Now when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the Name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he could not explain to her. And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the Palace that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cup-bearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the Temple of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.
And she said to the king, "The report was true which I heard in my own land of your affairs and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it; and behold, the half was not told me; your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report which I heard. Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel for ever, He has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness".
Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones; never again came such an abundance of spices as these which the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
Moreover the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought ... a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones.
... And King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land, with her servants. (Cf. I Kings 10:1-11,13 & II Chronicles 9:1-10, 12).
The modern reader of the biblical story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba delights in it just as did the reader in the distant past. The picture of courtly elegance and grandeur, the display of cleverness and wisdom, friendship between the two heads of state, the exchange of costly gifts, and the exclamation of surprise on the part of the queen upon seeing Solomon's wealth and witnessing his display of wisdom - these are images that kindle the imagination of the simple and sophisticated alike.
Still, as J. Pritchard has noted (in Solomon & Sheba, Phaidon, p. 7), the twentieth century reader also likes to pose questions regarding the factual nature of this story:
What, if any, historical evidence is there for the celebrated visit? Has modern archaeology uncovered the remains of the age of Solomon sufficiently to make credible the details of the story? What is known from other sources about the ancient kingdom of Sheba and its queens? What appeal did this romantic tale have that could account for its continuing popularity through three millennia?
Questions, questions, but no firm answers.
It was left to Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky (Ages in Chaos, I) to identify this legendary queen, as the great Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, who became ruler of Egypt an Ethiopia.
We have greatly developed Velikovsky’s pioneering work. The answers to all of Pritchard’s questions, and more, can be found in the articles at this site.
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