Commentary - 2 Chronicles 9:1-12

Bird's-eye view

This passage records the apex of Solomon's glory, which serves in Scripture as a magnificent type of the kingdom of Christ. The central action is the visit of a powerful Gentile monarch, the Queen of Sheba, who is drawn from the ends of the earth not by military might, but by the sheer report of Solomon's God-given wisdom. She comes to test him, but is utterly overwhelmed by the reality. The wisdom of the king is not an abstract philosophy; it is embodied in the glorious order, prosperity, and beauty of his kingdom, all of which is centered on the worship of Yahweh. The queen's response is threefold: breathless wonder, blessing the God of Israel as the true source of this glory, and lavishing her kingdom's treasures upon Solomon. This is a living tableau of what the prophets foretold: the nations streaming to Zion, bringing their wealth, because the glory of the Lord has risen upon it. And as Jesus Himself would later point out, this whole glorious episode is just a faint shadow, because a greater than Solomon is now here.

The story is a profound illustration of the attractional power of a godly culture. When God's people walk in His wisdom, the results are so tangible, so beautiful, and so well-ordered that the pagan world cannot help but notice. They are drawn in, not primarily by argument, but by awe. The queen's confession in verse 8 is the theological heart of the passage. She, a Gentile, correctly articulates the covenantal purpose of the Davidic kingdom: God's love for His people, Israel, is demonstrated by giving them a king to execute justice and righteousness. This is the gospel in miniature, a foreshadowing of the day when all nations will bow before the true King and confess that God has highly exalted Him.

Outline

Context In 2 Chronicles

In the book of 2 Chronicles, this chapter represents the high-water mark of the Davidic monarchy. The book's narrative focuses on the kingdom of Judah, the temple, and the formal worship of God. After detailing the preparations of David, the Chronicler shows Solomon fulfilling his father's vision by building and dedicating the magnificent temple (Chapters 1-7). God responds by filling the temple with His glory and reaffirming His covenant (Chapter 7). Chapter 8 details the consolidation of Solomon's kingdom, his building projects, and his administration. Chapter 9 is therefore the climax of this whole section, displaying the kingdom in its fullest splendor. The visit of the Queen of Sheba is the ultimate validation of God's blessing on Solomon. It is the moment when the Gentile world, represented by a powerful and wealthy ruler, acknowledges the superior wisdom and glory of Israel's God as manifested in Israel's king. This peak of glory provides a stark and tragic contrast to what immediately follows: Solomon's decline into idolatry and the subsequent division and decay of the kingdom.

Key Issues

A Greater Than Solomon

When the Lord Jesus confronted the Pharisees, He told them that on the day of judgment, "The queen of the South will rise up with this generation and condemn it, for 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). Jesus Himself points us to this story and tells us how to read it. We are to read it typologically. Solomon, in all his glory, was a pointer, a signpost, a shadow of the reality that was to come in Christ. The wisdom of Solomon, which left the queen breathless, was a finite stream from the infinite ocean of wisdom that resides in the Son of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3).

This means that the story is more than just an interesting historical account. It is a prophetic picture of the gospel's advance. The Queen of Sheba is the firstfruits of the Gentiles, the forerunner of the Magi from the East, and a representative of all the nations who will one day stream to the new Jerusalem. The glory of Solomon's kingdom, which was so compelling that it drew her from a great distance, is a type of the glory of the Church, the kingdom of Christ. When the Church is walking in the wisdom of her King, she builds a culture so robust, so joyful, so just, and so beautiful that it becomes a compelling witness to the nations. This is not a witness of slick marketing, but the unavoidable gravitational pull of embodied truth.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now the queen of Sheba heard the report about Solomon. So she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles. She had a very glorious retinue, with camels carrying spices and a large amount of gold and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was in her heart.

The gospel begins with a report, a rumor of good news. The fame of Solomon, which was ultimately the fame of Yahweh's blessing upon him, had spread to the ends of the earth. This queen, a powerful monarch in her own right, does not dismiss the report. She is intrigued enough to undertake a long, arduous, and expensive journey to verify it. She comes to "test" him, not out of cynical skepticism, but with a deep intellectual and spiritual hunger. The "riddles" or "hard questions" were likely matters of statecraft, philosophy, and theology. She brings her best gifts, but more importantly, she brings her deepest questions, speaking to him about "all that was in her heart." She is seeking ultimate answers, and she has heard that the king in Jerusalem might just have them.

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

Solomon's wisdom was comprehensive and complete. He did not dodge her questions or give her platitudes. He answered everything. Nothing was "hidden" from him. This is a direct result of the gift God gave him at Gibeon (2 Chron 1:11-12). His wisdom was supernatural. This points us directly to Christ, who never turned away a sincere questioner and whose wisdom silenced all His adversaries. In Christ, there are no hidden matters, no unanswered riddles about God, man, sin, and salvation. He is the Logos, the divine reason, and in Him, all things hold together. The queen came to the fountainhead of earthly wisdom; we have come to the fountainhead of all wisdom, both earthly and heavenly.

3-4 Then the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the disposition of his attendants and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of Yahweh, so that there was no more spirit in her.

Here we see that true wisdom is never just a set of abstract propositions. It is incarnational. The queen not only heard Solomon's wisdom, she saw it. She saw it in the architecture of his palace, in the logistics of his royal court, in the quality of the food, in the hierarchical order and crisp attire of his staff, and supremely, in the magnificent procession by which he went to worship at the temple. Godly wisdom produces a well-ordered, prosperous, beautiful, and joyful culture. The cumulative effect of all this visible glory was overwhelming. It left her breathless, with "no more spirit in her." This is the proper response to true glory. It is an aesthetic experience that strikes one dumb with awe.

5-6 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 their words until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not declared to me. You exceed the report which I heard.

The reality was greater than the hype. The report she had heard, which was glorious enough to motivate her long journey, turned out to be a pale understatement. "The half was not told me." This is always the case when one encounters the living God and His kingdom. No sermon, no book, no testimony can ever fully capture the glory of what it is to see and experience the grace of God firsthand. The report is true, but the reality far exceeds it. She came a skeptic, or at least a cautious investigator, and was converted by the sheer weight of the evidence. She did not believe the words until her own eyes had seen.

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

Her first blessing is directed at the people of Solomon's kingdom. She recognizes that it is an immense privilege to live under such a king. To be a servant in this court, to stand continually in the presence of this wisdom, is a state of blessedness. This is a lesson for us. Do we recognize how blessed we are to be servants of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we understand the privilege of standing continually in His presence through His Word and Spirit, to hear His wisdom day in and day out? The queen saw it from the outside and was envious of their position.

8 Blessed be Yahweh your God who delighted in you, to set you on His throne as king for Yahweh your God; because your God loved Israel to cause them to stand forever, therefore He gave you as king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

This is the theological heart of the entire narrative. The pagan queen blesses the true God, Yahweh. She sees through the earthly glory to its ultimate source. She understands that Solomon is not a self-made man; he is a gift. And she articulates the covenant purpose with stunning clarity. First, God delighted in Solomon personally. Second, this delight was the reason God placed him on the throne, which she rightly identifies as Yahweh's throne, not just Solomon's. Third, the ultimate motivation for all of this was God's covenant love for His people, Israel. And fourth, the purpose of the king was to establish Israel forever by doing "justice and righteousness." A Gentile queen is here preaching the essence of the Davidic covenant. This is what a godly kingdom is for: to display God's love for His people through the just and righteous rule of His anointed king.

9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. There had never been spice like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

True worship is never just verbal; it is also material. Having blessed Yahweh with her lips, she now worships Him by lavishing her treasures upon His anointed king. The nations bring their glory and honor into the kingdom (cf. Isa. 60:5-6; Rev. 21:24). The amount of gold is staggering, and the spices are unique and unparalleled. She gives her very best. This is a picture of how we are to respond to the far greater glory of King Jesus. We are to bring our treasures, our time, our talents, our best and most precious things, and lay them at His feet in joyful tribute.

10-11 Also, the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones. And the king made of the algum trees steps for the house of Yahweh and for the king’s house, and lyres and harps for the singers; and none like that was seen before in the land of Judah.

This brief aside reinforces the central theme. The wealth flowing into Jerusalem from all over the world is not being hoarded for personal indulgence. It is being consecrated and put to use for the glory of God and the good of the kingdom. The rare wood is used to build up the house of God and the house of the king, and to craft instruments for the worship of God. Beauty, wealth, and art are all being channeled into their proper purpose: the praise of Yahweh and the establishment of His righteous rule.

12 Thus King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she asked, besides a return for what she had brought to the king. Then she turned around and went to her own land together with her servants.

The generosity of the king outstrips even the lavishness of the queen. She gave him immense treasure, but he is no man's debtor. He gives her "all her desire," answering all her questions and likely granting requests for trade or knowledge. But then, on top of that, he gives her a royal gift that exceeded in value what she had brought to him. She came to give, and she left having received far more. This is a beautiful picture of our relationship with King Jesus. We bring our paltry gifts to Him, and He, in His infinite grace, lavishes upon us "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3). You cannot out-give God.

Application

The Lord Jesus holds up the Queen of Sheba as a model for us. She heard a report, and she acted on it. She traveled a great distance at great cost to investigate the claims about Solomon's wisdom. We have not just heard a report; we have the full and final revelation of God in the person of His Son. A greater than Solomon is here. The question is, what are we doing about it?

Our response should mirror hers. First, we must be overwhelmed with awe. We must see the wisdom of Christ not just in the pages of Scripture, but embodied in the life of His people, the Church. The Church is to be that "house" that is so well-built, that "table" that is so well-supplied, that body of "servants" so well-ordered that it takes the world's breath away. When the world sees our love for one another, our justice, our joy, our beauty in worship, and our cultural fruitfulness, they should be compelled to say, "the half was not told me."

Second, our response must be to bless God. Like the queen, we must look at the glory of Christ and His kingdom and say, "Blessed be Yahweh your God who delighted in you." All the glory goes to Him. And third, our response must be one of lavish generosity. We must bring the gold, spices, and precious stones of our lives, our resources, our ambitions, our families, and our work, and lay it all at the feet of the King. And as we do, we will find, like the queen, that we receive back far more than we could ever give. For our King is not a petty tyrant, but a lavish and generous Lord, who gives to us all our desire, and then more besides.