1 Kings 10:5

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

the meat: 1 Kings 4:22, 1 Kings 4:23

attendance: Heb. standing

cupbearers: or, butlers, ascent. The original weolatho asher yaaleh baith yehowah, is rendered by the LXX and Vulgate, ךבי פחם ןכןךןץפשףים בץפןץ חם בםוצוסום ום ןיךש ץסיןץ; et holocausta, que offerebat in domo Domini, "And the burnt offerings (or holocausts) which he offered in the house of the Lord;" with which the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic agree; and so also Luther, Und feine Brandopfer, die er in dem Hause des Herrn opferte; and this seems to be the true sense of the passage. 2 Kings 16:18, 1 Chronicles 9:18, 1 Chronicles 26:16, 2 Chronicles 23:13, Ezekiel 44:3, Ezekiel 46:2

there was no: Joshua 5:1, 2 Chronicles 9:4

Reciprocal: Genesis 40:11 - hand Genesis 42:28 - their heart 2 Kings 11:5 - the watch Jeremiah 38:14 - third Matthew 6:29 - even Mark 6:39 - General Luke 7:25 - are in

Cross-References

Genesis 10:1
This is the account of Noah's sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.

Genesis 10:9
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD."

Genesis 10:20
These are the sons of Ham according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.

Genesis 10:25
And two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.

Psalms 72:10
May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

Isaiah 24:15
Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.

Isaiah 40:15
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered a speck of dust on the scales; He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

Isaiah 41:5
The islands see and fear, the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward.

Isaiah 42:4
He will not grow weak or discouraged until He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope."

Isaiah 42:10
Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell there.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the meat of his table,.... The various sorts of it, the different dishes, and the multitude of them; see 1 Kings 4:22

and the sitting of his servants; at table, either with him, or at tables by themselves, yet in his presence; for these were his nobles and courtiers, who were placed in order, according to their rank and degree, which showed wisdom:

and the attendance of his ministers; or the "standing" q of those that waited, both at the king's table, and the tables of the lords, who each had their proper place and business assigned; so that the utmost decorum was observed, and no confusion or disorder to be seen:

and their apparel: their several liveries, which were distinct according to the posts and offices in which they were, and which no doubt were rich and splendid, as well as various:

and his cup bearers; to serve him and his nobles with wine when called for; though the word signifies liquors r, and may design the various sorts of wines, and other drinkables, used by him, of which there was great plenty:

and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; the steps which he had made to go up from his palace to the temple; which were so curiously devised, and so artificially wrought, that it gave the queen, among other things, a sensible proof of his great wisdom, as well as of his religion and piety. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and some others, render the words, "and the burnt offerings which he offered in the house of the Lord"; and so Josephus s understood them; she was shown the service of the house of the Lord, as much as could be admitted, and perhaps was told the meaning of it; all which she saw, both in his own house, and in the house of God, and greatly surprised her:

so that there was no more spirit in her; she was quite astonished; like one in an ecstasy, she had no power for a time to speak, what she saw and heard so affected her.

q מעמך "statum", Tigurine version, Vatablus, Junius Tremellius "stationem", Piscator. r משקיו "et potum ejus", Tig. vers. so Abarbinel s Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 5.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the meat of his table - Compare 1 Kings 4:22-23. The scene here described receives very apt illustration from the Assyrian banquet scenes, where we have numerous guests sitting, dressed handsomely in fringed robes, with armlets upon their arms, and bracelets round their wrists, attendants standing behind them, and magnificent drinking-cups, evidently of a costly metal, in the hands of the guests, which are filled from a great wine-bowl at one end of the chamber.

And his ascent by which he went up - A rendering preferable to “the burnt-offering which he cffered in.” The “ascent” was probably a private way by which the king passed from his palace on the western hill, across the ravine (Tyropoeum) and up the eastern hill, to the west side of the temple area (compare the marginal reference).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 10:5. The meat of his table — The immense supply of all kinds of food daily necessary for the many thousands which were fed at and from his table. See 1 Kings 4:22-23, and the notes there.

And the sitting of his servants — The various orders and distinctions of his officers.

The attendance of his ministers — See the account of these and their attendance, 1 Kings 4:1, c.

And their apparel — The peculiarity of their robes, and their splendour and costliness.

And his cup-bearers — The original משקיו mashkaiv may as well be applied to his beverage, or to his drinking utensils, as to his cup-bearers.

And his ascent by which he went up — It seems very strange that the steps to the temple should be such a separate matter of astonishment. The original is ועלתו אשר יעלה בית יהוה which all the versions have translated, And the holocausts which he offered in the house of the Lord. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, all express this sense: so does the German translation of Luther, from which, in this place, we have most pitifully departed: And seine Brandopfer, die er in dem Hause des Herrn opferte "And his burnt-offering which he offered in the house of the Lord."

There was no more spirit in her. — She was overpowered with astonishment; she fainted. I have seen precisely the same effect produced; a lady who was herself an artist, viewing some exquisitely finished oriental paintings, was so struck with astonishment that she twice nearly fainted, and was obliged to leave the room. What happened to the queen of Sheba is a natural and not an uncommon effect which will be produced in a delicate sensible mind at the sight of rare and extraordinary productions of art.

Of the profusion of Solomon's sacrifices we have already had proof, 1 Kings 8:63; 1 Kings 9:25.