2 Chronicles 9:1

CONCLUSION OF THE REIGN OF SOLOMON

a. Visit of the queen of Sheba:

"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, 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; and there was not anything hid from Solomon which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen 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, his cupbearers also, and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up into the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes have seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the fame that I heard. Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, that stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighteth in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for Jehovah thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

(We have thoroughly discussed this visit of the queen of Sheba to Solomon in our Commentary on First Kings, pp. 129-137; and there is little that we wish to add here.) To summarize: (1) Sheba was most likely that Ethiopia over which Haile Selassie was the ruler during this century. (2) Solomon evidently was Haile Selassie's ancestor through this Ethiopian queen.