11:3 He had 700 royal wives 7 and 300 concubines; 8 his wives had a powerful influence over him. 9
1 tn Or “disciplined.”
2 tn Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC 382 §119.w, n. 2.
3 tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).
4 tn Heb “ground.” Since this was indoors, “floor” is more appropriate than “ground.”
5 tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
6 tn Heb “it.”
7 tn Heb “wives, princesses.”
8 sn Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. The usage in the present passage suggests that after the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (cf. also 2 Sam 21:10-14).
9 tn Heb “his wives bent his heart.”
10 tn Heb “for a word to me by the word of the
11 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
12 tn Heb “Look, I have commanded.”