1 Kings 11:17

Translation
King James Version
That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.
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KJV (with Strong's)
That Hadad H111 fled H1272, he and certain H582 Edomites H130 of his father's H1 servants H5650 with him, to go H935 into Egypt H4714; Hadad H1908 being yet a little H6996 child H5288.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Hadad had fled, he and a number of Edomi servants of his father's with him, and gone into Egypt; at the time Hadad had been but a small boy.
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Berean Standard Bible
But Hadad, still just a young boy, had fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of his father.
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American Standard Version
that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child.
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World English Bible Messianic
Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Then this Hadad fled and certaine other Edomites of his fathers seruants with him, to goe into Egypt, Hadad being yet a litle childe.
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Young's Literal Translation
and Hadad fleeth, he and certain Edomites, of the servants of his father, with him, to go in to Egypt, and Hadad is a little youth,
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See also
2 Kings 11:2Matthew 2:13Matthew 2:14Exodus 2:1Exodus 2:102 Samuel 4:4
See on the biblical-era map
City Plan: Jerusalem in the Time of Solomon
City Plan: Jerusalem in the Time of Solomon View full PDF
Solomon’s Wars and Death
Solomon’s Wars and Death View full PDF

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In the KJVVerse 9,126 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

First Kings 11:17 introduces Hadad, an Edomite prince, as a divinely appointed adversary against King Solomon. This verse meticulously recounts Hadad's miraculous escape as a vulnerable child from the genocidal campaign of Joab in Edom, detailing his journey to and subsequent refuge in Egypt. His survival and eventual rise are presented not as mere happenstance, but as a deliberate act of God's sovereignty, orchestrating events to bring judgment upon Solomon for his profound idolatry and unfaithfulness.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within the eleventh chapter of 1 Kings, a pivotal turning point in the otherwise glorious reign of King Solomon. Previously, Solomon's rule was marked by unparalleled wisdom, immense wealth, and extensive peace, culminating in the magnificent construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. However, 1 Kings 11 abruptly shifts the narrative to detail Solomon's tragic spiritual apostasy. His numerous foreign wives, acquired in direct defiance of God's explicit commands against intermarriage and idolatry (Deuteronomy 17:17), led his heart astray to worship foreign gods, including Ashtoreth, Milcom, and Chemosh (see 1 Kings 11:4-8). As a direct consequence of this profound disobedience, God declares His intention to tear the kingdom from Solomon's hand, though out of faithfulness to David, this full dismemberment would not occur during Solomon's lifetime (1 Kings 11:11-13). Hadad is presented as the first of three adversaries God raises up, beginning in 1 Kings 11:14, serving as instruments of this divine judgment and foreshadowing the eventual division of the kingdom.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The historical setting for Hadad's flight is the brutal and extensive conquest of Edom by King David, Solomon's father. This campaign, led by David's formidable general Joab, was exceptionally severe, involving a six-month occupation of Edom during which "every male in Edom" was systematically killed (1 Kings 11:15-16). Such extreme measures, though horrifying, were not uncommon in ancient Near Eastern warfare, often employed to eliminate potential future threats by eradicating royal lines and preventing any resurgence of leadership in conquered territories. Edom, a long-standing rival nation descended from Esau, shared a complex and frequently hostile relationship with Israel. Culturally, Egypt was a preeminent regional power, renowned for its stability, wealth, and strategic importance. It frequently served as a place of refuge or political asylum for those fleeing persecution or seeking alliances. For a child of royal lineage like Hadad to find refuge and even gain favor in the Pharaoh's court was a testament to Egypt's political influence and its strategic interest in regional affairs, particularly in maintaining a balance of power against rising kingdoms like Israel.
  • Key Themes: This verse significantly contributes to several overarching themes evident throughout 1 Kings and the broader Old Testament narrative. Firstly, it powerfully illustrates the theme of Divine Judgment and Sovereignty. Hadad's survival and subsequent rise are explicitly presented not as mere chance but as God's active orchestration to fulfill His declared judgment against Solomon (1 Kings 11:14). This underscores God's absolute control over nations and kings, demonstrating His capacity to use even foreign adversaries as instruments to achieve His righteous purposes. Secondly, it reinforces the Consequences of Disobedience. Solomon's tragic spiritual decline, initiated by his widespread idolatry, directly leads to the emergence of these threats, serving as a stark reminder that even the most blessed and wise individuals are not exempt from the covenant curses for unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Finally, the miraculous Preservation in Adversity of Hadad, a "little child" amidst a massacre, highlights a recurring biblical motif of divine protection and providence, even for those who will later become instruments of judgment. His flight to Egypt echoes other significant journeys of refuge in biblical history, such as Abraham's and the Holy Family's.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Hadad (Hebrew, Hădad', H1908): This name, likely of foreign origin and possibly associated with a storm deity, here refers to an Edomite prince, a scion of the royal house of Edom. His survival from the massacre of his people and his subsequent re-emergence are central to the narrative, highlighting the tenacity of royal lineages and the potential for future conflict, especially when divinely orchestrated as an instrument of judgment.
  • fled (Hebrew, bârach', H1272): This verb conveys a sense of urgent, desperate escape from immediate and overwhelming danger. It emphasizes the perilous circumstances under which Hadad and his loyal servants had to leave Edom, underscoring the intensity of Joab's genocidal campaign and the miraculous nature of their evasion. The act of fleeing signifies a desperate bid for survival against insurmountable odds.
  • child (Hebrew, naʻar', H5288): This term refers to a boy or youth, ranging from infancy to adolescence. Coupled with "little" (Hebrew, qâṭân' H6996), it powerfully emphasizes Hadad's extreme youth and vulnerability at the time of his escape. This detail is crucial as it magnifies the extraordinary nature of his survival amidst a brutal massacre and highlights the profound divine providence at work, preserving a seemingly insignificant individual to become a significant adversary against a powerful king.

Verse Breakdown

  • "That Hadad fled": This opening clause immediately identifies the central figure and his primary action, emphasizing the urgency and desperation of his escape. It directly connects to the preceding narrative, establishing that this flight was a direct consequence of Joab's brutal and systematic campaign against Edom. Hadad's survival is thus presented as an act of remarkable and divinely ordained providence.
  • "he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him": This detail highlights the loyalty and devotion of Hadad's father's servants, who risked their own lives to protect the young prince. It indicates the existence of a faithful network of retainers who ensured the continuity of the Edomite royal line, even in the face of overwhelming adversity and the near-total annihilation of their people. This collective effort underscores the peril and the commitment involved in their escape.
  • "to go into Egypt": This phrase specifies the destination of their perilous journey, identifying Egypt as a common and strategic place of refuge in the ancient Near East due to its political stability, military strength, and traditional role as a haven. Egypt's willingness to harbor Hadad suggests a potential strategic interest in fostering an adversary to the burgeoning Israelite kingdom, or simply a policy of offering asylum to royal exiles.
  • "Hadad [being] yet a little child": This final clause is profoundly significant, serving as a powerful concluding emphasis. It underscores Hadad's extreme youth and vulnerability at the time of his escape, making his survival all the more miraculous. This detail subtly but powerfully points to the sovereign hand of God, who ensured the preservation of this seemingly insignificant and helpless individual for His future purposes as an instrument of judgment against King Solomon.

Literary Devices

The narrative of Hadad's escape in this verse is rich with literary devices that enhance its theological and dramatic impact. Foreshadowing is prominently employed, as the miraculous preservation of this vulnerable "little child" strongly hints at his future, significant role as an adversary to Solomon's kingdom, a role explicitly declared by God in 1 Kings 11:14. There is a profound Irony in the fact that Solomon, the king renowned for his unparalleled wisdom and the peace of his early reign, faces internal and external adversaries due to his own foolish and disobedient choices, whereas a helpless child, escaping the violence orchestrated by Solomon's own father, becomes a key instrument of God's judgment against him. The entire account is framed by Divine Providence, subtly yet powerfully demonstrating God's active hand in orchestrating events—from the massacre in Edom to Hadad's improbable escape and subsequent rise in Egypt—all to fulfill His declared will against Solomon. Finally, the stark Contrast between Hadad's extreme vulnerability as a "little child" and his eventual formidable status as a divinely appointed adversary powerfully underscores the unexpected and often counter-intuitive ways God works to accomplish His sovereign purposes.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

The account of Hadad's miraculous escape and subsequent emergence as an adversary to Solomon serves as a profound theological statement on God's active sovereignty in human affairs, particularly His unwavering commitment to covenant faithfulness and His willingness to employ diverse means, including judgment, to achieve His purposes. It stands as a stark and sobering reminder that even a king as blessed and wise as Solomon is held fully accountable for disobedience to God's commands. God's raising up of adversaries like Hadad is not arbitrary but a direct and just consequence of Solomon's profound idolatry, demonstrating that divine judgment is both righteous and inevitable when His people stray from His ways. This narrative powerfully underscores the principle that God remains in ultimate control, even when human actions seem to dictate outcomes, orchestrating events to fulfill His ultimate and righteous plan for His people and the world.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

The compelling account of Hadad's preservation and his subsequent role as an adversary to King Solomon offers profound and enduring lessons for believers today. It serves as a sober reminder that God is perfectly just and holds His people accountable for their actions, even those whom He has greatly blessed and used. For us, this means that spiritual prosperity, past faithfulness, or even significant accomplishments do not exempt us from the consequences of present disobedience or spiritual complacency. We are called to continuous, vigilant faithfulness to God's commands, recognizing that straying from His path can indeed invite spiritual and practical adversaries or challenges into our lives, designed by God to call us back to Him. Furthermore, Hadad's story encourages us to recognize God's sovereign hand at work in all circumstances, even those that appear negative, chaotic, or personally challenging. God can and does use unexpected individuals and difficult situations—even what we perceive as "adversaries"—to correct, refine, and ultimately achieve His righteous and redemptive purposes. This truth should cultivate within us a deep and abiding trust in His ultimate control, even when His methods are difficult to comprehend or endure, fostering humility and dependence on His divine wisdom.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does Hadad's story challenge our understanding of divine justice and God's sovereignty, particularly when He uses seemingly negative circumstances or individuals to achieve His will?
  • In what specific areas of our lives might we, like Solomon, be prone to spiritual complacency or compromise, and what "adversaries" might God be using to call us back to faithfulness and deeper reliance on Him?
  • How can we cultivate a deeper, more resilient trust in God's providential care, even when His methods or the challenging circumstances we face are difficult to understand or emotionally taxing?

FAQ

Who was Hadad and why was he important?

Answer: Hadad was an Edomite prince, a member of the royal family, who miraculously survived a widespread massacre of Edomite males orchestrated by King David's general, Joab. He is profoundly important because his preservation was an act of divine providence, and he was subsequently raised up by God as a significant adversary against King Solomon. This role served as an instrument of divine judgment for Solomon's profound idolatry and unfaithfulness, as explicitly stated in 1 Kings 11:14.

Why did Hadad flee to Egypt?

Answer: Hadad fled to Egypt to escape the brutal and systematic slaughter of Edomite males carried out by Joab, King David's general, following Israel's conquest of Edom (1 Kings 11:15-16). Egypt was a powerful, stable, and influential kingdom in the ancient Near East, frequently serving as a place of refuge and political asylum for those fleeing persecution or seeking protection from rival powers. It offered a safe haven where a royal exile could potentially gain support and influence.

What does the phrase "Hadad [being] yet a little child" signify?

Answer: This phrase is profoundly significant as it emphasizes Hadad's extreme youth and vulnerability at the time of his perilous escape. It highlights the miraculous and improbable nature of his survival amidst a genocidal campaign, underscoring that his preservation was not by human strength or cunning, but by the remarkable providence of God. This detail magnifies the divine orchestration behind Hadad's eventual role as a formidable adversary to Solomon, demonstrating God's ability to use even the most vulnerable individuals to achieve His sovereign purposes.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The narrative of Hadad, an adversary divinely raised against a disobedient king, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in the raising of an enemy, but in the person and perfect reign of Jesus, the true and faithful King. Unlike Solomon, who tragically succumbed to idolatry and faced divine judgment through adversaries like Hadad, Jesus, the Son of David, remained perfectly obedient to God the Father in all things, without sin (Hebrews 4:15). While Hadad was preserved as a child to become an instrument of judgment, Jesus, too, fled to Egypt as a child (Matthew 2:13-15), but His preservation was not for the purpose of being an adversary to God's people. Instead, He was preserved to be the ultimate Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), the perfect sacrifice for humanity's reconciliation with God. The adversaries that arose against Solomon were a direct consequence of his sin and unfaithfulness, pointing to the profound need for a perfect King who would never fail. Jesus, in His perfect life, atoning death on the cross, and victorious resurrection, conquered all true adversaries—sin, death, and the devil—not by raising up enemies against His people, but by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for them. He is the King who never fails, whose kingdom will never be torn away, and who reigns eternally in righteousness and peace (Revelation 19:11-16), perfectly fulfilling all the promises and hopes that Solomon's imperfect reign could only foreshadow.

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Commentary on 1 Kings 11 verses 14–25

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

While Solomon kept closely to God and to his duty there was no adversary nor evil occurrent (Kg1 5:4), nothing to create him any disturbance or uneasiness in the least; but here we have an account of two adversaries that appeared against him, inconsiderable, and that could not have done any thing worth taking notice of if Solomon had not first made God his enemy. What hurt could Hadad or Rezon have done to so great and powerful a king as Solomon was if he had not, by sin, made himself mean and weak? And then those little people menace and insult him. If God be on our side, we need not fear the greatest adversary; but, if he be against us, he can made us fear the least, and the very grasshopper shall be a burden. Observe,

I. Both these adversaries God stirred up, Kg1 11:14, Kg1 11:23. Though they themselves were moved by principles of ambition or revenge, God made use of them to serve his design of correcting Solomon. The principal judgment threatened was deferred, namely, the rending of the kingdom from him, but he himself was made to fee the smart of the rod, for his greater humiliation. Note, Whoever are, in any way, adversaries to us, we must take notice of the hand of God stirring them up to be so, as he bade Shimei curse David; we must look through the instruments of our trouble to the author of it and hear the Lord's controversy in it.

II. Both these adversaries had the origin of their enmity to Solomon and Israel laid in David's time, and in his conquests of their respective countries, Kg1 11:15, Kg1 11:24. Solomon had the benefit and advantage of his father's successes both in the enlargement of his dominion and the increase of his treasure, and would never have known any thing but the benefit of them if he had kept closely to God; but now he finds evils to balance the advantages, and that David had made himself enemies, who were thorns in his sides. Those that are too free in giving provocation ought to consider that perhaps it may be remembered in time to come and returned with interest to theirs after them; having so few friends in this world, it is our wisdom not to make ourselves more enemies than we needs must.

1.Hadad, an Edomite, was an adversary to Solomon. We are not told what he did against him, nor which way he gave him disturbance, only, in general, that he was an adversary to him: but we are told, (1.) What induced him to bear Solomon a grudge. David had conquered Edom, Sa2 8:14. Joab put all the males to the sword, Kg1 11:15, Kg1 11:16. A terrible execution he made, avenging on Edom their old enmity to Israel, yet perhaps with too great a severity. From this general slaughter, while Joab was burying the slain (for he left not any alive of their own people to bury them, and buried they must be, or they would be an annoyance to the country, Eze 39:12), Hadad, a branch of the royal family, then a little child, was taken and preserved by some of the king's servants, and conveyed to Egypt, Kg1 11:17. They halted by the way, in Midian first, and then in Paran, where they furnished themselves with men, not to fight for them or force their passage, but to attend them, that their young master might go into Egypt with an equipage agreeable to his quality. There he was kindly sheltered and entertained by Pharaoh, as a distressed prince, as well provided for, and so recommended himself that, in process of time, he married the queen's sister (Kg1 11:19), and by her had a child, which the queen herself conceived such a kindness for that she brought him up in Pharaoh's house, among the king's children. (2.) What enabled him to do Solomon a mischief. Upon the death of David and Joab, he returned to his own country, in which, it should seem, he settled and remained quiet while Solomon continued wise and watchful for the public good, but from which he had opportunity of making inroads upon Israel when Solomon, having sinned away his wisdom as Samson did his strength (and in the same way), grew careless of public affairs, was off his guard himself, and had forfeited the divine protection. What vexation Hadad gave to Solomon we are not here told, but only how loth Pharaoh was to part with him and how earnestly he solicited his stay (Kg1 11:22): What hast thou lacked with me? "Nothing," says Hadad; "but let me go to my own country, my native air, my native soil." Peter Martyr has a pious reflection upon this: "Heaven is our home, and we ought to keep up a holy affection to that, and desire towards it, even when the world, the place of our banishment, smiles most upon us." Does it ask, What have you lacked, that you are so willing to be gone? We may answer, "Nothing that the world can do for us; but still let us go thither, where our hope, and honour, and treasure are."

2.Rezon, a Syrian, was another adversary to Solomon. When David conquered the Syrians, he headed the remains, lived at large by spoil and rapine, till Solomon grew careless, and then he got possession of Damascus, reigned there (Kg1 11:24) and over the country about (Kg1 11:25), and he created troubles to Israel, probably in conjunction with Hadad, all the days of Solomon (namely, after his apostasy), or he was an enemy to Israel during all Solomon's reign, and upon all occasions vented his then impotent malice against them, but till Solomon's revolt, when his defence had departed from him, he could not do them any mischief. It is said of him that he abhorred Israel. Other princes loved and admired Israel and Solomon, and courted their friendship, but here was one that abhorred them. The greatest and best of princes and people, however much they may in general be respected, will yet perhaps be hated and abhorred by some.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 14–25. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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