What did King Solomon regret?

Answer 1

Solomon's downfall came through his many foreign wives. God had forbid Israel to marry them because He knew, "they will surely turn your hearts after their gods" (1 Kings 11:2). And that is exactly what Solomon's wives did towards the end of his life. He built shrines to his wives' gods and worshipped them himself. Solomon broke his covenant with God. So the Lord told him:

"'I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen." (1 Kings 11:11-13) Knowing that all his endeavors, wisdom, wealth, and honor was to soon be squandered, and the kingdom divided under the rule of his unwise son, Solomon probably felt virtually everything he did was in vain. It is no wonder the conclusions he comes to, his words are his own fears of being forgotten and seeing all his labor become void. The closing thought of "fear God and keep His commandments" now heralds as a warning; Solomon suddenly understood the repercussions of sin and that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10)