Queen_of_Sheba מַלְכָּה
A queen who visited Solomon and praised his wisdom
Who is Queen_of_Sheba in the Bible?
The Queen of Sheba was a ruler from a distant kingdom, likely located in modern-day Yemen or Ethiopia, who visited King Solomon in Jerusalem after hearing of his legendary wisdom and wealth (1 Kings 10.1-13; 2 Chronicles 9.1-12). She arrived with a large entourage and brought expensive gifts including gold, spices, and precious stones, intending to test Solomon with difficult questions. Solomon answered all her questions, and the queen was so impressed by his wisdom, his magnificent palace, and the organization of his court that she praised both him and his God, acknowledging that his prosperity was a divine blessing. The two exchanged lavish gifts before she returned to her homeland. The Queen of Sheba's visit demonstrates the far-reaching reputation of Solomon's God-given wisdom and serves as a testament to the blessings of faithfulness to God during Israel's golden age under Solomon's reign.
Biography
The Queen of Sheba, whose kingdom was likely located in modern-day Yemen or Ethiopia, heard about the fame and wisdom of King Solomon and traveled to Jerusalem to meet him (1Ki.10.1-13; 2Ch.9.1-12). She brought a large entourage and expensive gifts, including gold, spices, and precious stones. The queen tested Solomon with difficult questions, and he answered them all, demonstrating his God-given wisdom. Impressed by his wisdom, wealth, and the organization of his court, the Queen of Sheba praised Solomon and his God, acknowledging that his wisdom and prosperity were divine blessings. She gave Solomon many gifts, and he reciprocated, giving her all she desired. Jesus later referenced the Queen of Sheba's visit, noting that she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet someone greater than Solomon was present in Jesus himself (Mat.12.42; Luk.11.31).
In Scripture
4 biblical books ; 2 with study content1 Kings 4 verses
- 1 Kings 10:1
"Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions."
- 1 Kings 10:4
"When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,"
- 1 Kings 10:10
"Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again were spices in such abundance brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon."
- 1 Kings 10:13
"King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants."
2 Chronicles 4 verses
- 2 Chronicles 9:1
"Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all..."
- 2 Chronicles 9:3
"When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,"
- 2 Chronicles 9:9
"Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon."
- 2 Chronicles 9:12
"King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants."
Matthew 1 verse
- Matthew 12:42
"The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here."
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Luke 1 verse
- Luke 11:31
"The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here."
Study Luke →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name combined | Hebrew | מַלְכָּה | malĕkāh | a queen |
| Name combined | Greek | βασίλισσα | basílissa | a queen |
Encyclopedia Article
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain) Queen of Sheba
The two Old Testament accounts of the coming of the queen of Sheba (see SHEBA) to Solomon differ slightly from one another, and, of the two, that in 1 Kings is the older. (1) The words "concerning the name of Yahweh" (1Ki 10:1) are lacking in 2 Chronicles; while the Septuagint in 1 Kings has "and the name of Yahweh," apparently a correction of the Massoretic Text. (2) For 1Ki 10:9, "because Yahweh loved Israel for ever," 2Ch 9:8 has "because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever"; the Septuagint in 1 Kings has "because Yahweh loved Israel, to establish it forever." (3) In the last verse of each account we find another difference: 2Ch 9:12 says that Solomon gave to the queen all her desire, "besides that which she had brought unto the king." i.e. according to some, besides the equivalent of what she had brought to him; 1Ki 10:13 margin has" besides that which he gave her according to the hand of king Solomon," i.e. besides gifts commensurate with his own wealth and power (SBOT), or be sides gifts which he gave her qua king.
2The Narrative
The narrative tells of the queen of Sheba, on hearing of Solomon's great wisdom, coming to test him with perplexing questions or riddles (compare Jud 14:12). She brought presents to the king, and interviewed him: "And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built" (i.e. the palace, not the temple) as well as its arrangements, "and his burnt-offering which he offered in the house of Yahweh (so read and translate with the Revised Version margin in 1Ki 10:5, and also in 2Ch 9:4); there was no more spirit in her": the half of Solomon's wisdom had not been told her. "Happy," she said to him, "are thy wives (so read with Septuagint, Syriac and Old Latin versions), happy are these thy servants." She then exchanged gifts with him and returned to her own land.
The narrative is a complement of that in 1Ki 3:16-28, where the king's justice is exemplified; here his wisdom.
3Employed by Jesus
The narrative is referred to by Jesus in Mt 12:42; Lu 11:31, where He refuses to accede to the request of the scribes and Pharisees for a sign from Him. He tells them that no sign will be given them except that of Jonah, whose sign was his preaching, one that proved sufficient to the Ninevites; and `behold something greater than Jonah is here.' The men of Nineveh will be a living condemnation of them "in the judgment" (compare Lu 16:31); and so will the "queen of the south" who came from the ends of the earth after hearing of Solomon's wisdom, `and behold something greater than Solomon is here.' The only sign to be given is that of the wisdom of Jesus, a wisdom far greater than that of Solomon (see D. Smith, Days of His Flesh, 176 ff).
4Eastern Literature
Eastern literature has much to say about the queen of Sheba. The Arabs called her Bilqis. Abyssinian legend declares that she came from Ethiopia, her name being Maqeda, and that she had a son by Solomon. See Delitzsch, Iris, 116-27; ZDMG, X, 19 f; J Pr T, VI, 524 ff (1880). Gressmann (in Schriften des Altes Testament, II, 1,203) has further references to Wilhelm Hertz, Gesammelte Abhandlungen, 1905, 413 ff; Bezold, Kebra Nagast, 1905, and also ZDMG, 60, 666 ff. For the Mohammedan story, see Koran xxvii, with notes in Sale's translation.
David Francis Roberts
kwench, kwensh: Where the word is used of fire or of thirst it has the usual meaning: "to allay," "to extinguish," "to suppress," "to cool." In the Old Testament it is frequently applied to the affections and passions