1 Kings — Chapter 11

Solomon's fall through foreign wives: Lapide (citing Augustine, Aquinas, Jerome): Solomon did not fall into actual belief in idols, but yielded to the love of his wives, performing external worship to please them. Augustine: \"It was not that he believed there was any benefit in the worship of idols, but he could not resist the deadly delights of the women he madly loved.\" Learn here how dangerous it is to marry unbelievers or heretics.

His wives turned away his heart: Lapide's moral: \"Learn here how much we must beware of women. The love of them is invincible and extorts anything, however precious or however wicked, from those who love them. Flee from them, for you are not wiser than Solomon, nor stronger than Samson, nor holier than David — all of whom fell through women.\"

God tears the kingdom from Solomon's hand: Lapide: \"Miserable was this fall of Solomon, the wisest and holiest of men, by which he fell into six great crimes.\" He lists them: marrying the alien idolatresses; marrying too many; permitting them to worship their idols; worshipping those idols himself; drawing many Hebrews to idolatry by his example; imposing immense tribute on the people to maintain the royal women.

The rest of the words of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom — are they not written in the book of the words of the days of Solomon?: Lapide quotes Josephus's epitaph: \"Solomon died, the most fortunate, most opulent, and most prudent of all kings, excepting the sin into which he was drawn by women in his old age.\" He had proclaimed \"Vanity of vanities\" — and yet the vanity of women's beauty finally besotted him.