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9:1 When the queen <04436> of Sheba <07614> heard <08085> about <0854> Solomon <08010>, she came <0935> to challenge <05254> him <08010> with difficult questions <02420>. She arrived in Jerusalem <03389> with a great <03515> display of pomp <02428>, bringing with her camels <01581> carrying <05375> spices <01314>, a very large quantity <07230> of gold <02091>, and precious <03368> gems <068>. She visited <0935> Solomon <08010> and discussed <01696> with <05973> him everything <03605> that <0834> was <01961> on <05973> her mind <03824>. 9:2 Solomon <08010> answered <05046> all <03605> her questions <01697>; there was no <03808> question <01697> too complex <05956> for the king <08010>. 9:3 When the queen <04436> of Sheba <07614> saw <07200> for herself Solomon’s <08010> extensive wisdom <02451>, the palace <01004> he had built <01129>, 9:4 the food <03978> in his banquet hall <07979>, his servants <05650> and attendants <04612> in their robes <04403>, his cupbearers <04945> in their robes <04403>, and his burnt sacrifices <05930> which <0834> he presented <05927> in the Lord’s <03068> temple <01004>, she was amazed <07307> <05750> <01961> <03808>. 9:5 She said <0559> to <0413> the king <04428>, “The report <01697> I heard <08085> in my own country <0776> about <05921> your wise sayings <01697> and insight <02451> was true <0571>! 9:6 I did not <03808> believe <0539> these things <01697> until <05704> I came <0935> and saw <07200> them with my own eyes <05869>. Indeed <02009>, I didn’t <03808> hear <05046> even half <02677> the story <04768>! Your wisdom <02451> surpasses <03254> what was reported <08085> <08052> to me. 9:7 Your attendants <05650>, who stand <05975> before <06440> you at all times <08548> and hear <08085> your wise sayings <02451>, are truly happy <0835> <0835>! 9:8 May the Lord <03069> your God <0430> be praised <01288> because <0834> he favored <02654> you by placing <05414> you on his throne <03678> as the one ruling <04428> on his behalf! Because of your God’s <0430> love <0160> for Israel <03478> and his lasting <05769> commitment to them, he made <05414> you king <04428> over <05921> them so you could make <06213> just and right <04941> decisions <06666>.” 9:9 She gave <05414> the king <04428> 120 <06242> <03967> talents <03603> of gold <02091> and a very <03966> large quantity <07230> of spices <01314> and precious <03368> gems <068>. The quantity <01931> of spices <01314> the queen <04436> of Sheba <07614> gave <05414> King <04428> Solomon <08010> has never <03808> been matched <01961>. 9:10 (Huram’s <02438> servants <05650>, aided by Solomon’s <08010> servants <05650>, brought <0935> gold <02091> from Ophir <0211>, as well as fine <0418> timber <06086> and precious <03368> gems <068>. 9:11 With the <0853> timber <0418> <06086> the king <04428> made <06213> steps <04546> for the Lord’s <03068> temple <01004> and royal <04428> palace <01004> as well as stringed instruments <05035> <03658> for the musicians <07891>. No one <03808> had seen <07200> anything like them <01992> in the land <0776> of Judah <03063> prior <06440> to that.) 9:12 King <04428> Solomon <08010> gave <05414> the queen <04436> of Sheba <07614> everything <03605> she requested <07592>, more than <0905> what she had brought <0935> him. Then she left <02015> and returned <01980> to her homeland <0776> with her attendants <05650>. 9:13 Solomon <08010> received <0935> 666 <08337> <08346> <03967> <08337> talents <03603> of gold <02091> per <0259> year <08141>, 9:14 besides <0905> what he collected <0935> from the merchants <08446> <0376> and traders <05503>. All <03605> the Arabian <06152> kings <04428> and the governors <06346> of the land <0776> also brought <0935> gold <02091> and silver <03701> to Solomon <08010>. 9:15 King <04428> Solomon <08010> made <06213> two hundred <03967> large shields <06793> of hammered <07820> gold <02091>; 600 <03967> <08337> measures of hammered <07820> gold <02091> were used <05927> for <05921> each <0259> shield <06793>. 9:16 He also made three <07969> hundred <03967> small shields <04043> of hammered <07820> gold <02091>; 300 <03967> <07969> measures of gold <02091> were used <05927> for <05921> each <0259> of those shields <04043>. The king <04428> placed <05414> them in the Palace <01004> of the Lebanon <03844> Forest <03293>. 9:17 The king <04428> made <06213> a large <01419> throne <03678> decorated with ivory <08127> and overlaid <06823> it with pure <02889> gold <02091>. 9:18 There were six <08337> steps <04609> leading up to the throne <03678>, and a gold <02091> footstool <03534> was attached <0270> to the throne <03678>. The throne had two <08147> armrests <03427> <04725> with a statue of a lion <0738> standing <05975> on <0681> each side <03027>. 9:19 There <08033> were twelve <06240> <08147> statues of lions <0738> on <05921> the six <08337> steps <04609>, one lion at each end <02088> of each step <02088>. There was nothing <03808> like <03651> it in any <03605> other kingdom <04467>. 9:20 All <03605> of King <04428> Solomon’s <08010> cups <04945> <03627> were made of gold <02091>, and all <03605> the household items <03627> in the Palace <01004> of the Lebanon <03844> Forest <03293> were made of pure <05462> gold <02091>. There were no <0369> silver <03701> items, for silver was not <03972> considered <02803> very valuable <03972> in Solomon’s <08010> time <03117>. 9:21 The king <04428> had a fleet of large merchant ships <08659> ships <0591> manned by <05973> Huram’s <02361> men <05650> that <03588> sailed <01980> the sea. Once <0259> every three <07969> years <08141> the fleet <0591> came <0935> into port <08659> with cargoes <05375> of gold <02091>, silver <03701>, ivory <08143>, apes <06971>, and peacocks <08500>. 9:22 King <04428> Solomon <08010> was wealthier <06239> and wiser <02451> than any <03605> of the kings <04428> of the earth <0776>. 9:23 All <03605> the kings <04428> of the earth <0776> wanted to visit <01245> Solomon <08010> to see <08085> him display his God-given <0430> <05414> wisdom <02451>. 9:24 Year <08141> after year <08141> visitors <0376> brought <0935> their <01992> gifts <04503>, which included items <03627> of silver <03701>, items <03627> of gold <02091>, clothes <08008>, perfume <05402>, spices <01314>, horses <05483>, and mules <06505>. 9:25 Solomon <08010> had 4,000 <0505> <0702> stalls <0723> for his chariot <04818> horses <05483> and 12,000 <0505> <06240> <08147> horses <06571>. He kept <03240> them in assigned cities <05892> and in <05973> Jerusalem <03389>. 9:26 He ruled <04910> all <03605> the kingdoms <04428> from <04480> the Euphrates River <05104> to <05704> the land <0776> of the Philistines <06430> as far <05704> as the border <01366> of Egypt <04714>. 9:27 The king <04428> made <05414> silver <03701> as plentiful in Jerusalem <03389> as stones <068>; cedar <0730> was <05414> as plentiful <07230> as sycamore fig trees <08256> are in the lowlands <08219>.

• 2Ch 9:1-12 -- Solomon Entertains a Queen
• 2Ch 9:13-28 -- Solomon's Wealth

• Solomon

  [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
  [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...
  [smith] (peaceful). I. Early life and occasion to the throne . --Solomon was the child of David?s old age, the last born of all his sons. (1 Chronicles 3:5) The yearnings of the "man of war" led him to give to the new-horn infant ...
  [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...
  

• QUEEN

  [isbe] QUEEN - kwen: The Bible applies this term: (1) To the wife of a king ("queen consort") (malkah). In the Book of Esther it is the title given to Vashti (1:9) and Esther (2:22); compare Song 6:8 f. Another Hebrew word for quee...
  

• Sheba

  [nave] SHEBA 1. Son of Raamah, Gen. 10:7; 1 Chr. 1:9. 2. Son of Joktan, Gen. 10:28; 1 Chr. 1:22. 3. Son of Jokshan, Gen. 25:3; 1 Chr. 1:32. 4. A Benjamite who led an insurrection against David, 2 Sam. 20. 5. A Gadite, 1 Chr. 5:...
  

• QUEEN OF SHEBA

  [isbe] QUEEN OF SHEBA - she'-ba (1 Ki 10:1-13; 2 Ch 9:1-12, called in Mt 12:42; Lk 11:31, "the queen of the south" (basilissa notou)): 1. Old Testament Accounts: The two Old Testament accounts of the coming of the queen of Sheba (s...
  

• Throne

  [isbe] THRONE - thron. (kicce', a "seat" in 2 Ki 4:10; a "royal seat" in Jon 3:6; thronos): Usually the symbol of kingly power and dignity. Solomon's throne was noted for its splendor and magnificence (1 Ki 10:18-20; compare 2 Ch 9...
  [smith] The Hebrew word so translated applies to any elevated seat occupied by a person in authority, whether a high priest, (1 Samuel 1:9) a judge, (Psalms 122:5) or a military chief (Jeremiah 1:16) The use of a chair in a countr...
  [nave] THRONE Of Pharaoh, Gen. 41:40; Ex. 11:5. Of David, 1 Kin. 2:12, 24; Psa. 132:11, 12; Isa. 9:7; Jer. 13:13; 17:25; Luke 1:32. Of Solomon, 1 Kin. 2:19; 2 Chr. 9:17-19. Of ivory, 1 Kin. 10:18-20. Of Solomon, called The Thro...
  

• Gold

  [isbe] GOLD - gold (zahabh; chrusos): 1. Terms: No metal has been more frequently mentioned in Old Testament writings than gold, and none has had more terms applied to it. Among these terms the one most used is zahabh. The Arabic e...
  [smith] Gold was known from the very earliest times. (Genesis 2:11) It was at first used chiefly for ornaments, etc. (Genesis 24:22) Coined money was not known to the ancients till a comparatively late period; and on the Egyptian tom...
  [nave] GOLD Exported from Havilah, Gen. 2:11, 12. From Ophir, 1 Kin. 9:28; 10:11; 1 Chr. 29:4; 2 Chr. 8:18; Job 22:24; Tarshish, 1 Kin. 22:48; Parvaim, 2 Chr. 3:6; Sheba, 1 Kin. 10:10; 2 Chr. 9:9; Psa. 72:15; Uphaz, Jer. 10:9. Re...
  

• FOREST

  [ebd] Heb. ya'ar, meaning a dense wood, from its luxuriance. Thus all the great primeval forests of Syria (Eccl. 2:6; Isa. 44:14; Jer. 5:6; Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic forest of Ephraim (2 Sam. 18:6, 8; J...
  [isbe] FOREST - for'-est: (1) choresh (compare proper name Harosheth), 2 Ch 27:4. In 1 Sam 23:15 ff translated "wood"; in Isa 17:9, "wood"; in Ezek 31:3, "forest-like shade." Applied to any thick growth of vegetation but not necess...
  

• Ivory

  [isbe] IVORY - i'-vo-ri ((1) shen, "tooth" (translated "ivory," 1 Ki 10:18; 22:39; 2 Ch 9:17; Ps 45:8; Song 5:14; 7:4; Ezek 27:6,15; Am 3:15; 6:4); (2) shenhabbim; Septuagint odontes elephdntinoi, "elephants' teeth" (1 Ki 10:22; 2 ...
  [smith] The word translated "ivory" literally signifies the "tooth" of any animal, and hence more especially denotes the substance of the projecting tusks of elephants. The skilled work-men of Hiram, king of Tyre, fashioned the great...
  [nave] IVORY. Song 5:14; 7:4; Ezek. 27:15. Exported from Tarshish, 1 Kin. 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21; Chittim, Ezek. 27:6. Ahab's palace made of, 1 Kin. 22:39. Other houses made of, Psa. 45:8; Amos 3:15. Other articles made of: String...
  

• Algum

  [ebd] (2 Chr. 2:8; 9:10,11), the same as almug (1 Kings 10:11).
  [nave] ALGUM, called also Almug, trees of Ophir and Lebanon, 1 Kin. 10:11, 12; 2 Chr. 2:8; 9:10, 11.
  

• Peacock

  [ebd] (Heb. tuk, apparently borrowed from the Tamil tokei). This bird is indigenous to India. It was brought to Solomon by his ships from Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21), which in this case was probably a district on the Mal...
  [isbe] PEACOCK - pe'-kok (tukkiyim (plural); Latin Pavo cristatus): A bird of the genus Pavo. Japan is the native home of the plainer peafowl; Siam, Ceylon and India produce the commonest and most gorgeous. The peacock has a bill o...
  [nave] PEACOCK, 1 Kin. 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21; Job 39:13.
  

• Merchant

  [ebd] The Hebrew word so rendered is from a root meaning "to travel about," "to migrate," and hence "a traveller." In the East, in ancient times, merchants travelled about with their merchandise from place to place (Gen. 37:25; Jo...
  [nave] MERCHANT, Gen. 23:16; 37:28; 1 Kin. 10:15, 28; 2 Chr. 9:14; Neh. 3:32; 13:20; Job 41:6; Song 3:6; Isa. 23:2; 47:15; Ezek. 17:4; 27:13, 17, 21-36; 38:13; Hos. 12:7; Nah. 3:16; Matt. 13:45; Rev. 18:3, 11, 23. See: Commerce. ...
  

• Tarshish

  [ebd] a Sanscrit or Aryan word, meaning "the sea coast." (1.) One of the "sons" of Javan (Gen. 10:4; 1 Chr. 1:7). (2.) The name of a place which first comes into notice in the days of Solomon. The question as to the locality of Ta...
  [smith] (established). Probably Tartessus, a city and emporium of the Phoenicians in the south of Spain, represented as one of the sons of Javan. (Genesis 10:4; 1 Kings 10:22; 1 Chronicles 1:7; Psalms 48:7; Isaiah 2:16; Jeremi...
  [nave] TARSHISH 1. Son of Javan, Gen. 10:4; 1 Chr. 1:7. 2. Called also Tharshish. Probably Spain, Gen. 10:4, 5; Psa. 72:10; Isa. 66:19. Solomon makes valuable imports from, 1 Kin. 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21. Commerce and wealth of, 1 Ki...
  

• Ape

  [ebd] an animal of the monkey tribe (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21). It was brought from India by the fleets of Solomon and Hiram, and was called by the Hebrews koph_, and by the Greeks _kepos, both words being just the Indian Tamil ...
  [isbe] APE - ap (qoph): The word occurs only in the two parallel passages (1 Ki 10:22; 2 Ch 9:21) in which the magnificence of Solomon is illustrated by the things which are brought to him from foreign countries. Apes are mentioned...
  [nave] APE, in Solomon's zoological collections, 1 Kin. 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21.
  

• Ophir

  [isbe] OPHIR - o'-fer, o'-fir ('owphiyr (Gen 10:29), 'owphir (1 Ki 10:11), 'ophir): 1. Scriptural References: The 11th in order of the sons of Joktan (Gen 10:29 = 1 Ch 1:23). There is a clear reference also to a tribe Ophir (Gen 10...
  [smith] (abundane). The eleventh in order of the sons of Joktan. (Genesis 10:29; 1 Chronicles 1:23) (B.C. after 2450.) A seaport or region from which the Hebrews in the time of Solomon obtained gold. The gold was proverbial for i...
  [nave] OPHIR 1. Son of Joktan, Gen. 10:29; 1 Chr. 1:23. 2. A country celebrated for its gold and other valuable merchandise. Products of, used by Solomon and Hiram, 1 Kin. 9:28; 10:11; 2 Chr. 8:18; 9:10. Jehoshaphat sends ships t...
  

• Arabia

  [ebd] arid, an extensive region in the south-west of Asia. It is bounded on the west by the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the east by the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates. It extends far i...
  [smith] (desert, barren), a country known in the Old Testament under two designations:-- The East Country , (Genesis 25:6) or perhaps the East, ((Genesis 10:30; Numbers 23:7; Isaiah 2:6) and Land of the Sons of the East , (Genesis 2...
  [nave] ARABIA Tributary to Solomon, 2 Chr. 9:14, and Jehoshaphat, 2 Chr. 17:11. Exports of, Ezek. 27:21. Prophecies against, Isa. 21:13; Jer. 25:24. Paul visits, Gal. 1:17.
  

• Butler

  [ebd] properly a servant in charge of the wine (Gen. 40:1-13; 41:9). The Hebrew word, mashkeh, thus translated is rendered also (plural) "cup-bearers" (1 Kings 10:5; 2 Chr. 9:4). Nehemiah (1:11) was cup-bearer to king Artaxerxes. ...
  [isbe] BUTLER - but'-ler: An officer in households of kings, or other dignitaries, having charge of wines and other potables. mashqeh, "one who gives drink" (Gen 40:1-23; 41:9), rendered "cupbearer" in 1 Ki 10:5; 2 Ch 9:4; Neh 1:11...
  [nave] BUTLER Pharaoh's, imprisoned and released, Gen. 40; 1 Kin. 10:5; 2 Chr. 9:4; Neh. 1:11; 2:1.
  

• SILVER

  [isbe] SILVER - sil'-ver (keceph; argurion, arguros): Silver was known in the earliest historic times. Specimens of early Egyptian and Babylonian silver work testify to the skill of the ancient silversmiths. In Palestine, silver ob...
  [smith] In very early times silver was used for ornaments, (Genesis 24:53) and for vessels of various kinds. Images for idolatrous worship were made of silver or overlaid with it, (Exodus 20:23; Hosea 13:2); Habb 2:19 Bar. 6:39, and ...
  

• QUESTION

  [isbe] QUESTION - kwes'-chun: The noun for dabhar, "word," in 1 Ki 10:3 parallel 2 Ch 9:2, with "hard question" for chidhah, "dark saying," "riddle," in 1 Ki 10:1 parallel 2 Ch 9:1. In the New Testament for zetema, the synonym zete...
  

• HURAM

  [smith] (noble born). A Benjamite; son of Bela, the first-born of the patriarch. (1 Chronicles 8:5) The form in which the name of the king of Tyre in alliance with David and Solomon --and elsewhere given as HIRAM, OR HURAM-- appe...
  

• FAME

  [isbe] FAME - fam (shem, shema`; akoe, pheme): "Fame" has the twofold meaning, (1) of report or rumor, (2) of renown or reputation (in the Old Testament it is not always easy to distinguish the two senses). "Fame," shema`, "fame," ...
  

• Solomon's Splendour, Wealth, and Wisdom

  

• The Queen of Sheba

  

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