1 Kings 11:7 Meaning and Explanation
“Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The verse is painful because Solomon had received exceptional wisdom, built the temple, and known the LORD's appearing. Yet his decline did not remain private. The king's choices shaped the worshiping life of his household and nation. This warning matters wherever influence, affection, and spiritual loyalty meet.
Solomon publicly established places of worship for Chemosh and Molech near Jerusalem. His divided heart became a visible act that dishonored the LORD and helped lead Israel toward lasting unfaithfulness.
The Context of 1 Kings 11:7
First Kings 11 explains the turning point in Solomon's reign. The chapter links his many foreign wives with his heart being turned after other gods. Verses 5 and 6 name his pursuit of Ashtoreth and Milcom and judge his conduct as evil before the LORD. Verse 7 then describes a concrete royal action: Solomon built high places for Chemosh and Molech on a hill before Jerusalem. Verse 8 says he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who offered incense and sacrifices. The LORD's anger and the coming division of the kingdom follow in verses 9 through 13.
What Does 1 Kings 11:7 Mean?
"Then did Solomon build" marks the movement from inward compromise to deliberate public action. A high place was a site set apart for worship, and Solomon made such places for Chemosh of Moab and Molech of Ammon. The verse calls each deity an "abomination," expressing the LORD's judgment upon worship that drew Israel away from covenant faithfulness. The location intensifies the grief: these places stood "in the hill that is before Jerusalem," the city chosen for the LORD's name. Solomon, who had built the temple in Jerusalem, now used his royal power to provide rival places of devotion nearby. His authority gave material support and public dignity to worship the LORD had forbidden.
The chapter presents this building project as the fruit of Solomon's heart being turned. Earlier, the LORD had warned Israel concerning these nations because their gods would turn Israel's heart away. Solomon's love for his wives became joined to their religious practices, and verse 8 shows the broad result. His sin involved more than personal participation; he arranged enduring places where sacrifices and incense could be offered. The following judgment concerns the kingdom because a king's covenant disloyalty bears public consequences. Even so, the LORD remembers David and Jerusalem when announcing the kingdom's division. Judgment is real, and the chapter also preserves the LORD's faithfulness to promises already given.
This verse stands in sorrowful contrast to Solomon's earlier prayer at the temple, where he asked that the LORD's eyes would be open toward the house built for His name. The temple was given as a place for Israel to seek the living God, bring prayer, and receive mercy. High places for Chemosh and Molech beside Jerusalem treated worship as something Solomon could distribute according to competing loyalties. Later Scripture records that King Josiah defiled the very high places Solomon had built, showing how long their harm endured. The verse calls us to honor the holiness of worship and to recognize that devotion to the LORD includes the places, practices, and loyalties our lives establish.
Bible Verses Related to 1 Kings 11:7
“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”
- Deuteronomy 7:3
“That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.”
- 1 Kings 8:29
“And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.”
- 1 Kings 11:8
“And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.”
- 2 Kings 23:13
Where 1 Kings 11:7 Echoes in Scripture
2 Kings 23:13 is an especially strong echo because it identifies the high places Solomon built before Jerusalem for the gods of Sidon, Moab, and Ammon. In Josiah's reforms, those sites are defiled so that they can no longer serve their former worship. The later verse confirms the lasting historical weight of Solomon's action in 1 Kings 11:7. It also shows a later king acting to remove what Solomon had established.
How to Apply 1 Kings 11:7 Today
Influence often becomes visible in ordinary arrangements: what we fund, welcome, normalize, and make convenient for those around us. Solomon's example invites honest attention to the structures our affections create. A household, congregation, workplace, or friendship may be shaped by repeated permissions long before anyone names them as spiritual choices. We can bring our loyalties before the LORD in prayer, especially where love, fear of displeasing others, or desire for peace has made us reluctant to remain faithful. Faithful care for people includes refusing to give sacred honor to what belongs to God alone.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might a divided loyalty be moving from a private desire into a pattern that affects others? Consider one practice, commitment, or use of influence that deserves renewed attention before the LORD. Suggested prayer: "Lord, keep our hearts faithful to thee. Give us love that honors thee and wisdom to order our homes and responsibilities in thy fear."