“And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.”
To know whether his wisdom were so great as the report was. Cross references: : 1 Kings 10:1 ; Matt. 12:42 ; Luke 11:3
“And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.”
There was no question so hard that he did not resolve.
“And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. cupbearers: or, butlers”
Or, galleries whereby he went up. Hebrew, there was no spirit in her .
“Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.”
Meaning, that the Israelites were God’s peculiar people, and that Kings are the lieutenants of God, which ought to grant unto him the superiority, and minister justice to all.
“And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.”
Read 2 Chron. 2:8 and 1 Kings 10:11 .
“And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. terraces: or, stairs: Heb. high ways”
Or pillars: meaning, the garnishing, and trimming of the stairs or pillars.
“And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.”
That is, which the King gave her for recompense of the treasure which she brought.
“And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.”
Which sum mounteth to 2400 crowns of the sun, Budeus De Asse.
“And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.”
Or, pounds called mina, whereof every one seemed to make an hundred shekels.
“And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: stays: Heb. hands”
That is, the steps and the footstool were fastened to the throne. Upon the pommels or knops.
“For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. ivory: or, elephants' teeth”
Which country of the best writers is thought to be Cilicia, read 1 Kings 10:22 .
“And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.”
That is, ten horses in every stable, which in all amounts to forty thousand , as 1 Kings 4:26 .
“And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance. made silver: Heb. gave silver”
The abundance of these temporal treasures in Solomon’s kingdom is a figure of the Spiritual treasures, which the elect shall enjoy in the heavens under the true Solomon, Christ.
“Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not 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? book: Heb. words”
Or, Iddo. That is, which prophesied against him.