1 Kings · chapter 10 of 22
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1 Kings 10 tells of the queen of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem. She comes to test Solomon with hard questions, is left breathless by his wisdom and his court, and blesses the Lord. The chapter then describes Solomon's vast wealth: gold, shields, an ivory throne, ships, and a trade in horses and chariots that make him greater than all the kings of the earth.
This chapter is the brightest point of Solomon's reign. The nations come to Jerusalem to see what God has done, and the story of the queen of Sheba shows how the king's fame points toward the Lord. But the last lines, about horses imported from Egypt, already foreshadow the troubles of chapter 11.
The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, which was bound up with the name of the Lord, and came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a great caravan, camels loaded with spices, much gold and precious stones. She spoke with Solomon about all that was on her mind, and he answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king.
The queen saw Solomon's wisdom, the house he had built, the food of his table, the order of his servants and the burnt offerings he made in the house of the Lord, and she was left breathless. She said that what she had heard in her own land was true, but that she had not believed it until she saw it with her own eyes, and that she had not been told even half. She blessed the Lord, who delighted in Solomon and set him on Israel's throne out of his everlasting love for his people. She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, many spices and precious stones, and Solomon gave her all that she desired, and she returned to her own land.
The text then describes the king's wealth: the gold that came to him each year, the gold shields, the great ivory throne overlaid with pure gold with six steps, and gold drinking vessels because silver was not valued in his days. His fleet of Tarshish brought gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks. Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom, and all sought an audience with him. He bought horses and chariots from Egypt, and made them as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, bound to the name of the Lord, and came to test him with hard questions. From the start, the king's wisdom is understood as pointing toward God.
The queen says she did not believe what she was told until she saw it with her own eyes, and that she had not been told even half. Seeing and hearing firsthand is what changes her mind, a principle that recurs in the Gospels.
The queen blesses the Lord, who delighted in Solomon to set him on the throne of Israel because of God's everlasting love for his people. A foreigner's recognition underlines that Solomon's kingdom is the work of God's grace, not his own merit.
Solomon gathers chariots and horsemen and stations them in chariot cities and in Jerusalem. Behind the brilliance of the kingdom a trust in military strength begins to appear, which the law for kings had warned against.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: She had heard of his fame, bound to the name of the Lord, and wanted to test him with hard questions. — 1 Kings 10:1
Answer: Camels loaded with spices, a great amount of gold and precious stones. — 1 Kings 10:2
Answer: That what she had heard was true and that she had not been told even half. — 1 Kings 10:6-7
Answer: The Lord, who delighted in Solomon and set him on the throne because of his love for Israel. — 1 Kings 10:9
Answer: Made of ivory, overlaid with pure gold, with six steps. — 1 Kings 10:18-19
Answer: From Egypt. — 1 Kings 10:28-29
The queen of Sheba traveled far with an open question and returned praising the Lord. Her story reminds us that sincere curiosity can lead a person to meet God. In a small group, think about who around you asks hard questions about faith and how to receive them with courtesy and honest answers.
At the same time, the chapter warns about the weight of wealth. The accumulation of gold, horses and chariots shows a king who trusts more and more in what he owns. Ask what things today give a false sense of security and how to remember that every blessing comes from the Lord.
1 Kings 10 presents Solomon at his greatest splendor, admired by the nations and richer than any king. In 1 Kings 11, that same king turns away from the Lord through his many foreign wives and the kingdom begins to divide.
The Bible does not give the place precisely. Tradition usually locates it in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, in the region of present-day Yemen, and some connect it with Ethiopia. What the text stresses is that she came from far away and brought riches from her land.
Yes. In the Gospels, Jesus says the queen of the South will rise at the judgment against those who did not listen to him, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and here is someone greater than Solomon.
The law given for Israel's kings warned against multiplying horses and returning to Egypt. The narrator records these facts near the end of the chapter, which is a sign that Solomon's prosperity rests more and more on human resources.