Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Kings · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Verſ. 1. ANd Solomon made affinitie with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaohs daughter.] David had married Solomon to Naamah the Ammoniteſſe before he died, as is evident, becauſe Rehoboam the ſonne of Solomon by this Naamah, was born a full year before Solomon was king, for Solomon reigned in all but fourty years, chap. 11.42. and Rehoboam was one and fourty years old when he came to be king in the room of his father, chap. 14.21. ſo that if Solomon took this daughter of Pharaoh to wife after Shimei's death, as it is here ſet down in the ſtory, who had lived three years in Jeruſalem after Solomon was king, chap. 2.39. this marriage, was many years after his marriage with Naamah, at leaſt in the fourth, or fifth yeare of his reigne; whether Naamah were at that time dead, or no, it is no where expreſſed; but however, that one chief aim in this match, was to ſtrengthen himſelf, by joyning himſelf in affinitie with ſuch a potent neighbour Prince, as the king of Egypt now was, is evident; for therefore it is not ſaid barely, that he took Pharaohs daughter to wife, but that he made affinitie with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharoahs daughter, &c. implying, that to joyn himſelf in affinitie with the king of Egypt, was the great plot of this match; it is not ſaid whether ſhe had embraced the Religion of the Iſraelites, when he took her to wife; yet conſidering that he is no where blamed for this marriage, nor any thing ſaid, but that as yet he continued to walk in Gods wayes (the high places onelyonly excepted) it is moſt like ſhe forſook her idolatry; and however, that either before or after her marriage, ſhe became a proſelyte, and worſhipped the true God, we cannot well queſtion, becauſe Solomon in this marriage, is made a type of Chriſt, who wooed the Gentiles, and made them his ſpouſe, calling them from their idolatries, to ſerve the true and everlaſting God, for hereto the Pſalmiſt ſeems to allude, Pſal. 45.10. Hearken (O daughter) and conſider, and encline thine eare: forget alſo thine own people, and thy fathers houſe.
And brought her into the citie of David, untill he had made an end of building his own houſe.] That is, having taken the daughter of Pharaoh to wife, he brought her into the citie of David, but yet he did not diſpoſe of her in his own houſe there, but in ſome other part of the citie, and that either becauſe his own houſe was not ſufficient to entertain her, and all her retinue; or becauſe he was at that time in building, or at leaſt had purpoſed to build a fair palace for himſelf, with another adjoyning thereto for his Queen, chap. 7.8. and ſo in that part of the citie of David ſhe continued, untill he had made an end of building his own houſe, &c. and the wall of Jeruſalem round about. Now this laſt clauſe concerning the wall of Jeruſalem, is, I conceive, added onelyonly by the way to give a hint how the glory of Solomons kingdome, did ſtill flouriſh in every thing more and more; that Jeruſalem was walled about before this time, is evident. 2. Sam. 5.9. and 1. Chron. 11.8. but it ſeems Solomon did either erect a new wall without the old; or elſe, repair, enlarge, and fortifie the old, building them with many ſtately towers and bulworks, and ſo this city, which was the place of his reſidence, became farre the more glorious.
Verſ. 2. OnelyOnly the people ſacrificed in high places, &c.] This I conceive hath reference to that which is ſaid before, concerning the flouriſhing eſtate of Solomon, in the laſt verſe of the former chapter, and the beginning of this; his royall glory was every way great, onelyonly this, ſaith the text, was a blemiſh which ſtained the glory of his kingdome, that as yet the people, yea and Solomon too, did offer ſacrifices in their high places, verſ. 3. which was directly againſt the Law, Deut. 12.13, 14. but of theſe high places, ſee the note 1. Sam. 9.12.
Verſ. 4. And the king went to Gibeon to ſacrifice there for that was the great high place.] That is, the largeſt and faireſt, the moſt famous, and moſt reſorted to, and that happely becauſe the tabernacle of Moſes was there, and therefore did Solomon go thither, and with him all the chief of the Princes and Governours of the people, whom he had called together, 2. Chron. 1.2, 3. concerning which, ſee the note there.
Verſ. 6. And Solomon ſaid, Thou haſt ſhewed unto thy ſervant David my father great mercy, &c.] This he ſaid in his heart being aſleep; for God underſtands the langague of the heart, as well as that of the tongue, and as the Lord can enable men to attend upon that which he ſayes to them in their ſleep, ſo he can alſo give them power diſtinctly, and with the full and free uſe of their reaſon, their ſleep no way diſturbing their phancy, to poure forth the deſires of their ſouls in prayer to him; and yet it may well be too that the intention of his mind all the day before, upon the ſervice of God, made him fitter for the impreſſion of ſuch holy deſires, and thoughts, when he was aſleep; and particularly to beg wiſdome of God, which before, of all things he had moſt deſired.
And thou hast kept for him this great kindneſſe, that thou haſt given him a ſonne to ſit on his throne, &c.] This was ſpoken in reference to Saul, though God made Saul king over Iſrael as well as David; yet he did not give it to Saul and his heirs, and ſucceſſours, as he did to David; this was a peculiar favour and honour which God reſerved for David.
Verſ. 7. And I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.] That is, young and unexperienced in ſtate affairs, and in compariſon of this great burthen, which muſt now lie upon me, a very child: ſo the Prophet Jeremy alſo ſpeaks of himſelf, Jer. 1.6. then ſaid I, Ah Lord God, I cannot ſpeak, for I am a child: ſome writers would hence conclude, that Solomon was not above twelve years old when he began to reigne, if not younger, and ſo withall are forced to maintain that at eleven years of age, he begat his ſonne Rehoboam (for it is manifeſt Rehoboam was born the yeare before he began his reigne, becauſe he reigned in all but fourty years, chap. 11.42. and Rehoboam was one and fourty years old when he ſucceeded him in the throne) but there is no cauſe why we ſhould entangle our ſelves with ſuch difficulties becauſe Solomon ſaith here I am but a little child: or becauſe David ſaid of him, 1. Chron. 22.5. Solomon my ſonne is young and tender: for on the other ſide before this, we ſee how David ſpake of him, chap. 2.9. thou art a wiſe man, and knowest what thou oughteſt to do unto him; for thus the Scripture uſually ſpeaks of young men; Iſhmael is called a child, when he was at leaſt eighteen years old, Gen. 21.14, 15. and David a youth, and ſtripling, 1. Sam. 17.23. whereas before, 1. Sam. 16.18. he is called a mighty valiant man, and a man of warre; and much more might Solomon uſe this term of himſelf, when he ſpeaks comparatively, with reſpect to that great charge of governing Gods people, which now lay upon him, though he were, as probably it is thought he was, at leaſt twenty years old.
Verſ. 12. There was none like thee before thee, neither after thee ſhall any ariſe like unto thee.] To wit, for wiſdome; ſome referre this onelyonly to the kings of Iſrael, namely, that there was never any king in Iſrael, either before Solomon, or after him, that equalled him in wiſdome, and indeed in the following verſe, where he is promiſed riches and honour above all others, it is expreſſely limited to kings, And I have alſo given thee that which thou haſt not asked, both riches and honour, ſo that there ſhall not be any among the kings like unto thee: but yet if we underſtand this of naturall wiſdome, and not of ſupernaturall wiſedome, which was reſerved as the ſpeciall priviledge of Gods ſervants, in the dayes of the Goſpel; I ſee not but that theſe words may be taken as they are expreſſed, without any ſuch limitation; namely, that there was never mere man, ſince the fall of Adam, like unto Solomon for wiſdome, which ſeems the more probable, becauſe in the next chapter, the compariſon is made betwixt him and others that were not kings, and of other nations too as well as Iſraelites, verſ. 30.31. Solomons wiſedome, excelled the wiſedome of all the children of the East country, and all the wiſedome of Egypt, for he was wiſer than all men, then Ethan the Ezrahite, &c. and herein was Solomon a notable type of Chriſt, Col. 2.3. in whom are hid all the treaſures of wiſedome and knowledge.
Verſ. 13. So that there ſhall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy dayes.] That is, among the kings of Iſrael there ſhall be none like thee for riches and honour: and in the Chronicles this is more generally expreſſed, namely, that he ſhould excell in riches and glory all before him, and all after him, 2 Chron. 1.12.
Verſ. 15. And Solomon awoke, and behold it was a dreame &c.] That is, behold he perceived that God had in a ſupernaturall dreame appeared unto him, and ſo return…ng thereupon to Jeruſalem with his Nobles, he there offered many gratulatory ſacrifices to God.
Verſ. 16. Then came there two women that were harlots unto the King, &c.] The Hebrew word here tranſlated harlots, ſignifieth either victuallers or harlots, & therfore it may be thought that they were ſuch as did openly profeſſe themſelves Victuallers though they were more ſecretly harlots: for it is not ſo likely that they durſt thus have preſented themſelves before the King, if they had beene known to be ſuch as lived ſo openly in ſo lewd a courſe of life: that the people might the more reverence Solomon, the Lord was pleaſed by this controverſie that was brought before him, to let them ſee what a ſingular meaſure of wiſedome he had conferred upon him.
Verſ. 18. And it came to paſſe the third day after I was deliver'd, that this woman was deliver'd alſo, &c.] Hereby is ſhown in part, what it was that made the caſe in queſtion ſo difficult; namely, that both children were ſo neare of an age, the one being borne but three dayes after the other: and indeed if we adde to this, firſt, that the feature of the dead child would be ſo altered by death, that it muſt needs be hard for thoſe neighbours and friends that had ſeene it alive, to ſay to which of the women it did belong; ſecondly, that no body was by when this fact was done, that might bear witneſſe on either ſide; thirdly that the mother of the live child confeſſed ſhe was aſleep, and ſo did not ſee when her child was taken away; and fourthly, that the parties contending for the child were of equall repute, the one deſerving no more credit than the other, becauſe they were both harlots, all theſe things joyntly conſidered, muſt needs make the caſe ſo difficult, that when it came to be brought before the king, it may well be, it was thought the wit of man could not determine it.
Verſ. 20. And ſhe aroſe at mid-night, and tooke my ſonne from beſide me, &c.] But why ſhould ſhe be willing to keep another womans child? I anſwer, women are naturally aſhamed of overlaying their children, to avoid this diſgrace, in the heat of her paſſion, ſhe could have beene content to nurſe up another child in ſtead of her owne, rather than have it ſaid, that by her ſlothfulneſſe and negligence, ſhe had beene the death of her owne child.