_A.M. 3012. B.C. 992._ The queen of Sheba's interview with Solomon, 1 Kings 10:1. His riches, 1 Kings 10:11. Targets, ivory throne, vessels, 1 Kings 10:16. Presents, chariots and horses, tribute, 1 Kings 10:24.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The queen_ of _Sheba_ Probably of that part of Arabia called Sabæa, which bordered upon the Red sea, Hence our Lord terms her _the queen of the south_, and says she _came from the uttermost parts of the earth_, (Matthew 12:42,) which answers exactly to Arabia Felix, for it lies south of Judea, is a... [ Continue Reading ]
_She communed with him of all that was in her heart_ Of all the doubts and difficulties wherewith her mind was perplexed. She had liberty to propound whatsoever she desired to be resolved about. _Solomon told her all her questions_ Answered them to her satisfaction. _There was not any thing which he... [ Continue Reading ]
_When the queen had seen all Solomon's wisdom_ Had fully discovered the wonderful variety of knowledge wherewith he was endowed. _And the house that he had built_ Or, _the houses_, the temple and the king's house, in both which there were evidences of singular wisdom. _The sitting of his servants_ T... [ Continue Reading ]
_I believed not the words_ Which were told me concerning thee: they seemed incredible, and above the perfection of human nature. _Thy wisdom and prosperity_ Hebrew, ושׂוב, _vatob, and goodness_, may be intended to signify either _happiness_ or _virtue. Exceeded the fame which I heard_ This was remar... [ Continue Reading ]
_Blessed be the Lord thy God_ All blessing and praise are due to him, for delighting to honour and advance so worthy a person. _To set thee on the throne of Israel_ It was God's special act to make him king rather than his elder brother. _To do judgment and justice_ To execute just judgment among th... [ Continue Reading ]
_She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold_, &c. These magnificent presents show that this queen was exceeding rich: her country, without doubt, abounded in gold at that time, as well as in cinnamon, myrrh, and frankincense, in vast plenty. _There came no more such abundance of spices_,... [ Continue Reading ]
_The navy of Hiram brought great plenty of almug-trees _ It is very uncertain what these almug-trees were, or algum-trees, as they are termed 2 Chronicles 2:8, by a transposition of letters. Dr. Waterland renders the expression _gum-trees_, and Houbigant _ligna citra, citron-wood._ But Dr. Castell t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Solomon gave unto the queen all her desire_ By their mutual presents they testified their friendship to each other; wishing by these things to be remembered. _Whatsoever she asked, besides what Solomon gave her of his royal bounty_ He desired to know what things would be acceptable to her among all... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now the weight of gold_, &c. The history of the queen of Sheba being ended, the writer returns to give an account of Solomon's riches and magnificence, which he had begun to set forth before. And first he relates what a vast quantity of gold was brought into his kingdom every year, not only from Op... [ Continue Reading ]
_Besides that he had of the merchant-men_ Who paid custom for the goods they brought from divers countries. Hebrew, מאנשׁי התרים, _meanshee hattarim, from the men, the searchers._ Merchants may be so called, because they search for commodities and articles of traffic. Or rather, the gatherers of the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold_ For pomp and magnificence, and to be carried before him by his guard when he went abroad. The Roman magistrates had rods and axes carried before them, in token of their power to correct the bad; but Solomon shields and targets, to show he took more p... [ Continue Reading ]
_The king made a great throne of ivory_ We never read of ivory till about Solomon's time; who, perhaps, brought elephants out of India, or at least took care to have a great deal of ivory imported from thence; for we read of _ivory palaces Psalms 45:9_, whose walls were overlaid with ivory; which wa... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Kings 10:21 ._ It was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon_ Comparatively, and about his palace; for it is not to be supposed that all his subjects had so much gold as to make no account of silver. But if gold in abundance would make silver seem so despicable, shall not wisdom and grace, an... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish_ Ships that went to Tharshish. For Tharshish was the name of a place, upon the sea, famous for its traffic with merchants, and a place very remote from Judea, as appears from the three years usually spent in that voyage. But whether it was Spain, where in... [ Continue Reading ]
_For riches and for wisdom_ The latter of which he asked of God, who graciously promised to add the former, and did so to a great degree. But what is here said is not to be taken in too strict a sense, but only as intending that he was richer than the kings of the earth in general were at that time.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen_ Ah! what availed thy boasted wisdom, Solomon, when thou forsookest the only true wisdom, obedience to the commandment of the Lord! Ah! what availed it that thou wast _wiser than all the children of the east;_ that thou couldst speak of trees, _from t... [ Continue Reading ]
_The king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones_ An hyperbolical expression, signifying a great plenty of it. _Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn_ The two chief commodities of Egypt. _The king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price_ Agreed on between Pharaoh and Solom... [ Continue Reading ]
_A chariot came up out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver_, &c. Egypt being then the most famous country in the world for horses and chariots, and all Asia being supplied from thence, Solomon, who possessed, as it were, the gate of Egypt, by being master of that one only passage, the distanc... [ Continue Reading ]