This chapter summarizes with illustrations and statistics the wisdom, acceptance, and riches with which God blessed Solomon.
The writer seems to have included this event here to support his claim that Solomon's reign was so glorious that rulers came from all over the world to meet him (4:34; cf. 3:16-18). It also shows that some of Solomon's wealth came to him as voluntary gifts from admirers. Jesus used this queen's example to challenge His hearers to listen to God's wisdom through someone greater than Solomon, namely, Himself (Matt. 12:42).
The site of Sheba was about 1,200 miles southeast of Israel (present Yemen). This country had come to dominate the spice and incense trade that had made that region of Arabia famous.104The queen's primary purpose in visiting Solomon seems to have been to see if he really was as wise and rich as she had heard. Testing with questions was a challenging sport among ancient Near Eastern monarchs.105
"The hard(enigmatic', REB) questions(hidot) were not just riddles', as in Judges 14:12, but included difficult diplomatic and ethical questions. According to Josephus, Hiram had made similar approaches. The test was not an academic exercise but to see if he would be a trustworthy business partner and a reliable ally capable of giving help."106
She noted that God had made Solomon a blessing to those around him (v. 8) as God had promised He would do for those who obeyed His covenant. She also blessed Yahweh (v. 9), the God under whom Solomon reigned. Her gifts, which included four and one-half tons of gold, appear to have been part of a covenant treaty she negotiated with Israel for her country (cf. v. 13). In her visit we see Israel fulfilling its God-given purpose of bringing the Gentiles to Yahweh. The name of this queen in Arabian history is Balkir.
"The Jewish romantic legend that the queen desired and received a son fathered by Solomon is unsubstantiated, as is the Ethiopic tradition that the royal Abyssinian line was founded by the offspring of Solomon and the queen of Sheba."107
This pericope summarizes Solomon's wealth as the previous one summarized his wisdom.
God brought much wealth to Solomon, almost 25 tons of gold a year (v. 14), plus many other riches.
"Those who would consider his income of 666 talents(ca.21.6 tons) of goldexaggeration should compare this with amounts registered in ancient Egypt about this time, where gold is like dust in the land' and Osorkon I in his first four years (ca.924-920 BC) accumulated eighteen tons of gold, to which some of the loot taken by his father Shishak from Jerusalem should be added (cf. 14:25-27). Similar large-scale acquisition and use of gold in temple building is attested from Mesopotamia."108
I do not believe we should criticize Solomon simply for being wealthy since God promised to make him rich (3:13). We should not blame a person who receives a fortune as an outright gift for having money. It was the accumulation of riches and ornaments to become materially secure and independent that God forbade. To the extent that Solomon did this--and he evidently did it somewhat--he was guilty of violating God's Law.
Solomon served as an international broker. He capitalized on Israel's strategic geographic location as the land bridge that connected three continents. He made Israel a clearinghouse through which merchandise passed and charged custom taxes as goods entered and left his country.109"Traders"probably refers to business people who passed through Israel and "merchants"to those who did business in Israel.110Solomon was probably history's most successful Jewish businessman.
The gold shields he hung in the palace armory were evidently for parade use. Gold is a very soft metal and would have been inappropriate for shields that soldiers used for defense in battle (v. 17). Perhaps the 12 lions surrounding Solomon's throne represented Israel's 12 tribes (v. 20). Tarshish (v. 22; cf. Jonah 1:3) was probably Spain or Sardinia.
Kue (v. 28) was Cilicia (the Apostle Paul's home province) in modern Turkey. God forbade Israel's kings from multiplying chariots (v. 26), the most effective and dreaded military machines of their day (Deut. 17:16). God wanted His people to depend on Him primarily for their protection. Material prosperity and security often lead people to conclude that they have no needs when really our need for God never diminishes. Solomon fell into this trap. Wealth is not sinful in itself, but it does bring temptations with it (cf. James 5:1-6).
Though Solomon experienced great blessings from his faithful God, he fell prey to the sins these blessings make easier, as the writer explained in the next chapter.
