k i.e. At the three Solemn Feaſts. Which is not ſaid exclu-. ſively, as is evident both from 2 Chron, 8. 13. and from the expreſs and oft-repeated Commands of God to offer at other times, which it 1s abſurd to think that Selomon, not yet fallen into in, ſhould ſo wickedly and ſcandalouſly negleQ;bur becauſe then he did it more Solemnly,and more coſtlily,and more publickly : whereby it mighr be preſumed, that he did 1o at all other appointed times. / Or, ſo he perfected the hoſe, to wit, by applying it to the uſe for which it was made, in which the perfettion of ſuch things conſiſts. Or, the houſe may be put Metonymically for the Work or Service of the Houſe, as it is elſewhere commonly uſed for the things or perſons in the Houſe. Or, the words may be, and are rendred thus, After that ( for 1o the Hebrew Yau ofc ſignifies; as 1/a. 37. 9, 36. Hoſ-rerr, Zech. 12. 2.) he finiſhed the houſe ; 1. e. Frog the time of the finiſh- ing of the Houle. until this time, he continued to do ſo.
26 © And * king Solomon made a navy of ſhips ms, in Ezion-Geber,which 5s beſide Eloth », on the ſhore | Choy of the red-ſea, in the land of Edom o. __ *
- Not now in the order in which it is placed in the Hiſtory, but ERGY in the beginning of his Reign ; as appears, becauſe the Almug-trees which he uſed in this Work, were brought in this Navy from Ophir Chap: 10: 11:'12- 2 Chron; 9: 10, 11- which was a three Years Voy- age there, wer: 22. For Ophir and Tharſis were either the ſame place, or one near to another. r Or, Elath, as it is called 2 Kings 14:22 See Dent, 2: 8. It is thought to be that famous Port on the Red Sea, which Ptolemy and Srtrabo ca] Elana, o Which David brought under his Dominion, and Solomon kept it.
27 And Hir2m fent in the navy his ſervants, ſhip- men that had knowledge of the ſea p, with the ſer- vants of Solomon.
p For which the Fyrians were famous. He ſent alſo Ships to joyn with Solomon's, 2 Chron; 8: 18: not from Tyre, the famous City ot Phenicia, which was in the Midland Sea, from whence he couid not Sail to the Red-ſea, withour ſetching a vait compaſs;but from an Ifland in the Red-ſea, called Tyre, becauſe it was a Colony of the Tyr:ans, as Strabo notes.
28 And they came to Ophir q, and fet from thence gold, four hundred and twenty calents r, and brought it to king Solomon. |
9g A place famous for the plenty and fineneſs of the Gold there; Ot which ſee Gen: 2: 11, 12. Job 22: 24; and 28: 16: Pſal. 45: 9. Iſa: 13- 12. It is manifeſt and agreed, that it was a part of the Eaſt-Ind'es. which though very remore from us, yet was far nearer ro the Red-ſea, from whence they might eaſily Sail ro it in theſe Ancient Times,becauſe they needed nor to go far fromthe/Coait ro come to it, becauſe they might ( according to the manner of theſe firit Ages ) Sail all along near the Coaſt, though the Voyage was thereby more tedious, which was the reaſon why three Years were ſpent in it. And here, and here only were to be had all the Com- modities which Solomon fetched from Ophir, 1 K:nzs: 10: 22. r In all there came to the King 450 Talents, whereof it ſeems 3o Talents were allowed by Solomon to Hiram and his Men for the Voyage, and ſo there were only 420 that came clearly into the Kings Trea-
ſury. © = A» © The queen of Sheba cometh to Jeruſalem : admireth Solomon's W.ſom and Glory : Giveth God thanks, and Solomon Preſents, 1 10. His Riches, 11 = Is. Targets : Ivory Throne, Veſſels, 16 —>— 23. Preſents ; Chariats and Horſes, Tribute, 24—= 29.
N D when the * queen of Sheba « heard of the *: ctr. gi
Mat 12-4
fame of Solomon, concerning the Name of - Luk.t1-3b
the LORD 8, ſhe came to prove him wich hard que-
{tions c. | a Either, Firſt, Of Z#thiopia, as that People by conſtant Tra- dition from their Anceſtors affirm, which alſo was truly in the ends of the earth, whence ſhe came, Mat. 12. 42. Or rather, Secondly, Of that part of Arabia, called Sabea,which was at a great diſtance from Jeruſalem, and really in the ends of the earth, and bordering upon the Southern Sea ; for there, much more than in Erh:0prs, were the Commodities which ſhe brought, v. 2, 10. Howſoevery this is here ſaid for her commendation, That being a Woman,and a Queen, and living at great eaſe, and in ſuch remote parts, ſhe was willing to take ſo long and chargeable a Journey ro improve her ſelf in knowledge, and that of Divine things, as is here un- plied. 6 5. e, Concerning the great Work which he had done for thy Name, i. e. the Honour, and Service, and Worſhip of the L74, as it is expreſſed Chap. 8- 17. and elſewhere. Or, concerning God; the Name of God being oft put for Go, as hath becn noted before 3 concerning his deep knowledge in the things of Ged. For a , AHEIE
Chap. x; | ©
FHel 59 G:
tHe
gyrds
Fa
+ He anal | Or, butler
f He wird. | Or, ſein;
i He thou | added com a goodn: the fa &co
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Chap.
Ul ,
IX: TL.
very probable, that ſhe had, as alſo had divers other Heathens, ſome knowledce of the True God, and an earnelt defire to know more of the Becing,and Nature, and Worſhip of G OD, wherein the
Heathens were generally at a great loſs, and which many of them |
defiredand endeavoured ro underſtand. Or, concerning the great things which GOD had done for him, eſpecially in giving him ſuch incomparable Wiſdom, and that in an extraordinary manner. c Concerning Natural, and Cuvil, and efpecially, concerning Di- vine things, about which there are, and ever were the hardeſt queltions. ES : #Heb:boÞ- » And ſhe came to Jeruſalem with a very great Þ train, # G with camels that bare ſpices, and very much gold, and precious ſtones: and when ſhe was come to Solomon, ſhe communed with him of all thac was in her heart &. 4 7. e. Ofall the doubts and difficulties wherewith her mind was perplexed.
2 And Solomon told her all her F queſtions e : there was not any thing hid from the king, which he cold her | nor f. :
A e Heb. all her matters; he ſatisfied her in all things ſhe deſired to know. f There was not any thing ſhe asked which Solomon did not both underſtand himſelf, and acquaint her with.
4 And when the Queen of Sheba had ſeen all Solomons wiſdom, and the houſe g that he had built,
z Or, The houſes, The Singular Number being put for the Plural, to wit, both the Temple and the King's Houſe, in both which there were evidences of ſingular Wiſdom. : OY