1 Kings 10:2

Hebrew Bible

1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, the palace he had built,

Psalm 72:15

Hebrew Bible

13 He will take pity on the poor and needy; the lives of the needy he will save. 14 From harm and violence he will defend them; he will value their lives. 15 May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba. May they continually pray for him. May they pronounce blessings on him all day long. 16 May there be an abundance of grain in the earth; on the tops of the mountains may it sway. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon. May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth. 17 May his fame endure. May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky. May they use his name when they formulate their blessings. May all nations consider him to be favored by God.

 Notes and References

"... An otherwise anonymous person who visited the courts of king Solomon (1 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 9). According to these accounts, the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame and came to test him with hard questions (1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chronicles 9:1). She came to Jerusalem with camels loaded with spices, gold, and precious stones (1 Kings 10:2a; 2 Chronicles 9:1). She quizzed Solomon, who was able to answer all of her questions (1 Kings 10:2b–3; 2 Chronicles 9:1–2).She was thoroughly impressed by the king's wisdom and the splendor of his court and temple (1 Kings 10:4–5; 2 Chronicles 9:3–4), expressed to Solomon her amazement at his wisdom, achievements, and wealth (1 Kings 10:6–8; 2 Chronicles 9:5–7),and praised Solomon's God for the king's happy state (1 Kings 10:9; 2 Chronicles 9:8). Thereupon she gave the king an enormous amount of gold, spices, and precious stones (1 Kings 10:10; 2 Chronicles 9:9) ... The most plausible location for Sheba is in the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula. This area, known in the native sources as Saba, already had an advanced culture by the early 1st millennium B.C. (and perhaps earlier), with urban complexes equal in size to other parts of the Near East, a sophisticated irrigation system to support agriculture, and important trade links north and west toward the Mediterranean basin and Mesopotamia and East to India. The merchants of Sheba were renowned in Israel and elsewhere in the Ancient Near East as traders in gold (Psalm 72:15; Isaiah 60:6; Ezekiel 27:22; compare Ezekiel 38:13), gems (Ezekiel 27:22), and incense (Isaiah 60:6; Jeremiah 6:20) and myrrh - products grown in various locations near the South Arabian littoral ..."

Freedman, David Noel The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (p. 8082) Yale University Press, 2008

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