1 Kings 10:10

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. ²She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan, with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind. ³And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain. ⁴When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, ⁵the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away. ⁶She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true. ⁷But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the report I heard. ⁸How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ⁹Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness." ¹⁰Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such an abundance of spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

she gave: 1 Kings 10:2, 1 Kings 9:14, Psalms 72:10, Psalms 72:15, Matthew 2:11

an hundred: According to Mr. Reynolds, equal to 843,905 10s. 4d. sterling.

spices: Genesis 43:11, Exodus 30:34

and precious: Proverbs 3:13-15, Proverbs 20:15, Revelation 21:11

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 10:25 - every man 2 Kings 20:13 - precious things 2 Chronicles 9:9 - she gave 2 Chronicles 9:24 - every man 2 Chronicles 32:23 - presents Psalms 68:29 - shall Ecclesiastes 2:8 - silver Song of Solomon 4:14 - the chief Isaiah 39:2 - precious things Jeremiah 6:20 - Sheba Revelation 18:13 - cinnamon

Cross-References

Genesis 11:2
And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

Genesis 11:9
That is why it is called Babel, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.

Genesis 14:1
In those days Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim

Isaiah 10:9
"Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

Isaiah 11:11
On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Isaiah 39:1
At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah's illness and recovery.

Jeremiah 50:21
"Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Put them to the sword and devote them to destruction," declares the LORD. "Do everything I have commanded you.

Daniel 1:2
And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, where he put them into the treasury of his god.

Amos 6:2
Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?

Micah 4:10
Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold,.... The same sum that Hiram sent him, :- this fulfilled the prophecy, so far as it respected Solomon, Psalms 72:15

and of spices very great store, and precious stones; see 1 Kings 10:2 there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon; that is, into Judea. Josephus reports t, that some say that the balsamic plant, which Judea was afterwards so famous for, was brought by this queen, and a gift of hers to Solomon; and Diodorus Siculus u speaks of it as in Arabia, and not to be found in any other part of the world.

t Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6.) sect. 6. u Bibliotec. l. 2. p. 132.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Strabo relates that the Sabaeans were enormously wealthy, and used gold and silver in a most lavish manner in their furniture, their utensils, and even on the walls, doors, and roofs of their houses. That the gold of Sheba should be given to Solomon was prophesied by the writer of Psalms 72:0 (see the marginal reference). The immense abundance of spices in Arabia, and especially in the Yemen or Sabaean country, is noted by many writers. According to Strabo, the spice-trade of Arabia was in the hands of two nations, the Sabaeans and the Gerrhaeans. The spices in which they dealt seem to have been only in part the produce of Arabia itself; some of the most important kinds, as the cinnamon and the cassia, must have been imported from India, since Arabia does not yield them. The chief precious stones which Arabia now yields are the onyx and the emerald. Anciently she is said to have produced other gems. Pearls, too, were readily procurable in Arabia from the Persian Gulf fishery.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 10:10. A hundred and twenty talents of gold — The worth of these one hundred and twenty talents of gold, according to Mr. Reynolds, is equal to £843,905. 10s. 4 3/4d. of our British sterling. But the spices and precious stones might have been yet of more value. After this verse the 13th should be read, which is here most evidently misplaced; and then the account of the queen of Sheba will be concluded, and that of Solomon's revenue will stand without interruption.