10 And she gave H5414 the king H4428 an hundred H3967 and twenty H6242 talents H3603 of gold, H2091 and of spices H1314 very H3966 great store, H7235 and precious H3368 stones: H68 there came H935 no more such H1931 abundance H7230 of spices H1314 as these which the queen H4436 of Sheba H7614 gave H5414 to king H4428 Solomon. H8010
And she came H935 to Jerusalem H3389 with a very H3966 great H3515 train, H2428 with camels H1581 that bare H5375 spices, H1314 and very H3966 much H7227 gold, H2091 and precious H3368 stones: H68 and when she was come H935 to Solomon, H8010 she communed H1696 with him of all that was in her heart. H3824
And their father H1 Israel H3478 said H559 unto them, If it must be so now, H645 do H6213 this; take H3947 of the best fruits H2173 in the land H776 in your vessels, H3627 and carry down H3381 the man H376 a present, H4503 a little H4592 balm, H6875 and a little H4592 honey, H1706 spices, H5219 and myrrh, H3910 nuts, H992 and almonds: H8247
And Hiram H2438 sent H7971 to the king H4428 sixscore H3967 H6242 talents H3603 of gold. H2091
Happy H835 is the man H120 that findeth H4672 wisdom, H2451 and the man H120 that getteth H6329 understanding. H8394 For the merchandise H5504 of it is better H2896 than the merchandise H5505 of silver, H3701 and the gain H8393 thereof than fine gold. H2742 She is more precious H3368 than rubies: H6443 and all the things thou canst desire H2656 are not to be compared H7737 unto her.
There is H3426 gold, H2091 and a multitude H7230 of rubies: H6443 but the lips H8193 of knowledge H1847 are a precious H3366 jewel. H3627
And G2532 when they were come G2064 into G1519 the house, G3614 they saw G2147 G1492 the young child G3813 with G3326 Mary G3137 his G846 mother, G3384 and G2532 fell down, G4098 and worshipped G4352 him: G846 and G2532 when they had opened G455 their G846 treasures, G2344 they presented G4374 unto him G846 gifts; G1435 gold, G5557 and G2532 frankincense, G3030 and G2532 myrrh. G4666
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 1 Kings 10
Commentary on 1 Kings 10 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 10
1Ki 10:1-13. The Queen of Sheba Admires the Wisdom of Solomon.
1. the queen of Sheba—Some think her country was the Sabean kingdom of Yemen, of which the capital was Saba, in Arabia-Felix; others, that it was in African Ethiopia, that is, Abyssinia, towards the south of the Red Sea. The opinions preponderate in favor of the former. This view harmonizes with the language of our Lord, as Yemen means "South"; and this country, extending to the shores of the Indian ocean, might in ancient times be considered "the uttermost parts of the earth."
heard of the fame of Solomon—doubtless by the Ophir fleet.
concerning the name of the Lord—meaning either his great knowledge of God, or the extraordinary things which God had done for him.
hard questions—enigmas or riddles. The Orientals delight in this species of intellectual exercise and test wisdom by the power and readiness to solve them.
2. she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels—A long train of those beasts of burden forms the common way of travelling in Arabia; and the presents specified consist of the native produce of that country. Of course, a royal equipage would be larger and more imposing than an ordinary caravan.
6. It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom—The proofs she obtained of Solomon's wisdom—not from his conversation only, but also from his works; the splendor of his palace; the economy of his kitchen and table; the order of his court; the gradations and gorgeous costume of his servants; above all, the arched viaduct that led from his palace to the temple (2Ki 16:18), and the remains of which have been recently discovered [Robinson]—overwhelmed her with astonishment. [See on 2Ch 9:4.]
9. Blessed be the Lord thy God—(See on 1Ki 5:7). It is quite possible, as Jewish writers say, that this queen was converted, through Solomon's influence, to the worship of the true God. But there is no record of her making any gift or offering in the temple.
10. she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold—£720,00.
11. almug trees—Parenthetically, along with the valuable presents of the queen of Sheba, is mentioned a foreign wood, which was brought in the Ophir ships. It is thought by some to be the sandalwood; by others, to be the deodar—a species of fragrant fir, much used in India for sacred and important works. Solomon used it for stairs in his temple and palace (2Ch 9:11), but chiefly for musical instruments.
13. King Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside—that is, Solomon not only gave his illustrious guest all the insight and information she wanted; but, according to the Oriental fashion, he gave her ample remuneration for the presents she had brought.
1Ki 10:14-29. His Riches.
14, 15. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year—666 talents, equal to £3,996,000. The sources whence this was derived are not mentioned; nor was it the full amount of his revenue; for this was "Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country." The great encouragement he gave to commerce was the means of enriching his royal treasury. By the fortifications which he erected in various parts of his kingdom, (particularly at such places as Thapsacus, one of the passages of Euphrates, and at Tadmor, in the Syrian desert), he gave complete security to the caravan trade from the depredations of the Arab marauders; and it was reasonable that, in return for this protection, he should exact a certain toll or duty for the importation of foreign goods. A considerable revenue, too, would arise from the use of the store cities and khans he built; and it is not improbable that those cities were emporia, where the caravan merchants unloaded their bales of spices and other commodities and sold them to the king's factors, who, according to the modern practice in the East, retailed them in the Western markets at a profit. "The revenue derived from the tributary kings and from the governors of the country" must have consisted in the tribute which all inferior magistrates periodically bring to their sovereigns in the East, in the shape of presents of the produce of their respective provinces.
16, 17. two hundred targets, six hundred shekels—These defensive arms were anciently made of wood and covered with leather; those were covered with fine gold. 600 shekels were used in the gilding of each target—300 for each shield. They were intended for the state armory of the palace (see 1Ki 14:26).
18-26. a great throne of ivory—It seems to have been made not of solid ivory, but veneered. It was in the form of an armchair, with a carved back. The ascent to it was by six steps, on each of which stood lions, in place of a railing—while a lion, probably of gilt metal, stood at each side, which, we may suppose from the analogy of other Oriental thrones, supported a canopy. A golden footstool is mentioned (2Ch 9:18) as attached to this throne, whose magnificence is described as unrivalled.
22. a navy of Tharshish—Tartessus in Spain. There gold, and especially silver, was obtained, anciently, in so great abundance that it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. But "Tarshish" came to be a general term for the West (Jon 1:3).
at sea—on the Mediterranean.
once in three years—that is, every third year. Without the mariner's compass they had to coast along the shore. The ivory, apes, and peacocks might have been purchased, on the outward or homeward voyage, on the north coast of Africa, where the animals were to be found. They were particularized, probably as being the rarest articles on board.
26-29.—(See on 2Ch 1:14 [and 2Ch 9:25].)