1 Kings 10:10-13

10:10 She gave the king 120 talents ¹  of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. ²  10:11 (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 10:12 With the timber the king made supports ³  for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments ⁴  for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day. ⁵ ) 10:13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. ⁶  Then she left and returned ⁷  to her homeland with her attendants.

[10:10]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”

[10:10]  ² tn Heb “there has not come like those spices yet for quantity which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”

[10:12]  ³ tn This Hebrew architectural term occurs only here. The meaning is uncertain; some have suggested “banisters” or “parapets”; cf. TEV, NLT “railings.” The parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:11 has a different word, meaning “tracks,” or perhaps “steps.”

[10:12]  ⁴ tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither” [?]), and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

[10:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”

[10:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “besides what he had given her according to the hand of King Solomon.”

[10:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “turned and went.”