1 Kings 10:1

THE GLORY OF SOLOMON

This chapter appears to have been intended by the narrator to enhance in the fullest degree possible the glory and splendor of the reign of king Solomon. From an earthly viewpoint only did he succeed. Solomon's reign was a climax of sensuality and materialism. The gaudy ostentation of Solomon's court exhibits a false glitter, and, "One finds it easy to understand the judgment of Jesus Christ,"[1] who singled out the humble flowers of the meadow and declared that, "Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:28-29).

THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, 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. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king that he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I 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 exceed the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, that stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because Jehovah loved Israel forever, therefore made he thee king, to do justice and righteousness. And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, 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."

"The queen of Sheba" (1 Kings 10:1). All of the scholars we have consulted identify the realm over which this queen ruled as being in southwestern Arabia. "We are to understand Sheba as being the southern kingdom of Arabia (Yemen)."[2] Despite the unanimous voice among present-day scholars who support this viewpoint, it seems to this writer that some doubt should rest upon that conclusion.

Josephus flatly declared that the "Queen of Sheba was a princess who ruled over Ethiopia and Egypt."[3] How do we know that Josephus was wrong about this? His statement is strongly supported by the very titles claimed by the present-day rulers of Ethiopia. Halle Selassie I became Emperor of Ethiopia Nov. 7,1928, with the title: "King of the Kings of Ethiopia, Lion of Judah, Elect of God."[4] The explanation that Haile Selassie himself gave regarding that title, "Lion of Judah," when he was in Washington during this century was that his ancestors were descended from Solomon via the Queen of Sheba. What other explanation could possibly justify such a title? Furthermore, the Jewish historians, as quoted by Montgomery, "Interpreted this visit of the Queen of Sheba as a desire upon her part to have offspring by Solomon."[5]

Whiston disagreed with Josephus on the basis that Jesus' statement that, "She (the queen of the south) came from the ends of the earth," (Matthew 12:42) "Agrees better with Arabia than with Egypt and Ethiopia."[6] However, a glance at a map of Africa reveals that Halle Selassie's Ethiopia is very near the same location as southwestern Arabia, the two places being separated only by the very narrow strait of Perim that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Thus, Jesus' words apply just as well to Ethiopia as they do to the portion of Arabia just across the strait of Perim.

Another factor that strongly supports the Ethiopian claim of descending from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is the character of Solomon himself, who apparently never met any woman with whom he was not willing to cohabit!

Many have commented upon the feminine viewpoint that is discernible in the queen's remarks. Such things as the food on the table, the sitting of the servants, and even the apparel of Solomon's retainers are the things to which women would have paid strict attention.

Before going on from this account of the visit of the queen of Sheba, we should remember that the critical denial of the story as "merely a legend"[7] is now completely discredited. "Scholars now agree that the account of the visit is probably historical."[8] This writer goes far beyond the notion of the probable historicity of this event. Christ himself said that, "The queen of the south ... came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon" (Matthew 12:42), and one statement from Our Lord on a question of this nature is worth more than a ship load of contrary opinions.

"Happy are thy men" (1 Kings 10:8). Martin noted that the RSV, the The New International Version, and the Jerusalem Bible follow the Septuagint (LXX) here and read "Happy are thy wives."[9] We cannot see that it makes any difference.

"Blessed be Jehovah thy God" (1 Kings 10:9). This does not imply that the queen accepted Jehovah as the supreme and only God. It is merely an indication that she recognized him as the God of Israel, on a parity with the gods of other lands.