2 Chronicles 9 (NET)

Solomon Entertains a Queen

1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,1 she came to challenge2 him3 with difficult questions.4 She arrived in Jerusalem5 with a great display of pomp,6 bringing with her camels carrying spices,7 a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.8 3 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom,9 the palace10 he had built, 4 the food in his banquet hall,11 his servants and attendants12 in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the Lord’s temple,13 she was amazed.14 5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight15 was true! 6 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story!16 Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me. 7 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy!17 8 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored18 you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf!19 Because of your God’s love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them,20 he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions.”21 9 She gave the king 120 talents22 of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.23 10 (Huram’s24 servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as25 fine26 timber and precious gems. 11 With the timber the king made steps27 for the Lord’s temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments28 for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that.29) 12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him.30 Then she left and returned31 to her homeland with her attendants.

Solomon’s Wealth

13 Solomon received 666 talents32 of gold per year,33 14 besides what he collected from the merchants34 and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures35 of hammered gold were used for each shield. 16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures36 of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest.37

17 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne.38 The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.39 19 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.40

20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.41 21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships42 manned by Huram’s men43 that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet44 came into port with cargoes of45 gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.46

22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.47 23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.48 24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.49

25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses50 and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.51 26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River52 to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as plentiful53 in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was54 as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands55. 28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.

Solomon’s Reign Ends

29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded56 in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem57 for forty years. 31 Then Solomon passed away58 and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.

1tn Heb “the report about Solomon.” 2tn Or “test.” 3tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead. 4tn Or “riddles.” 5map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 6tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew word חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue or to the great wealth she brought with her. 7tn Or “balsam oil.” 8tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.” 9tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.” 10tn Heb “house.” 11tn Heb “the food on his table.” 12tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.” 13tc The Hebrew text has here, “and his upper room [by] which he was going up to the house of the Lord.” But עֲלִיָּתוֹ (’aliyyato, “his upper room”) should be emended to עֹלָתוֹ, (’olato, “his burnt sacrifice[s]”). See the parallel account in 1 Kgs 10:5. 14tn Or “it took her breath away”; Heb “there was no breath still in her.” 15tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.” 16tn Heb “the half was not told to me.” 17tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!” 18tn Or “delighted in.” 19tn Heb “as king for the Lord your God.” 20tn Heb “to make him stand permanently.” 21tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.” 22tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 8,076 lbs. (3,672 kg). 23tn Heb “there has not been like those spices which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.” 24tn Heb “Huram’s” (also in v. 21). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual. 25tn Heb “who brought gold from Ophir, brought.” 26tn Heb “algum.” 27tn Heb “tracks.” The parallel text in 1 Kgs 10:12 has a different term whose meaning is uncertain: “supports,” perhaps “banisters” or “parapets.” 28tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”). 29tn Heb “there was not seen like these formerly in the land of Judah.” 30tn Heb “besides what she brought to the king.” 31tn Heb “turned and went.” 32tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold Solomon received annually was 44,822 lbs. (20,380 kg). 33tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 units of gold.” 34tn Heb “traveling men.” 35tn The Hebrew text has simply “600,” with no unit of measure given. 36tn The Hebrew text has simply “300,” with no unit of measure given. 37sn This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest. See 1 Kgs 7:2. 38tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:19 has instead “and the back of it was rounded on top.” 39tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.” 40tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for any kingdom.” 41tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.” 42tn Heb “for ships belonging to the king were going [to] Tarshish with the servants of Huram.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish. 43tn Heb “servants.” 44tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].” 45tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish came carrying.” 46tn The meaning of this word is unclear; some suggest it refers to “baboons.” NEB has “monkeys,” NASB, NRSV “peacocks,” and NIV “baboons.” 47tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and wisdom.” 48tn Heb “and all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.” 49tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.” 50tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:26 reads “fourteen hundred chariots.” 51tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 52tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew the Euphrates River was typically referred to simply as “the River.” 53tn The words “as plentiful” are supplied for clarification. 54tn Heb “he made cedar.” 55tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.” 56tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Solomon, the former and the latter, are they not written?” 57map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 58tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”