragedy as a slow corrosion rather than a single fall — the wisest of men is undone gradually, in his old age, by the very women whose strange tongues and strange gods he had thought he could safely contain.

The chapter is theologically careful about what exactly Shlomo did. The text says his wives “hittu et levavo acharei elohim acherim” (הִטּוּ אֶת לְבָבוֹ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים), and that he himself walked after Ashtoret of the Tzidonim and after Milkom the abomination of Ammon, and built bamot for Kemosh of Moav and for Molech on the mountain east of Yerushalayim — the height that will come to be called Har HaMashchit, the Mountain of Corruption. Yet the Gemara in Shabbat 56b preserves the powerful tradition “kol ha-omer Shlomo chata eino ela to’eh” — anyone who says Shlomo actually sinned is mistaken — and Rashi, drawing on Sanhedrin 21b and Yevamot 76b, reads the verses accordingly: Shlomo himself did not bow to these gods, but because he did not stop his wives from doing so, scripture writes their idolatry against him as though it were his own. Radak handles the matter with similar restraint. The reader is thus left holding a charged ambiguity that itself becomes the chapter’s deepest indictment: a king so great that the verse’s plain sense must be softened, and a failure so consequential that even the softened sense costs him the kingdom. Hashem appears to Shlomo “shenit” — a third theophany after Givon (3:5) and the dedication of the Beit HaMikdash (9:2), each appearance graver than the last — and the divine word pronounces the sentence: “karoa ekra et hamamlachah me-alecha.” Yet the sentence is bent three times by mercy: not in Shlomo’s own days, not by Shlomo’s own hand, and not the whole kingdom, for “shevet echad” — one tribe, Yehuda with Binyamin folded into it as the commentators work out — will remain to the house of David for the sake of David and for the sake of Yerushalayim, the city Hashem has chosen.

The middle of the chapter then introduces the historical instruments of that decree. Hadad the Edomite is a survivor of the six-month campaign in which David and Yoav had cut down the males of Edom; the textual oddity of “na’ar katan” — a small child smuggled out by his father’s servants through Midyan and Paran into Egypt — produces one of Tanakh’s quiet ironies, that the violence by which David secured his borders has preserved the seed of the adversary now sent against his son. Pharaoh’s reception of Hadad is unusually warm: a house, a food allowance, the sister of Tachpenes the queen as wife, and a son Genuvat raised in the palace among Pharaoh’s own children. The exchange when Hadad asks to return — “shalcheni v’elech el artzi” and Pharaoh’s wounded reply “ma atah chaser imi” — reads less like a political dialogue than a domestic one, the foreign king playing father to the child he will one day release as a sword against Israel. Rezon ben Elyada is briefer but parallel: a renegade from Hadadezer of Tzova whom David had struck down, who has gathered men, taken Damascus, and risen up against Israel “kol yemei Shlomo.” Both adversaries are afterglow from David’s wars; the seeds of judgment were planted in the foundation of the kingdom and only now germinate.

The third and decisive adversary is internal. Yarovam ben Nevat, an Ephraimite “gibor chayil” whom Shlomo himself had elevated to oversee all the burden-labor of the house of Yosef, “noseh yad ba-melech” — raised his hand against the king — in the context of Shlomo’s building of the Millo and the closing of the breach in the city of David. That the catalyst is the corvée labor (the very burden Shmuel had warned would attend monarchy in I Shmuel 8) is itself meaningful: the northern tribes feel the weight of the southern capital’s construction, and feel it in the person of one of their own. The encounter with Achiyah HaShiloni outside the city, away from settled places, is staged with deliberate symbolism. Achiyah is wearing a salmah chadashah, a new garment, which he tears into twelve pieces; Rashi notes that the choice of a new cloak rather than an old one signals that the kingdom being torn is itself new, just as the parallel act in I Shmuel 15:27, where Shaul tore the corner of Shmuel’s coat and the kingdom was torn from him, used clothing as a sign of dynasty. Ten pieces go to Yarovam, one remains, and Yarovam is offered the same conditional covenant that had been offered to David: if you walk in My ways, I will build you a bayit ne’eman, a faithful house. The chapter is careful to fence this gift on two sides: Hashem will afflict the seed of David “ach lo kol hayamim” — but not for all days, a promise that the Davidic line, however bent, will not finally be broken.

The chapter closes with Shlomo seeking to kill Yarovam, with Yarovam fleeing to Shishak of Egypt — the same Egypt that had sheltered Hadad, that will soon invade Yehuda in chapter 14 — and finally with the formulaic notice that the rest of Shlomo’s deeds, his wisdom and all that he did, are written in sefer divrei Shlomo, that he reigned forty years over all Israel in Yerushalayim, that he slept with his fathers and was buried in Ir David, and that Rechavam his son reigned in his stead. The narrative architecture is theological: divine speech in verses 11-13 brackets the three adversaries and the prophetic word of Achiyah, so that the political collapse the reader is about to witness in chapter 12 is framed entirely as the working out of a decree, not the contingency of personalities. The wisest king in Israel’s history dies in the same city as his father, but he dies having lost the unity his father labored to build, and the editorial silence about his repentance, his last words, or even a brief eulogy is the loudest absence in Sefer Melachim. The Davidic promise has been bent; the kingdom has been torn; and yet — for the sake of David, for the sake of Yerushalayim, and “ach lo kol hayamim” — the bend is not a break, and the tear leaves one thread by which the whole eventually will be re-woven.

פרק י״א · Chapter 11

פסוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וְהַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה אָהַ֞ב נָשִׁ֧ים נׇכְרִיּ֛וֹת רַבּ֖וֹת וְאֶת־בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֑ה מוֹאֲבִיּ֤וֹת עַמֳּנִיּוֹת֙ אֲדֹ֣מִיֹּ֔ת צֵֽדְנִיֹּ֖ת חִתִּיֹּֽת׃

English:

King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Phoenician, and Hittite women,

The chapter opens with the seed of Shlomo's undoing: he loved many foreign women drawn from the very nations the Torah had forbidden, including Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Tzidonian, and Hittite wives. Rashi notes that Pharaoh's daughter is counted separately because she was the most beloved, while Radak adds that she was the beginning of the corrosion even before his heart was turned, and that the violation here was twofold: marrying many wives at all (which the Torah forbids the king) and marrying foreign ones.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וְאֶת בַּת פַּרְעֹה. אַף הִיא מִן הַנָּכְרִיּוֹת, אֶלָּא שֶׁהָיְתָה חֲבִיבָה עָלָיו מִכֻּלָּם, מְנָאָהּ לְעַצְמָהּ, וְכֵן: וַיִּפָּקְדוּ מֵעַבְדֵי דָוִד תִּשְׁעָה עָשָׂר אִישׁ וַעֲשָׂהאֵל.
And [especially] the daughter of Pharaoh. She too was one of the foreign women, but because she was beloved by him more than all of them, she was counted separately.1Alternatively, Pharaoh's daughter is singled out because she was the cause for the beginning of Shlomo's downfall.—Radak And similarly, "And there were missing of Dovid's servants nineteen men and Asahel."2II Shmuel 2:30.

פסוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

מִן־הַגּוֹיִ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽמַר־יְהֹוָה֩ אֶל־בְּנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל לֹא־תָבֹ֣אוּ בָהֶ֗ם וְהֵם֙ לֹא־יָבֹ֣אוּ בָכֶ֔ם אָכֵן֙ יַטּ֣וּ אֶת־לְבַבְכֶ֔ם אַחֲרֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם בָּהֶ֛ם דָּבַ֥ק שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לְאַהֲבָֽה׃

English:

from the nations of which GOD had said to the Israelites, “None of you shall join them and none of them shall join you,ajoin you In marriage; cf. Deut. 7.3–4; 23.4, 8–9. lest they turn your heart away to follow their gods.” Such Solomon clung to and loved.

The verse explicitly anchors Shlomo's marriages in the Torah's prohibition (Devarim 7:3) against intermarriage with the Canaanite nations, warning 'pen yatu et levavcha' — lest they turn your heart away. Radak observes that although the original commandment named the seven Canaanite nations, the same principle applies to all foreign nations who might lead Israel after their gods. The poignant verb 'davak' (clung) deliberately echoes the language of cleaving to Hashem in Devarim, marking the inversion at the heart of Shlomo's failure.

פסוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַיְהִי־ל֣וֹ נָשִׁ֗ים שָׂרוֹת֙ שְׁבַ֣ע מֵא֔וֹת וּפִלַגְשִׁ֖ים שְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֑וֹת וַיַּטּ֥וּ נָשָׁ֖יו אֶת־לִבּֽוֹ׃

English:

He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned his heart away.

פסוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֗י לְעֵת֙ זִקְנַ֣ת שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה נָשָׁיו֙ הִטּ֣וּ אֶת־לְבָב֔וֹ אַחֲרֵ֖י אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְלֹא־הָיָ֨ה לְבָב֤וֹ שָׁלֵם֙ עִם־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔יו כִּלְבַ֖ב דָּוִ֥יד אָבִֽיו׃

English:

In his old age, his wives turned away Solomon’s heart after other gods, and he was not as wholeheartedly devoted to the ETERNAL his God as his father David had been.

The verse marks the tragedy as gradual — 'le-et ziknat Shlomo,' in his old age — and grades it against his father: his heart was not 'shalem' (whole) with Hashem 'ke-levav David aviv.' Metzudat David softens the picture: it does not say Shlomo himself served other gods, only that he permitted his wives to follow them. The comparison to David, who fell into grave sin yet returned with wholeness of heart, becomes the standard by which Shlomo is now found wanting.

פסוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אַחֲרֵ֣י עַשְׁתֹּ֔רֶת אֱלֹהֵ֖י צִדֹנִ֑ים וְאַחֲרֵ֣י מִלְכֹּ֔ם שִׁקֻּ֖ץ עַמֹּנִֽים׃

English:

Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Phoenicians, and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

The text says Shlomo himself 'went after' Ashtoret the goddess of the Tzidonim and Milkom the abomination of the Ammonites. Metzudat David softens the indictment in the spirit of the Talmudic tradition that Shlomo himself did not actually serve idols: because he failed to protest against his wives' worship, scripture writes their idolatry against him as if he had walked after these gods himself. The careful pairing — Ashtoret named as 'elohei' (goddess) but Milkom called 'shikutz' (abomination) — registers the deeper Torah view that all such worship is detestable.

פסוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַיַּ֧עַשׂ שְׁלֹמֹ֛ה הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְלֹ֥א מִלֵּ֛א אַחֲרֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה כְּדָוִ֥ד אָבִֽיו׃ {ס}        

English:

Solomon did what was displeasing to GOD and did not remain loyal to GOD like his father David.

The verse renders the prophetic verdict in plain words: 'vaya'as Shlomo hara b'einei Hashem,' Shlomo did evil in the eyes of Hashem, and did not fully follow Hashem 'ke-David aviv.' Metzudat David explains 'lo milei' as a failure of completion — he did not finish the work of Hashem's word by protesting against his wives. The contrast with David, who is mentioned three times in this section of the chapter, is the chapter's measuring rod.

פסוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

אָז֩ יִבְנֶ֨ה שְׁלֹמֹ֜ה בָּמָ֗ה לִכְמוֹשׁ֙ שִׁקֻּ֣ץ מוֹאָ֔ב בָּהָ֕ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֣י יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וּלְמֹ֕לֶךְ שִׁקֻּ֖ץ בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן׃

English:

At that time, Solomon built a shrine for Chemosh the abomination of Moab on the hill near Jerusalem, and one for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.

The verse states that Shlomo built a bamah for Kemosh of Moav 'on the mountain east of Yerushalayim' (later called Har HaMashchit, II Kings 23:13) and for Molech of Ammon. Rashi (citing Shabbat 56b) explains that because Shlomo did not protest against his wives' worship, the bamah is named for him as builder. He also identifies the mountain as Har HaZeitim, the Mount of Olives — a stinging irony, that the height facing the Beit HaMikdash itself becomes the site of foreign worship.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
אָז יִבְנֶה שְׁלֹמֹה בָּמָה. רַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ: מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלֹּא מִחָה בְּנָשָׁיו, נִקְרֵאת עַל שְׁמוֹ. בָּהָר אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי יְרוּשָׁלָיִם. הַר הַזֵּיתִים.
Then Shlomo built a Bomoh [altar]. Our Rabbis said, that because he did not protest against his wives, it is called by his name.3Maseches Shabbos 56b. A Jew is responsible for the behavior of those subject to his influence. The Torah demands, "you shall reprove your fellow and do not bear a sin on his account" [Vayikra 19:17], implying that if you fail to reprove him, you will bear his sin.—Ralbag On the mountain opposite Yerusholayim. The Mount of Olives.

פסוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וְכֵ֣ן עָשָׂ֔ה לְכׇל־נָשָׁ֖יו הַנׇּכְרִיּ֑וֹת מַקְטִיר֥וֹת וּֽמְזַבְּח֖וֹת לֵאלֹהֵיהֶֽן׃

English:

And he did the same for all his foreign wives who offered and sacrificed to their gods.

The pattern is generalized: Shlomo did the same — i.e., permitted the same — for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their own gods. Metzudat David glosses 'and so he did' as a turning of a blind eye, a willful failure to intervene. The chapter is building the legal case: the failure is one of permitted idolatry within the very house of the king who built the Beit HaMikdash.

פסוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַיִּתְאַנַּ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה בִּשְׁלֹמֹ֑ה כִּֽי־נָטָ֣ה לְבָב֗וֹ מֵעִ֤ם יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַנִּרְאָ֥ה אֵלָ֖יו פַּעֲמָֽיִם׃

English:

GOD was angry with Solomon, because his heart turned away from the ETERNAL, the God of Israel, who had appeared tobappeared to See note at 9.2. him twice

Hashem's anger ('vayit'anaf') is aggravated by the special intimacy he had shown Shlomo: 'asher nirah elav pa'amayim' — who had appeared to him twice. Metzudat David and Radak identify the two theophanies as the dream at Givon (3:5) and the appearance after the dedication of the Beit HaMikdash (9:2); other communications came through prophets, but two were direct. The point is the weight of accountability: a king who has seen Hashem face-to-face cannot plead ignorance.

פסוק י״ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וְצִוָּ֤ה אֵלָיו֙ עַל־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה לְבִ֨לְתִּי־לֶ֔כֶת אַחֲרֵ֖י אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְלֹ֣א שָׁמַ֔ר אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖ה יְהֹוָֽה׃ {פ}

English:

and had commanded him about this matter, not to follow other gods; he did not obey what GOD had commanded.

פסוק י״א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה לִשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה יַ֚עַן אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָֽיְתָה־זֹּ֣את עִמָּ֔ךְ וְלֹ֤א שָׁמַ֙רְתָּ֙ בְּרִיתִ֣י וְחֻקֹּתַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּ֖יתִי עָלֶ֑יךָ קָרֹ֨עַ אֶקְרַ֤ע אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה֙ מֵעָלֶ֔יךָ וּנְתַתִּ֖יהָ לְעַבְדֶּֽךָ׃

English:

And GOD said to Solomon, “Because you are guilty of thiscBecause you are guilty of this Lit. “This is with you.”—you have not kept My covenant and the laws that I enjoined upon you—I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants.

The sentence is now pronounced: 'karoa ekra et hamamlachah me-aleycha v'natatiha l'avdecha' — I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Rashi reads 'hayetah zot imach' as 'you knew you were transgressing My commandments' — the offense is aggravated by Shlomo's full awareness. Metzudat David and Radak both clarify that the decree comes through a prophet, whom Radak identifies as Achiyah HaShiloni, anticipating his appearance later in the chapter.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה זֹּאת עִמָּךְ. אֲשֶׁר יָדַעְתָּ שֶׁאַתָּה עוֹבֵר עַל מִצְוָתִי.
This had been with you. [I.e.,] you knew that you were transgressing My commandments.

פסוק י״ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

אַךְ־בְּיָמֶ֙יךָ֙ לֹ֣א אֶעֱשֶׂ֔נָּה לְמַ֖עַן דָּוִ֣ד אָבִ֑יךָ מִיַּ֥ד בִּנְךָ֖ אֶקְרָעֶֽנָּה׃

English:

But, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it in your lifetime; I will tear it away from your son.

פסוק י״ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

רַ֤ק אֶת־כׇּל־הַמַּמְלָכָה֙ לֹ֣א אֶקְרָ֔ע שֵׁ֥בֶט אֶחָ֖ד אֶתֵּ֣ן לִבְנֶ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ דָּוִ֣ד עַבְדִּ֔י וּלְמַ֥עַן יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרְתִּי׃ {ס}        

English:

However, I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give your son one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

The third mitigation: even the son will retain 'shevet echad' — one tribe — and this for the sake of David and for the sake of Yerushalayim 'asher bacharti.' Metzudat David and Radak both explain that 'one tribe' refers to Yehuda with Binyamin folded into it, since Binyamin's portion lay in Yerushalayim alongside Yehuda's, and the two were counted together. Metzudat David adds that the preservation of Yerushalayim required a Davidic king zealous for the Beit HaMikdash his ancestor built.

פסוק י״ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֨קֶם יְהֹוָ֤ה שָׂטָן֙ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֵ֖ת הֲדַ֣ד הָאֲדֹמִ֑י מִזֶּ֧רַע הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ ה֖וּא בֶּאֱדֽוֹם׃

English:

So GOD raised up an adversary against Solomon, the Edomite Hadad, who was of the royal family of Edom.

The decree begins to take operational form: Hashem 'raises up a satan' — an adversary — against Shlomo, Hadad the Edomite, of the royal seed of Edom. Radak makes the timing explicit: this is at Shlomo's old age, once his heart had turned. The word 'satan' here is the political-historical adversary that the previous chapter's verse 'ein satan v'ein pega ra' had explicitly denied during Shlomo's better years; its return marks the end of that protected era.

פסוק ט״ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֗י בִּֽהְי֤וֹת דָּוִד֙ אֶת־אֱד֔וֹם בַּעֲל֗וֹת יוֹאָב֙ שַׂ֣ר הַצָּבָ֔א לְקַבֵּ֖ר אֶת־הַחֲלָלִ֑ים וַיַּ֥ךְ כׇּל־זָכָ֖ר בֶּאֱדֽוֹם׃

English:

When David was indwas in Emendation yields “defeated”; cf. 2 Sam. 8.13. Edom, Joab the army commander went up to bury the slain, and he killed every male in Edom;

The narrative flashes back to David's Edomite campaign (cf. II Shmuel 8:13), when Yoav had gone up to bury the dead and struck down every male in Edom. Rashi, drawing on II Shmuel 8:13 and Tehillim 60, glosses 'lekaber et hachalalim' as a praiseworthy act — that David buried the Edomite slain and was renowned as a pious king for doing so, parallel to the burial of Gog and Magog in Yechezkel 39. Radak adds that this is the historical setting from which Hadad escaped as a small boy, the seed of judgment planted in David's own campaign now germinating against David's son.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹת דָּוִד אֶת אֱדוֹם. אָז וַיִּבְרַח הֲדַד מִפְּנֵי דָוִד וְיוֹאָב. לְקַבֵּר אֶת הַחֲלָלִים. שֶׁקָּבְרוּ לַהֲרוּגִים שֶׁל אֱדוֹם, הוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר שָׁם בְּסֵפֶר שְׁמוּאֵל: וַיַּעַשׂ דָּוִד שֵׁם בְּשׁוּבוֹ מֵהַכּוֹתוֹ אֶת (אֱדוֹם) [אֲרָם], שֶׁהָיוּ הַכֹּל מְקַלְּסִין אוֹתוֹ, אִישׁ חָסִיד שֶׁקּוֹבֵר אֶת הֲרוּגָיו, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר בְּמִלְחֲמוֹת גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג: וְקָבְרוּ כָּל עַם הָאָרֶץ וְהָיָה לָהֶם לְשֵׁם. וְיוֹנָתָן תִּרְגֵּם לְקַבֵּר אֶת הַחֲלָלִים: לְחַלָּצָא יַת קְטִילַיָּא, לָקַחַת אֶת חֲלִיצָתָם.
Dovid was in Edom. Then Hadad fled from Dovid and Yoav.4Below v. 17. To bury the dead. For they buried the slain of Edom, this is what is stated in the Book of Shmuel, "And Dovid made [for himself] a name when he returned from slaying [those of] Edom,"5II Shmuel 8:13. Rashi apparently had a different version of the text than ours which reads, "...after returning from slaying [those of] Aram." For clarification, see Tehillim 60:2. for all were praising him as a pious person for he buries his slain. And similarly it states concerning the wars of Gog and Magog, "And they will bury all the people of the land, and it will bring them fame."6Yechezkeil 39:13. However, [Targum] Yonoson rendered לקבר את החללים, "to strip the slain," [i.e.,] to remove their clothing.

פסוק ט״ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

כִּ֣י שֵׁ֧שֶׁת חֳדָשִׁ֛ים יָשַׁב־שָׁ֥ם יוֹאָ֖ב וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַד־הִכְרִ֥ית כׇּל־זָכָ֖ר בֶּאֱדֽוֹם׃

English:

for Joab and all Israel stayed there for six months until he had killed off every male in Edom.

The duration is specified: six months Yoav and all Israel remained in Edom until every male had been cut down. Radak clarifies that 'all Israel' means the troops with Yoav, who remained there until both the cutting down and the burial were complete. The grim arithmetic of the campaign explains how thorough the destruction was — and yet, as the next verse will show, not so thorough that the royal seed of Hadad failed to escape.

פסוק י״ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַיִּבְרַ֣ח אֲדַ֡ד הוּא֩ וַאֲנָשִׁ֨ים אֲדֹמִיִּ֜ים מֵעַבְדֵ֥י אָבִ֛יו אִתּ֖וֹ לָב֣וֹא מִצְרָ֑יִם וַהֲדַ֖ד נַ֥עַר קָטָֽן׃

English:

But Hadad,eHadad Heb. “Adad.” together with some Edomites, servants of his father, escaped and headed for Egypt; Hadad was then a young boy.

The escape: Hadad fled, accompanied by some Edomite men who had been servants of his father, heading toward Egypt — and the verse pointedly notes that 'Hadad was a small boy' (na'ar katan). Metzudat David and Radak both note that the name appears as 'Adad' here and 'Hadad' elsewhere — Radak treats the letters alef and heh as interchangeable. The childhood detail is the textual hinge: a small refugee will grow up in Pharaoh's house to become Hashem's instrument of judgment.

פסוק י״ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַיָּקֻ֙מוּ֙ מִמִּדְיָ֔ן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ פָּארָ֑ן וַיִּקְחוּ֩ אֲנָשִׁ֨ים עִמָּ֜ם מִפָּארָ֗ן וַיָּבֹ֤אוּ מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֣ה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֔יִם וַיִּתֶּן־ל֣וֹ בַ֗יִת וְלֶ֙חֶם֙ אָ֣מַר ל֔וֹ וְאֶ֖רֶץ נָ֥תַן לֽוֹ׃

English:

Setting out from Midian, they came to Paran and took othersfothers I.e., subordinates, perhaps as guides for traversing the wilderness. from Paran along with them. Thus they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, assigned a food allowance to him, and granted him an estate.

The flight is traced: from Midyan to Paran, gathering more men along the way (Radak: to attest to Pharaoh that he was of royal seed), and finally to Egypt, to Pharaoh, who gives him a house, a food allowance, and a grant of land. Rashi explains 'lechem amar lo' as a verbal command to his servants to deliver a daily ration of bread. Metzudat David emphasizes the public dimension — gathering men so Hadad would arrive in Pharaoh's eyes as a noble figure of rank, not a refugee.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וְלֶחֶם אָמַר לוֹ. אָמַר לִמְשָׁרְתָיו, כָּךְ וְכָךְ לֶחֶם תְּנוּ לוֹ לְיוֹם.
And ordered that he be provided with food. He said to his servants, "So much and so much bread should you give him daily."

פסוק י״ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וַיִּמְצָ֨א הֲדַ֥ד חֵ֛ן בְּעֵינֵ֥י פַרְעֹ֖ה מְאֹ֑ד וַיִּתֶּן־ל֤וֹ אִשָּׁה֙ אֶת־אֲח֣וֹת אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ אֲח֖וֹת תַּחְפְּנֵ֥יס הַגְּבִירָֽה׃

English:

Pharaoh took a great liking to Hadad and gave him his sister-in-law, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, as wife.

Pharaoh's favor is now extraordinary: he gives Hadad the sister of his own wife, Tachpenes the queen, as a wife. Rashi briefly glosses 'ha-gevirah' as 'the queen.' The detail recalls Shlomo's own marriage to Pharaoh's daughter, creating a structural irony — that the same Egyptian palace that bound Shlomo to its dynasty by marriage also nurtured the adversary against him.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
הַגְּבִירָה. הַמַּלְכָּה.
The Queen. The queen.

פסוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וַתֵּ֨לֶד ל֜וֹ אֲח֣וֹת תַּחְפְּנֵ֗יס אֵ֚ת גְּנֻבַ֣ת בְּנ֔וֹ וַתִּגְמְלֵ֣הוּ תַחְפְּנֵ֔ס בְּת֖וֹךְ בֵּ֣ית פַּרְעֹ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י גְנֻבַת֙ בֵּ֣ית פַּרְעֹ֔ה בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י פַרְעֹֽה׃

English:

The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son, Genubath. Tahpenes weanedgweaned Septuagint reads “reared.” him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath remained in Pharaoh’s palace among the sons of Pharaoh.

The household bond is tightened: Tachpenes' sister bears Hadad a son, Genuvat, who is weaned in Pharaoh's own house and raised among the royal princes. Metzudat David clarifies that 'bet Par'oh' means inside Pharaoh's house, raised together with and like Pharaoh's own sons. The detail signals just how complete Hadad's integration was — and how much he was willing to abandon, in the next verses, in order to return as Hashem's adversary against Israel.

פסוק כ״א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וַהֲדַ֞ד שָׁמַ֣ע בְּמִצְרַ֗יִם כִּֽי־שָׁכַ֤ב דָּוִד֙ עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו וְכִי־מֵ֖ת יוֹאָ֣ב שַׂר־הַצָּבָ֑א וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הֲדַד֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה שַׁלְּחֵ֖נִי וְאֵלֵ֥ךְ אֶל־אַרְצִֽי׃

English:

When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had been laid to rest with his ancestors and that Joab the army commander was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Give me leave to go to my own country.”

When Hadad hears that David has 'slept with his fathers' and that Yoav the captain of the army is dead, he asks Pharaoh, 'shalcheni v'elech el artzi' — send me away that I may go to my land. Rashi (citing Bava Batra 116a) draws a striking distinction: David, who died a natural death and was succeeded by a worthy son, has 'shechivah' (sleeping) said of him, while Yoav, who was killed and left no worthy successor, is described with 'mitah' (dying). Metzudat David adds that Hadad reasons the giants of Israel's wars are gone and the time for revenge has come.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
כִּי שָׁכַב דָּוִד. דָּוִד שֶׁמֵּת מִיתַת עַצְמוֹ, נֶאֶמְרָה בוֹ שְׁכִיבָה, יוֹאָב שֶׁנֶּהֱרַג, נֶאֶמְרָה בוֹ מִיתָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר: דָּוִד שֶׁהִנִּיחַ בֵּן הָגוּן מְמַלֵּא מְקוֹמוֹ, נֶאֱמַר בּוֹ שְׁכִיבָה, יוֹאָב שֶׁלֹּא הִנִּיחַ בֵּן הָגוּן מְמַלֵּא מְקוֹמוֹ, לֹא נֶאֶמְרָה בוֹ שְׁכִיבָה, כִּי אִם מִיתָה.
That Dovid slept. For Dovid who died of natural causes, an expression of sleeping [שכיבה] is mentioned; but for Yoav who was killed, an expression of dying [מיתה] is mentioned.. Another explanation is that concerning Dovid who was survived by a meritorious son who took his place, [an expression of] sleeping is mentioned, but concerning Yoav who was not survived by a meritorious son who took his place, [an expression of] sleeping is not mentioned, rather, [an expression of] dying [is mentioned].7Maseches Bava Basra 116a.

פסוק כ״ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ פַרְעֹ֗ה כִּ֠י מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה חָסֵר֙ עִמִּ֔י וְהִנְּךָ֥ מְבַקֵּ֖שׁ לָלֶ֣כֶת אֶל־אַרְצֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֣אמֶֽר ׀ לֹ֔א כִּ֥י שַׁלֵּ֖חַ תְּשַׁלְּחֵֽנִי׃

English:

Pharaoh replied, “What do you lack with me, that you want to go to your own country?” But he said, “Nevertheless, give me leave to go.”

The exchange is unusually intimate: Pharaoh asks, almost wounded, 'ma atah chaser imi?' — what do you lack with me, that you seek to go to your land? Hadad replies, 'lo,' nothing, but insists: 'shaleach teshalcheni' — surely send me. Metzudat David reads Pharaoh's words as an incredulous question: what could possibly drive you to leave? The text leaves Pharaoh's answer to the request unstated; the narrative simply pivots to the next adversary.

פסוק כ״ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֨קֶם אֱלֹהִ֥ים לוֹ֙ שָׂטָ֔ן אֶת־רְז֖וֹן בֶּן־אֶלְיָדָ֑ע אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּרַ֗ח מֵאֵ֛ת הֲדַדְעֶ֥זֶר מֶלֶךְ־צוֹבָ֖ה אֲדֹנָֽיו׃

English:

Another adversary that God raised up against SolomonhSolomon Heb. “him.” was Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, King Hadadezer of Zobah,

A second adversary: Rezon ben Elyada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Tzova (the same Hadadezer David had struck down in II Shmuel 8). Rashi connects this directly to Natan's prophecy after the Bat-Sheva episode (II Shmuel 7:14) — 'when he goes astray, I will chasten him with the rod of men' — framing both Hadad and Rezon as the fulfillment of that promise of chastisement. Radak adds that Hashem's raising up of adversaries was itself a call to repentance, designed to bring Shlomo back.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַיָּקֶם אֱלֹהִים לוֹ שָׂטָן. לִשְׁלֹמֹה, וְזֶה הוּא שֶׁאָמַר נָתַן הַנָּבִיא לְדָוִד: אֲשֶׁר בְּהַעֲוֹתוֹ וְהֹכַחְתִּיו בְּשֵׁבֶט אֲנָשִׁים.
And God raised up a rival against him [Shlomo]. Against Shlomo. And this is what Noson the prophet said to Dovid, "so that when he goes astray, I will chasten him with the rod of men."8II Shmuel 7:14. God sent adversaries against Shlomo for the purpose of inducing him to repent.—Radak

פסוק כ״ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וַיִּקְבֹּ֤ץ עָלָיו֙ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיְהִ֣י שַׂר־גְּד֔וּד בַּהֲרֹ֥ג דָּוִ֖ד אֹתָ֑ם וַיֵּלְכ֤וּ דַמֶּ֙שֶׂק֙ וַיֵּ֣שְׁבוּ בָ֔הּ וַֽיִּמְלְכ֖וּ בְּדַמָּֽשֶׂק׃

English:

when David was slaughtering them. He gathered some men and became captain over a troop; they went to Damascus and settled there, and they established a kingdom in Damascus.

Rezon gathered a band of men and became their captain when David was striking down the forces of Hadadezer, then went with them to Damascus, settled there, and ruled. Metzudat David sketches the political plan: Rezon and his men intended to join forces with Hadad and together make war on Israel. The pairing of two distinct adversaries from two different fronts — Edom in the south, Aram in the north — fences Shlomo's kingdom on both sides.

פסוק כ״ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֨י שָׂטָ֤ן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה וְאֶת־הָרָעָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲדָ֑ד וַיָּ֙קָץ֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּמְלֹ֖ךְ עַל־אֲרָֽם׃ {פ}

English:

He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble [caused by] Hadad; he repudiated [the authority of] Israel and reigned over Aram.

The summary verdict on the two adversaries: Rezon was a satan to Israel all the days of Shlomo, alongside the evil of Hadad, and he reigned over Aram. Rashi explains 've-et ha-ra'ah asher Hadad' as meaning that Rezon's evil joined together with Hadad's evil. Metzudat David adds that 'kol yemei Shlomo' refers specifically to the time from when Shlomo went astray until his death — confirming Radak on verse 14 that the previously stated 'no satan' (5:18) referred only to the period before his fall.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וְאֶת הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר הֲדָד. עִם הָרָעָה שֶׁעַל יְדֵי הֲדָד, הָיְתָה גַּם זוֹ שֶׁל רָזוֹן.
In conjunction with the evil of Hadad. Together with the evil that was perpetrated by Hadad, was also this evil of Rezon.9For without Hadad, Rezon alone would be unable to antagonize Shlomo.—Metzudas Dovid

פסוק כ״ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

וְיָרׇבְעָ��֩ בֶּן־נְבָ֨ט אֶפְרָתִ֜י מִן־הַצְּרֵדָ֗ה וְשֵׁ֤ם אִמּוֹ֙ צְרוּעָה֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה אַלְמָנָ֔ה עֶ֖בֶד לִשְׁלֹמֹ֑ה וַיָּ֥רֶם יָ֖ד בַּמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

English:

Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, the son of a widow whose name was Zeruah, was in Solomon’s service; he raised his hand against the king.

The chapter's third and most consequential adversary is introduced: Yarovam ben Nevat, an Ephraimite of Tzeredah, the son of a widow named Tzeruah, a servant of Shlomo — and 'vayarem yad ba-melech,' he raised his hand against the king. Rashi explains this as public rebuke — he criticized Shlomo openly, an act later faulted (per Sanhedrin 101b) not for being false but for being done in public. Radak preserves a midrashic tradition that Yarovam's elevation followed a meeting with Achiyah HaShiloni, and that 'gavah libo' (his heart grew haughty) is what drove the public confrontation.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַיָּרֶם יָד בַּמֶּלֶךְ. הוֹכִיחוֹ בָּרַבִּים.
And he raised his hand against the king. He rebuked him in public.10He was correct in rebuking him about building up the Millo, but he was wrong for doing it in public. See Maseches Sanhedrin 101b and Rashi there.

פסוק כ״ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וְזֶ֣ה הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁר־הֵרִ֥ים יָ֖ד בַּמֶּ֑לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה֙ בָּנָ֣ה אֶת־הַמִּלּ֔וֹא סָגַ֕ר אֶת־פֶּ֕רֶץ עִ֖יר דָּוִ֥ד אָבִֽיו׃

English:

The circumstances under which he raised his hand against the king were as follows: Solomon built the Millo and repaired the breach of the city of his father, David.

The verse gives the political pretext of Yarovam's rebellion: Shlomo built the Millo and closed the breach in his father David's city. Rashi (drawing on Sanhedrin 101b) records the rebuke Yarovam delivered: 'your father broke breaches in the wall to allow the festival pilgrims to enter, and you closed them up to create forced-labor housing for Pharaoh's daughter.' Metzudat David and Radak add that the closing of the breach was perceived as cutting off the common people's access to the king for legal complaints, deepening the popular resentment that Yarovam channeled.
▶Commentaries (2)
רש״יRashi
וְזֶה הַדָּבָר. אֲשֶׁר הוֹכִיחוֹ עָלָיו. שְׁלֹמֹה בָּנָה אֶת הַמִּלּוֹא. וּבְבִנְיָן זֶה סָגַר אֶת פֶּרֶץ הָעִיר דָּוִד, שֶׁהָיָה הַפֶּרֶץ אֲחוֹרֵי הַמִּלּוֹא, אָמַר לוֹ: אָבִיךָ פָּרַץ פְּרָצוֹת בַּחוֹמָה לִכָּנֵס בּוֹ עוֹלֵי רְגָלִים, וְאַתָּה גָּדַרְתָּ אוֹתָהּ, לַעֲשׂוֹת אַנְגַּרְיָא לְבַת פַּרְעֹה, לְהוֹשִׁיב שָׁם עֲבָדֶיהָ וּמְשָׁרְתֶיהָ.
It was about this matter. Concerning which he rebuked him. Shlomo had built up the Millo. And with this building, he closed up the breach of the City of Dovid which was behind the Millo.11See above 9:24. He said to him, "Your father made breaches in the wall for the festival pilgrims to enter, and you closed it up, to create a labor force for Pharaoh's daughter, to station there her menservants and maidservants."12Maseches Sanhedrin 101b and Rashi there.
מצודת דודMetzudat David
וזה הדבר. רצה לומד: בדבר הזה מרד במלך, אשר גינה מעשיו בפרסום, ואמר שלמה בנה את המלוא, ודוד הלא הניחו פנוי, להתאסף בו לעת הצורך: סגר וכו׳. רצה לומר: מאז היתה פרוצה חומת עיר דוד, לצאת ולבוא בה אל המלך, להגיש אליו דברי ריבותם, והנה שלמה סגר הפרצה, כאילו אינו חושש לעשות משפט העם:
and closed up – that is to say, from the beginning the wall of the city of David was breached in order that people could go in and out in order to bring their complaints to the king. And now see, Shlomo closed up the breach as if he has no concern for administering justice to the people.

פסוק כ״ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

וְהָאִ֥ישׁ יָרׇבְעָ֖ם גִּבּ֣וֹר חָ֑יִל וַיַּ֨רְא שְׁלֹמֹ֜ה אֶת־הַנַּ֗עַר כִּֽי־עֹשֵׂ֤ה מְלָאכָה֙ ה֔וּא וַיַּפְקֵ֣ד אֹת֔וֹ לְכׇל־סֵ֖בֶל בֵּ֥ית יוֹסֵֽף׃ {ס}        

English:

This man Jeroboam was very capable, and when Solomon saw that the young manithe young man Or “this attendant.” was a productive worker, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the House of Joseph.

The verse zooms in on Yarovam's character before his rebellion: 'gibor chayil' — a man of valor — and Shlomo, seeing his diligence, appointed him over the burden-labor of the house of Yosef. Rashi explains 'oseh melachah' as quick and zealous in his work, and notes that 'sevel bet Yosef' refers to the tax-collection from Menashe and Ephrayim, fitting because Yarovam himself was an Ephraimite. The detail is structurally important: Shlomo himself elevated the very man Hashem had already designated to tear ten tribes from his son.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַיַּרְא שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת הַנַּעַר. קֹדֶם לָכֵן. כִּי עוֹשֶׂה מְלָאכָה הוּא. מָהִיר בִּמְלַאכְתּוֹ וְזָרִיז. לְכָל סֵבֶל בֵּית יוֹסֵף. (תַּרְגּוּם:) לְכָל מַסְקֵי מִסִּין דְּבֵית יוֹסֵף, מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶפְרַיִם, לְפִי שֶׁמִּשֵּׁבֶט אֶפְרַיִם הָיָה.
And Shlomo had seen that this young man. Prior to this. Did his work with diligence. Quick in his work and diligent. Over all the [tax] burdens of the House of Yosef. [Targum Yonoson rendered,] "over all the taxpayers of the House of Yosef," [i.e.,] Menashe and Ephrayim, because he was from the tribe of Ephrayim.

פסוק כ״ט · Verse 29

Hebrew:

וַֽיְהִי֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא וְיָרׇבְעָ֖ם יָצָ֣א מִירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וַיִּמְצָ֣א אֹת֡וֹ אֲחִיָּה֩ הַשִּׁילֹנִ֨י הַנָּבִ֜יא בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וְה֤וּא מִתְכַּסֶּה֙ בְּשַׂלְמָ֣ה חֲדָשָׁ֔ה וּשְׁנֵיהֶ֥ם לְבַדָּ֖ם בַּשָּׂדֶֽה׃

English:

During that time Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem and the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh met him on the way. He had put on a new robe; and when the two were alone in the open country,

The prophetic scene is staged with deliberate isolation: Yarovam leaves Yerushalayim — Metzudat David: to collect the taxes of his new appointment — and Achiyah HaShiloni meets him on the road, wearing a new garment, with the two of them alone in the field. Radak preserves a Talmudic dispute over whose garment it was, Achiyah's or Yarovam's, with the conclusion that it more likely belonged to the prophet, since dividing the kingdom is properly the prophet's tearing. The privacy of the encounter is essential: the symbolic act must happen with no witness who could turn it into immediate revolt.

פסוק ל׳ · Verse 30

Hebrew:

וַיִּתְפֹּ֣שׂ אֲחִיָּ֔ה בַּשַּׂלְמָ֥ה הַחֲדָשָׁ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלָ֑יו וַיִּ֨קְרָעֶ֔הָ שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר קְרָעִֽים׃

English:

Ahijah took hold of the new robe he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

The prophetic sign-act: Achiyah grabs the new salmah he is wearing and tears it into twelve pieces. Metzudat David offers a careful arithmetic: twelve tears in fact produce thirteen pieces, of which ten go to Yarovam (representing the ten northern tribes) and two remain (representing Yehuda with Binyamin folded in, since Levi held no tribal allotment). The tearing of a new garment, rather than an old one, recalls Shmuel's encounter with Shaul in I Shmuel 15:27 and signals that the kingdom being torn is itself fresh and uniquely Davidic.

פסוק ל״א · Verse 31

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לְיָֽרׇבְעָ֔ם קַח־לְךָ֖ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה קְרָעִ֑ים כִּ֣י כֹה֩ אָמַ֨ר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל הִנְנִ֨י קֹרֵ֤עַ אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה֙ מִיַּ֣ד שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה וְנָתַתִּ֣י לְךָ֔ אֵ֖ת עֲשָׂרָ֥ה הַשְּׁבָטִֽים׃

English:

“Take ten pieces,” he said to Jeroboam. “For thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hands, and I will give you ten tribes.

The prophetic word now interprets the act: 'kach lecha asarah kera'im' — take ten pieces — and the formula 'koh amar Hashem Elohei Yisrael' inaugurates the formal oracle: I am tearing the kingdom from Shlomo's hand and giving you ten tribes. Metzudat David explains that the physical taking of the pieces is meant 'as a sign and a token,' a tangible pledge of the prophecy's fulfillment. The repetition of 'koreia' echoes the divine threat to Shlomo himself in verse 11.

פסוק ל״ב · Verse 32

Hebrew:

וְהַשֵּׁ֥בֶט הָאֶחָ֖ד יִֽהְיֶה־לּ֑וֹ לְמַ֣עַן ׀ עַבְדִּ֣י דָוִ֗ד וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם הָעִיר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחַ֣רְתִּי בָ֔הּ מִכֹּ֖ל שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

English:

But one tribe shall remain his—for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

The single remaining tribe is to be his — Shlomo's son's — for the sake of David and for the sake of Yerushalayim 'the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.' Radak explains that the 'one tribe' counts Yehuda and Binyamin together because they were uniquely joined both in their inheritance and in the city of Yerushalayim. The doubled rationale — David and Yerushalayim — encodes the chapter's theological core: the dynasty and the city are inseparable, and what cannot be removed from either preserves the line.

פסוק ל״ג · Verse 33

Hebrew:

יַ֣עַן ׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲזָב֗וּנִי וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲווּ֮ לְעַשְׁתֹּ֘רֶת֮ אֱלֹהֵ֣י צִדֹנִין֒ לִכְמוֹשׁ֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב וּלְמִלְכֹּ֖ם אֱלֹהֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עַמּ֑וֹן וְלֹא־הָלְכ֣וּ בִדְרָכַ֗י לַעֲשׂ֨וֹת הַיָּשָׁ֧ר בְּעֵינַ֛י וְחֻקֹּתַ֥י וּמִשְׁפָּטַ֖י כְּדָוִ֥ד אָבִֽיו׃

English:

For they have forsaken Me; they have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Phoenicians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites; they have not walked in My ways, or done what is pleasing to Me, or [kept] My laws and rules, as his father David did.

The justification for the decree, again — they forsook Me, bowing down to Ashtoret, Kemosh, and Milkom, the precise triad of verses 5-7 — and 'lo halchu bidrachai,' they did not walk in My ways as David did. Metzudat David softens the indictment to fit the Talmudic tradition: 'they forsook Me' means Shlomo permitted his wives to forsake Hashem, and 'they did not walk in My ways' means he did not teach them to do so. Radak more bluntly says 'asher azavuni' refers to Shlomo, his household, and those who followed them.

פסוק ל״ד · Verse 34

Hebrew:

וְלֹא־אֶקַּ֥ח אֶת־כׇּל־הַמַּמְלָכָ֖ה מִיָּד֑וֹ כִּ֣י ׀ נָשִׂ֣יא אֲשִׁתֶ֗נּוּ כֹּ֚ל יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֔יו לְמַ֨עַן דָּוִ֤ד עַבְדִּי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחַ֣רְתִּי אֹת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁמַ֖ר מִצְוֺתַ֥י וְחֻקֹּתָֽי׃

English:

However, I will not take the entire kingdom away from him, but will keep him as ruler as long as he lives for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, and who kept My commandments and My laws.

The first mercy is restated: 'lo ekach et kol hamamlachah miyado' — I will not take the entire kingdom from his hand — and Shlomo will remain 'nasi' (ruler, leader) all his days, for the sake of David My servant who kept My commandments. Metzudat David and Radak both treat 'kol' here as emphatic: not a single piece of the kingdom will be taken from Shlomo personally. The kingdom is preserved intact in his lifetime; the rupture will come only after he is gone.

פסוק ל״ה · Verse 35

Hebrew:

וְלָקַחְתִּ֥י הַמְּלוּכָ֖ה מִיַּ֣ד בְּנ֑וֹ וּנְתַתִּ֣יהָ לְּךָ֔ אֵ֖ת עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת הַשְּׁבָטִֽים׃

English:

But I will take the kingship out of the hands of his son and give it to you—the ten tribes.

פסוק ל״ו · Verse 36

Hebrew:

וְלִבְנ֖וֹ אֶתֵּ֣ן שֵֽׁבֶט־אֶחָ֑ד לְמַ֣עַן הֱיֽוֹת־נִ֣יר לְדָֽוִיד־עַ֠בְדִּ֠י כׇּֽל־הַיָּמִ֤ים ׀ לְפָנַי֙ בִּיר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם הָעִיר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחַ֣רְתִּי לִ֔י לָשׂ֥וּם שְׁמִ֖י שָֽׁם׃

English:

To his son I will give one tribe, so that there may be a lamp for My servant David forever before Me in Jerusalem—the city where I have chosen to establish My name.

To Shlomo's son will be given 'shevet echad' — one tribe — so that there may be a 'nir' (lamp) for David Hashem's servant always, before Him, in Yerushalayim. Rashi reads 'nir' as a kingdom, an expression of dominion (literally a yoke, as one places on an ox). Metzudat David reads 'nir' as a candle (cf. Tehillim 132:17, 'arachti ner li'meshichi') — the king who 'illumines' his people. Both readings converge on the same theological promise: the Davidic line will never be wholly extinguished from the city Hashem has chosen.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
נִיר. מֶמְשָׁלָה, וְ'נִיר' לְשׁוֹן 'עֹל'.
A lamp. A kingdom. ניר is an expression of a yoke.13The king's subjects must obey their king, just as the ox must obey the person controlling his yoke. Alternatively, ניר means "a candle [=נר]," just as a candle illuminates its surroundings, so does a king influence his subjects.—Metzudas Dovid

פסוק ל״ז · Verse 37

Hebrew:

וְאֹתְךָ֣ אֶקַּ֔ח וּמָ֣לַכְתָּ֔ בְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־תְּאַוֶּ֖ה נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ וְהָיִ֥יתָ מֶּ֖לֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

English:

But you have been chosen by Me; reignjreign I.e., establish your residence. wherever you wish, and you shall be king over Israel.

Hashem now addresses Yarovam directly: 'you I will take, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel.' Metzudat David glosses 'bechol asher te'aveh nafshecha' as 'to rule a great rule' — the breadth of his ambition is granted, not curtailed. The verse establishes Yarovam's monarchy as itself a divine gift, raising the stakes of his subsequent failure: he is not a usurper but a chosen king whose own house could have endured.

פסוק ל״ח · Verse 38

Hebrew:

וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־תִּשְׁמַע֮ אֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲצַוֶּ֒ךָ֒ וְהָלַכְתָּ֣ בִדְרָכַ֗י וְעָשִׂ֨יתָ הַיָּשָׁ֤ר בְּעֵינַי֙ לִשְׁמ֤וֹר חֻקּ��ֹתַי֙ וּמִצְוֺתַ֔י כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה דָּוִ֣ד עַבְדִּ֑י וְהָיִ֣יתִי עִמָּ֗ךְ וּבָנִ֨יתִֽי לְךָ֤ בַיִת־נֶֽאֱמָן֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּנִ֣יתִי לְדָוִ֔ד וְנָתַתִּ֥י לְךָ֖ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

English:

If you heed all that I command you, and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, keeping My laws and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you and I will build for you a lasting dynasty as I did for David. I hereby give Israel to you;

The conditional Davidic covenant is now offered to Yarovam in almost identical language: if you heed all I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes, I will be with you and build for you a 'bayit ne'eman' — a faithful, enduring dynasty — as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. Metzudat David defines 'bayit ne'eman' as 'an enduring royal house.' Radak notes a grammatical point on the soft kaf of 'atzaveka.' The offer mirrors II Shmuel 7 in its conditional form, making the future failure of Yarovam (in chapter 12) a self-inflicted loss.

פסוק ל״ט · Verse 39

Hebrew:

וַאעַנֶּ֛ה אֶת־זֶ֥רַע דָּוִ֖ד לְמַ֣עַן זֹ֑את אַ֖ךְ לֹ֥א כׇל־הַיָּמִֽים׃ {ס}        

English:

and I will chastise David’s descendants for that [sin], though not forever.”

The most theologically charged verse of the chapter: 'va'a'aneh et zera David lema'an zot, ach lo kol hayamim' — I will afflict David's seed because of this, but not for all the days. Rashi (citing Seder Olam) offers two readings: that in the days of Mashiach the kingdom will be restored to David's line, and that the affliction corresponds to the thirty-six years Shlomo was married to Pharaoh's daughter. Radak similarly cites Yechezkel 37 ('one stick,' 'one king,' 'David My servant king over them') as proof that the rupture is not permanent — a foundational text against those who deny the future Davidic redemption.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
אַךְ לֹא כָּל הַיָּמִים. כִּי לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ תָּשׁוּב הַמְּלוּכָה אֵלָיו. וּבְסֵדֶר עוֹלָם מָצָאתִי: וַאעַנֶּה אֶת זֶרַע דָּוִד לְמַעַן זֹאת, כְּנֶגֶד שְׁלשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ שָׁנָה שֶׁנִּתְחַתֵּן שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת בַּת פַּרְעֹה, שֶׁנְּשָׂאָהּ בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית לְמָלְכוֹ, וּכְנֶגְדּוֹ נִגְזְרָה גְּזֵרָה עַל מַלְכוּת בֵּית דָּוִד לֵחָלֵק, וּרְאוּיָה הָיְתָה הַמְּלוּכָה לַחֲזֹר בִּימֵי אָסָא בִּשְׁנַת שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֶה לְמָלְכוֹ, אֶלָּא שֶׁקִּלְקֵל לִשְׁלֹחַ שֹׁחַד לְמֶלֶךְ אֲרָם, וְלֹא סָמַךְ עַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְהוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּדִבְרֵי הַיָּמִים: בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ לְמַלְכוּת אָסָא, בָּנָה בַּעְשָׁא אֶת הָרָמָה, וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר, שֶׁהֲרֵי אָסָא קָבַר אֶת בַּעְשָׁא בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וָשֵׁשׁ לְמַלְכוּתוֹ, אֶלָּא שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה שֶׁלּוֹ, הוּא קוֹרֵא שְׁלשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ, שֶׁהֵן סוֹף שְׁלשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ לַחֲלֻקַת הַמַּלְכוּת, וְהִגִּיד הַכָּתוּב שֶׁבְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁנָה קִלְקֵל אָסָא, אַךְ לֹא כָּל הַיָּמִים, אֶלָּא שְׁלשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ שָׁנָה.
But not for all the days. For in the days of the Mashiach, the kingdom will be restored to him. In Seder Olam I found: "I shall afflict Dovid's descendants because of this," corresponding to the thirty-six years that Shlomo was married to Pharaoh's daughter. For he married her during the fourth year of his reign, and corresponding to this, the decree was promulgated on the kingdom of the House of Dovid to be divided. The kingdom should have been restored, in Asa's time, in the sixteenth year of his reign. However, he sinned by sending a bribe to the king of Aram, and did not depend on the Holy One Blessed Is He. This is [the meaning] of what is stated in Divrei Hayomim, "In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, etc., Baasha built the high place."14II Divrei Hayomim 16:1. This is impossible, because Asa buried Baasha in the twenty-seventh year of his reign. Rather, the sixteenth year of his reign, Scripture calls "the thirty-sixth," for they are the end of thirty-six years since the division of the kingdom, and Scripture tells us that in that year Asa sinned, "but not for all the days," only for thirty-six years.

פסוק מ׳ · Verse 40

Hebrew:

וַיְבַקֵּ֥שׁ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לְהָמִ֣ית אֶת־יָרׇבְעָ֑ם וַיָּ֣קׇם יָרׇבְעָ֗ם וַיִּבְרַ֤ח מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ אֶל־שִׁישַׁ֣ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֔יִם וַיְהִ֥י בְמִצְרַ֖יִם עַד־מ֥וֹת שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃ {ס}        

English:

Solomon sought to put Jeroboam to death, but Jeroboam promptly fled to King Shishak of Egypt; and he remained in Egypt till the death of Solomon.

Shlomo, perhaps learning of the encounter with Achiyah, seeks to kill Yarovam, who flees to Shishak king of Egypt and remains there until Shlomo's death. Metzudat David explains the death sentence as a response to Yarovam's earlier raising of the hand against the king, and notes (as does Radak) that this Shishak is not the father of Shlomo's wife — that Pharaoh had died and a hostile successor had risen. The detail closes the chapter's structural circle: Egypt has now sheltered both Hadad and Yarovam, the two adversaries that will ultimately fragment Shlomo's kingdom and (in chapter 14) invade Yehuda itself.

פסוק מ״א · Verse 41

Hebrew:

וְיֶ֨תֶר דִּבְרֵ֧י שְׁלֹמֹ֛ה וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה וְחׇכְמָת֑וֹ הֲלוֹא־הֵ֣ם כְּתֻבִ֔ים עַל־סֵ֖פֶר דִּבְרֵ֥י שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃

English:

The other events of Solomon’s reign, and all his actions and his wisdom, are recorded in the book of the Annals of Solomon.

The standard editorial closing formula: the rest of Shlomo's deeds, all that he did, and his wisdom are recorded in 'sefer divrei Shlomo' — the Annals of Shlomo. Metzudat David notes that this was a separate dedicated book recording all of Shlomo's matters. Radak adds that the books of Shlomo's own composition through his wisdom are mostly lost; only Mishlei, Shir HaShirim, and Kohelet survive from what tradition holds Shlomo authored — the first in his youth, the second in his prime, the third in his old age.

פסוק מ״ב · Verse 42

Hebrew:

וְהַיָּמִ֗ים אֲשֶׁר֩ מָלַ֨ךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֤ה בִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂר��אֵ֔ל אַרְבָּעִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃

English:

The length of Solomon’s reign in Jerusalem, over all Israel, was forty years.

פסוק מ״ג · Verse 43

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁכַּ֤ב שְׁלֹמֹה֙ עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו וַיִּ֨קָּבֵ֔ר בְּעִ֖יר דָּוִ֣ד אָבִ֑יו וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ רְחַבְעָ֥ם בְּנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃ {ס}        

English:

Solomon rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.

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