Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

1 KINGS 11:11KJV
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1 Kings 11:11 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 11:11 mean?

1 Kings 11:11 means that God told Solomon He would take the kingdom away from him because Solomon had not kept God's covenant and commands. God says He will give the kingdom to one of Solomon’s servants instead, as a direct consequence of Solomon’s disobedience.

In this verse, the LORD is speaking directly to King Solomon after Solomon has turned away from following God’s ways, especially by worshiping other gods. The situation is a turning point: Solomon’s failure to keep the covenant leads to a serious judgment, where God announces that the united kingdom of Israel will be torn from Solomon’s family and given to someone else. This sets the stage for the later division of Israel into two kingdoms.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 11:11

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name of God, emphasizing that the message comes with authority and a personal relationship.
  • rend (קָרַע, qaraʿ): This word means to tear or rip apart, showing that the loss of the kingdom will be sudden and forceful, not a gentle transition.
  • servant (עֶבֶד, ʿeved): Here, “servant” refers to someone under Solomon’s authority, highlighting the humiliation that the kingdom will not go to a royal heir but to a subordinate.

Why 1 Kings 11:11 matters

  • This verse makes clear that even a king as wise and powerful as Solomon is not above God’s covenant; faithfulness is required from everyone.
  • The use of the word “rend” shows the severity of the coming judgment and hints at the dramatic split that will soon happen in Israel’s history.
  • Understanding this verse helps explain the later events in 1 Kings, where the kingdom is divided after Solomon’s death, fulfilling God’s warning here.

Where else these words appear

“surely” Hebrew H7167 · used in 60 verses

  • Genesis 37:29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
  • 1 Kings 11:12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.

“statutes” Hebrew H2708 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
  • Leviticus 26:43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
  • 2 Kings 23:3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

“kingdom” Hebrew H4467 · used in 113 verses

  • Genesis 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
  • 2 Kings 15:19 And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.
  • Isaiah 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;