1 Kings 10 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

1 Kings 10

The Queen of Sheba

10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. 3 And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. 4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more breath in her.

6 And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. 8 Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 10 Then she gave the king 120 talents¹ of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

11 Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. 12 And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.

13 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

Solomon’s Great Wealth

14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 15 besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land. 16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels² of gold went into each shield. 17 And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas³ of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top,⁴ and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, 20 while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.⁵

23 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 25 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh,⁶ spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders received them from Kue at a price. 29 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150, and so through the king’s traders they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Footnotes

[1] 10:10 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
[2] 10:16 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
[3] 10:17 A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram
[4] 10:19 Or and at the back of the throne was a calf’s head
[5] 10:22 Or baboons
[6] 10:25 Or armor

Commentary

v1-2: The Queen of Sheba, like the wise men at the time of Christ's birth, had heard of the fame of the king. The Queen arrived with a very great retinue, with camels carrying gifts; compare Ps 72.10-11, 15. She heard about “his relation of the name of the Lord;” this was no human wisdom in Solomon, but wisdom given by God to His own. The expression of that wisdom pointed others to the God who gave it, and manifested “justice and righteousness” (v9).

v3-5: The Queen had her questions answered, for Solomon had wisdom from God. She also saw the great wealth of Solomon's kingdom.

v6-7: The half was not told me; John 4.39-42. The Queen could only really know the riches and wisdom of Solomon by meeting him. We can only know the riches that are in Christ by knowing Him.

v8-9: The Queen recognised the blessing that Solomon's own people enjoyed, as they would have heard his wisdom constantly. She also praised God for giving such a king to Israel.

v10: Even though Solomon had much, the Queen was able to bring him something, so her gifts were not despised.

v11-12: See 9.26-28; the ships returned with wood and precious stones.

v13: The Queen went away with much more than she had brought. The Lord is ever generous, giving us much to enjoy, the "royal bounty".

v14-15: Solomon's great wealth came from nations under tribute, and from trading, see v25. Regular contact with Gentiles gave an opportunity for them to see how the Lord God can bless one nation; it also gave an opportunity for ungodly influence. This is the paradox of God's people remaining on the earth.

v16-22: Israel received 666 talents (2½; tons) of gold each year. It is no wonder that the palace had many gold items. Solomon's trading ships, from Tarshish, brought gold and silver, ivory, and apes and baboons.

v23-25: Solomon's excellence; in riches, in wisdom; worldwide fame and influence. Yet all this was lost very quickly through Rehoboam's weakness. We must be careful to maintain our faithfulness to God.

Solomon’s influence pre-figures Christ’s reign, when the kings of the earth shall bring their splendour in (Rev 21.24).

v26-29: Solomon also had chariots and horses, and some came from Egypt, Deut 17.16. Thus, in the midst of his success, there was disobedience.

This chapter speaks of the great wealth of Solomon's reign, but there is little reference to the Lord God. Although later his numerous wives turned his heart from the Lord, it seems clear that, he had already gradually neglected the things of God; other things came in and "choked the word". We must beware of simple neglect of the Lord; that can lead to specific sins of rebellion against God.