1The queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon; her admiration and astonishment at his wisdom and magnificence; her presents and return. 13Solomon's yearly revenue in gold. 15His golden targets and shields. 17His ivory throne. 20His rich vessels of gold. 23The respect paid to his wisdom by foreign princes. 25His stables and horsemen. 26The extent and wealth of his dominions. 29His reign and death; Rehoboam succeedeth him.
1AND 1whena the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
1 See the further exposition of this chapter in 1 Kings 10, where this history is first described.
a 1 Kings 10:1, etc.; Mat. 12:42; Luke 11:31.
2And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.
3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
4And the meat of his table, and the 2sitting of his servants, and the 3attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; 4there was no more spirit in her.
2 See 1 Kings 10 on verse 5.
3 Understand the well-ordered, worthy and ready service that was done to him, as he sat at table, by his courtiers. It may also be understood of his ministers in general, which stood about him, or were at hand, ready to attend and wait upon his commands.
4 See 1 Kings 10 on verse 5.
5And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine 5acts, and of thy wisdom:
5 Hebr. of thine words.
6Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for 6thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
6 Hebr. thou hast added to or above the fame, etc.
7Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
8Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on 7his throne, to be king for 8the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to 9establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.
7 In 1 Kings 10:9 it states on the throne of Israel. She understands that the Israelites were God’s peculiar people, and the kings were vice-regents of God, and consequently that he was to acknowledge God to be his Sovereign in his government, and to do right unto His people in His Name.
8 That is, to minister unto Him in such a royal estate, in order that His Name was thereby magnified.
9 Or, to set up, or, to keep it standing.
9And she gave the king an hundred and twenty 10talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there 11any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon.
10 See Exod. 25 on verse 39.
11 Namely, in such abundance. Compare 1 Kings 10:10.
10And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from 12Ophir, brought 13algum trees and precious stones.
12 See 1 Kings 9 on verse 28.
13 Called also almug trees, 1 Kings 10:11. See there the annotation.
11Andb the king made of the algum trees 14terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: 15and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
b 1 Kings 10:12.
14 Having on both sides handrails and supports, wherefore they were also called pillars, 1 Kings 10:12. By these terraces they went from the king’s house to the house of the Lord. See 1 Kings 10 on verse 12.
15 Namely, algum trees.
12And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, 16beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.
16 That is, besides what he gave her for which she had presented him.
13¶Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;
14Beside that which 17chapmenc and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country 18brought gold and silver to Solomon.
17 See of these 1 Kings 10 on verse 15.
c merchants, or vendors
18 Namely, to pay their yearly tribute.
15¶And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred 19shekels of beaten gold went to one target.
19 Of the common shekel of gold see Gen. 24 on verse 22.
16And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: 20three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in 21the house of the forest of Lebanon.
20 Or, three pounds or minas of gold, as it is said 1 Kings 10:17, each pound making an hundred shekels. See there the annotation.
21 See of this house 1 Kings 7:2, etc., and the annotations.
17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with 22pure gold.
22 Yea, with the most refined. See 1 Kings 10 on verse 18, where it is called the best gold.
18And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and 23stays 24on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:
23 Or, handrails. Hebr. hands.
24 Hebr. hence and thence or, hither and thither; also in the following verse.
19And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.
20¶And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of 25pure gold: none were of 26silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
25 See 1 Kings 6 on verse 20.
26 These words, with the following words in this verse, are thus also translated: There was no silver on them; for it was not accounted any thing in the days of Solomon.
21For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: 27every three years once came the ships of 28Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
27 The original word, which otherwise signifies one, is also taken for once or one time Exod. 30:10; Joshua 6:3; 2 Kings 4:35; 6:10; Job 33:14; 40:5.
28 See 1 Kings 10 on verse 22.
22And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23¶And 29all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.
29 Namely, to whom the fame of Solomon’s wisdom and riches was come.
24And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, 30a rate year by year.
30 Hebr. the thing of the year in the year, that is, every present annually; also 1 Kings 10:25.
25¶And Solomond had 31four thousand stalls for horses and 32chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the 33chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
d 1 Kings 4:26; 10:26; 2 Chron. 1:14.
31 How this is to be compared with 1 Kings 4:26, where the number is forty thousand, see the annotation there.
32 Understand not that these chariots were likewise four thousand in number, but the number thereof is here concealed, and is expressed in 1 Kings 10:26.
33 See 1 Kings 9 on verse 19.
26¶And he reigned over all the kings from the 34river even 35unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
34 Namely, Euphrates, which by way of eminence is called the river. See Gen. 31 on verse 21. Here is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham Gen. 15:18. See also 1 Kings 4:21 and the annotation.
35 Take notice here of the borders of Palestine. The river Euphrates was the border east and northward of it, the land of the Philistines westward, and Egypt southward. Compare Gen. 15:18.
27Ande the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.
e 2 Chron. 1:15.
28And they brought unto Solomon 36horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
36 Of the toll or tribute of horses and other wares coming out of Egypt, which Solomon raised, see 1 Kings 10:28 and the annotation; 2 Chron. 1:16.
29¶Now the rest off the 37acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the 38book of 39Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of 40Ahijah the Shilonite, and 41in the visions of 42Iddo the 43seer 44against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
f 1 Kings 11:41.
37 Hebr. words.
38 That is, books or writings. These contained the histories of Solomon and Jeroboam, but are now missing, though without disadvantage to the Church of God, being the canonical Scripture as it is left us by God, entirely perfect, to instruct us perfectly in all that is needful to believe and to do unto salvation.
39 See of this prophet 2 Sam. 7:2.
40 See also of this prophet 1 Kings 11:19.
41 Of prophetical visions see Gen. 15 on verse 1.
42 See of this man 2 Chron. 12:15, where he is called Iddo, and 2 Chron. 15:1, where he is called Oded.
43 Understand a prophet, to whom God reveals secret things by visions. See Num. 12:6; 24:4; 1 Sam. 9:9.
44 Other, of, or, concerning.
30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the 45city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
45 See 1 Kings 2 on verse 10.