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.
Solomon's fame had spread far past Israel's borders. It reached a queen in a distant land, and she set out to see for herself. What she had heard was not just that he was clever. His fame was tied to the name of the LORD, and she came with questions no one at home could answer.
Solomon was famous for many things. One writer points out which one drew this queen.
His knowledge of God was so exceptional that the fame of it travelled far, for the queen of Sheba was attracted by it. She came to Solomon, not because she heard of his literary gifts or his vast knowledge of natural history, which we read about at the end of 1 Kings 4, but because of his fame "concerning the name of the Lord."
Two chapters earlier, Solomon had prayed about foreigners who might come from far away. One writer reads her arrival as the answer.
This queen's visit was the first answer to Solomon's prayer. In 1 Kings 8:41-43 he asked God to take notice of the stranger who was not of His people Israel. That stranger might come to His house from a far country for His name's sake. The Holy Spirit records that it was "concerning the name of Jehovah" that the queen of Sheba consulted king Solomon. Blessed be God, He has always had true sheep outside the fold... In that age His dealings were with Israel. But whatever His way of dealing, there has always been room in His great heart for those who wanted Him, wherever they were and whatever they were.
The phrase translates a Hebrew word used elsewhere for puzzles and dark sayings.
The Hebrew word is rendered dark speeches in Numbers 12:8; riddle in Judges 14:12-19; hard questions in 1 Kings 10:1; dark sentences in Daniel 8:23.
The riddles she carried are the kind no one has ever solved. One writer shows how far the human mind gets on its own.
For her, wisdom meant admitting she had none and seeking it from someone else. She brought hard questions to him. She had no shortage of them: the world is full of riddles that man has never yet solved. Take the mysteries of creation, and the mysteries of life in the body. Take the mystery of the soul, and of good and evil in the world. Take the hidden world to come, and eternal life. All of it is mystery, a dark riddle. God must reveal its secrets. Without a clear and direct revelation from God, man's poor, limited spirit is stopped at the very first question. He stands before a wall he cannot climb.
She had never seen Solomon. She had only heard about him — and that was enough to move her.
She believed the word spoken to her. She believed in the excellence of Solomon, with only what she had been told to judge by. It is always so with faith. It is attracted by the Person and the perfections of Christ.
Another writer weighs how little she had to go on.
She had no advantages, as we say, from education, and was a complete stranger to the God of Israel. Her soul had, therefore, only a slender stock to trade with. She had simply, in her own land, heard of Solomon, his acts and his wisdom. This was all she had; but, with such small provisions, she was ready to take a long untried journey.
Jesus later set her example against the people who heard Him and would not listen.
The queen of Sheba came a long way to hear the wisdom of a servant of God. The men standing around Christ as He spoke were unwilling to listen to the wisdom of the Son of God. They needed no hard journey at all. The Eternal Son had come from Heaven into their very streets.
One writer reads her visit as a preview of something still ahead.
In this notable Gentile we have a sample, or picture, of the nations in a day to come. She lived in the days of Solomon, the son of David, days that were a picture of the glory to come. She went up to Jerusalem, seeking the wisdom that was in the Lord's anointed. In the same way, in the age of the real glory, the thousand-year reign of the true Solomon, the nations will wait in that same city, with the same desire and purpose of heart.
- Report. She had only a report to go on. What drew her was Solomon's fame concerning the name of the LORD, not his learning.
- Response. She believed a word she could not check. She left her kingdom and crossed the distance, and that is faith.
- Riddles. Her "hard questions" use the same word as riddles and dark sayings. No mind can solve those mysteries unless God reveals them.
- Reception. Her coming answered Solomon's prayer for the foreigner. God has always had room for those outside Israel who wanted Him.
- Rebuke. A Gentile queen travelled a long way for Solomon's wisdom. The Son of God stood in their own streets, and they would not listen.
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.
The queen of Sheba heard reports of Solomon in her far-off country, and she turned the report into a journey. She arrives in Jerusalem with a loaded caravan and a heart full of questions. Commentators read the scene on two levels: a foreign ruler seeking God, and a picture of any soul coming to Christ.
Nothing forced her to travel. She already had everything a person could want, and that was the problem:
The queen of the south had all royal honours on her, and all royal resources around her. She could command the delights of the children of men, and clearly had the health and capacity to enjoy them. The world was at her disposal, but the world had left her with an aching, craving heart. She found no satisfaction in her royal position. Uneasy, she took a long, untried journey from the ends of the earth to Jerusalem. She went because she had heard of the wisdom of the king there, "concerning the name of the Lord."
All she had was a distant report. Another writer treats that report as the test of what was really in her:
There is something admirable in this. The state of the soul itself was tested. It proved the love of wisdom was in her heart, since a mere distant report about it moves her so much... Her heart was right. She had a desire for wisdom. Through that desire she could separate herself from her home and her kingdom, to seek wisdom at the distant feet of Solomon.
The spices, gold and stones are not payment for services. They are the only fitting response to the person she is approaching:
She comes with a large company, bringing all the most precious things her kingdom can produce. She brings spices in such abundance as would never otherwise come to Jerusalem. She considers this great monarch worthy of all homage. Let us note here that it is fitting not only for a queen, but for the lowest of sinners, to approach Him with her perfume. The soul is not asking for a trade when she comes to Him. She can only present Him the homage that is His due.
Another writer weighs the gold she brought:
Her tribute of gold, "120 talents," was a large one, probably weighing between six and nine tons. It was the measure of her appreciation of what she had seen in Solomon. Gold in Scripture speaks of divine righteousness and divine glory. This should challenge our poor hearts about how much we appreciate the divine glory of the Son of God.
A wealthy outsider carrying her treasure to David's son in Jerusalem is read as a preview of something far wider:
Being a wealthy woman, she came with a great entourage which included spices, gold and precious stones (v.2). This reminds us of Isaiah's prophecy that in the millennium the wealth of the Gentiles will be willingly brought to the Lord Jesus (Isa. 60:5-7).
The gifts are impressive, but the last words of the verse matter more. She told Solomon all that was on her mind — older translations say "all that was in her heart":
But the queen brings something better still than her gifts; she comes to speak to him of everything that was in her heart... She opens her heart to Solomon. The secrets of her heart are made plain (1 Cor. 14:25). But they find a perfect answer from the one from whom nothing is hidden. In meeting Solomon, she has found God Himself. God is indeed there, in mercy stooping down to bring full light into this soul, leaving no room for a doubt and no question without an answer.
What she unloaded before the king still fills honest hearts today:
The queen had many difficulties that the wisdom of her own land could do nothing to relieve. She brought these to Solomon and unburdened her heart to him. He answered the questions and solved all the problems... There are hard questions in most hearts at some time or other: questions about sins, sin, self, the past, the present and the future. To all who are weighed down and struggling under such questions, He says: "Come to me... and I will give you rest."
Jesus later pointed back to this trip, and one writer draws out the sharp contrast:
The Queen of Sheba came a long way to hear the wisdom of a servant of God. The men standing around Jesus as He spoke were unwilling to listen to the wisdom of the Son of God. They needed no tiring journey; the Eternal Son had come from Heaven into their very streets.
- Emptiness starts it. She had royal honours and royal resources, and still an aching heart. The world at her disposal left her unsatisfied.
- Desire travels. She had only a distant report, yet that little light moved her to leave home and kingdom.
- Homage, not trade. The camels of spices, gold and stones do not buy answers. They are the honour due to the king, and the measure of how much she valued him.
- Open heart, full answer. She held nothing back, and nothing was hidden from him — in meeting Solomon she met God.
- A greater King. She crossed the earth for a servant's wisdom; the Son of God came into the streets of those who would not listen.
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.
The queen of Sheba travelled a long way to test a king with questions no one else could settle. This verse gives the result: Solomon answered every one of them, and in meeting him she met God Himself.
One writer sets her hard questions beside the things people cannot work out on their own.
"She came to hear the wisdom of Solomon." The queen was a person of remarkable intelligence, and nothing escaped her. But from the moment she heard about Solomon she had only one thought: to test his wisdom. Wisdom for her meant having none of her own and seeking it from another. It was hard questions that she brought to him. She had no shortage of them. The world is full of puzzles that man has never yet solved. Creation holds mysteries, and Job could not answer the simplest of them. The life of the body holds mysteries. So does the soul, and so does good and evil in the world. So does the hidden life after death, and so does eternal life. It is all mystery, a dark riddle. Man cannot read the unknown writing of this book. God must reveal its secrets. Without a direct revelation from God, man's poor, limited spirit comes to a standstill at the very first question, in front of a wall he cannot climb.
The report that reached her was about Solomon's fame "concerning the name of the LORD." That shaped what she asked when she arrived.
When she "heard of the fame of Solomon" she came. But that fame was not about his poetic powers, his literary skill, or his wide knowledge of natural history. It was "concerning the name of the LORD." So she came down to see this extraordinary king, raised up to reign over the people of the LORD. She discovered that he had an extraordinary knowledge of God. He answered all her questions, and they were not about natural history or gardening or proverbs or poetry — but ABOUT GOD.
The verse before says she told him all that was on her heart. This verse says nothing was hidden from the king. One writer puts the two together.
She opens her heart to Solomon. The secrets of her heart come out into the open (1 Cor. 14:25), and they meet a perfect response from the one from whom nothing is hidden. In meeting Solomon, she has found God Himself. God is truly there, stooping down in mercy to bring full light into this soul. He leaves no room for a doubt or for a question without an answer. The king has the secret of all things. He does not keep it to himself. He shows that God's secret is with those who fear Him (Ps. 25:14).
Writers set Solomon's answers beside questions he could not reach.
Solomon answered all the hard questions that the queen of Sheba asked. But both the Old and New Testaments ask questions that Solomon could not have answered, and the Lord Jesus Christ answered them. Agur son of Jakeh asks in Proverbs 30:4, "What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know?" Jesus answers it in His own Person, for He revealed the Father's name.
Another writer names the questions that press on people today.
Solomon answered all of her questions, for there was nothing too difficult for him (v.3). In this he pictures the Lord Jesus, though his wisdom was far inferior to that of the Lord. The Lord can answer far deeper questions than the queen of Sheba asked — such as how to be sure our sins are forgiven, and how to deal with our inborn sinful nature. The New Testament raises many more questions like these. Solomon did not have them and could not have answered them in his day.
One writer turns her visit into a pattern for anyone still carrying unanswered questions.
All her difficulties disappeared, for "Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her." It is just the same when the heart turns to Christ. And to whom else can we go but to Him? Have we wrestled with those great problems about our sins, our sinful self, our past, our present, our future? Do questions about how we stand with God and with other people disturb our peace and weigh us down? He has said, "Come to me … I will give you rest." What a relief it is to lay our burdens at His feet, and to place ourselves there and learn from Him.
- Questions. She brought the riddles no human mind can crack. Unless God reveals them, we stop at the very first one.
- Focus. A report about the name of the LORD drew her, so her questions were about God, not poetry or natural history.
- Openness. She told him all that was on her heart, and her secrets met a king from whom nothing was hidden.
- Greater. Solomon answered everything she asked. Christ answers deeper questions still: how our sins are forgiven, and how to deal with the sinful nature in us.
- Rest. Christ says, "Come to me … I will give you rest." The relief is real for anyone who lays the burden at His feet.
And when the queen of Sheba saw all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
The queen of Sheba has crossed a long distance on the strength of a rumour. Now the account turns from what she heard to what she saw — Solomon's wisdom, and the house he had built.
She had not travelled on a false rumour. What people told her was accurate. It was just far too small.
The queen of Sheba comes from the far south to delight herself in the wisdom of the head of God's people. She comes to be filled with wonder at the sight of his glory. She comes to praise Jehovah, who had raised him so high and had blessed the people by giving him to be their king. She also came with gifts, for the king's renown had spread into distant lands. The report she had heard was true. Yet the sight of his glory went far beyond everything that had been said of it.
She came to know Solomon in stages: first the man, then his answers, then everything his hands had made. One writer reads that order as the path every soul takes with Christ.
She has passed from his person to the words of his mouth. From these she has passed to everything that has come from his hands, to everything that surrounds him. She has found nothing but perfections. This is how every soul comes to know Christ. One hears about Him, and this stirs the interest of a heart in need. One goes to find Him, for He is easily reached. One enters into relationship with Him, and He answers the needs of the heart. One admires Him and adores Him in hymns of praise. One says with the queen: "My eyes have seen. You surpass everything I had heard about You."
The house named here is not the temple. It is Solomon's own house, and a house shows what its builder is.
The glory of God was displayed in the temple, the shrine of His glory. Solomon built it, but David prepared for it with all his might. David received "the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit," and supplied much of the gold, silver and precious stones for its adornment. But the queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom displayed in his own house. That house showed what he was — his own skill and workmanship, his own particular glory.
Seeing took more than a report. She had to come and talk with Solomon in person.
Only when the queen of Sheba had come and talked with Solomon was she able to "see" his wisdom. If people object to the things of God by saying, "I don't see that," all they need to do is come to the Lord and they will see. The queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom particularly in the house he had built. Today the Lord is not building a material house, but "a spiritual house" (1 Pet. 2:5) made up of all believers of the present age. We might all be impressed by the wisdom of His great love in fitting each believer into the Church of God.
Something happened to her that a report alone could never do. One writer sees our own path to Christ in it.
What the queen heard satisfied her; but what she saw overwhelmed her. She found herself in the presence of the man whom God had exalted. She saw his glory and majesty. She noticed the dignity and happiness of those who served him, and there was no more spirit in her. In the same way our need drew us to the Christ of God. His revelations of grace set our consciences at rest and settled all our problems. Then, no longer troubled by a sense of need and danger, we were free to contemplate Him.
What struck her was not just the wealth. It was the order — and one writer reads that order as a picture of a kingdom still to come.
Next the queen sees all Solomon's wisdom in the prosperity and in the perfect order of his house. Such will be the marvellous order of Christ's millennial kingdom to the eyes of the nation.
- Heard. The report that reached her was true, but the sight of his glory went far beyond everything that had been said.
- Came. Only when she came and talked with him could she see his wisdom. Those who say they don't see need to come to the Lord.
- Cleared. What she heard satisfied her; what she saw overwhelmed her. Christ settles our problems first, and then we are free to look at Him.
- Saw. She moved from his person to his words to the work of his hands, and found nothing but perfections.
- Built. The house she saw was Solomon's own workmanship, and it showed what he was. Today the Lord is building a spiritual house of believers, ordered as His kingdom will be.
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.
The queen of Sheba travelled a long way on the strength of a report. Verse 5 lists what she found in Solomon's court, and it left her with nothing to say.
The list moves from the grand to the small: the food, the seating, the waiters, even what the staff wore. One writer traces the list and shows why even its smallest items matter.
"When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon" (that is the attractive object) ... "his cup-bearers also, and their apparel" (for even the least and lowest things bore the stamp of his royal grandeur) — "and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD" — (for this was the grandest of all) — "there was no more spirit in her."
The cupbearer's job was more than ceremony:
Another name for 'butler.' He handed the cup to the king, and he was responsible for making sure there was nothing harmful in it.
The order of the phrases matters. Sitting comes before serving, and clothing follows both.
"The seating of his servants" comes before service, because the Lord first seats us in godly order to receive instruction before we serve. Then the verse notes "the service of his waiters." The order in this service must have been planned wisely too, and believers today will serve well when they serve under the authority of the Lord Jesus.
Commenting on their clothing, the same writer moves from what Solomon's staff wore to what God gives believers to wear:
"Their apparel" was fitting for the presence of the king. Scripture tells us what is the clothing of believers: "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). This is a lovely answer to the prayer of the Psalmist, "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us" (Ps. 90:17).
note needed — ESV "favor" loses the clothing picture the writer builds on
The last item in the verse differs between translations. The ESV has Solomon's burnt offerings at the house of the LORD; older translations read "his ascent by which he went up to the house of the LORD." Commentators follow that ascent and look for its meaning rather than its design.
We know of no record of what this ascent was like, but its spiritual meaning matters more. It speaks of the truth of the Lord's ascension to glory, and, connected with this, of the coming of the Lord to take His saints to their heavenly home. Solomon's own house speaks of the Church in its order on earth, but the temple (the house of the Lord) is a picture of the Father's house (John 14:2).
Her breath failed only after Solomon had answered her questions.
What the Queen heard satisfied her; but what she saw overwhelmed her. She found herself standing before the man whom God had exalted. She saw his glory and majesty. She saw the dignity and happiness of those who served him, and there was no more spirit in her. In the same way, our need drew us to the Christ of God. His revelations of grace set our consciences at rest and settled all our problems. Then, no longer troubled by a sense of need and danger, we were free to gaze on Christ Himself.
She did not come to Jerusalem because she lacked luxury. She had all of it already.
The queen of the south had every royal honour upon her and every royal resource around her. She could command the pleasures people long for, and she clearly had the health and the ability to enjoy them. The world was at her disposal, but the world had left her with an aching, craving heart.
What she saw shaped what she asked for next.
She made her requests under the influence of his greatness. We can be sure that the main thing she asked for was this: that she might show her people how great the king was, in whose presence she had stood.
The splendour she saw did not hold. Writers point to the jolt between this chapter and the next:
1 Kings 10 tells us of the visit of the Queen of Sheba with her spiritual difficulties, which Solomon was enabled to clear up by the grace of God given to him. His majesty, wisdom, the Temple and the King's ascent to it, and the happiness of all his servants overwhelmed her... "But" — terrible words — 1 Kings 11 tells us of Solomon's host of unholy women.
- Detail — Nothing in Solomon's court was filler: "even the least and lowest things bore the stamp of his royal grandeur."
- Order — Seating comes before service: the Lord seats us to listen before He sends us out to work.
- Ascent — Kelly called the climb to the house of the LORD "the grandest of all." Others read it as a picture of Christ's ascension and of His people going home.
- Breathless — Her questions were answered first. Only then did the king himself take her breath away.
- Errand — A heart the world had left aching went home full, and went home to tell.
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;
The queen of Sheba has come from the far south on nothing more than a report, and now she stands in Solomon's court with her verdict. Her words in verse 6 admit two things at once: the reports about him were accurate, and she had not believed them.
Faith in the Bible often starts the way hers did — with news carried from somewhere else. One writer traces the word "report" through Paul's account of how faith comes:
The word "report" in fact occurs three times in this passage. Verse 17, translated more literally, reads: "So faith then is by a report, but the report by God's word." The report reaches our ears with the authority of God's word behind it, and we believe it. Then we can say, like the Queen of Sheba, "It was a true report that I heard."
Her verdict carries an admission with it. That puts her in a particular company:
She had all her hard questions answered. She saw the glory of Solomon in his house, his servants and his ascent. There was no more spirit left in the queen of Sheba, and she had to say, "It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. However I did not believe the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it." She was like Thomas, who would not believe until he saw for himself. But the company of the faithful are indeed blessed. The Lord said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
These writers quote an older translation: "It was a true report that I heard … of your acts and of your wisdom." The ESV renders the same words, "The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom."
What she saw outran what she had heard. One writer sets her experience beside the believer's:
Here we must note some points of contrast between the Queen of Sheba and the believer in Jesus. She said: "I heard … but I did not see until … my eyes had seen." We believe while our eyes still do not see. She said moreover: "The half was not told me." God revealed in human flesh is the most divine of all themes. About Him we read: "the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). No finite mind could take in even "the half" of what the Holy Spirit could tell about the Christ of God.
Knowing more does not close the gap. It shows how wide the gap is:
The knowledge of Christ given to us now is only partial; "we know in part" (1 Cor. 13:9). None but the Father can fully know the Son (Matt. 11:27). Those who have the deepest knowledge of Him are the first to say, in the language of the Queen of Sheba, "It was a true report that I heard … and, behold, the half was not told me."
She had almost nothing to go on when she set out:
As to herself, we may suppose she had never heard the voice of a prophet, or seen the oracles of God. She had no advantages, as we say, from education, and was a complete stranger to the God of Israel. Her soul had, therefore, only a slender stock to trade with. She had simply heard, in her own land, of Solomon, his acts and his wisdom. This was all she had; but with such small provisions she was ready to take a long, untried journey.
She had come to a king whose fame had already reached distant lands. What she found there sent her praising God:
The queen of Sheba comes from the far south to delight herself in the wisdom of the head of God's people. She comes to wonder at the sight of his glory. She comes to praise Jehovah, who had raised him so high, and who had blessed the people by giving him to be their king. She also came with gifts; for the king's renown had spread into distant lands. Still, although it was a true report that she had heard, the sight of his glory went far beyond all that anyone had said of it.
Her verdict did not stay in Solomon's court:
She went to make much of Solomon in the land she came from. In the same way, it is the Christian's privilege to witness for Christ in this world.
- Report. Faith starts with news from elsewhere — an account that reaches your ears with God's word behind it.
- Journey. She had a slender stock to trade with, no prophet and no Scripture, yet she acted on it and travelled.
- Sight. She doubted the words until her own eyes saw. The Lord calls those blessed who believe without seeing.
- Overflow. What she found outran the fame — and the deeper anyone goes with Christ, the sooner they say the half was not told.
- Telling. She went home to make much of the king. Witnessing for Christ in this world is the Christian's privilege.
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.
The queen of Sheba travelled a long way on the strength of a rumour, and here she admits that the reality was far greater than the report. Her words raise two questions: why does a glory always outrun the account of it, and what does this visit say about a King greater than Solomon?
Her statement begins with an admission of unbelief and ends in praise. One writer calls that turn a confession of faith, and applies it to us:
Her lips were opened in a lovely confession of faith: "the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard" (vv. 6-7). If we have had any real contact with the Lord Jesus, surely we shall be affected in the same way and respond to Him in adoring appreciation.
One writer traces her steps — hearing, coming, seeing — as the path every soul takes to Christ:
She has passed from his person to the words of his mouth. From these she has passed to all that his hands have made, to everything around him. And she has found nothing but perfections. This is how every soul comes to know Christ. One hears of Him, and this stirs the interest of a heart in need. One goes to find Him, for He is easy to approach. One enters into relationship with Him, and He answers the needs of the heart. One admires Him and adores Him in hymns of praise. One says with the queen: "My eyes have seen. You surpass all I had heard about You."
The queen's order was sight first, belief after. The Christian's experience runs the opposite way, and the gap she noticed never closes:
Here we must note some points of contrast between the queen of Sheba and the believer in Jesus. She said: "I heard… but I did not believe… until my own eyes had seen it." We believe while our eyes still do not see. "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory" (1 Peter 1:8). She said further: "The half was not told me." God revealed in human flesh is the most divine of all subjects. About Him we read: "the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). No finite mind could take in even "the half" of what the Holy Spirit could tell about the Christ of God.
One writer notes who repeats her words soonest: not the beginners, but those who know Christ best:
May not these half cubits remind us that the knowledge of Christ given to us now is only partial; "we know in part" (1 Cor. 13:9). No one but the Father can fully know the Son (Matt. 11:27). Those who know Him best are the first to say, in the words of the queen of Sheba: "The report was true that I heard… and behold, the half was not told me" (1 Kings 10:6-7). So it is with our all-glorious Lord. The scale is reduced — may we say it? — so that our finite minds may grasp something of the wonderful fullness that surpasses knowledge.
One writer borrows her phrase to answer those who say prophecy overstates its case:
Any other interpretation leaves you thinking that the word of prophecy is the grossest exaggeration. Take it instead as the Lord reigning over Israel, gathered back in divine mercy and power. Then one feels that the words cannot rise beyond the reality. When that day comes, "the half was not told" will be the genuine feeling of those who see His glory even on the earth. And what will it be on high!
Her exclamation was not the end of the visit. Wonder shaped what she asked for, and what she planned to tell at home:
She was entranced with his greatness and had to exclaim, "the half was not told me." She made her requests while still under the influence of his splendour. We may be sure the weight of her requests was this: that she might show her people how great he was in whose presence she had been.
- Report. Hearing of Solomon started her journey. A report is what first stirs the interest of a heart in need, even when belief lags behind.
- Sight. She would not believe until she came and saw. The Christian's path runs the other way: we love and trust One we have not seen.
- Shortfall. "The half was not told me" is not a complaint about poor reporting. It is a confession that the glory outruns every account of it, and even now we know only in part.
- Overflow. Entranced by his greatness, she made her requests; wonder turns into asking.
- Testimony. She went home to show her people his greatness; the same words will be on the lips of those who one day see a greater King in His glory.
Happy are thy men! happy are these thy servants, who stand continually before thee, who hear thy wisdom!
The queen of Sheba travelled a long way on the strength of a report. Standing in Solomon's court, her first reaction is not envy but congratulation. She calls the king's servants happy. Commentators ask what she saw, and who the greater King is.
Her praise comes at the end of a journey. One writer traces the stages — hearing, coming, meeting, admiring — and reads them as the path every soul takes to Christ.
She has moved from his person to the words of his mouth. From there to all that his hands have made, and to all that surrounds him. She has found nothing but perfections. This is how every soul comes to know Christ. One hears about Him, and this stirs the interest of a heart in need. One goes to find Him, for He is easy to reach. One enters into relationship with Him; He answers the needs of the heart. One admires Him and adores Him in hymns of praise. One says with the queen: "My eyes have seen. You surpass everything I had heard about You." One counts happy His men and His servants who stand continually before Him and hear His wisdom.
She calls them happy for their position: standing before the king. The same writer puts the weight on seeing the king's face.
All the kings of the earth sought his presence, to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. "To behold the face of the king" was the supreme privilege; anyone he let into his presence could count himself happy. "Happy… your servants," said the queen, "who stand continually before you." … To see the king's face is to enter into his friendship.
That nearness also dignifies their work.
It was a privilege for these servants to serve the king because they could look on the king's face.
The commentators do not leave the verse in Solomon's court. If standing before Solomon made men happy, what about standing before a greater Master?
But a greater than Solomon is our Master, for we "serve the Lord Christ." Are His men happy? Are His servants happy who stand continually before Him and hear His wisdom? Ask those who know.
Another writer sets the verse beside the Lord's word to His disciples.
The privilege of Solomon's servants was great. Far greater is the privilege of those who know the blessedness of the Lord's presence. When on earth, the Lord said to His disciples privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Luke 10:23-24). The privilege of the disciples on earth was great. Far greater is the privilege of Christians now: to hear all that Christ speaks, and to see by the Spirit the wide range of His glories.
One writer wants more of the queen's astonishment in us, and warns how casually we can speak of God's things.
And it is more of this wonder of Sheba that we want. We too easily talk about God's things as though they held no more preciousness and excellence than our hearts could measure. But secret after secret comes out from the wisdom of the greater than Solomon. Surely our souls should then say, "Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!"
She is a foreigner, yet she rejoices in Israel's king and Israel's God. One writer reads this as a picture of the nations in a coming day.
She shows no envy in speaking of the Lord delighting in Solomon and setting him on the throne of Israel. She expressed her genuine joy in Solomon and in Israel. This will be the attitude of those nations in the millennium who have been born again. Through the ages the nations have resented Israel, because God has chosen Israel as His earthly people. But there is no doubt that the Queen of Sheba had been born of God.
- Hear — she came because of a report. Hearing, coming and seeing is the road any soul takes to Christ.
- Stand — their happiness is their place: standing before the king, in sight of his face.
- Serve — seeing the king's face makes service a privilege. A greater Master than Solomon has servants too; ask them if they are happy.
- Wonder — we talk about God's things too easily. Each new secret from the wisdom of the greater than Solomon should leave us amazed.
- Rejoice — a foreigner delights in Israel's king without jealousy. Commentators see a preview of the nations' gladness under the greater King.
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.
A visiting queen has just seen all that Solomon has — his wisdom, his house, his table, his servants. She does not stop at praising the king; she looks past him to the God who set him there, and names the reason for the throne: love.
One writer notes what the queen saw behind the gift of such a ruler, and what the same love has given since:
The Queen of Sheba perceived that it was love that prompted Jehovah to give Israel such a king... The same love has provided us with a wonderful Saviour and glorious Head, and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Him. Every favour that we now enjoy, and all that awaits us in "God's eternal day," is the fruit of His great heart of love.
The queen's words tie two loves together: God's delight in the king, and God's love for the people. A commentator traces the steps a soul takes, from first hearing about Christ to boasting in the God who delights in Him and set Him on the throne:
One hears about Him. This stirs the interest of a heart in need. One goes to find Him, for He is easy to approach. One enters into relationship with Him. He answers the needs of the heart. One admires Him and adores Him in hymns of praise... And going on in this path, one's soul boasts in God who has taken pleasure in His King, who has found His delight in Christ and set Him on the throne. And this is also the proof of the love of God for His people, that He has given them such a King to execute righteousness and justice.
Two words in her speech reach beyond Solomon's lifetime: God "delighted in" this king, and He loved Israel "for ever". One writer hears both again in words spoken over Christ, and in a promise to Israel that still stands:
If Jehovah delighted in Solomon, how much more precious is the Father's delight in His well-beloved Son. He opened the heavens over Him at His baptism, and again on the mount of glory, to say, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"... Jehovah's love for Israel is indeed for ever, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29); and His love for those He has given to share Christ's place of glory will be displayed in His coming kingdom (John 17:23).
She names the purpose of the throne, not just its glory. One writer follows the same pair of words through Israel's kings and on to a king still to come:
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of God's throne (Ps. 89:14). Executing righteousness and judgment characterised David (2 Sam. 8:15; 1 Chron. 18:14) and Solomon (1 Kings 10:9; 2 Chron. 9:8) and Josiah (Jer. 22:15). A king shall yet reign at Jerusalem executing judgment and righteousness.
Nothing forced this queen to celebrate another nation's blessing, yet she does. One commentator reads her freedom from envy as a sign that she was born of God, against the long record of Gentile resentment toward Israel:
She shows no envy in speaking of the Lord delighting in Solomon and setting him on the throne of Israel. She expressed her genuine joy in Solomon and in Israel (v.9)... Through the ages the Gentile nations have resented Israel, because God has chosen them as His earthly people. But there is no doubt that the Queen of Sheba had truly been born of God, and this beautifully shaped her attitude.
A writer holds up her turn from praising a man to blessing God as a pattern for believers today, with words they can borrow from Paul and Peter:
From the praise of Solomon, the queen turns to bless... What a pattern for saints in this day. Can we not say, in the language of the apostles Paul and Peter, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"? (2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3).
- Love is the cause. The queen does not explain the throne by Solomon's merit; she explains it by God's love for Israel, and by His delight in the man He set there.
- The King is the gift. God did not only speak His love. He gave it in the form of a king, and the same love has given us a Saviour and every spiritual blessing in Him.
- Justice is the purpose. God gave the king to do justice and righteousness. That was the mark of David, Solomon and Josiah, and of the King who will yet reign in Jerusalem.
- "For ever" is the guarantee. God's love for Israel has no expiry date, because His gifts and calling are irrevocable.
- Blessing God is the result. Seeing the King, a foreigner rejoices in another nation's blessing without envy and blesses the God behind it — the pattern for every believer's "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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.
Solomon's visitor came with hard questions. Once they were answered, she opened her caravan's treasure. Her gift raises the question this chapter keeps pressing: what is a king like this worth to someone who has seen him?
One writer links her gift to the gifts of the wise men, weighs her gold, and turns the figure back on the reader:
The tribute paid to Solomon reminds us somewhat of the gifts of the wise men who came from the east when the Lord was born. Her tribute of gold, 120 talents, was a large one, probably weighing between six and nine tons. It was the measure of her appreciation of what she had seen in Solomon. In Scripture, gold speaks of divine righteousness and divine glory. That should challenge our poor hearts about how much we value the divine glory of the Son of God.
She owes Solomon nothing. She is not settling a bill or buying access. That is what makes the scene a picture of worship:
Besides her words of appreciation, she expressed this by giving to Solomon 120 talents of gold, spices in great quantity and precious stones (v.10). She was not paying Solomon for anything, but voluntarily giving, which is a picture of a believer giving to the Lord the willing worship of his heart. The gold speaks of the glory of God, that which is the first consideration in worship. The spices picture the fragrances of the Lord Jesus. His whole life, His death and His resurrection were a wonderful fragrance to God. The precious stones stand for the fruit of the Spirit, with their many colours reflected by the light that shines on them.
The verse says two things about the spices: the amount was huge, and nothing matched it again. Both come back on us:
The Spirit of God points to both the quantity and the quality of the spices the queen of Sheba brought. No other tribute compared with it. No other source gave such abundance or such quality of spices. Our own tribute to Christ, our praise and worship, will depend for both quality and quantity on how much we value His Person, His glory and His beauty. The more time we spend with Him, hearing His word as Mary of Bethany did, the more we will be able to give Him for His pleasure and praise.
Commentators read the third gift in different ways. Grant sees the fruit of the Spirit. Another writer sees the queen answering the many sides of the king's splendour:
Precious stones reflect the light, and display it in its varied colours, according to the nature of the stones. And do we not see in the gift of the precious stones the queen's tribute to the various glories of Solomon? What a privilege we have! We can view the wide range of Christ's glories, and we may speak to Him about them.
One writer treats the whole visit as a trade. She left holding far more than she brought:
She traded for wisdom, and the Lord's anointed king in Jerusalem was her merchant. With him, and for it, she traded gold, spices and precious stones… And the Lord will not stay in her debt. He gives her far more than she had bargained for. Solomon, His servant and prophet, does more than answer her questions. He gives her such a sight of his splendour that it satisfies her.
The same holds with the Lord:
Solomon gave the queen more than she desired… She got all she asked for. But in his wisdom Solomon gave what would delight her heart, and what would please him to give. So it is with the Lord! We get as much of Christ as we go in for.
A queen from outside Israel brings her wealth to Jerusalem. One writer sees a small model of something far larger:
Then she gave gold, spices and precious stones of an enormous value. In all this glory that came to Solomon we have a prophetic picture of the glory that will come to Him who is greater than Solomon. When He sits on the throne, the nations will seek Him. They will praise the King as the queen of Sheba praised Solomon: "May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!"
- Seen — she gave six to nine tons of gold because of what she had seen. The size of the gift measured her estimate of the king.
- Given — she owed nothing. That is what makes her gift worship and not payment.
- Gold, spices, stones — the glory of God, the fragrance of Christ, and His glories reflected like light in a jewel.
- Measured — nothing matched her spices for amount or quality. What we know of Christ sets the size and worth of our praise.
- Repaid — she traded treasure for wisdom and went home richer. The King never stays in anyone's debt.
(And the fleet also of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir sandal-wood in very great abundance, and precious stones.
The story of the queen of Sheba pauses here for a different cargo. Hiram's fleet brings back gold, jewels and a rare timber from Ophir. Two questions sit inside the verse. What was this almug wood? And why does the writer break off mid-story to mention it?
Chronicles records the same shipment under a slightly different name. Read together, the two accounts identify the tree:
By comparing 1 Kings 10:11 with 2 Chronicles 9:10-11, it is clear that the two names refer to the same tree. It came from the same place, Ophir, and served the same purposes: pillars or props, terraces or stairs, harps and other stringed instruments... It is thought to be sandalwood. Josephus describes this wood as an unusual pine, not like the trees called pine in his day. It looked like the wood of a fig tree, but whiter and more shining.
The verse names Ophir but never says where it was. The suggestions run from Arabia to India to Africa:
The place from which Solomon imported gold, precious stones, and almug trees. These were brought by ships to the Gulf of Akaba. Possibly southern Arabia is meant; but India and Africa have also been suggested.
The verse calls the fleet Hiram's, not Solomon's, and the reason is practical:
The Israelites were not a seafaring people. Solomon had a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, on the eastern branch of the Red Sea. But Hiram sent his sailors, who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon.
One commentator reads the break in the queen's visit as a contrast — what she gave, and what the ships brought:
Verses 11 and 12 are an aside. They show both a comparison and a contrast with the gifts of the Queen of Sheba. Her gifts showed lovely personal affection, and they were of great value. But the ships of Hiram brought great amounts of almug trees and precious stones from Ophir. The almug trees supplied steps (or a railing) for both the house of the Lord and the king's house. They also supplied harps and other stringed instruments. Servants of Solomon brought this wood. It gave the people support (the railings) and joy (the music). So Israel will be supported and rejoicing in the coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus. The precious stones, which speak of the fruit of the Spirit of God, will not be lacking in the servants of God in that kingdom, even in those who are not as fully devoted as some others.
One of those instruments has a history and a place all its own:
The harp is remarkable for its soft, soothing sounds. David used it to drive away the evil spirit from Saul (1 Samuel 16:23). It is also the only musical instrument pictured as a symbol in heaven. Revelation 5:8; Revelation 14:2: called "the harps of God" in Revelation 15:2.
One writer reads all this wealth as a preview of a greater reign:
"King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom." He is a picture of the coming King who will be head of all... All this glory and wealth of Solomon and Jerusalem foreshadows the fulfilment of many prophecies about the glorious reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. Greater splendour and glory will rest upon Him and come to Jerusalem than in Solomon's reign.
The same writer also sees a shadow. Reading the parallel account in Chronicles, he links Solomon's trade to his fall:
Solomon's failure, however, is indicated in this chapter. The horses from Egypt in verse 28, his multiplying of horses, and his seeking the gold of Ophir all show that he became proud.
- Cargo. Kings and Chronicles name the same tree, shipped from one place, Ophir. It was likely sandalwood — like fig wood to look at, but whiter and brighter.
- Carriers. Israel was not a seafaring nation. The cargo arrived because Hiram lent sailors who knew the sea.
- Support. The wood became steps and railings for the house of the Lord and for the king's house.
- Joy. The same timber became harps — the one instrument pictured in heaven. The kingdom is not only held up. It is made glad.
- King. Solomon's riches sketch a greater reign to come. Yet the same gold, with Egypt's horses, is where his own heart began to lift in pride.
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.)
The story of the queen of Sheba's visit pauses for a short note about a rare wood shipped from Ophir. Two questions follow: what was this wood, and why does Scripture record what the king made from it?
The Old Testament gives this wood two different names.
By comparing 1 Kings 10:11 with 2 Chronicles 9:10-11, it is clear that the two names refer to the same tree. It came from the same place, Ophir, and it served the same purposes: pillars or props, terraces or stairs, harps and lyres. 2 Chronicles 2:8 presents a difficulty. It seems to say that algum trees came from Lebanon. Yet the same trees are unlikely to be native to two places as unlike each other as Lebanon and Ophir. In that last passage the various trees Huram sent may be listed together without meaning that they all came from Lebanon. It is thought that sandalwood is the tree meant.
Solomon put the wood to two very different uses.
The ships of Hiram brought great amounts of almug trees and precious stones from Ophir. The almug trees went into steps (or a balustrade) for both the house of the Lord and the king's house, and into harps and other stringed instruments. Servants of Solomon brought this wood, and it served both the support (the balustrades) and the joy (the music) of the people. So Israel will be supported and rejoicing in the coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus. They will surely thank God for His sustaining grace and for the joy He gives them.
The wood went to the temple and to the palace alike. The queen of Sheba looked over the whole scene.
Nothing she looked at was too small to reflect the glory back to her. The stars of heaven differ in their glories. Yet each one is glorious, and each adds something to the shared splendour. It is the same here. There is the house of the king, and his stairway up to the house of God. But there is also the food on his table and the clothing of his servants. These last are glorious like the first — in a different measure, perhaps, but still just as much a part of the glory.
Harps suit a certain kind of reign.
Solomon's was the time of rest. No enemy remained for him to conquer. He had no more preparations to make by trouble and toil. He sits down full of honours and peace. And his was the time of joy also. Then, for the first time, songs broke out from the congregation of Israel. Moses long ago had appointed sacrifices, but the tabernacle had never heard a song. David had appointed the singers, given them their charge, and settled them in their turns of service. Yet all this joy was prepared for Solomon.
Those instruments had a designer, and the timing of their making matters.
David himself invented the instruments, and he did it when Solomon came to the throne in glory. That moment is a picture of the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. Today praise is tied to His heavenly glory, so it has an entirely spiritual character.
Foreigners have brought treasure to Christ before, and they will bring it again.
When Christ was born into the world, wise men from the east came and laid their rich gifts at His feet. In the same way, the Gentiles in a future day will come and offer their treasures to the Lord in His temple at Jerusalem. Christ, the desire of all nations, will be the object of their homage. They will delight to bring their finest things to beautify and serve His house, and to glorify His name. By this they will confess that the silver and the gold are His.
- Brought. Ships fetched almug wood from Ophir. Kings and Chronicles name the same tree, likely sandalwood.
- Built. The wood held up both the LORD's house and the king's house. The glory rested on both, down to the smallest detail.
- Braced. The supports picture a people held up — Israel sustained in the coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus.
- Sung. The same wood became harps and lyres. Song belonged to the reign of the peaceful king, not to the tabernacle of Moses.
- Shared. Foreign timber in God's house points ahead. The nations will bring their treasures to Christ and confess that the silver and the gold are His.
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.
The last verse of the story reverses its direction: the queen came loaded with gifts for Solomon, and she leaves loaded with gifts from him. The verse splits his giving in two: what she asked for, and what he added.
She had come as a giver. This closing verse shows she lost nothing by it.
The Queen of Sheba did not lose by giving so much to Solomon. His grace went beyond hers, just as the grace of the Lord Jesus overflows (1 Timothy 1:14). Solomon gave her all she desired of him, and much more (v. 13). How true are the words of Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
The verse does not say Solomon repaid her. It says he gave her everything she asked for. One writer sees behind this the God who never asks and only gives.
Solomon is not content to give her something in return for her gifts — he grants her "all that she desired, whatever she asked" (v. 13). Surely we have to do with Him who does not ask, but whose glory it is to be and to remain the sovereign Giver of all good. Ask and you shall receive. Ask — you will never exhaust all the riches of His kingdom, those "unsearchable riches of Christ." His kingdom is not of this world now. So you will not carry away from His presence the earthly goods that Solomon heaped on the queen. These lesser treasures are reserved for the millennial reign of the Messiah. Our goods, our treasures, are spiritual. The world despises them. The Christian worthy of the name calls them the true riches (Luke 16:11).
The verse adds a second gift — the part she never asked for. It came out of the king's own store, and it pleased him to give it.
But Solomon gave the queen more than she desired. There was also what he gave her out of his royal bounty. She got all she asked for. Beyond that, out of his wisdom Solomon gave what would delight her heart, and what would give him pleasure in giving. So it is with the Lord! We get as much of Christ as we seek. He will satisfy every longing we have about Himself and His things. But from His own treasury He will give us what He desires — for His own pleasure, and for the delight of our hearts.
She asked for nothing until she had seen the king's greatness. One writer treats that order as the lesson.
Under the influence of his magnificence she made her requests. We may be sure that her main request was that she might show her people how great he was, in whose presence she had been. In this we see the true condition of heart for prevailing prayer. First the heart is set free from all difficulties and from the burdens of self-occupation. Then it is Christ-centred and filled with the glory of His greatness. To have Him eclipse self and every other object is the highest point of Christian blessing; this will be the glory of our heaven.
She does not stay. What the king gave her goes home with her.
The queen of Sheba returned to her own country with a satisfied heart, delighting in what came from Solomon's royal bounty. There she could confirm the report she had heard of his fame, and testify of all she had seen and heard. How richly has Christ endowed His own for their testimony of Him. All the riches of His treasury are at our disposal for His service.
But the queen's own country and the Christian's are not the same.
It will be well to stress that the world is not the Christian's own country. We have exchanged self for Christ, and the world for heaven. Our citizenship is there, and from there we look for the Saviour.
A foreign ruler comes to Jerusalem for wisdom and goes home rich. One writer reads this as more than a single visit.
In this notable foreign visitor we have a sample, an advance picture of the nations in a coming day. She went up to Jerusalem in the days of Solomon, the son of David — days that foreshadowed the coming glory. She was seeking the wisdom that was in the anointed of the Lord. In the age of the real glory, the millennial age of the true Solomon, the nations will wait in the same city, with the same desire and purpose of heart.
- Came giving. She gave much to the king, and his grace went beyond hers. She went home richer than she came.
- Asked freely. "All that she desired, whatever she asked" shows the sovereign Giver. You will never exhaust His riches.
- Received beyond. The royal bounty was the part she never asked for. He gave it from his own treasury, for his own pleasure and her delight.
- Asked rightly. She asked only after self-occupation was gone and his glory filled her. That is the heart condition for prevailing prayer.
- Went home. She carried the king's wealth home to confirm his fame. So Christ enriches His own for their testimony of Him.