The Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, drawn by his fame and wisdom, to test him with hard questions. She was profoundly astonished by his understanding, the grandeur of his kingdom, and his immense wealth, confessing that his renown surpassed all reports. She presented him with lavish gifts, and he reciprocated, demonstrating his unparalleled prosperity and wisdom among all kings of the earth.
She arrived in Yerushalayim accompanied by a very great retinue, including camels bearing spices and gold in great abundance, and precious stones. When she appeared before Shlomo she spoke with him about everything on her heart,
the food at his table, the manner of seating his officials, the manner in which his staff served him, how they were dressed, his personal servants and his burnt offering which he offered in the house of ADONAI, it left her breathless.
but I couldn't believe the report until I came and saw for myself. Actually, they didn't tell me even the half of it - your wisdom and prosperity surpass the reports I heard.
Blessed be ADONAI your God, who took pleasure in you to put you on the throne of Isra'el. Because of ADONAI's eternal love for Isra'el, he has made you king, to administer judgment and justice fairly."
Then she gave the king four tons of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones; never again did there arrive such an abundance of spices as those the queen of Sh'va gave to King Shlomo.
The king used the sandalwood to make columns for the house of ADONAI and for the royal palace, and also lyres and lutes for the singers. No sandalwood like it has come or been seen to this day.
King Shlomo gave the queen of Sh'va everything she wanted, whatever she asked, in addition to the presents he gave her on his own initiative. After this, she returned and went back to her own country, she and her servants.
besides that which came from sales taxes, customs duties and assessments collected by all the kings of the mixed peoples and by the district governors.
He made 300 more shields of hammered gold, with three-and-three-quarters pounds going into one shield; the king put these in the House of the L'vanon Forest.
All King Shlomo's drinking vessels were of gold; and all the utensils in the House of the L'vanon Forest were of pure gold; none was of silver, for in Shlomo's time it was regarded as having little value.
The king had a fleet of large "Tarshish" ships along with Hiram's fleet; once every three years the "Tarshish" fleet came in, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks.
Shlomo amassed chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen; he assigned them to the chariot cities and to the king in Yerushalayim.
A chariot from Egypt cost fifteen pounds of silver shekels and a horse three-and-three quarters pounds [of shekels]; all the kings of the Hittim and the kings of Aram purchased them at these prices through Shlomo's agents.
Study Notes for 1 Kings 10
Verse 1
The Queen of Sheba, likely ruling a kingdom in Southern Arabia (modern Yemen/Ethiopia), traveled a vast distance to test Solomon’s wisdom, which was famous internationally and associated with the name of the LORD.
Verse 3
The text emphasizes that Solomon’s God-given wisdom was comprehensive; he could answer all the Queen’s complex inquiries and riddles (hard questions).
Verse 5
The Queen was overwhelmed not only by the material wealth but also by the perfect organization, order, and reverence displayed by Solomon’s court and his ascent to the Temple, suggesting divine favor.
Verse 9
This foreign monarch recognizes that Solomon's kingship is rooted in Yahweh’s loyal, enduring love for Israel, and his purpose is to establish justice and righteousness.
Verse 10
A talent was a large unit of weight, meaning 120 talents of gold amounted to roughly 4.5 tons, illustrating the immense value of the gift.
Verse 14
The figure 666 talents of gold received annually is specific and massive, symbolizing the peak of Israel’s worldly wealth and human achievement under Solomon.
Verse 17
These gold targets and shields were likely for ceremonial display rather than combat. The accumulation of immense personal wealth and military hardware subtly begins to violate the warnings given to future kings in Deuteronomy 17.
Verse 21
This hyperbolic statement emphasizes the extreme abundance of gold in Jerusalem; silver, though valuable elsewhere, was treated as common material in Solomon’s court.
Verse 22
The 'navy of Tharshish' was likely a designation for a long-distance, deep-sea trading fleet, indicating Solomon’s control over maritime routes reaching distant lands for exotic goods.
Verse 26
Solomon's massive acquisition of chariots and horses directly contravened the divine instruction that the king should not multiply horses for himself (Deuteronomy 17:16), indicating a reliance on worldly military power rather than God.
Verse 29
These verses confirm Solomon’s vast trade network, where he acted as a lucrative middleman, importing horses and chariots from Egypt and reselling them to neighboring kingdoms like the Hittites and Syrians.
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