And she said to the king ,.... When she was a little come to herself: it was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom ; which she was ready to call in question when she first heard it; at least she thought it was greatly exaggerated, but now she found it was strictly true. read more
Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it ,.... That is, she did not believe the whole of what was related to her; somewhat of it she credited, and supposed there was something grand and extraordinary in it, or she would never have taken such a journey; but she did not believe that all could be true; she thought things were too much magnified: and, behold, the half was not told me ; of what she now saw and heard: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the... read more
Happy are thy men ,.... The men of Israel, that had a king over them so wise, so great, so good: happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom ; who were now present, and to whom she pointed, and may respect not his nobles and courtiers only, but his menial servants, who had an opportunity of often hearing the wise sayings which dropped from his lips; and which no doubt were means of greatly improving their knowledge and understanding in things... read more
Blessed be the Lord thy God ,.... Of whom she might have better notions than when she came out of her own country: which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel ; loved him with a love of complacency and delight, was Jedidiah, as he called him, beloved of the Lord, and therefore he chose him and preferred him to be king before his elder brother: because the Lord loved Israel for ever ; to establish them as a kingdom for ever as they were, so long as obedient to him;... read more
Happy are thy men - All these are very natural expressions from a person in her state of mind. read more
The Queen of Sheba. Well may the journey of this Eastern queen have a triple mention in the sacred page ( 1 Kings 10:1-29 .; 2 Chronicles 9:1-31 .; St. Matthew 12:1-50 .; St. Luke 11:1-54 .), for it is almost, if not altogether, sui generis . We are so familiar with the story from our infancy that we often fail to realize its true character and proportions. A woman, a princess, an Arab queen, travels some three thousand miles in search of wisdom. We have read of long voyages... read more
The Queen of Sheba. The suggestiveness of Solomon's intercourse with surrounding nations. His magnanimity was as remarkable as his magnificence. His broad policy stood out in striking contrast with the narrowness of some of his contemporaries and successors. It was one evidence of his divinely inspired wisdom. In some respects his enlightenment puts to shame modern diplomacy. Trace his relations with the king of Tyre and the queen of Sheba. These were not exceptionally treated by the... read more
And she said to the king, It was a true report [Heb. Truth was the word ] that I heard in mine own land of thy act [or words . Same word as above and in the next verse] and of thy wisdom. read more
Howbeit, I believed not the words ["Fame, as it is always a blab, so ofttimes a liar" (Bp. Hall)] until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and behold, the half was not told me; thy wisdom and prosperity exceeded the fame [Heb. thou hast added wisdom and good to the report ] which I heard. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 10:1-13
We have here an account of the visit which the queen of Sheba made to Solomon, no doubt when he was in the height of his piety and prosperity. Our Saviour calls her the queen of the south, for Sheba lay south of Canaan. The common opinion is that it was in Africa; and the Christians in Ethiopia, to this day, are confident that she came from their country, and that Candace was her successor, who is mentioned Acts 8:27. But it is more probable that she came from the south part of Arabia the... read more