Q&A 1716—Why didn’t Solomon love his Egyptian wife?

I was reading 1 Kings 7 and found a passage that bothers me. It seems Solomon didn't love Egyptian wife. Why else would he put her in a separate house?

That's a new question for me! In 1 Kings 11:1 we read that Solomon loved many foreign women, so it would be odd that he would not have cared for his Egyptian wife. When we read that his wife lived in a separate building, we sense lovelessness or disconnection, perhaps even punishment. But is that what is happening?

Let's return to the chapter that's bothering you, and take in the context.

7¹  Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house. ² He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. ³ And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row.⁴ There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers. ⁵ All the doorways and windows had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers. ⁶ And he made the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and a canopy in front of them. ⁷ And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. It was finished with cedar from floor to rafters.

⁸ His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court at the back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter whom he had taken in marriage.

⁹ All these were made of costly stones...

What do we notice?

First, the various sections of the king's palace (The House for the Forest of Lebanon, the Hall of Pillars, and the Hall of the Throne) were exquisitely finished. Second, Pharaoh's daughter's house too was a magnificent structure. Solomon spared no expense for her private residence.

And so, far from dishonoring her, he was treating her with special care. After all, which of his other foreign wives did he construct houses for? It probably also bear mentioning that these marriages were first and foremost political in natural. By allying himself with foreign powers through marriage, the strengthened his position in the region. (Never mind, this was not in accordance with God's will. See Deut 17:17.)