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1 Kings 10

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The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon 1–13

1
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. ​
2
And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
3
And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. ​
4
And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5
And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. ​
6
And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7
Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
8
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9
Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. ​
10
And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. ​
11
And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.
12
And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
13
And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

Solomon's Unparalleled Wealth 14–25

14
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, ​
15
Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.
16
And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
17
And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. ​
18
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
19
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
20
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21
And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. ​
22
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. ​
23
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
24
And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25
And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

Military Strength and Extensive Trade 26–29

26
And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. ​
27
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
28
And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
29
And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Kings 10

Verse 1

hard questions — Chidah, a riddle or dark saying, and ‘prove’ is nasah, to test. Her journey began with a report (shema) tied to ‘the name of the LORD’. Christ calls her ‘the queen of the south’, who ‘came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon’ (Matt 12:42).

Verse 3

not any thing hid from the king — Alam, to veil from sight. The king’s wisdom was a gift: ‘I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart’ (3:12). The words of Col 2:3 are said of Christ, ‘In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’, and Christ says ‘a greater than Solomon is here’ (Matt 12:42).

Verse 5

no more spirit in her — The list runs through the king’s table, the seating of his servants, his ministers’ attendance, their apparel and his cupbearers. ‘Ascent’ is olah, the word rendered ‘burnt offerings’ in 8:64. The same word for spirit (ruach) is rendered ‘courage’ in Josh 2:11. Chronicles repeats the verse (2 Chr 9:4).

Verse 9

to do judgment and justice — Mishpat and tsedaqah, the pair said of David: he ‘executed judgment and justice unto all his people’ (2 Sam 8:15). Her blessing of the LORD matches Hiram’s (5:7), and ‘the LORD loved Israel for ever’ echoes Huram’s ‘the LORD hath loved his people’ (2 Chr 2:11).

Verse 10

an hundred and twenty talents of gold — The same sum Hiram of Tyre had sent to Solomon (9:14, ‘sixscore talents’). A talent (kikkar) is a round weight, the word that elsewhere means a plain. The Psalm for the king says, ‘to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba’ (Ps 72:15).

Verse 14

six hundred threescore and six talents of gold — This was the yearly weight of gold that came in, apart from what the merchantmen, the spice merchants, ‘all the kings of Arabia’ and the governors brought (v.15). Chronicles gives the same figure (2 Chr 9:13). The law of the king said ‘neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold’ (Deut 17:17).

Verse 17

three hundred shields of beaten gold — The word is magen, the small shield, where v.16 names two hundred ‘targets’ (tsinnah, the large shield) of beaten gold. ‘Three pound’ is three manehs of gold each. They were kept in the house of the forest of Lebanon, the hall described in 7:2. Rehoboam later made ‘brasen shields’ in their stead (14:26–27).

Verse 21

none were of silver — The drinking vessels (mashqeh) were gold, as were all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon, the hall described in 7:2. Verse 27 says the same of silver from the other side: ‘the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones’. Chronicles repeats the statement (2 Chr 9:20).

Verse 22

a navy of Tharshish — This is a kind of ship as much as a destination. Jehoshaphat ‘made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold’ (22:48), and Chronicles words it ‘to go to Tarshish’ (2 Chr 20:36). Solomon’s fleet was built at Eziongeber, and Hiram sent shipmen ‘that had knowledge of the sea’ (9:26–27).

Verse 26

a thousand and four hundred chariots — Deut 17:16 forbids the king to ‘multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt’, and v.28 names Egypt as the source of Solomon’s horses. His ‘cities for his chariots’ are mentioned in 9:19. Ps 20:7 says, ‘Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.’

Verse 29

six hundred shekels of silver — A chariot cost six hundred and a horse a hundred and fifty. Solomon’s merchants (v.28) handled the trade, and the chariots and horses went on to ‘the kings of the Hittites, and … the kings of Syria’ through their hands (yad, rendered ‘by their means’). The kings of the Hittites are named again in 2 Kings 7:6.