Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 11:3

"And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart." — 1 Kings 11:3 (ASV)

These numbers seem excessive to many critics, and it must be admitted that history offers no parallel to them. In Song of Solomon 6:8, the number of Solomon’s legitimate wives is said to be sixty, and that of his concubines eighty. It is perhaps probable that the text has suffered corruption in this place. For “700,” we should perhaps read “70.”