Queen of Sheba

[1 Kgs. 10:1] And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the L-RD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
Sheba was located at the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, roughly equivalent to modern Yemen, about 1,400 miles from Jerusalem. Apparently Sheba was a dual kingdom that included Seba (a variant spelling of Sheba) on the African mainland (Ps. 72:10). The Red Sea, 15 miles wide at Bab el-Mandeb, provides easy access between Arabia and Africa. If Sheba-Seba was a single kingdom politically, its ethnic composition was diverse. The people of Sheba are credited with both a Semitic and Hamitic ancestry, suggesting a mixed population. In Gen. 10:28; 25:3; and 1 Chr. 1:32 Sheba’s lineage is traced to Shem, but in Gen. 10:7 it is linked to Ham. Seba, however, is related only to Ham (Gen. 10:7; 1 Chr. 1:9) and is clearly African (Isa. 43:3; 45:14).
The early history of Sheba is not well known, but in the time of Solomon it appears to have been the strongest and most prosperous kingdom in southwestern Arabia and northeastern Africa. The basis of its prosperity and strength was trade. Sheba was the chief supplier of frankincense, one of the most desirable products in the biblical world, and was also famous for gold and precious gems. Moreover, Sheba was located in a strategic position relative to world markets. So the queen who visited Solomon was impressive in her own right. It was not unusual for a woman to be head of state in this part of the world. Five different queens from north Arabia are mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions from the 8th to 7th cents. BE. (Acts 8L27). Some even led troops in combat.
Heard of the fame of Solomon doubtless by the Ophir fleet. Sheba came out of the love of wisdom that she shared with Solomon. The two also had in common rival commercial interest. Wisdom was highly prized throughout the biblical world.
Concerning the name of the L-rd meaning either his great knowledge of G-d, or the extraordinary things which G-d had done for him. That is, concerning G-d; the name of G-d being often put for G-d; concerning his deep knowledge in the things of G-d. For it is very probable she had, as had divers other Heathens, some knowledge of the true G-d, and an earnest desire to know more concerning him.
Hard questions enigmas or riddles. The Orientals delight in this species of intellectual exercise and test wisdom by the power and readiness to solve them concerning natural, and civil, and especially, Divine things. In this particular contest, Solomon was the decisive winner.
When she saw the manner of his offering sacrifices to the L-rd; which doubtless she would not neglect to see; and in the ordering of which she might discern many characters of excellent wisdom, especially when she had so excellent an interpreter as Solomon was, to inform her of the reasons of all the circumstances of that service. She was astonished, and could scarcely determine whether she really saw these things, or whether it was only a pleasant dream being overwhelmed.
The proofs she obtained of Solomon's wisdom - not from his conversation only, but also from his works; the splendor of his palace; the economy of his kitchen and table; the order of his court; the gradations and gorgeous costume of his servants; above all, the arched bridge that led from his palace to the Temple (2 Kings 16:18), and the remains of which have been recently discovered - overwhelmed her with astonishment.
She congratulates Solomon on the happiness of his wives (fittingly spoken by a woman, but inappropriate for a man) and his servants, not because of the magnificence of their clothing, but because they were privileged to be continually in Solomon’s presence and to hear his wisdom. Wisdom is intellectual intelligence, learning, and insight gained from observation of nature (4:29-33). Wisdom is a divine gift that makes for good government and prosperity (3:4-15, 16-28; chp. 4.
Jewish writers say, that this queen was converted, through Solomon's influence, to the worship of the true G-d. But there is no record of her making any gift or offering in the Temple. The reader familiar with Nathan’s prophecy in 2 Sam. 7 would recognize the queen’s words as another inadvertent confirmation that Solomon’s succession was the fulfillment of that prophecy.
Solomon not only gave his illustrious guest all the insight and information she wanted; but, according to the Oriental fashion, he gave her ample compensation for the presents she had brought. Solomon’s gifts are not named.
Because of the dual nature of the kingdom of Sheba-Seba, both Arabs and Ethiopians claim the queen as their own. Josephus refers to her as the queen of Egypt and Ethiopia, and in the NT she is called the queen of the South. Ethiopians have given the queen’s visit a prominent place in their classic national chronicle. According to this saga a son, Menelik, was born to the queen as a result of the visit, and the claim was written into the Revised Constitution of 1955 that the royal line of Emperor Haile Selassie descends without interruption from the dynasty of Menelik 1 son of the Queen of Ethiopia, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon of Jerusalem.
The story of the visit of the queen of Sheba, while intended to glorify Solomon, mirrors one of the finest portraits of a woman in the OT. The queen is admired, but her office and ability are not regarded as something exceptional because she was a woman. Nor is she treated in a patronizing or condescending manner. It is a tribute to the maturity of the editors of 1 Kgs. That the finest human tribute to Solomon comes from a foreigner who also happened to be a woman.
This is one indication that the queen was converted to Solomon’s religion. Yet she serves as a type of those who are attracted to G-d’s covenant people. Her effort and enthusiasm shame those who have One greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42; Luke 11:31) but all too often do not regard getting to know Him as a journey worth taking.