In Hebrew this verse begins with the verbal transition that is sometimes rendered “And it came to pass” (similarly Jewish Publication Version). In this case it seems to mark the passage of time between Solomon’s marriage to these foreign women and the time when he became old and had more completely turned away from the LORD to follow the gods of his foreign wives.

His wives turned away his heart after other gods: See the comments on verse 2. New Living Translation says “their gods” rather than other gods. See the comments on 1 Kgs 9.6.

His heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God: Regarding this idiom, see the comments on 1 Kgs 8.61. The Hebrew contains a wordplay with the name Solomon (shelomoh in Hebrew) and the expression wholly true (shalem), but most languages will not be able to capture this rhetorical feature (see the comments on verse 30 and 1 Kgs 9.25). De Vries attempts to preserve the Hebrew idiom by saying “his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “he was not as wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .