Psalms 72:10

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ¹  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ²  and Seba ³  will bring tribute.

Isaiah 60:6-7

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ⁴ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ⁵  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ⁶ 

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁷ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁸ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

Matthew 2:11

2:11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down ⁹  and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, ¹⁰  and myrrh. ¹¹ 

[72:10]  ¹ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ² sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ³ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[60:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ⁸ tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[2:11]  ⁹ tn Grk “they fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[2:11]  ¹⁰ sn Frankincense refers to the aromatic resin of certain trees, used as a sweet-smelling incense (L&N 6.212).

[2:11]  ¹¹ sn Myrrh consisted of the aromatic resin of certain shrubs (L&N 6.208). It was used in preparing a corpse for burial.