וּמַלְכַּת־שְׁבָא שָׁמְעָה אֶת־שֵׁמַע שְׁלֹמֹה וַתָּבוֹא לְנַסּוֹת אֶת־שְׁלֹמֹה בְחִידוֹת בִּירוּשָׁלִַם בְּחַיִל כָּבֵד מְאֹד וּגְמַלִּים נֹשְׂאִים בְּשָׂמִים וְזָהָב לָרֹב וְאֶבֶן יְקָרָה וַתָּבוֹא אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה וַתְּדַבֵּר עִמּוֹ אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר הָיָה עִם־לְבָבָהּ

The queen of Sheba, a state located in southern Arabia, in the region of Yemen, or in eastern Africa, perhaps modern-day Ethiopia, heard of the renown of Solomon, that he was a great king, wiser than the rest. Perhaps she even encountered his ships making their way southward. It is possible that Sheba was always ruled by women or the queen was the heir and successor of a king with no sons. And she came from afar, not for political reasons, but to test Solomon with riddles in Jerusalem, to ask him clever questions, with a very great retinue, and camels bearing spices and gold in abundance, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and she spoke with him everything that was in her heart.

וַיַּגֶּד־לָהּ שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת־כָּל־דְּבָרֶיהָ וְלֹא־נֶעְלַם דָּבָר מִשְּׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר לֹא הִגִּיד לָהּ

Solomon responded to all her concerns, answering all her queries; there was no matter obscured from Solomon that he could not tell her.

וַתֵּרֶא מַלְכַּת־שְׁבָא אֵת חָכְמַת שְׁלֹמֹה וְהַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה

The queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, and the House that he had built,

ומַאֲכַל שֻׁלְחָנוֹ וּמוֹשַׁב עֲבָדָיו וּמַעֲמַד מְשָׁרְתָיו וּמַלְבּוּשֵׁיהֶם וּמַשְׁקָיו וּמַלְבּוּשֵׁיהֶם וַעֲלִיָּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה בֵּית ה' וְלֹא־הָיָה עוֹד בָּהּ רוּחַ

and the food of his table, and the seating of his servants, his officials, and the standing of his ministers, their work hierarchy, and their garments, his cupbearers, who poured his drinks, and their garments, and his ascent, his grand staircase, that he, the king, would ascend to the House of the Lord. She saw the structure and management of Jerusalem under his reign, all of which was new to her. And it took her breath away. She was astonished by what she saw.

וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֱמֶת הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתִּי בְּאַרְצִי עַל־דְּבָרֶיךָ וְעַל־חָכְמָתֶךָ

She said to the king: The account that I had heard in my land about your words and your wisdom is true.

וְלֹא־הֶאֱמַנְתִּי לְדִבְרֵיהֶם עַד אֲשֶׁר־בָּאתִי וַתִּרְאֶינָה עֵינַי וְהִנֵּה לֹא הֻגַּד־לִי חֲצִי מַרְבִּית חָכְמָתֶךָ יָסַפְתָּ עַל־הַשְּׁמוּעָה אֲשֶׁר שָׁמָעְתִּי

I did not believe their accounts until I came here, and my eyes saw the reality; behold, it is clear that half the greatness of your wisdom was not told to me. The stories which I thought were exaggerations do not cover even half of what I have found; you exceed the report that I heard.

אַשְׁרֵי אֲנָשֶׁיךָ וְאַשְׁרֵי עֲבָדֶיךָ אֵלֶּה הָעֹמְדִים לְפָנֶיךָ תָּמִיד וְשֹׁמְעִים אֶת־חָכְמָתֶךָ

Your wisdom is so glorious: Happy are your men, and happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. She praises King Solomon for his greatness, in his presence.

יְהִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּרוּךְ אֲשֶׁר חָפֵץ בְּךָ לְתִתְּךָ עַל־כִּסְאוֹ לְמֶלֶךְ לַה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בּאַהֲבַת אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַעֲמִידוֹ לְעוֹלָם וַיִּתֶּנְךָ עֲלֵיהֶם לְמֶלֶךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה

May the Lord your God be blessed, who favored you to place you on His throne, to be king for the Lord your God; in your God’s love of Israel, He wished to establish them, the people of Israel, forever. He appointed you king over them to execute justice and righteousness.

וַתִּתֵּן לַמֶּלֶךְ מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים כִּכַּר זָהָב וּבְשָׂמִים לָרֹב מְאֹד וְאֶבֶן יְקָרָה וְלֹא הָיָה כַּבֹּשֶׂם הַהוּא אֲשֶׁר נָתְנָה מַלְכַּת־שְׁבָא לַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה

She gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, which was a very large gift, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there was nothing like the spice that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. Some of the expensive spices that were used in the Temple did not grow in Israel or its immediate environs. Rather, they were imported from India, and perhaps even from farther away. For thousands of years, the spice trade was one of the great international commercial enterprises. On this occasion, the most select spice was brought via the most direct route, and it was considered exceptional in its quantity and quality.

וְגַם עַבְדֵי חוּרָם וְעַבְדֵי שְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר־הֵבִיאוּ זָהָב מֵאוֹפִיר הֵבִיאוּ עֲצֵי אַלְגּוּמִּים וְאֶבֶן יְקָרָה

Apropos the treasures that the queen of Sheba brought to Solomon, the chronicler lists other riches that arrived from the south, via the sea: Also the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, who had brought gold from Ofir, brought sandalwood and precious stones.

וַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־עֲצֵי הָאַלְגּוּמִּים מְסִלּוֹת לְבֵית־ה' וּלְבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכִנֹּרוֹת וּנְבָלִים לַשָּׁרִים וְלֹא־נִרְאוּ כָהֵם לְפָנִים בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה

The king made the sandalwood into paths, stairs, or bannisters for the ascents, to the House of the Lord, and to the house of the king, and harps and lyres for the musicians; there were none like them seen previously in the land of Judah, as they were brought from the distant south.

וְהַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה נָתַן לְמַלְכַּת־שְׁבָא אֶת־כָּל־חֶפְצָהּ אֲשֶׁר שָׁאָלָה מִלְּבַד אֲשֶׁר־הֵבִיאָה אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתַּהֲפֹךְ וַתֵּלֶךְ לְאַרְצָהּ הִיא וַעֲבָדֶיהָ

King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her wishes that she requested, beyond that which he gave her to correspond to those gifts which she had brought to the king. Officially they exchanged gifts, but perhaps there was also a commercial aspect to their meeting. She then turned around and went to her land, she and her servants. The story of the queen of Sheba is mentioned here because she came from afar to hear Solomon’s wisdom, an unusual purpose for a journey that long. She honored Solomon in a manner unlike that of other nations. She did so of her own initiative, motivated by her admiration for him.

וַיְהִי מִשְׁקַל הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר־בָּא לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְּשָׁנָה אֶחָת שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת וְשִׁשִּׁים וָשֵׁשׁ כִּכְּרֵי זָהָב

The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year, or in one of those years, perhaps the same year during which the queen of Sheba arrived with such a large amount of additional gold, was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

לְבַד מֵאַנְשֵׁי הַתָּרִים וְהַסֹּחֲרִים מְבִיאִים וְכָל־מַלְכֵי עֲרַב וּפַחוֹת הָאָרֶץ מְבִיאִים זָהָב וָכֶסֶף לִשְׁלֹמֹה

and all this was besides that which was brought by the itinerant traders, who traveled to various places to examine merchandise and engage in trade, and the merchants would bring goods to the Land of Israel; all the Arabian kings and the regional governors of the land would bring gold and silver to Solomon.

וַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מָאתַיִם צִנָּה זָהָב שָׁחוּט שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת זָהָב שָׁחוּט יַעֲלֶה עַל־הַצִּנָּה הָאֶחָת

King Solomon crafted two hundred shields, large shields that surrounded the warrior from three sides, which had a coating of beaten gold, perhaps highly malleable gold that was so soft that it could be stretched out like thread; six hundred coins or units of beaten gold would go into each shield,

וּשְׁלֹשׁ־מֵאוֹת מָגִנִּים זָהָב שָׁחוּט שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת זָהָב יַעֲלֶה עַל־הַמָּגֵן הָאֶחָת וַיִּתְּנֵם הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּבֵית יַעַר הַלְּבָנוֹן

and three hundred bucklers, small round shields carried by a handle or worn on the forearm, fashioned of beaten gold; three hundred gold would go into each buckler. The various types of shields must have been coated with a large amount of gold, so that they too would be effective in battle. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon, the king’s palace.

וַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּסֵּא־שֵׁן גָּדוֹל וַיְצַפֵּהוּ זָהָב טָהוֹר

The king crafted a great throne of ivory, and he plated it with pure gold.

וְשֵׁשׁ מַעֲלוֹת לַכִּסֵּא וְכֶבֶשׁ בַּזָּהָב לַכִּסֵּא מָאֳחָזִים וְיָדוֹת מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה עַל־מְקוֹם הַשָּׁבֶת וּשְׁנַיִם אֲרָיוֹת עֹמְדִים אֵצֶל הַיָּדוֹת

There were six stairs to the throne, and a ramp of gold, upon which one would ascend to the throne, fastened tight to the throne, armrests on this side and on that side on the place of the seat, and two lions standing near the armrests for ornamentation,

וּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֲרָיוֹת עֹמְדִים שָׁם עַל־שֵׁשׁ הַמַּעֲלוֹת מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה לֹא־נַעֲשָׂה כֵן לְכָל־מַמְלָכָה

and twelve lions standing there on the six stairs on this side and on that side, on both sides; nothing like it, so glorious, was crafted for any other kingdom in the world.

וְכֹל כְּלֵי מַשְׁקֵה הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה זָהָב וְכֹל כְּלֵי בֵּית־יַעַר הַלְּבָנוֹן זָהָב סָגוּר אֵין כֶּסֶף נֶחְשָׁב בִּימֵי שְׁלֹמֹה לִמְאוּמָה

All the drinking vessels of King Solomon were made of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold; relative to the massive amounts of gold, silver was not considered anything particularly valuable in the days of Solomon.

כִּי־אֳנִיּוֹת לַמֶּלֶךְ הֹלְכוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ עִם עַבְדֵי חוּרָם אַחַת לְשָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנִים תָּבוֹאנָה אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ נֹשְׂאוֹת זָהָב וָכֶסֶף שֶׁנְהַבִּים וְקוֹפִים וְתוּכִּיִּים

For the king had ships that went to Tarshish, which is probably not the city of this name in the area of Spain, as these ships sailed southward, perhaps in the direction of India. These ships sailed with the servants of Huram. Due to the great distance, once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come. When the ships returned, they would be bearing gold, silver, ivory, monkeys,and peacocks.

וַיִּגְדַּל הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מִכֹּל מַלְכֵי הָאָרֶץ לְעֹשֶׁר וְחָכְמָה

King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom.

וְכֹל מַלְכֵי הָאָרֶץ מְבַקְשִׁים אֶת־פְּנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה לִשְׁמוֹעַ אֶת־חָכְמָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן הָאֱלֹהִים בְּלִבּוֹ

All the kings of the earth would seek the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom that God had placed in his heart.

וְהֵם מְבִיאִים אִישׁ מִנְחָתוֹ כְּלֵי כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב וּשְׂלָמוֹת נֶשֶׁק וּבְשָׂמִים סוּסִים וּפְרָדִים דְּבַר־שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה

Each would come to visit him, and bring his tribute: silver vessels, gold vessels, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, each year’s due in its year. In this way, Solomon was able to collect a vast assortment of great treasures.

וַיְהִי לִשְׁלֹמֹה אַרְבַּעַת אֲלָפִים אֻרְיוֹת סוּסִים וּמַרְכָּבוֹת וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אֶלֶף פָּרָשִׁים ויַּנִּיחֵם בְּעָרֵי הָרֶכֶב ועִם־הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. It appears that in order to prevent looting, or for organizational reasons, he placed some of the horses and chariots in chariot cities, while others were kept with him, in Jerusalem.

וַיְהִי מוֹשֵׁל בְּכָל־הַמְּלָכִים מִן־הַנָּהָר וְעַד־אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְעַד גְּבוּל מִצְרָיִם

He, Solomon, was ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. The kingdom of Solomon incorporated almost all of Syria and the entire southern region of the Land of Israel, all the way to Egypt.

וַיִּתֵּן הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף בִּירוּשָׁלִַם כָּאֲבָנִים וְאֵת הָאֲרָזִים נָתַן כַּשִּׁקְמִים אֲשֶׁר־בַּשְּׁפֵלָה לָרֹב

The king caused the silver in Jerusalem to be like stones; due to the preponderance of available silver it was not considered a precious commodity, and cedars that were brought in large amounts from the mountains of Lebanon, he caused to be as abundant as the sycamores that are in the foothills. The cedar trees were no longer considered rare but were treated like sycamores, which grew plentifully in the coastal plain.

וּמוֹצִיאִים סוּסִים מִמִּצְרַיִם לִשְׁלֹמֹה וּמִכָּל־הָאֲרָצוֹת

They would bring out horses for Solomon from Egypt, and from all the lands. Solomon traded in horses that were bred in Egypt. His servants sold them to nations that sought trained horses for their chariots (see 1:16–17).

וּשְׁאָר דִּבְרֵי שְׁלֹמֹה הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִים הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־דִּבְרֵי נָתָן הַנָּבִיא וְעַל־נְבוּאַת אֲחִיָּה הַשִּׁילוֹנִי וּבַחֲזוֹת יֶעְדּוֹ הַחֹזֶה עַל־יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט

The rest of the early and late matters of Solomon, at the beginning and end of his reign, aren’t they written in the words of Natan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahiya the Shilonite, and in the visions of Yedo the seer regarding Yorovam the son of Nevat?

וַיִּמְלֹךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בִירוּשָׁלִַם עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה

Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, over all Israel, for forty years, during which time the small kingdom, based on agriculture and a people’s army, became a state with diverse foreign relations, a trained military force, and broad maritime trade. This transformation created the foundations for projects in various areas of endeavor in subsequent generations.

וַיִּשְׁכַּב שְׁלֹמֹה עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד אָבִיו וַיִּמְלֹךְ רְחַבְעָם בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Solomon lay with his fathers and, appropriately, they buried him in the city of David his father; and Rehavam his son reigned in his stead.