Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 9:6
[But] if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments [and] my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
6. But if you shall at all turn from following me ] The insertion of ‘at all’ here is an attempt to give some force to the Hebrew construction. It is a peculiarity of that language to use the infinitive of a verb followed by a finite tense to give emphasis to an expression. But undoubtedly ‘at all’ weakens the sense here. God’s warning is against utter apostasy, going and serving other gods. Hence there is more force in R.V. If ye shall turn away from following me.
and my statutes ] There is no conjunction between the two nouns here, but there is in the parallel place in 2 Chronicles and in the versions it is represented. So small a letter as could easily drop out.
which I have set before you ] The LXX. has ‘which Moses gave before you.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
At all turn – Rather, If ye shall wholly turn from following Me. (See 2Ch 7:19.) The Israelites were not to be cut off, except for an entire defection.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Ki 9:6-9
But if ye shall at all turn from following Me.
A note of warning
A druggist in Ansonia, Conn., has an electric bell in a cabinet containing poisons. When the door is opened the bell rings, reminding the compounder he is handling poisons. What a grand thing it would be were it possible to sound an alarm every time a man puts forth his hand to touch that which will kill the soul. True, God in His great love has provided such an alarm, but, alas, men are prone to disregard its notes of alarm, and by and by it tolls forth its notes only to fall upon closed ears, and finally the bell, like that spoken of in the legend, is cut loose by the hand of a ruthless pirate, and its warning notes no longer are heard.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
If ye shall at all turn from following me; or rather,
if ye shall wholly turn, & c.; if you shall wilfully and obstinately depart from God, and violate his laws, as the doubling of the word implies. Whereby he also intimates that he would not be so rigid and severe towards them, as to mark every thing that was amiss; but would bear with much, as he did in David &c., only that he would not endure a total defection from him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
But if you shall at all turn from following me, you or your children,…. From my worship, as the Targum; either Solomon or his successors, or the people of Israel and their posterity; should they turn their backs on God and his worship, meaning not in a single instance, or in some small degree; but as in the original, “if in turning ye turn” e, that is, utterly, and entirely, or wholly turn from him and his worship to other gods, as follows:
and will not keep my commandments and my statutes, which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: neglecting the will and worship of God, go into idolatrous practices, as Solomon himself did.
e “si avertendo aversi fueritis”, Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“ But if you shall turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them,”
The contrasting alternative is then put, the possibility that they will turn away from following YHWH. (For ‘turning away from following YHWH’ see especially Jos 22:18). Note the movement from singular to plural. The initial charge was personal to Solomon in the circumstances (although of course continually applicable), while the alternative leaves open the fact that it might be his sons who will later do it (‘you or your children’). And the thought is that they might fail to keep His commandments and statutes, and might go and serve other gods and worship them. The huge pressure on Israelites to do this, in a land where there were ‘ancient’ false sanctuaries everywhere, and where all nations round about had their prominent idols, has to be experienced to be understood. Such sanctuaries were easily available and provided a quick solution and an easy way out, as well as appealing to man’s primitive instincts. And they would be constantly being urged to it by previous inhabitants of the land. Furthermore they provided elements which excited the lower nature and made no excessive moral demands. That was why YHWH had taken such trouble to guard against them (Exo 20:3-6; Exo 23:24; Exo 23:32-33; Exo 34:12-14; Lev 19:4; Lev 26:1; Lev 26:30; Deu 4:19; Deu 7:4; Deu 8:19; Deu 11:16; Deu 13:2-13; Deu 17:3; Deu 28:14; Deu 30:17; Jos 24:16; Jdg 2:19; Jdg 10:13; 1Sa 8:8). As will be seen from the references ‘serve other gods’ is typically Deuteronomic, while for ‘serve other gods and worship them’ see uniquely Deu 11:16. For the ease with which Israel could be turned to the worship of other gods see Num 25:2.
The consequence of their serving other gods and worshipping them will be that they will be cut off from the land which God has given them, the point being that the land was given to them because He was their Overlord and they were His people, and on rebelling against Him they would thus no longer have any right to it. Compare Lev 18:24-28; Lev 20:22. The phrase ‘be cut off out of the land’ is unique in respect of Israel. But a very similar idea is found in Lev 18:24-28; Lev 20:22 where His people were warned that they might be spewed out of the land for the same reason, (something which would have the same effect), while the godless nations had previously been ‘cast out’ of the land for the same reason (Lev 18:24. Those in Israel who did this would also be ‘cut off from among My people’ (Lev 18:29). This phrase ‘cut off from among My people’ occurs regularly in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, but is not found in Deuteronomy. In Lev 20:3; Lev 20:5 it has reference to idol worship. For being ‘cut off’ from God see Lev 22:3. (Being ‘cut off’ is thus not a Deuteronomic idea).
The theoretical idea that Israel could lose their land if they were disobedient was clearly a well known one, and does not therefore require a specific reference to the Exile. Indeed a similar idea of what could happen to YHWH’s House is found in Mic 3:12 where the Exile was certainly not in mind. They were to see their privileges as constantly dependent on obedience.
For ‘the land which I have given them’ see Num 20:12; Deu 9:23; Deu 25:19. For the idea behind it see Num 20:24; Num 27:12; Num 32:7; Num 32:9; Num 33:53; Deu 3:20; Deu 26:15. The point is that they have a duty and resonibility to Him as their Benefactor and Overlord.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Ki 9:6 [But] if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments [and] my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
Ver. 6. But if you shall at all turn. ] Heb., Turning turn; utterly and totally turn, sliding back from me by a perpetual backsliding; Jer 8:5 if ye shall hold fast deceit, and refuse to return (ibid.).
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
children = sons.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
if ye: 1Sa 2:30, 2Sa 7:14-16, 1Ch 28:9, 2Ch 7:19-22, 2Ch 15:2
go: 1Ki 11:4-10, Jos 23:15, Jos 23:16
Reciprocal: Lev 14:45 – break down Jos 22:18 – following 1Sa 15:11 – turned 2Ki 22:17 – have forsaken Ezr 5:12 – he gave Ezr 9:7 – for our iniquities Neh 1:8 – If ye transgress Isa 1:28 – they that Jer 26:4 – If Eze 12:16 – and they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 9:6-7. If you shall at all turn from following me Hebrew, If in turning you turn from me; that is, if you assuredly, and indeed, or, as some understand it, altogether turn from me; if you forsake my service, desert my altar, and go and serve other gods; (for that was the covenant-breaking sin;) if you or your children break off from me, and knowingly and wilfully violate my laws, this house will not save you. Then will I cut off Israel By one judgment after another, till they become the most despicable people under the sun, though they be now the most honourable. This implies the destruction of the royal family, though it is not particularly threatened; for the king is of course undone if his kingdom be destroyed. And this house will I cast out of my sight I will not regard it, but will take away my presence and protection from it: it shall be abandoned and laid desolate. And Israel shall be a proverb Their calamities and miseries shall be mentioned proverbially, to express extreme affliction and distress. And a byword among all people Who would mock at their calamitous and deplorable state.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:6 [But] if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will {b} not keep my commandments [and] my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
(b) God declares that disobedience against him, is the cause of his displeasure, and so of all misery.