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 came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart.
and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, and his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the LORD’s house; there was no more spirit in her.
However I didn’t believe the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it. Behold, the half was not told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.
Blessed is the LORD your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore made he you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
She gave the king one hundred 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.
The king made of the almug trees pillars for the LORD’s house, and for the king’s house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen, to this day.
King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
besides that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country.
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.
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.
For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
They brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and clothing, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
A chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, they brought them out by their means.
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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