1 Kings 10 · WEB
The Queen of Sheba and Solomon's Wealth at Its Peak
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When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Yahweh, she came to test him with hard questions.
2She came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones. When she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart.
3Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king which he didn't tell her.
4When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
5and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, and his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to Yahweh's house, there was no more spirit in her.
6She said to the king, "The report was true which I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom.
7However, I didn't believe the words until I came, and my eyes had seen it. Behold, the half was not told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.
8Happy are your men! Happy are these your servants who stand continually before you and who hear your wisdom!
9Blessed is Yahweh your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel! Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, he has made you king to do justice and righteousness."
10She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. There never came again such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11The navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great quantities of almug trees and precious stones.
12The king made of the almug trees pillars for Yahweh's house and for the king's house, and harps and stringed instruments for the singers. There never came such almug trees or like them to this day.
13King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, in addition to that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.
14Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,
15in addition to that from the merchants, and from the traffic of the traders, and from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the land.
16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went into one shield.
17He made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three minas of gold went into one shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold.
19There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.
20Twelve lions stood there on the six steps on the one side and on the other. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom.
21All king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold. All the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver — it was considered nothing in the days of Solomon.
22For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram's fleet. Every three years the fleet of Tarshish came, bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
23So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
24All the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.
25They brought every man his tribute — articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules — a set rate year by year.
26Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
27The king made silver to be as common in Jerusalem as stones. Cedar he made to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
28Solomon's horses were brought out of Egypt; and the king's merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.
29A chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty. So for all the kings of the Hittites and for the kings of Syria, they exported them through their agents.
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Summary
The Queen of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem marks the apex of Solomon's international renown. She comes with testing questions and extraordinary gifts, only to find that Solomon's actual wisdom and wealth surpassed everything she had heard. Her testimony — that God placed Solomon on the throne to do justice and righteousness — is one of the highest commendations in the book. The chapter then catalogs Solomon's staggering annual income of gold, his ivory throne, his fleet, and the astonishing abundance of silver and cedar that made precious materials common in Jerusalem.
Themes
- Wisdom as a witness to the nations — Solomon's fame draws the world to God
- Wealth as a double-edged sign — evidence of blessing but also seed of coming failure
- A foreign queen recognizing and praising Israel's God
- The fulfillment and potential overreach of God's gifts
Key verses
- 1 Kgs 10:23 — “So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.”
- 1 Kgs 10:7 — “Behold, the half was not told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.”
- 1 Kgs 10:9 — “Blessed is Yahweh your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel! Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, he has made you king to do justice and righteousness.”
Context & background
Sheba was likely located in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula, in what is today modern Yemen, though some traditions (including Ethiopian national legend) identify it with Ethiopia. The Queen's journey of over a thousand miles by camel caravan reflects the extraordinary reputation Solomon had acquired. Her remark that God made Solomon king "to do justice and righteousness" echoes the core calling of every Israelite king under the Mosaic covenant. The chapter's catalog of chariots and horses (vv. 26-29) closely mirrors the prohibitions of Deuteronomy 17:16-17, quietly setting up the chapter that follows. Jerusalem (modern Jerusalem, Israel) at this moment was perhaps the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan city in the ancient Near East.
Cross-references
- Deut 17:16-17 — The king must not multiply horses, wives, or gold — all of which Solomon is now doing
- Isa 60:6 — Gold and frankincense from Sheba used as an image of the nations streaming to Zion
- Matt 12:42 — Jesus references the Queen of the South (Sheba) who came to hear Solomon's wisdom, pointing to himself as "greater than Solomon"
- Ps 72 — A royal psalm that describes the kind of wise, just king who attracts the nations' tribute
- Rev 18:11-13 — The goods of Tarshish used as an image of worldly commerce