God's judgment upon Solomon brings a severe consequence, yet it is softened by the enduring loyalty of his father, David. The division of the united monarchy is a certainty, but the immediate impact of this decree is delayed to the next generation. Solomon's status is preserved, at least partially, until the day he dies.
A question arises regarding the exact timing and scope of this division. The divine message might initially give the impression that while God will not take the entire kingdom away immediately, He might take a portion of it right now. However, Solomon did not actually lose any of his kingdom during his lifetime [מלבי״ם]. Because of this, the primary approach among commentators is that God will not remove any part of the kingdom from Solomon's hands while he lives. This linguistic style mirrors other biblical commands, such as the total prohibition against doing any work or eating any forbidden foods, where the language indicates an absolute restriction rather than a partial one.
God promises to maintain Solomon in his position for the rest of his days [מצודת ציון]. There are two main ways to understand his standing from this point forward. One perspective suggests that God simply allows Solomon to keep his current role as the leader over all of Israel for his entire life, despite his failings [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another approach views his designated role as a significant reduction in status. Because the decree tears the future kingdom away from his family, Solomon loses the full definition of a king. A true king passes his throne and his entire realm to his sons. Since Solomon can no longer do this, he is now considered merely a temporary leader whose authority is strictly limited to his own lifetime [מלבי״ם].
The delayed punishment will only take effect during the reign of Solomon's son, and even then, the dynasty will not lose everything. Ten tribes will be torn away, but his son will continue to rule from Jerusalem over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. These two tribes are counted together as a single unit because their shared territory in Jerusalem bound them deeply together, which resolves the math of the twelve tribes when ten are taken away [אברבנאל, מדוד ועד לחורבן]. This remaining fraction of the kingdom is left to Solomon's descendants purely for the sake of David, His servant, who faithfully kept God's commandments and laws.