Difference between revisions of "Queen Of Sheba"

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Queen Of Sheba <ref name="term_7478" />  
== Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_53920" /> ==
<p> ''''' shē ''''' ´- ''''' ba ''''' ( 1 Kings 10:1-13; 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 , called in Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31 , "the queen of the south" ( βασίλισσα νότου , <i> '''''bası́lissa''''' </i> <i> '''''nótou''''' </i> )): </p> <h4> 1. Old [[Testament]] Accounts: </h4> <p> The two Old Testament accounts of the coming of the queen of [[Sheba]] (see [[Sheba]] ) to [[Solomon]] differ slightly from one another, and, of the two, that in 1 Kings is the older. (1) The words "concerning the name of Yahweh" ( 1 Kings 10:1 ) are lacking in 2 Chronicles; while the [[Septuagint]] in 1 Kings has "and the name of Yahweh," apparently a correction of the Massoretic Text. (2) For 1 Kings 10:9 , "because Yahweh loved [[Israel]] for ever," 2 Chronicles 9:8 has "because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever"; the Septuagint in 1 Kings has "because Yahweh loved Israel, to establish it forever." (3) In the last verse of each account we find another difference: 2 Chronicles 9:12 says that Solomon gave to the queen all her desire, "besides that which she had brought unto the king." i.e. according to some, besides the equivalent of what she had brought to him; 1 Kings 10:13 margin has" besides that which he gave her according to the hand of king Solomon," i.e. besides gifts commensurate with his own wealth and power ( <i> SBOT </i> ), or be sides gifts which he gave her <i> '''''quâ''''' </i> king. </p> <h4> 2. The Narrative: </h4> <p> The narrative tells of the queen of Sheba, on hearing of Solomon's great wisdom, coming to test him with perplexing questions or riddles (compare Judges 14:12 ). She brought presents to the king, and interviewed him: "And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built" (i.e. the palace, not the temple) as well as its arrangements, "and his burnt-offering which he offered in the house of Yahweh (so read and translate with the Revised Version margin in 1 Kings 10:5 , and also in 2 Chronicles 9:4 ); there was no more spirit in her": the half of Solomon's wisdom had not been told her. "Happy," she said to him, "are thy wives (so read with Septuagint, [[Syriac]] and Old [[Latin]] versions), happy are these thy servants." She then exchanged gifts with him and returned to her own land. </p> <p> The narrative is a complement of that in 1 Kings 3:16-28 , where the king's justice is exemplified; here his wisdom. </p> <h4> 3. Employed by Jesus: </h4> <p> The narrative is referred to by [[Jesus]] in Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31 , where He refuses to accede to the request of the scribes and [[Pharisees]] for a sign from Him. He tells them that no sign will be given them except that of Jonah, whose sign was his preaching, one that proved sufficient to the Ninevites; and 'behold something greater than Jonah is here.' The men of [[Nineveh]] will be a living condemnation of them "in the judgment" (compare Luke 16:31 ); and so will the "queen of the south" who came from the ends of the earth after hearing of Solomon's wisdom, 'and behold something greater than Solomon is here.' The only sign to be given is that of the wisdom of Jesus, a wisdom far greater than that of Solomon (see D. Smith, <i> Days of His [[Flesh]] </i> , 176 ff). </p> <h4> 4. Eastern Literature: </h4> <p> Eastern literature has much to say about the queen of Sheba. The Arabs called her Bilqis. Abyssinian legend declares that she came from Ethiopia, her name being <i> ''''' Maḳeda ''''' </i> , and that she had a son by Solomon. See Delitzsch, Iris, 116-27; <i> Zdmg </i> , X, 19 f; J P r T, VI, 524 ff (1880). Gressmann (in <i> Schriften des Altes Testament </i> , II, 1,203) has further references to Wilhelm Hertz, <i> Gesammelte Abhandlungen </i> , 1905,413 ff; Bezold, <i> Kebra Nagast </i> , 1905, and also <i> Zdmg </i> , 60,666 ff. For the Mohammedan story, see [[Koran]] xxvii, with notes in Sale's translation. </p>
<p> <strong> SHEBA, QUEEN OF </strong> . 1 Kings 10:1-13 narrates a visit of the contemporary queen of [[Sheba]] to king Solomon. At the present day there is a strong tendency to regard this as a legendary addition made by the later editor for the purpose of emphasizing Solomon’s wealth and wisdom. The reasons adduced are not quite conclusive. It is no doubt true that the [[Inscriptions]] hitherto discovered fail to mention any queen of the Sabæans. But the names are given of queens who reigned over other [[Arabian]] countries, and, curiously enough, in Sargon’s inscription, quoted on p. 842 b , Samsç, queen of Aribu, immediately precedes It’amara, king of Sheba. It must be admitted, however, that the narrative in 1 Kings 10:1-29 is not free from difficulties. We cannot satisfactorily explain the words ‘concerning the name of the Lord’ (v. 1): the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] ‘ <em> and </em> ’ etc. being an obvious attempt to evade the difficulty, and the Chronicler ( 2 Chronicles 9:1 ) omitting all the words. It is hard to believe that the monarch of a highly civilized and exceedingly wealthy State would be dumbfounded by the luxury of the court of [[Jerusalem]] ( 2 Chronicles 9:5 ); that reads as though the chieftain of a petty tribe of Arabs was in question. Moreover, it is likely enough that the motive of the visit was other than our author supposed. Riddles, proverbs, apologues, and stories supply much of the material for the leisured conversation of the Arabs, but the queen of Sheba would visit her brother monarch with a more practical object than these. Commercial intercourse between the two countries was of extreme importance for the prosperity of both: Kittel ( <em> Die Bücher der Könige </em> , p. 89) is justified in suggesting that she wished to promote this. </p> <p> The fantastic legends which gathered round this journey may be conveniently read in <em> Sura </em> 27 of the Koran, and the notes on that chapter from Mohammedan sources which [[Sale]] has collected. [[Mohammed]] himself no doubt derived his account from [[Jewish]] sources. A lengthy history of queen Bilkis, from Ta‘labi’s <em> Lives of the [[Prophets]] </em> , may be found in Brünnow’s <em> Arabic Chrestomathy </em> . [[Solomon]] marries the queen, and the Abyssinians, to whom the story passed from the Arabs, call her Makeda, and trace from this marriage the lineage of all their kings. In this connexion two facts should be noted. First, that Abyssinia was undoubtedly colonized by the Sabæans. Second, that Jos. [Note: Josephus.] ( <em> Ant. </em> II. x. 2) speaks of ‘Saba, a royal city of Ethiopia,and (VIII. vi. 5 f.), without naming Sheba, gives an account of the visit to Solomon of a woman who was queen of [[Egypt]] and Ethiopia.’ He is mistaken as to the locality, but it is interesting to observe the tradition which he reports, ‘that we possess the root of that balsam which our country still bears by this woman’s gift. </p> <p> J. Taylor. </p>
       
== American Tract Society Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_17194" /> ==
<p> See [[Sabeans]] 2. </p>
       
==References ==
==References ==
<references>
<references>
<ref name="term_7478"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/queen+of+sheba Queen Of Sheba from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref>
 
<ref name="term_53920"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/sheba,+queen+of Queen Of Sheba from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_17194"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/american-tract-society-bible-dictionary/sheba,+queen+of Queen Of Sheba from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
</references>
</references>

Revision as of 14:13, 12 October 2021

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [1]

SHEBA, QUEEN OF . 1 Kings 10:1-13 narrates a visit of the contemporary queen of Sheba to king Solomon. At the present day there is a strong tendency to regard this as a legendary addition made by the later editor for the purpose of emphasizing Solomon’s wealth and wisdom. The reasons adduced are not quite conclusive. It is no doubt true that the Inscriptions hitherto discovered fail to mention any queen of the Sabæans. But the names are given of queens who reigned over other Arabian countries, and, curiously enough, in Sargon’s inscription, quoted on p. 842 b , Samsç, queen of Aribu, immediately precedes It’amara, king of Sheba. It must be admitted, however, that the narrative in 1 Kings 10:1-29 is not free from difficulties. We cannot satisfactorily explain the words ‘concerning the name of the Lord’ (v. 1): the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] ‘ and ’ etc. being an obvious attempt to evade the difficulty, and the Chronicler ( 2 Chronicles 9:1 ) omitting all the words. It is hard to believe that the monarch of a highly civilized and exceedingly wealthy State would be dumbfounded by the luxury of the court of Jerusalem ( 2 Chronicles 9:5 ); that reads as though the chieftain of a petty tribe of Arabs was in question. Moreover, it is likely enough that the motive of the visit was other than our author supposed. Riddles, proverbs, apologues, and stories supply much of the material for the leisured conversation of the Arabs, but the queen of Sheba would visit her brother monarch with a more practical object than these. Commercial intercourse between the two countries was of extreme importance for the prosperity of both: Kittel ( Die Bücher der Könige , p. 89) is justified in suggesting that she wished to promote this.

The fantastic legends which gathered round this journey may be conveniently read in Sura 27 of the Koran, and the notes on that chapter from Mohammedan sources which Sale has collected. Mohammed himself no doubt derived his account from Jewish sources. A lengthy history of queen Bilkis, from Ta‘labi’s Lives of the Prophets , may be found in Brünnow’s Arabic Chrestomathy . Solomon marries the queen, and the Abyssinians, to whom the story passed from the Arabs, call her Makeda, and trace from this marriage the lineage of all their kings. In this connexion two facts should be noted. First, that Abyssinia was undoubtedly colonized by the Sabæans. Second, that Jos. [Note: Josephus.] ( Ant. II. x. 2) speaks of ‘Saba, a royal city of Ethiopia,’ and (VIII. vi. 5 f.), without naming Sheba, gives an account of the visit to Solomon of a woman who was queen of Egypt and Ethiopia.’ He is mistaken as to the locality, but it is interesting to observe the tradition which he reports, ‘that we possess the root of that balsam which our country still bears by this woman’s gift.

J. Taylor.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary [2]

See Sabeans 2.

References