1 And the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, and came to Jerusalem to prove Solomon with enigmas; with a very great train, and camels that bore spices and gold in great abundance, and precious stones; and she came to Solomon, and spoke with him of all that was in her heart.
A queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, more than Solomon is here.
A queen of [the] south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, more than Solomon [is] here.
And the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon in connection with the name of Jehovah, and came to prove him with enigmas. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices and gold in very great abundance, and precious stones; and she came to Solomon, and spoke to him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon explained to her all she spoke of: there was not a thing hidden from the king that he did not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba saw all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the food of his table, and the deportment of his servants, and the order of service of his attendants, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of Jehovah, there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine affairs, and of thy wisdom; but I gave no credit to the words, until I came and mine eyes had seen; and behold, the half was not told me: in wisdom and prosperity thou exceedest the report that I heard. Happy are thy men! happy are these thy servants, who stand continually before thee, who hear thy wisdom! Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel! Because Jehovah loves Israel for ever, therefore did he make thee king, to do judgment and justice. And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in very great abundance, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. (And the fleet also of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir sandal-wood in very great abundance, and precious stones. And the king made of the sandal-wood a balustrade for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, and harps and lutes for the singers. There came no such sandal-wood, nor was there seen to this day.) And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides what he gave her of the bounty of king Solomon. And she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.
And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in very great abundance, and precious stones; neither was there any such spice as that which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
so that that should be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from [the] world's foundation.
And he answering said to them, Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given;
And having come into the house they saw the little child with Mary his mother, and falling down did him homage. And having opened their treasures, they offered to him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
A multitude of camels shall cover thee, young camels of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall publish the praises of Jehovah.
I pour out my plaint before him; I shew before him my trouble.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer tribute:
I will incline mine ear to a parable, I will open my riddle upon the harp.
And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him and magnified him exceedingly.
For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 9
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 9 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 9
Solomon here continues to appear great both at home and abroad. We had this account of his grandeur, 1 Ki. 10. Nothing is here added; but his defection towards his latter end, which we have there (ch. 11), is here omitted, and the close of this chapter brings him to the grave with an unstained reputation. Perhaps none of the chapters in the Chronicles agree so much with a chapter in the Kings as this does with 1 Ki. 10 verse for verse, only that the first two verses there are put into one here, and verse 25 here is taken from 1 Ki. 4:26, and the last three verses here from 1 Ki. 11:41-43. Here is,
2Ch 9:1-12
This passage of story had been largely considered in the Kings; yet, because our Saviour has proposed it as an example to us in our enquiries after him (Mt. 12:42), we must not pass it over without observing briefly,
2Ch 9:13-31
We have here Solomon in his throne, and Solomon in his grave; for the throne would not secure him from the grave. Mors sceptra ligonibus aequat-Death wrenches from the hand the sceptre as well as the spade.