1 Kings 10: 1 – 29
Tough Questions
10 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 that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it 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 on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. 6 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7 However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. 8 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” 10 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir. 12 And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day. 13 Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants. 14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 15 besides that from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country. 16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had merchantships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. 23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 24 Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year. 26 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland. 28 Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. 29 Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
Today we are going to read about the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon. She has come loaded with questions from her scholars to see if she can stump him. Questions are always interesting to ask especially when you know the answer. This world is filled with so much content which is still unknown to most of us. So, let’s suppose that you live in the kingdom of Sheba and many people think that you are quite smart. So, the queen has her scholars put together some questions and since you are so smart she wants to try them out on you.
1. Which chemical element has the shortest name?
2. Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi based the face of the Statue of Liberty on whom?
3. There are sixty cups on a table. If one falls, then how many remain?
4. Ralph Craig ran the 100m for the US in 1912; when did he next compete in the Olympics?
5. What word do we use to describe the Asexual reproduction of a genetic carbon copy of an animal or plant?
6. What product was the first to appear in a UK TV commercial (in 1955)?
7. If 1/2x +1/2(1/2x + 1/2(1/2x +1/2(1/2x + ... = y, then x=?
8. 10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3*2*1 = 10! Is it possible?
9. Take the number 30, divide it by 1/2, and then add 10. What do you get?
10. If you have 6 black socks, 4 blue socks, 8 brown socks, and 2 red socks in your sock drawer, what is the minimum number of socks that you need to pull out in the dark to be sure you had a matching pair?
So, I expect that you aced the exam, right? If you want to check your answers here, they are;
1) Tin
2) His Mother
3) Seems easy but the answer would be 59 if the question was asked verbally There are six-tea-cups on the table. So, if one falls then 5 remain
4) 1912
5) Clone
6) Toothpaste
7) x=y
8) Yes
9) Seventy. Thirty when divided by ½ is 60
10) Minimum 5
Now that you've seen some hard riddles, here are some thought provoking questions with no answers. Why no answers? Because every reader will have his/her own set of answers for each question mentioned below.
1. Can you cry under water?
2. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
3. Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
4. When it is all said and done, will you have said more than you've done?
5. If the funeral procession is at night, do folks drive with their lights off?
6. How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
7. How come you cannot wear leather when it rains? Why are cows left out in the rain then?
8. Do all roads (religions) lead to God?
So now that we have had some fun realizing that somehow we are not at the same smart level as Solomon, let’s take a look at the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Jerusalem.
10 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.
The real purpose of the visit, trading negotiations, would naturally be passed over, and there is no good reason for doubting the Queen of Sheba’s genuine interest in what she had heard of the great wonders done by The God of Israel Yahweh. The fame of Solomon’s Temple had no doubt spread, and together with it the mystery of the covenant chest, topped by the Cherubim which represented the invisible God, which ‘bore the Name of YHWH of Hosts’ (2 Samuel 6.2). It would be quite clear to all the greatness that He had given to Solomon, as He had raised up this powerful empire on his behalf. Furthermore, Solomon’s reputation for wisdom had reached her ears, and she wanted to test him out with riddles, as well as to discuss diplomatic and ethical questions.
2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
The Queen was taking advantage of the visit for trading purposes and brought with her a huge train of valuable commodities. Her camels brought the spices, gold and precious stones for which Arabia was famous. They would, of course, have been a gift, in return for which she would be entitled to expect similar ‘gifts. But the main purpose of her own coming was in to check Solomon out, and discover what she could about him, with thoughts of future dealings in mind. Thus, they talked about many things.
3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her.
She found Solomon competent and capable, and able to live up to the reputation that he had earned. He was able to give satisfactory answers to all her questions and was not stumped by any of them.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.
The magnificence of Solomon’s court impressed even such a great queen, while his wisdom, the magnificence of his palace complex, and the engineering ingenuity of the access which had been built between the palace and the Temple, filled her with awe. It fulfilled all her expectations. Also included among her impressions was the quality and quantity of food, the protocol of his chief ministers, the wide variety of lesser ministers, and the kind of clothing that they wore. Everything was magnificent, and it took her breath away.
6 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7 However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard.
She had heard of his doings and his wisdom and had hardly been able to believe that it was true, but now she had seen it with her own eyes. For what she had seen had surpassed all that she had heard. Both in wisdom and in wealth, Solomon surpassed all expectations. Sadly, it was these very things which would contribute so very much towards his downfall. Reputation and wealth can destroy the best of men, especially when they have absolute power.
8 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
She declared that his wisdom was such that all who served him should count themselves fortunate. How this praise must have delighted Solomon’s heart. And how dangerous it was for him. It is little wonder that he began to believe that he could do anything that he liked with impunity. He saw himself as the center of his world, and as being beyond requiring advice or rebuke.
9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
She also expressed her full appreciation of YHWH Who had set him on the throne of Israel. But even her reference to YHWH almost made it sound as if it was YHWH Who was privileged to have been able to establish Solomon’s throne. He had chosen Solomon because out of His love for Israel because none could be found who compared with him. No doubt she had learned all about YHWH’s covenant with David, and His promise of an everlasting throne, and how YHWH required him to rule in justice and righteousness. Solomon was proud of all these facts and would not have hesitated to have spoken of them. So even her worship of YHWH was eclipsed by her appreciation of Solomon. How careful we must be that we do not take away the glory from God.
10 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
The Queen brought much gold, and large quantities of spices and precious stones. As she had accompanied the caravan she would not want it to come short. It had to reveal her own worth. It was thus much larger than usual. She would, of course, expect to return to her country with reciprocal gifts of equal value (verse 13). But that went without saying.
11 Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir.
Meanwhile Solomon’s other trading avenues continued, and his ships as supplemented by Hiram, also brought in almug-trees and precious stones, as well as gold. It would appear to have been a particularly fine wood, as its use in musical instruments suggests.
12 And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
Solomon’s importance was such that only the very best was sent to him. The harps and psalteries (both stringed instruments) are a reminder of David’s prowess, and of the musical background to Temple worship (Amos 5.23).
13 Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So, she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
Having supplied her ‘gifts’ the Queen was now asked to provide details of what gifts she ‘desired’ in exchange, that being on top of his own magnificent gifts. And once that had been satisfactorily settled, the caravan was loaded up and she returned with her array of ministers and attendants to her own land, no doubt well satisfied with the outcome of her visit. There was nothing romantic about it. There have been stories passed down that one of the things the Queen asked for was that Solomon would be intimate with her so that she could have a child with him. There are texts which talk about this but there is no such indication in our bibles.
The description of all this is, of course, double-edged. On the one hand it reveals all the wealth that YHWH piled on Solomon, and the great ‘name’ that He had given him. But on the other it is all part of what so possessed Solomon’s interests that he forsook YHWH.
14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 15 besides that from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.
Gold poured into Solomon’s coffers from every quarter. Some was brought by his agents, some was in respect of trading activity by the merchants, some came in tribute from the petty kings round about, including parts of Arabia, and some from the governors of the country. Please notice the yearly amount that Solomon received – 666.
16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
Gold was pouring into Solomon’s treasury in such abundance that Solomon made two hundred large golden shields, each containing six hundred shekels of gold, and a further three hundred smaller shields, each containing three minas of gold. These would be for ceremonial purposes and were designed to further bring out Solomon’s glory. They were stored on the House of the Forest of Lebanon which was part of the palace complex in Jerusalem and were brought out whenever Solomon wanted to make an impression.
We will see upcoming in chapter 14 that in the not too distant future these shields would be appropriated by Pharaoh, and would be carried off to Egypt. Solomon’s glory would thus not be long lasting. It was a fading glory because of his arrogance and disobedience. What YHWH gave, YHWH could take away.
18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
The king also had made for him his own unique throne. This was a throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with the finest gold. Six steps led up to the throne, and the rearward curving back is paralleled in Egyptian thrones. The purpose of the throne was to lift Solomon above any other person.
On either side of the throne seat were two lions standing by the arm rests, providing protection (in a similar way to the Cherubim) guarding the ark. This was reflective of Solomon’s attitude and indicated his power and fearsomeness. A lion also stood at each side of each step leading up to the throne. Here then was the lion king. When he roared the earth shook. No other parallel to this throne could be found anywhere. It was unique. Thus, is Solomon’s glory emphasized.
All the drinking and other vessels in the palace complex were made of gold. Silver vessels could not be found anywhere, because they were too inferior. Silver counted for nothing in the court of Solomon. Such was his fading splendor.
22 For the king had merchant ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys
Solomon had formed a joint fleet along with Hiram. A ‘navy of Tarshish’ was a navy of large sea-going vessels of the type used on long distance voyages bringing back ore from far distant places.
These large ships regularly set off on their voyages and would be away ‘three years’. This does not necessarily signify long voyages. Ships in those days did not just sail away into the sunset and return. They would visit different ports to trade and gather water and provisions, they would often hug the coast, they would be laid up at times because of unseasonal weather, they might remain in some ports for a long time until they had disposed of their produce and filled up with the goods they received in return. They then returned with exotic goods such as gold, silver, ivory, and possibly apes and which were a wonder to all who beheld them.
23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 24 Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
All that has gone before has led up to this point. The presentation of the wealth and glory of Solomon has reached its zenith. There was no king around who could compare with Solomon for riches and for wisdom. His superiority in both areas was widely acknowledged. He truly had a great name among ‘the kings of the earth’. And all acknowledged that he had special wisdom from God and came to learn from him.
25 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.
Riches grew year by year, as vassal nations and subjects owned his lordship and brought their tribute in silver and gold and splendid clothing, and armor, and spices, and horses, and mules (a highly valued article in those days). And they did it as their liability was assessed year by year.
26 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
Solomon had also reached the high point militarily speaking. He had one large unit and four smaller units of chariots, together with twelve units of ‘horsemen’ to man the chariots and care for the horses. These were spread around the chariot cities, with a fair proportion being with the king in Jerusalem. This was where his trust now lay.
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
Such was the prosperity of Israel, and especially of Jerusalem, that silver had a common value with stones, while valuable cedarwood was as common as the local ‘sycamore trees’ (large well-rooted spreading trees which produced an inferior kind of fig and grew in abundance, while having little value).
28 Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price.
Having seen the potential of the chariot with its horses, and spotting a gap in the market, Solomon, in partnership with Pharaoh because of his special relationship with the Pharaoh through his wife, brought to Israel horses from both Egypt and Keveh, the latter bought by his merchants at an agreed price (the former would be supplied in accordance with the partnership agreement). Keveh was just north of the Taurus and was famous for horse-breeding.
29 Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
The chariots appear very expensive, but they may have been special ceremonial chariots intended for royalty and suitably furbished, or ‘chariot’ may have signified the complete set up, a chariot with its three horses (two to draw it and one led).
Thus, the mighty Solomon had become an international arms dealer, with his focus on chariots and horses. This was what his wisdom had brought him to. We must remember that our Holy Lord God was against such activities. In a short time, Solomon’s heart had turned away from the ever Gracious and Loving Holy Ruler. We know what all this was leading to Indeed this portrayal of Solomon’s power and glory would now be followed by an indication of his follies and the reason for the total failure of his kingdom.
We started off this chapter considering difficult questions to stump Solomon. A question now that I give to you which is personal is what would you want more, all the wealth and glory of Solomon’s life or a life set on being with our Lord Jesus for eternity? You must make a choice.
For me and I hope for you too we might set what we have seen about Solomon in this chapter in contrast with Paul’s words in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, “8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
I want for me and my house to be forever with Jesus!
