Then Solomon built …: Then translates a Hebrew adverb that may be used temporally (then/at that time in the past) or logically to indicate what happened next. Here it seems to be used to express time. It often occurs in passages where the writer wishes to emphasize what follows. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh seems to capture the correct nuance in English with “At that time, Solomon built….”
High place: See the comments on 1 Kgs 3.2. In chapter 6 it was said that Solomon “built” the Temple. Now his actions betray a change in his loyalties since he is building places of worship for idols.
Chemosh the abomination of Moab, who is also mentioned in verse 33, is frequently identified in the Old Testament as the god of the Moabites (Num 21.29; Jer 48.7, 13, 46). The word abomination, used twice in this verse, is the same word as in verse 5. In each case it refers to a “loathsome god” (Revised English Bible) or “disgusting god” (Contemporary English Version).
Molech the abomination of the Ammonites: See the comments on verse 5. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente indicates in a footnote that Molech refers to the same god as “Milcom” in verse 5, but as was noted above, the historical evidence for this identification is far from certain. The Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente note further indicates that the spelling Molech is a degrading misspelling, which is based on the Hebrew words for “king” and “shame,” and this understanding is widely accepted. The ancient Syriac reads “Milcom,” but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text.
The word Ammonites here renders a slightly different Hebrew text from verse 5 above. Here it is literally “children of Ammon” (Jewish Publication Version), but it refers to the same people.
On the mountain east of Jerusalem is literally “on the mountain/hill in the face of Jerusalem.” An American Translation says “in the mountain over against Jerusalem,” but such a literal rendering is not idiomatic English. The reference is to the Mount of Olives, so New Living Translation says “On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem.” Following the Septuagint, De Vries omits this phrase since he considers it to have been added by a scribe familiar with these words in 2 Kgs 23.13. However, this phrase should not be deleted.
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 .