The First Book of the Kings, commonly called the Third Book of the Kings
1 Kings 10
Chapter X · Vol. II, pp. 736–738
1 The queen of Sheba admireth the wisdom of Solomon. 14 Solomon's yearly revenue in gold. 16 His targets. 18 The throne of ivory. 21 His vessels. 24 His presents. 26 His chariots and horsemen. 28 His tribute.
1 And when the aqueen of Sheba1 heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
a 2 Ch.9.1. Mat.12.42. Lu.11.31. ver.24; ch.4.31. Ju.14.12. Pr.1.5; 13.20.
1 The country properly called Sheba lay in the south-east of Arabia, and received its name from Sheba the grandson of Cush, Ge.10.7. But the queen who visited Solomon is by many supposed to have come from Abyssinia. This opinion is partly founded on Abyssinian history, and partly on our Lord's calling her 'queen of the south,' whereas any part of Arabia would have been more properly east, Mat.12.42.—C.
2 And she came to Jerusalem with a bvery great train, with camels that bare cspices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
c Eze.27.22. Ps.72.10,15. Is.60.6.
3 And Solomon dtold her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's ewisdom, and the house that he had built,
e ch.4.7,22-33; vi. vii.; 9.15. Col.2.3.
5 And fthe meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cup-bearers, and his gascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD;2 there was no more spirit in her.
6 And she hsaid to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts,3 and of thy wisdom.
h 2 Ch.9.6.
3 Or, sayings.
7 Howbeit iI believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.4
8 Happyk are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9 Blessedl be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: mbecause the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore nmade he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
l ch.5.7; 8.15. Ps.72.17-19.
m 2 Ch.2.11. De.7.7,8; 33.3. 1 Ch.17.22.
n Pr.8.15,16. 2 Sa.8.15. Ro.13.1-4. Is.9.7. Lu.1.32.
10 And she gave the king oan hundred and twenty talents of gold[≈ 4.1 tonnes · 4 tons · gold worth ≈ US$540 million], and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.5
A.M. 3014. B.C. 990.
o ch.9.14; ver.2. Ps.72.10,11. Mat.2.11, i.e. £654,084.
5 This visit of the queen of Sheba is not to be considered as a mere historical record; it is also a beautiful emblem and illustration of the manner in which souls are brought to Christ; in which, won by his excellence, Phi. 3. 8, they present him their hearts, and return, not to the service, but to the duties of the world, enriched with 'the unsearchable riches of Jesus,' Ep.3.8.—C.
11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from pOphir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug-trees,6 and precious stones.
6 Called in Chronicles algum-trees. It was most probably the Pterocarpus santalinus of Linnæus, which furnishes the red sandal-wood, and is called by the Arabs el-bakam. The wood is firm, hard, and heavy, is esteemed very precious in the East, and is used by the Hindoos in adorning their temples. Western Asia still receives a variety of Indian productions by way of Arabia.—I.
12 And the king made of the almug-trees qpillarsr for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug-trees, nor were seen unto this day.
q Or, rails, ver.5.
r Heb. a prop, ch.7.15.
13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all sher desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So tshe turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents7 of gold[≈ 23 tonnes · 22 tons · gold worth ≈ US$3,000 million],
7 i. e. above 27 tons weight, and £3,634,382 value.
15 Besides that he had of the merchant-men, and of the traffick of the spice-merchants, and of all the kings of uArabia, and of the governors of the country.
16 And king Solomon made xtwo hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels8 of gold[≈ 6.8 kg · 15 lb · gold worth ≈ US$890,000] went to one target.9
17 And he made ythree hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound1 of gold went to one shield:2 and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
y 2 Ch.9.16. ch.7.2; 14.26.
1 Three hundred shekels.
2 These have been estimated at £210,976, 7s. 7d. But the real value no man can tell, or even guess, as the nature of the work in the casting or chasing is totally unknown. Ornamental works in the precious metals vary from 50 to 300 per cent. and upwards on the original value.—C.
19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind:3 and there were stays4 on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
3 Heb. on the hinder part thereof.
4 Heb. hands.
20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like5 made in any kingdom.
5 Heb. so.
21 And ball 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:6 it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.7
b 2 Ch.9.20-22.
A.M. 3019. B.C. 985.
6 Or, there was no silver in them.
7 Not that it was undervalued in commerce, but for ornament.—C.
22 For the king had at sea a navy of cTharshish8 with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, divory, and apes, and peacocks.
c Ge.10.4. 2 Ch.20.36. Is.23.1, with ch.9.28.
8 The situation of this country it is perhaps not possible to ascertain. Amongst different conjectures, the most probable is that there are more countries or places than one called Tarshish in Scripture, and that one may be found in the Indian Ocean, another probably in Spain, and a third in Tarsus of Cilicia. This community of a name is amply exemplified in modern geography.—C.
d Or, elephants' teeth, ch.22.39. Ps.45.8,9. Eze.27.6. Am.3.15. Re.18.12.
25 And gthey brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
g ch.4.21. Ps.68.29. Is.60.6,16,17; 66.20. Ro.12.1; 15.16.
26 Andh Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
h 2 Ch.1.14; 9.25,28,29. ch.4.26, with De.17.16. Ps.20.7.
27 And ithe king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore-trees9 that are in the vale, for abundance.
i 2 Ch.1.15; 9.27. Ge.13.2. Mat.6.33. Job 22.24,25. ver.21.
9 A tree partaking of the combined qualities of the fig and mulberry tree—the Ficus Sycomorus of botanists. It is one of the most splendid vegetable productions, the branches spreading to a vast extent, and the trunk often attaining such a size that three men touching fingers are unable to encircle it.—C.
28 Andk Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and llinen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
29 And ma chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver[≈ 6.8 kg · 15 lb · silver worth ≈ US$12,000], and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out nby their means.1
m 2 Ch.2.17.
n Heb. by their hand, Mal.1.1. ch.8.53.
1 This verse states what Solomon's merchants charged for duty, commission, and transport—namely, 150 for each horse, and 600 for each chariot. Of course this cannot mean the actual price of the horse, for some horses are far more valuable than others. The sums here stated were over and above the intrinsic value of each animal and chariot. Such, at least, appears to me the sense.—P.
Notes
[Ver. 5. There can be little doubt that reference is here made to some grand entrance which Solomon had made to the temple. This entrance must have been from the palace; but the palace stood on Zion and the temple on Moriah; and between the two was the deep ravine of Tyropœon. Now we learn from Josephus that one of the most stupendous works of ancient Jerusalem was the bridge which connected the outer court of the temple with the palace on Zion, spanning the Tyropœon. The remains of it still exist, and recent excavations have enabled us to form some estimate of its colossal dimensions. The breadth of the roadway was 50 feet; the span of each arch was 45 feet, and there were five arches; and the total height above the bed of the Tyropœon was 225 feet. The stones with which it was built were of colossal size; the spring-stones of one arch which are still in position measure 24 feet in length by 6 in thickness. I am inclined to believe that this was 'the ascent by which Solomon went up into the house of the Lord.' P.]
Ver. 28. [This is a very obscure passage. The meaning of the Hebrew word translated 'linen yarn' is much controverted. Some say it means 'toll' or 'duty;' some 'a band' or 'troop;' some a proper name with a preposition prefixed; some 'a cord' by which troops of horses were fastened. I prefer the interpretation of Gesenius, who renders the verse as follows:—'And the horses of Solomon were brought out of Egypt; and a band of the king's merchants brought up a band (of horses) at a fixed price.' This interpretation requires a change in the Masoretic accents, and would represent the merchants of Solomon as having entered into an arrangement with the Egyptian government to pay a gross sum of duty on each troop of horses. P.]
Reflections.—So respectable is true wisdom that one cannot purchase it too dear or fetch it too far; nor hath God confined it to one sex more than another. And such as have real knowledge should delight in the communication of it. But especially let us observe that God, on every occasion, has taken delight to prefigure the gathering of the Gentiles to Jesus Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Good order in families, courts, and kingdoms is extremely amiable and useful; and to enjoy the converse of such as are wise in the things of God is a great and unspeakable mercy: but God, who is the author of all our mercies, deserves the praise of them all. Mutual presents are pledges of friendship: but happiest of all is friendship with God. Prosperity in earthly enjoyments shall attend the active honouring of him, if for the real good of his people, but the most certain prosperity of soul. The Almighty himself is their gold; and they shall have plenty of silver.
But in these labours, these glories of Solomon, let me contemplate the infinitely greater one, even Jesus Christ our Prince of Peace. He is Jedidiah, the darling of the Lord. His birth is our consolation against griefs and woes unnumbered. He is infinitely peaceful, prudent, and wise; and to him everything is naked and open. Notwithstanding oppositions innumerable, he was solemnly chosen, anointed, and enthroned by his Father. Justly he punishes the guilty and rewards the virtuous, particularly such as have favoured his cause in distress. Wisely he judges his subjects, and will judge the world. In infinite wisdom he indites and applies his revelations of truth. At infinite expense he builds the temple of his church, and consecrates her to God by his great sacrifice of himself and his prevalent intercession. Plentifully he enriches and prudently he governs his people in his extensive dominions. Great is the peace, the safety, the glory of his reign! and no report can sufficiently describe his glory and wisdom. Happy they who are his servants, behold his beauty, and for ever inquire reverently in his temple! And blessed be the Lord that multitudes, chiefly of Gentile sinners, are brought to him, admire his excellency, and labour in his service: nay, captivated with his love, grace, and beauty, abide in his house for ever.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.