1 Now the queen of Sheba, hearing great things of Solomon, came to Jerusalem to put his wisdom to the test with hard questions; and with her came a very great train, and camels weighted down with spices, and great stores of gold and jewels: and when she came to Solomon she had talk with him of everything in her mind.
Now the queen of Sheba, hearing great things of Solomon, came to put his wisdom to the test with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels weighted down with spices, and stores of gold and jewels: and when she came to Solomon she had talk with him of everything in her mind. And Solomon gave her answers to all her questions; there was no secret which the king did not make clear to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had made, And the food at his table, and all his servants seated there, and those who were waiting on him in their places, and their robes, and his wine-servants, and the burned offerings which he made in the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, The account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true. But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself; and now I see that it was not half the story; your wisdom and your wealth are much greater than they said. Happy are your wives, happy are these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom. May the Lord your God be praised, whose pleasure it was to put you on the seat of the kingdom of Israel; because the Lord's love for Israel is eternal, he has made you king, to be their judge in righteousness. And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a great store of spices and jewels: never again was such a wealth of spices seen as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon. And the sea-force of Hiram, in addition to gold from Ophir, came back with much sandal-wood and jewels. And from the sandal-wood the king made pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, and instruments of music for the makers of melody: never has such sandal-wood been seen to this day. And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she made request for, in addition to what he gave her freely from the impulse of his heart. So she went back to her country, she and her servants.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 9
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 9 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The visit of the queen of Sheba . Cf. 1 Kings 10:1-13. - This event is narrated as a practical proof of Solomon's extraordinary wisdom. The narrative agrees so exactly in both texts, with the exception of some few quite unimportant differences, that we must regard them as literal extracts from an original document which they have used in common. For the commentary on this section, see on 1 Kings 10:1-13.
Solomon's revenue in gold, and the use he made of it. Cf. 1 Kings 10:14-22, and the commentary there on this section, which is identical in both narratives, with the exception of some trifling differences. Before מביאים והסּחרים the relative pronoun is to be supplied: “and what the merchants brought.” As to the derivation of the word פּחות , which comes from the Aramaic form פּחה , governor (2 Chronicles 9:14), see on Haggai 1:1. - תּרשׁישׁ הלכות אניּות , in 2 Chronicles 9:21, ships going to Tarshish, is an erroneous paraphrase of תּרשׁישׁ אניּות , Tarshish-ships, i.e., ships built for long sea voyages; for the fleet did not go to Tartessus in Spain, but to Ophir in Southern Arabia (see on 1 Kings 9:26.). All the rest has been explained in the commentary on 1 Kings 10.
In 2 Chronicles 9:22-28, all that remained to be said of Solomon's royal glory, his riches, his wisdom, and his revenues, is in conclusion briefly summed up, as in 1 Kings 10:23-29. From 2 Chronicles 9:25 onwards, the account given in the Chronicle diverges from that in 1 Kings 10:26., in so far that what is narrated in 1 Kings 10:26-28 concerning Solomon's chariots and horses, and his trade with Egypt in horses, is here partly replaced by statements similar in import to those in 1 Kings 5, because the former matters had been already treated of in Chr. 2 Chronicles 1:14-17.
2 Chronicles 9:25 does not correspond to the passage 1 Kings 10:26, but in contents and language agrees with 1 Kings 5:6, and 2 Chronicles 9:26 with 1 Kings 5:1. Only the general estimate of Solomon's riches in gold and silver, in 2 Chronicles 9:27, repeated from 2 Chronicles 1:15, corresponds to 1 Kings 10:27. Finally, in 2 Chronicles 9:28 the whole description is rounded off; all that has already been said in 2 Chronicles 1:16, 2 Chronicles 1:17 as to the trade in horses with Egypt (1 Kings 10:28-29) being drawn together into one general statement.
Conclusion of Solomon's history. - 2 Chronicles 9:29. Sources; see the introduction .
2 Chronicles 9:30-31
The length of his reign, his death and burial, and his successor, as in 1 Kings 11:42.