מלכים א, פרק י״א, פסוק ד׳

The later years of the wisest of all men are marked by a sharp spiritual decline, driven by the growing negative influence of his wives. This raises a difficult question: how could a king endowed with unparalleled wisdom, who authored divinely inspired texts and experienced direct revelation from God, fall into the trap of idol worship?

The primary approach among commentators is that he never actually engaged in idol worship himself. The spiritual shift in his later years reflects the passage of time; as his marriages lasted longer, the influence his wives held over him steadily increased [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The suggestion that he was led astray by foreign deities does not mean he personally participated in their worship. Rather, his deep affection for his wives caused him to turn a blind eye, allowing them to freely practice their own religions without any interference [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג].

Ultimately, the king's failing was a matter of inaction. Because he possessed the authority to protest and stop his wives from these practices but chose to remain silent, he bears the guilt as if he had committed the offenses himself and personally built the altars for their foreign worship [רלב״ג]. This reveals a deep flaw in his devotion. Unlike his father, his love for God did not overpower his love for his wives. Had his dedication to God been truly complete, he would never have tolerated such transgressions and would have banished the offending wives from his presence [מלבי״ם].