Commentary - 1 Kings 10:1-13

Bird's-eye view

This chapter presents the absolute apex of Solomon's golden reign. The wisdom, wealth, and glory of his kingdom, bestowed by God as a direct result of his earlier request for wisdom, are now put on international display. The arrival of the Queen of Sheba is not merely a curious visit from a foreign dignitary; it is a pilgrimage. She comes from the "uttermost parts of the earth" to hear the wisdom of Solomon, bringing with her the fabulous wealth of her own kingdom as tribute. This event is a historical high-water mark for the nation of Israel, a fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham that his seed would be a blessing to the nations. The Queen's astonished reaction, her confession that the reality far exceeded the report, and her blessing of Yahweh all serve to glorify the God of Israel. This narrative is a tangible picture of what a kingdom looks like when it is ordered by divine wisdom. Yet, it is also a profound type, a shadow pointing forward to a greater reality. Jesus Himself identifies the Queen of Sheba's journey as a benchmark of genuine spiritual hunger, contrasting it with the unbelief of His own generation. She came from afar to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but, as Jesus declared, "behold, something greater than Solomon is here."

The passage meticulously details the overwhelming effect of Solomon's kingdom on this pagan queen. It was not just his personal sagacity, but the whole system he had built: the architecture, the administration, the quality of the food, the order of his servants, and the reverence of his worship. It all worked together as an apologetic for the God who had established it. Her visit culminates in a lavish exchange of gifts, symbolizing a willing submission and joyful fellowship. This is a picture of the nations bringing their glory into the kingdom of God, a theme that echoes from the prophets all the way to the book of Revelation. It is a foretaste of the day when the kings of the earth will bring their honor and glory into the New Jerusalem.

Outline

Context In 1 Kings

First Kings 10 sits at the pinnacle of the book's narrative arc concerning Solomon. The preceding chapters have detailed the consolidation of his kingdom, his prayer for wisdom at Gibeon (ch. 3), his wise judgment (ch. 3), the organization of his administration (ch. 4), and the monumental achievement of building and dedicating the temple (chs. 5-8). Chapter 9 records God's second appearance to Solomon, reaffirming the covenant promises but also issuing a stark warning about the consequences of disobedience. Chapter 10, therefore, is the demonstration of the blessings of covenantal obedience. It is the fruit of the wisdom God gave him. The sheer splendor and international acclaim described here are the tangible results of a king and a kingdom rightly oriented to Yahweh. However, this glorious chapter is immediately followed by chapter 11, which details Solomon's tragic fall into idolatry through his many foreign wives, leading to the division of the kingdom. Thus, chapter 10 is not just a peak; it is a precipice. It shows the extraordinary potential of a godly kingdom while simultaneously setting the stage for the catastrophic failure that comes when wisdom is divorced from steadfast obedience.

Key Issues

A Greater Than Solomon

It is impossible to read this account rightly without hearing the words of the Lord Jesus in the background. When the scribes and Pharisees demanded a sign from Him, He rebuked their unbelieving generation and held up this pagan queen as an example against them. "The queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12:42). The entire glorious episode recorded here in 1 Kings is, in the grand scheme of redemptive history, a mere appetizer. Solomon, in all his glory, was a signpost pointing to the true King.

The Queen of Sheba's journey was arduous. She did not just happen to be in the neighborhood. She heard a report, and it created in her a holy curiosity, a deep spiritual longing that propelled her across a vast distance. She came seeking wisdom, and she found it embodied not just in a man, but in an entire culture, a kingdom. Everything from the palace architecture to the servants' uniforms testified to the source of this wisdom. This is what the gospel does. The report of Christ goes out into all the world, and it creates in the elect a hunger to come and see for themselves. And when they come, they find a reality that far outstrips the report. They find in Christ a wisdom that orders all of life, and they find a kingdom whose glory leaves them breathless. The Queen of Sheba's response is the proper response of every sinner who encounters the majesty of Jesus Christ: astonishment, confession, blessing, and a joyful exchange of gifts, where we give Him our rags and He gives us His riches.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now the queen of Sheba heard the report about Solomon concerning the name of Yahweh. So she came to test him with riddles.

The story begins with the power of a report, a testimony. The fame of Solomon had spread far and wide, but the text is careful to specify the nature of this fame. It was a report "concerning the name of Yahweh." Solomon's wisdom was not some secular, free-floating humanism. It was explicitly and inextricably tied to his God. The whole world knew that Solomon's glory was a function of his relationship with Yahweh. This is what piqued the queen's interest. Sheba, likely located in modern-day Yemen, was a long way off. She was not coming for a simple trade deal. She came to test him. The "riddles" or hard questions were not parlor games; they were deep, probing inquiries into the nature of reality, justice, and governance. She wanted to know if the wisdom that had produced such a glorious kingdom was the real deal.

2 She came to Jerusalem with a very glorious retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke to him about all that was in her heart.

She did not come empty-handed. Her caravan was a spectacle in itself, a display of the wealth of her own kingdom. The spices, gold, and precious stones were not just a courtesy; they were a tribute, an acknowledgment of Solomon's superior standing. This is a picture of the nations bringing their glory to the people of God (Isa. 60:6). Significantly, she came and laid everything bare before him. She "spoke to him about all that was in her heart." This was not a formal, diplomatic exchange of pleasantries. This was a seeker, a hungry soul, pouring out her deepest questions and concerns to the one she believed had answers. True wisdom doesn't just solve intellectual puzzles; it addresses the burdens of the human heart.

3 And Solomon declared to her the answer to all her matters; there was not a matter which was hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.

Solomon's wisdom was comprehensive and complete. Nothing she asked was beyond his grasp. The text emphasizes this with a double statement: he answered all her questions, and there was nothing hidden from him that he didn't explain. This is a supernatural gift. This is the wisdom that comes down from above (James 3:17). It is a type of the perfect wisdom of Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). No question is too hard for Him, no problem of the heart too complex. He has the answer for "all her matters."

4-5 Then the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the disposition of his attendants and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of Yahweh, so that there was no more spirit in her.

Her conviction did not come from his words alone, but from the world his words had created. She saw the wisdom. It was tangible, visible, embodied. The list is telling. It moves from the grand (the palace) to the mundane (the food on the table). It includes the administrative order ("the seating of his servants") and the cultural details ("their attire"). Wisdom here is not an abstract concept; it is a principle of order that beautifies and elevates every aspect of life. The climax of her observation is Solomon's "stairway by which he went up to the house of Yahweh." His kingdom was vertically aligned. The pinnacle of all this cultural and administrative glory was the path leading to worship. This is what utterly undid her. The sight of it all, culminating in the reverence for God, took her breath away. There was "no more spirit in her." She was completely overwhelmed, her categories were shattered.

6-7 Then she said to the king, “The word is true which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. Nevertheless I did not believe those words, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not declared to me. You exceed, in wisdom and prosperity, the report which I heard.

Here is her great confession. The report she heard, which was already incredible, turned out to be true. She admits her initial skepticism; it sounded too good to be true. But seeing is believing. The empirical evidence was undeniable. And not only was the report true, it was a gross understatement. "Behold, the half was not declared to me." This is always the reaction of the soul that truly encounters Christ and His kingdom. We may hear the gospel preached, we may read the words, but when the Spirit opens our eyes to see the glory of Christ, we are always left saying that the half had not been told us. The reality of His grace, wisdom, and glory always exceeds our wildest expectations.

8 How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom.

Her astonishment leads her to consider the state of those who live in this kingdom. She pronounces a blessing on Solomon's men and servants. To be a part of this kingdom, to stand in the presence of this king, to continually hear this wisdom, this is the definition of a blessed life. She recognizes that the highest privilege is not to be a king in some other land, but to be a servant in this one. This is a perfect echo of the psalmist's heart: "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Ps. 84:10).

9 Blessed be Yahweh your God who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel; because Yahweh loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”

Crucially, her blessing does not terminate on Solomon. It goes straight to the source. "Blessed be Yahweh your God." This pagan queen is brought to praise the God of Israel. She rightly perceives that Solomon's position is a result of God's delight and God's love for His people. God's love for Israel is an everlasting love, and the establishment of this throne is the expression of that love. She also understands the purpose of this divinely appointed kingship: "to do justice and righteousness." A kingdom built on God's wisdom is a kingdom characterized by justice and righteousness. This is a pagan's concise and accurate summary of covenant theology.

10 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. Never again did such abundance of spices come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

Her words are followed by action. She gives lavishly from her treasures. The 120 talents of gold is an immense sum. The spices are of an unparalleled quantity and quality. This is not a tax; it is a joyful, willing tribute. Her heart has been captured, and her treasure follows. This is what happens in conversion. When we see the surpassing worth of Christ, we gladly lay all our treasures at His feet, recognizing that our best is but a pittance compared to what He gives us.

11-12 Also, the ships of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very great number of almug trees and precious stones. And the king made of the almug trees supports for the house of Yahweh and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come in again nor have they been seen to this day.

This parenthetical note about Hiram's ships serves to amplify the theme of international riches flowing into Jerusalem. The wealth of the nations is being consecrated to the service of God's kingdom. The rare almug wood is used for two things: to build up the structures of worship (the temple) and civil order (the king's house), and to create instruments for praise ("lyres and harps for the singers"). This is a beautiful picture of how the wealth of the world is to be rightly used. It is to be used to strengthen the institutions of God's kingdom and to furnish the praise of God's people. All of life, from architecture to music, is to be brought into the service of worship.

13 Thus King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she asked, besides what he gave her according to his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.

The exchange is not one-sided. Solomon gives her "all her desire which she asked." He answered her questions and likely gave her gifts that she specifically requested to establish a similar wisdom in her own land. But he did not stop there. He also gave to her "according to his royal bounty." He gave above and beyond what she asked. This is how our God deals with us. We come to Him with our needs and desires, and He meets them. But then, out of the sheer generosity of His royal heart, He lavishes upon us grace upon grace, blessings we never thought to ask for. The queen leaves satisfied, enriched, and returns to her own land, a missionary of the wisdom she has found.

Application

The story of the Queen of Sheba is a profound challenge to the modern church. First, it challenges our conception of wisdom. We are tempted to see wisdom as an internal, private, spiritual quality, disconnected from the material world. But the wisdom of Solomon built a culture that took a pagan queen's breath away. Our faith should produce a way of life, in our homes, our churches, our businesses, our art, that is so ordered, so just, so beautiful, and so excellent that it makes the outside world curious. Our wisdom must be seen. It must build things. It must be able to answer the hard questions of the heart and also know how to set a table and organize a staff.

Second, it challenges our spiritual hunger. Jesus said this queen would condemn His generation because she undertook a difficult journey to hear Solomon, while they were indifferent to the one who is Wisdom incarnate. Are we like her, willing to go to great lengths to seek the wisdom of Christ? Or are we like the Pharisees, jaded and unimpressed by the presence of God in our midst? We have Christ, a greater than Solomon, available to us in His Word and Spirit. Do we approach Him with the same earnestness, with "all that is in our heart?"

Finally, this story is a glorious promise. It is a foretaste of the great ingathering of the nations. What happened with the Queen of Sheba in miniature is what will happen on a global scale as the gospel advances. The kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into the city of God (Rev. 21:24). The wealth of the nations, their cultural treasures, their unique glories, will all be brought as tribute to the feet of King Jesus. Our task is to live and proclaim the wisdom of our King so compellingly that seekers from the ends of the earth are drawn to Him, and when they arrive, they too will confess that the half was never told them.