1 Kings 10

1 Now when the queen [ruler, monarch] of Sheba [a region in southern Arabia] heard about the fame [report, reputation] of Solomon [a king of Israel] concerning the name [identity, character] of the LORD [Yehovah, God’s personal name], she came [approached, visited] to test [prove, try] him with difficult [hard, perplexing] questions [riddles, enigmas]. word study 2 She arrived in Jerusalem [the city of peace, with a very great train] with a very large caravan [entourage, company]—with camels [weighted down] bearing spices [sweet odors, fragrances], gold [a valuable metal] in great abundance [exceedingly, very much], and precious [costly, highly valued] stones [jewels, gems]. So she came to Solomon [the king of Israel] and spoke [communed, talked] to him all that was [everything, whatsoever] on her mind [heart, innermost being]. word study 3 And Solomon [the king of peace] answered [told, declared openly] all her questions [matters, things she asked]; nothing [no thing, not anything] was too difficult [hidden, concealed] for the king [the ruler, monarch] to explain [to tell, to make clear]. word study 4 When the queen [ruler, monarch] of Sheba [a region in southern Arabia] saw [perceived, understood] all [everything, the entirety] the wisdom [skill, prudence, or good judgment] of Solomon [a king of Israel], the palace [house, dwelling place] he had built [constructed, established], word study 5 the food [provisions, daily bread] at his table [place of feasting, sacred banquet], the seating [orderly arrangement, dignified placement] of his servants [attendants, ministering angels], the service [ministry, worship] and attire [garments, robes] of his attendants [ministers, officials] and cupbearers [butlers, wine servers], and the burnt offerings [sacrifices, atonements] he presented [offered, sacrificed] at the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God], it took her breath away [she was utterly amazed, her spirit was overwhelmed]. word study 6 She said to the king [the ruler, monarch], “The report [account, word] I heard [listened to, learned] in my own country [land, territory] about your words [sayings, matters] and wisdom [prudence, insight] is true [faithful, trustworthy]. word study 7 But I did not [fully trust, had no faith in] believe these things [reports, accounts] until I came [arrived, entered] and saw [perceived, observed] with my own eyes [personal experience, firsthand]. Indeed, not even [less than, under] half [a portion, a part] was told [reported, declared] to me. Your wisdom [insight, discernment, having a deep understanding] and prosperity [success, flourishing, well-being] have far exceeded [surpassed, gone beyond] the report [news, tidings, what I heard] I heard [received, was informed]. word study 8 How blessed [truly happy, fortunate] are your men [husbands, individuals]! How blessed [happy, fortunate] are these [specific, special] servants [slaves, attendants] of yours who stand [remain, abide] continually [constantly, always] before you [in your presence, face to face] and hear [listen to, obey] your wisdom [insight, discernment]! word study 9 Blessed be the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the supreme Creator], who has delighted [taken great pleasure] in you to set [appoint, establish] you on the throne [seat of authority] of Israel. Because of the LORD’s [Yehovah’s] eternal [forever, everlasting] love [affection, devotion] for Israel, He has made [appointed, established] you king [ruler, monarch] to carry out [perform, execute] justice [righteous judgment, fairness] and righteousness [virtue, moral integrity].” word study 10 Then she gave the king 120 [a hundred and twenty] talents of gold [a valuable metal], a great [very large, exceeding] quantity of spices [fragrant aromas, precious oils], and precious [valuable, highly esteemed] stones. Never again was such an abundance [great amount, plentiful supply] of spices brought in as those the queen [female ruler, monarch] of Sheba [a region in southern Arabia] gave to King Solomon [a wise and powerful ruler]. word study 11 (The fleet [navy, collection of ships] of Hiram [a king of Tyre] that brought [lifted, carried] gold [a valuable metal] from Ophir [a region in southern Arabia, known for its gold] also brought from Ophir [a great and distant land] a great [abundant, plentiful] cargo [load, quantity] of almug [a type of sandalwood, highly valued] wood [trees, timber] and precious [valuable, highly esteemed] stones [gems, jewels]. word study 12 The king [ruler, monarch] made the almug wood [sandalwood, a valuable and fragrant tree] into steps [pillars, supports] for the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] and for the king’s palace [royal residence, kingdom], and into lyres [a musical instrument] and harps [nabal, a stringed instrument] for the singers [musicians, worship leaders]. Never before [at any previous time] had such almug wood [of this quality, in such quantity] been brought in [imported, introduced], nor has such [of this kind, to this extent] been seen [visible, observed] to this day [the present time, until now].) word study 13 King Solomon [the wise and prosperous ruler] gave the queen of Sheba [the royal visitor from a distant land] all she desired [everything she asked for, her heart’s pleasure]—whatever she asked [requested, inquired about]—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty [generous gift, kingly liberality]. Then she left [turned away, departed] and returned to her own country [land, territory], along with her servants [attendants, those who served her]. word study 14 The weight [amount, quantity] of gold [a valuable metal] that came [was brought, arrived] to Solomon [the king of Israel] each year [annually, every twelve months] was [six hundred threescore and six, a large amount] 666 talents [a unit of weight or currency, measuring value], word study 15 not including [apart from, in addition to] the revenue [taxes, tributes, income] from the merchants [traffickers], traders [those who travel for business], and all [every, the whole] the Arabian [of Arabia, from the east] kings [royal persons, rulers] and governors [leaders, officials] of the land [country, territory, region]. word study 16 King Solomon [the king of peace, successor of David] made two hundred large shields [targets, bucklers, body-covers] of hammered [beaten] gold; six hundred shekels of gold [a valuable metal, often used to describe something yellow or brilliant] went into each shield [a protective device used in battle, like a buckler]. word study 17 He also made three hundred [smaller body-covers, targets] small shields of [beaten] hammered gold; three minas [pounds, a fixed weight or measured amount] of gold went into each shield [a buckler, a defence]. And the king [the ruler, a royal person] put them in the House [a dwelling place, a temple] of the Forest [a copse of bushes, a honeycomb] of Lebanon [a mountain range in Israel, named for its white snow or limestone peaks]. word study 18 Additionally, the king [the ruler, monarch] made [constructed, created] a great [large, magnificent] throne [seat of power, authority] of ivory [from elephant tusks, a valuable material] and overlaid [covered, plated] it with pure [refined, unmixed] gold [a valuable, precious metal]. word study 19 The throne [a seat or stool] had six steps, and its back [the rear of the throne] had a rounded [circular] top. There were armrests [supports for the arms, like hands] on both sides of the seat [the place of sitting], with a lion standing [firmly positioned] beside [near] each armrest [hand]. word study 20 Twelve [a dozen, twelve in number] lions stood on the six [the number of man, or the number of imperfection] steps, one at either end of each step [on the one side and on the other, as in a balanced arrangement]. Nothing [no thing, not anything] like this [such a thing, of this kind] had ever been made [created, fashioned, or constructed] for any kingdom [domain, realm, or territory]. word study 21 All King Solomon’s [the wise and wealthy ruler] drinking cups [vessels for royal banquets] were gold [pure and valuable], and all the utensils [articles and tools] of the House of the Forest of Lebanon [a grand and luxurious palace] were pure gold [refined and precious]. There was no silver [considered worthless], because it was accounted as nothing [of no value or importance] in the days of Solomon [during his prosperous reign]. word study 22 For the king [ruler, monarch] had the ships [fleet, navy] of Tarshish [a merchant vessel, a place on the Mediterranean] at sea [the Mediterranean, the west] with Hiram’s [king of Tyre, ally of Solomon] fleet [navy, collection of ships], and once every three [a period of time, thrice] years the ships [fleet, vessels] of Tarshish [Tarshish-ships, merchant vessels] would arrive [come, go] bearing [lifting, carrying] gold [a valuable metal, wealth], silver [money, treasure], ivory [a valuable material, from elephant tusks], apes [monkeys, primates], and peacocks [exotic birds, colorful creatures]. word study 23 So King [ruler, monarch] Solomon [a king of Israel] surpassed [exceeded, was greater than] all [every, the entirety of] the kings [royal persons, rulers] of the earth [land, territory] in riches [wealth, abundance] and wisdom [skill, prudence, good judgment]. word study 24 The whole [entire, all-inclusive] world sought [came to see, desired to meet] an audience with Solomon [the king of Israel] to hear [listen to, give attention to] the wisdom [skill, prudence, or good judgment] that God [Elohim, the supreme God] had put [given, placed] in his heart [mind, inner being]. word study 25 Year after year, each visitor [every man, individually] would bring his tribute [offering, gift]: articles [utensils, vessels] of silver [money, wealth] and gold [a valuable metal], clothing [garments, raiment], weapons [armor, military equipment], spices [and spices, or myrrh], horses [chariot horses, swallows], and mules [the offspring of a horse and a donkey]. word study 26 Solomon accumulated [gathered together, collected] 1,400 chariots [vehicles, teams of horses, or cavalry] and 12,000 horses [horsemen, cavalry soldiers], which he stationed [bestowed, placed] in the chariot cities [cities for chariots, fenced cities] and also with him [together, in attendance] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital city]. word study 27 The king [ruler, monarch] made silver [precious metal, wealth] as common [abundant, plentiful] in Jerusalem [city of peace, capital] as stones [rocks, pebbles], and cedar [strong, durable wood] as abundant [plentiful, in great quantity] as sycamore [fig tree, common in lowlands] in the foothills [lowlands, Shephelah]. word study 28 Solomon’s [king of Israel, successor of David] horses [swallow, chariot horses] were imported [brought out, received] from Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] and Kue [a source or collection]; the royal [king’s, related to a king] merchants [traders, travelers] purchased [took, received] them from Kue [at a set price, for a payment]. word study 29 A chariot [war-carriage, vehicle for transportation or warfare] could be imported from Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] for six hundred [six times one hundred] shekels of silver [money, payment, or wealth], and a horse [swallow, chariot horse] for a hundred and fifty [one hundred and fifty units of exchange]. Likewise [thus, in this manner], they exported them to all [every, the entirety of] the kings [royal persons, rulers] of the Hittites [descendants of Heth] and to the kings of Aram [the region of Syria, the Arameans]. word study