How we cite our quotes: (Chapter:Verse)
Quote #1
Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, 'Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David does not know it? Now therefore come, let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. […] So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. […] She said to him, 'My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne. But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though you, my lord the king, do not know it. […] But you, my lord the king—the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, that my son Solomon and I will be counted offenders.' (NRSV 1: 1:11-12, 15, 17-18, 20-21)
Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. […] And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: […] And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the Lord thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not: […] And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders. (KJV 1:11-12, 15, 17-18, 20-21)
The first political crisis of 1st Kings is perhaps the most exciting. Despite the great privilege Bath-sheba and Solomon enjoy as David's wife and son, it's also a terribly precarious position to be in: Once David's out of the picture, they'll be vulnerable to the intrigues of political rivals unless they take preventive measures.
Quote #2
Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. (NRSV 3:1)
And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. (KJV 3:1)
You might notice that, unlike David before him and all of the kings that come after, Solomon never has to fight a single war. Why not? He was a great politician, and he used marriage as a tool to create alliances with kingdoms that might otherwise have been hostile.
Quote #3
King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the Israelites, 'You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods;' Solomon clung to these in love. Among his wives were seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. (NRSV 11:1-3)
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. (KJV 11:1-3)
When we consider marriage as a politically savvy move, the number of women that Solomon umm… loves… starts to seem perhaps a little less excessive. After these marriages, Solomon sure has a heckuva lot of in-laws that he might (presumably) count on if he is ever in trouble. On the flipside, though, that sure is a lot of women to use as political pawns.