2 Chronicles 9

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

1 Now the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, and she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, with much wealth and camels, bearing spices and much gold and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and told him all that [was] {on her mind}.

2 And Solomon {answered all her questions}. Not a word was hidden from Solomon that he did not answer for her.

3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon and the house he had built,

4 and the food of his table, and the position of his officers, the duty of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of Yahweh, there was no longer any breath in her.

5 And she said to the king, "The word which I heard in my land concerning your words and your wisdom [is] true,

6 but I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not reported to me; you surpass the rumors that I had heard.

7 Blessed [are] your men, and blessed [are] these your servants who stand before you regularly and hear your wisdom!

8 Blessed be Yahweh your God who took delight in you, to put you on his throne as king for Yahweh your God! Because your God loved Israel, he established him forever and has put you over them as king to do justice and righteousness!"

9 And she gave to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. And there were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10 Moreover the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir brought algum wood and precious stones.

11 And the king made steps for the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and lyres and harps for the singers [from] the algum wood. And there was not seen [anything] like them before in the land of Judah.

12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba every desired thing she asked, besides what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her land, she and her servants.

Solomon’s Great Wealth

13 And it happened [that] the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year [was] six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

14 besides the gold and silver the traders and merchants brought, and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought.

15 And King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred [shekels] of beaten gold went into each shield.

16 And [he made] three hundred small shields of beaten gold; three hundred [shekels] went into each small shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

17 And the king made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.

18 And the throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold [was] attached to the throne. And [there were] armrests {on each side}. And by {the seat} [were] two lions standing beside the armrests.

19 And twelve lions were standing there on [each] of the six steps {on each end}. And there was nothing like [it] made in all the kingdom.

20 And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon [were] of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon [were] of pure gold. Silver was not valued as anything in the days of Solomon.

21 For the ships of the king went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once {every three years} the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22 Thus King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom.

23 And all the kings of the earth sought the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom that God put in his heart.

24 And each of them brought his gifts, objects of silver, objects of gold, cloaks, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, [as] an amount year by year.

25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

26 And he ruled over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, to the boundary of Egypt.

27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as the sycamore trees that [are] in the Shephelah for abundance.

28 And the horses [were] imported from Egypt and from all lands for Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

29 As for the remainder of the words of Solomon [from] the first to the last, are they not written in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer, concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31 And Solomon slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

The queen of Sheba. (1-12) Solomon's riches, and his death. (13-31)

Verses 1-12 ( 1 Kings 10 ) our Saviour has proposed it as an example in seeking after him, ( Matthew 12:42 ) , we must not pass it over without observing, that those who know the worth of true wisdom will grudge no pains or cost to obtain it. The queen of Sheba put herself to a great deal of trouble and expense to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and yet, learning from him to serve God, and do her duty, she thought herself well paid for her pains. Heavenly wisdom is that pearl of great price, for which, if we part with all, we make a good bargain.

Verses 13-31 The imports here mentioned, would show that prosperity drew the minds of Solomon and his subjects to the love of things curious and uncommon, though useless in themselves. True wisdom and happiness are always united together; but no such alliance exists between wealth and the enjoyment of the things of this life. Let us then acquaint ourselves with the Saviour, that we may find rest for our souls. Here is Solomon reigning in wealth and power, in ease and fulness, the like of which could never since be found; for the most known of the great princes of the earth were famed for their wars; whereas Solomon reigned forty years in profound peace. The promise was fulfilled, that God would give him riches and honour, such as no kings have had or shall have. The lustre wherein he appeared, was typical of the spiritual glory of the kingdom of the Messiah, and but a faint representation of His throne, which is above every throne. Here is Solomon dying, and leaving all his wealth and power to one who he knew would be a fool! ( ecclesiastes 2:18 ecclesiastes 2:19 ) . This was not only vanity, but vexation of spirit. Neither power, wealth, nor wisdom, can ward off or prepare for the stroke of death. But thanks be to God who giveth the victory to the true believer, even over this dreaded enemy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "in her heart"
• [b]. Literally "made known to her all her words"
• [c]. Or "spirit"
• [d]. Literally "from this and from that"
• [e]. Literally "the place of sitting"
• [f]. Literally "from this and from that"
• [g]. This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have "Hiram"
• [h]. Literally "for three years"
• [i]. That is, the Euphrates
• [j]. Or "words"
• [k]. Or "fathers"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 9 & 10

The ninth chapter is the same with 1Ki 10:1-29 excepting 2Ch 9:26, which agrees with 1Ki 4:21,29-31, the same with 1Ki 11:41-43, only in 2Ch 9:29 it is more largely expressed that the acts of Solomon's reign were written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer, against Jeroboam the son of Nebat; or rather "concerning Jeroboam", as the Septuagint and some other versions {b}, in which Iddo is called Joel; and by Theodoret said to be the same that prophesied of Jeroboam and his altar, \\see Gill on "1Ki 13:1"\\; the books mentioned are since lost.

{b} le peri Sept. de, Junius & Tremellias, Piscator. 19324-950110-2138-2Ch9.2