The Bible In Paintings: SOLOMON’S 700 WIVES! 300 CONCUBINES! AND HIS IDOLATRY!

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings 2
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S MESSAGE

1st KINGS
CHAPTER 11

King Solomon loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines.

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JAMES TISSOT
"Solomon and His Harem"

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His wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

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WILLEM DE POORTER
"The Idolatry of King Solomon"

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"Solomon and His Wives Worship Foreign Gods"

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Source

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GIOVANNI BATTISTA VENANZI
"King Solomon with His Wives"

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JACOB WILLEMSZ. DE WET I
"The Idolatry of Solomon"

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JACOPO AMIGONI
"The Idolatry of King Solomon"

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DOMENICO ANTONIO VACCARO
"Solomon Worshiping the Pagan Gods"

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SEBASTIANO CONCA
"The Idolatry of Solomon"

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Detail
Source

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SALOMON KONINCK
"The Idolatry of King Solomon"

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GERARD HOET
"The Idolatry of King Solomon"

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LUCAS VAN LEYDEN
"Solomon's Idolatry"

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LUCAS VAN LEYDEN
"Solomon's Idolatry"

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LUCAS VAN LEYDEN
"Solomon's Idolatry"

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LUCAS VAN LEYDEN
"King Solomon’s idolatry"

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LUCAS VAN LEYDEN
"Solomon Worshiping an Idol"

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BERRETTINI
"Salomone Adora l'Idolo"

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JACQUES STELLA
"Solomon Worshipping Idols"

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SEBASTIANO RICCI
"Solomon’s Idolatry"

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GEORG PENCZ
"Solomon Worshipping Idols"

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SÉBASTIEN BOURDON
"Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols"

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SÉBASTIEN BOURDON
"King Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols"

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PIETRO DANDINI
"Solomon Worshiping Idols"

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JAN ERASMUS QUELLINUS
"The Idolatry of Solomon"

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FRANS FRANCKEN II
"The Idolatry of Solomon"

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LUCA GIORDANO
"The Idolatry Of Solomon"

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ADRIAEN VAN STALBEMT
"Idolatry of Solomon"

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SÉBASTIEN BOURDON
"King Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols"

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GERBRAND VAN DEN EECKHOUT
"Idolatry of Salomon"

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PIERRE REYMOND
"Solomon Turning to Idolatry"

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HANS THOMAN
"Solomon's Idolatry"

→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

New International Version ©1984, Abrdgd, EMPHASES Added
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[Hebrews 11:6]

That's the magic of Tissot's painting: it captures the fateful moment just before they rejected her and insisted on the men, the moment between Genesis 19 verses 8 and 9.

Tissot had the talent to be a screenwriter, imagining every nuance of a scene.

[daniel1212]

"My point is that it wouldn’t surprise me if Solomon had ventured beyond his female harem into orgies, pedophilia, homosexuality, bestiality, necrophilia...."

No: The Holy Spirit is not known to hide such sins even among less notable persons, and we are wrongly presumptuous when we postulate such when the Spirit has described the iniquity of Solomon, and would mention sodomy if it was part of it. Best to be silent when the Bible provides no real warrant for conjecture.

[daniel1212]

"That's the magic of Tissot's painting: it captures the fateful moment just before they rejected her and insisted on the men, the moment between Genesis 19 verses 8 and 9. "

According to you.

[caww]

A thousand woman to keep......surely he must of had his favorites.

[caww]

I’ve been reading a lot about Chinese Dynasties which included Harems. Oh my gosh the woman were outright evil to each other.....not uncommon to poison those competeing with, and even murdering their children. It was all about securing their life or reaching to be Empress. The competion was fierce and deadly.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I am not condemning or judging Solomon, but I know an implication when I see one. The Holy Spirit is not inscrutable, and he does not expect or mandate willful blindness. When He describes unprecedented sexual deviancy, He invites inevitable conclusions. All I am presuming is that further deviancy is not ruled out.

You suit yourself, Daniel.

Best wishes,
Dan

[Hebrews 11:6]

Of course, according to me. Do you have a different interpretation of Tissot’s painting?

[daniel1212]

"I am not condemning or judging Solomon, but I know an implication when I see one. The Holy Spirit is not inscrutable, and he does not expect or mandate willful blindness. When He describes unprecedented sexual deviancy, He invites inevitable conclusions. All I am presuming is that further deviancy is not ruled out. "

Being inscrutable does not contrary to the Holy Spirit characteristically noting exceptions to the norm (from age to bed size to sinlessness) among even lesser characters and exceptional wickedness of principle ones. The problem is with what you see, that of Solomon's multiple wives (common among kings, incldng. David), with the religion of foreigners being what is pointedly described, while you read into this that which includes unprecedented sexual deviancy. Simply unwarranted presumption.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Suit yourself.

[daniel1212]

"Of course, according to me. Do you have a different interpretation of Tissot’s painting?"

My response was to your assertion, not a perhaps. The painting could have expressed what the painter would have looked at.