The queen of Sheba visits Solomon
1 ① The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, and came to test him with difficult questions. 2She arrived in Jerusalem with a vast retinue and with camels loaded with spices, an abundance of gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she told him all that she had on her mind 3and Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing that the king could not explain to her. 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, 5the food on his table, the residence of his officials, the attendance of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings which he offered at Yahweh’s House, it left her breathless.
6Then she said to the king, “All that I heard in my own land concerning you and your wisdom was true. 7But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. And what did I see! I was told only half the story; for your wisdom and wealth surpass the report I heard.
8Fortunate are your wives! Fortunate are your servants who are ever in your presence and hear your wisdom! 9Blessed be Yahweh your God, who has looked kindly on you and has put you on the throne of Israel! Because of Yahweh’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so that you may dispense justice and righteousness.”
10Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in abundance, and precious stones. Such an abundance of spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon was never again seen.
11Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a huge amount of almug wood and precious stones. 12The king used the almug wood to make supports for Yahweh’s House and the royal palace, and also to make lyres and harps for the singers. Such almug wood has never again been brought or seen to the present day.
13King Solomon, in turn, gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired and all that he in his generosity wanted to give her. Then she went back to her own land together with her servants.
14Now the weight of gold that Solomon received in one year was six hundred and sixty-six gold talents, 15not counting that brought by traders, merchants, the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land. 16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of gold going into each shield. 17And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold with three minas of gold in each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18The king also made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19The throne had six steps, a rounded back, and on each side of the seat were arm rests with two lions standing beside the arm rests. 20The six steps had twelve lions, one on each end of a step. Nothing like this was ever made in any kingdom. 21All of King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold and none of silver, for silver was not considered of much value in the days of Solomon.
22The king had a fleet of Tarshish ships at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the fleet of Tarshish ships would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.
23King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 24And the whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom which God had put into his mind. 25Everyone who came brought a present: articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses and mules, so much every year.
26Solomon gathered together chariots and horses – fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common as stone in Jerusalem, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore in the lowland. 28Solomon imported his horses from Musri and Kue and the king’s traders got them from Kue for a fixed price. 29A chariot could be imported from Musri for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They were exported in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
- 1 K 10,1 Solomon undertakes business. He acquires a fleet of Tarshish ships for long journeys and he sends them to get gold and perfume from Africa. He sells Egyptian chariots to the Hittites in the north, and to the Egyptians, Hittite horses. The fame of his wealth and his wisdom reaches the Queen of Sheba in southern Arabia. In reality, Israel was a very small people between the two big empires of Egypt and Babylon. It happened that during the period of David and Solomon, these empires were peaceful and were practically dormant. This was enough to allow the Israelites to think of themselves as the first country in the world, and they saw in Solomon the most magnificent king of all times. The queen of Sheba came to test him with difficult questions. The Bible does not give much importance to the commercial aspect of this visit which will only appear toward the end in the barter mentioned in verses 10 and 13. Solomon's meeting with the Queen of Sheba becomes an historical scene: - The wise Solomon and his people discover the wealth and products of other countries. So the world is bigger than we thought! These contacts help the Israelites gain a broader religious vision. Yahweh is not only the God of a small nation, but is also sovereign over the wide universe. - The Queen of Sheba is a wealthy woman, but she is not satisfied. There is no mention of her husband. She is attracted by the divine wisdom manifested in the king, the Beloved of Yahweh (2 S 12:29). Jesus will later recall this visit in Matthew 12:42.
