1 Kings 10

1Ki 10:1-13.

THE

QUEEN OF

SHEBA

ADMIRES THE

WISDOM OF

SOLOMON.

1. the queen of Sheba--Some think her country was the Sabean kingdom of

Yemen, of which the capital was Saba, in Arabia-Felix; others, that it

was in African Ethiopia, that is, Abyssinia, towards the south of the

Red Sea. The opinions preponderate in favor of the former. This view

harmonizes with the language of our Lord, as Yemen means "South"; and

this country, extending to the shores of the Indian ocean, might in

ancient times be considered "the uttermost parts of the earth."

heard of the fame of Solomon--doubtless by the Ophir fleet.

concerning the name of the Lord--meaning either his great knowledge

of God, or the extraordinary things which God had done for him.

hard questions--enigmas or riddles. The Orientals delight in this

species of intellectual exercise and test wisdom by the power and

readiness to solve them.

2. she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels--A long

train of those beasts of burden forms the common way of travelling in

Arabia; and the presents specified consist of the native produce of

that country. Of course, a royal equipage would be larger and more

imposing than an ordinary caravan.

6. It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and

of thy wisdom--The proofs she obtained of Solomon's wisdom--not from

his conversation only, but also from his works; the splendor of his

palace; the economy of his kitchen and table; the order of his court;

the gradations and gorgeous costume of his servants; above all, the

arched viaduct that led from his palace to the temple

(2Ki 16:18),

and the remains of which have been recently discovered [ROBINSON]--overwhelmed her with astonishment. [See on

2Ch 9:4.]

9. Blessed be the Lord thy

God--(See on

1Ki 5:7).

It is quite possible, as Jewish writers say, that this queen was

converted, through Solomon's influence, to the worship of the true God.

But there is no record of her making any gift or offering in the

temple.

10. she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of

gold--£720,00.

11. almug trees--Parenthetically, along with the valuable presents of

the queen of Sheba, is mentioned a foreign wood, which was brought in

the Ophir ships. It is thought by some to be the sandalwood; by others,

to be the deodar--a species of fragrant fir, much used in India for

sacred and important works. Solomon used it for stairs in his temple

and palace

(2Ch 9:11),

but chiefly for musical instruments.

13. King Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire,

whatsoever she asked, beside--that is, Solomon not only gave his

illustrious guest all the insight and information she wanted; but,

according to the Oriental fashion, he gave her ample remuneration for

the presents she had brought.

1Ki 10:14-29.

HIS

RICHES.

14, 15. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one

year--666 talents, equal to £3,996,000. The sources whence

this was derived are not mentioned; nor was it the full amount of his

revenue; for this was "Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of

the traffic of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and

of the governors of the country." The great encouragement he gave to

commerce was the means of enriching his royal treasury. By the

fortifications which he erected in various parts of his kingdom,

(particularly at such places as Thapsacus, one of the passages of

Euphrates, and at Tadmor, in the Syrian desert), he gave complete

security to the caravan trade from the depredations of the Arab

marauders; and it was reasonable that, in return for this protection,

he should exact a certain toll or duty for the importation of foreign

goods. A considerable revenue, too, would arise from the use of the

store cities and khans he built; and it is not improbable that those

cities were emporia, where the caravan merchants unloaded their bales

of spices and other commodities and sold them to the king's factors,

who, according to the modern practice in the East, retailed them in the

Western markets at a profit. "The revenue derived from the tributary

kings and from the governors of the country" must have consisted in the

tribute which all inferior magistrates periodically bring to their

sovereigns in the East, in the shape of presents of the produce of

their respective provinces.

16, 17. two hundred targets, six hundred shekels--These

defensive arms were anciently made of wood and covered with leather;

those were covered with fine gold. 600 shekels were used in the gilding

of each target--300 for each shield. They were intended for the state

armory of the palace (see

1Ki 14:26).

18-26. a great throne of ivory--It seems to have been made not of

solid ivory, but veneered. It was in the form of an armchair, with a

carved back. The ascent to it was by six steps, on each of which stood

lions, in place of a railing--while a lion, probably of gilt metal,

stood at each side, which, we may suppose from the analogy of other

Oriental thrones, supported a canopy. A golden footstool is mentioned

(2Ch 9:18)

as attached to this throne, whose magnificence is described as

unrivalled.

22. a navy of Tharshish--Tartessus in Spain. There gold, and especially

silver, was obtained, anciently, in so great abundance that it was

nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. But "Tarshish" came to be

a general term for the West

(Jon 1:3).

at sea--on the Mediterranean.

once in three years--that is, every third year. Without the mariner's

compass they had to coast along the shore. The ivory, apes, and

peacocks might have been purchased, on the outward or homeward voyage,

on the north coast of Africa, where the animals were to be found. They

were particularized, probably as being the rarest articles on board.

26-29.--(See on

2Ch 1:14

[and

2Ch 9:25].)