The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 202

procession o.s this would creato greo.t o.s- view] of his ministers [i.e., those who tonishment in Jerueo.lem, and we mo.y ministered to him. The word " servants" imo.gine how the people would line tho is, pcrhn.ps, to be understood of state bazaars as she passed, and the acclama- officers; the word "ministers" of persona.I tions with which they would greet the queen attendants (as in Acts xiii. 5, &c.) That (cf. i. 40; Me.tt. xxi. 9) and her ewe.rt e.t- the latter were e.n inferior class, the '' stand- tende.nts] that bare spices [Heb. balsa'TTl,/I : ing" shows], and their apparel [cf. Matt. hence spices genero.lly ; LXX. .;,ovr1µar-a, vi. 29. The rich ancl costly dress of Ea8tem Exod. xxv. 6; xxxv. 28; Ezek. xxvii. 22. courtiers e.nd attendants is sometimes fur- The perfumes of Arabia are proverbial (see nished by the king (Gen. xiv. 22; 1 Sam. Herod. iii. 107-113), and Yemen is the xviii. 4 ; 2 Kings v. 5 ; Dan. v. 7; Esther chief spice country (Diet. Bib. i. p. 91 J, and v. 8; 1 Mace. x. 20. Cf. Cbardin, "Voyage very much gold [Psa. lxxii. 15. Gold is not en Perse," iii. 230], and his cupbearers [By now found in Arabia, nor a.re there e.ny this word Keil would understand "drinking traces of gold mines ; but Strabo and Dio- arrangements." But see 2 Chron. ix. 4, dorus both state that it was found there, "cup bearers (same word) e.ud their ap- and, according to the latter, in nuggets of parel"], a.nd his ascent [irb·v. It is some- considerable size (Diet. Bib. i. p. 707). It is quite possible, however, that much of what doubtful whether we ';u-e to interpret the " gold of Ara.bin." came to its emporiums this word, ascent, or burnt offering. 2 Kings from other lands. This particular present xvi. 18, 1 Chron. xxvi. 16, Ezek. xl. 26 was doubtless brought by the queen because make for the former, and the chronicler he.a she had hee.rd of the extensive use made of in~l! which undoubtedly means "ascent." it by Solomon, and of the enormous quan- But eJ.l the translations understand the tities he required. " Stra.bo relates that the word of burnt offerings-the LXX. has ml Sabeo.ns were enormously wee.I thy, and used njv o~orav,w<r,v-e.nd the word, "which gold and silver in a moat lavish manner in occurs at least 300 times in the Bible," their furniture, their utensils, and even on always (with one exception) signifies burnt the walls, doors, and roofs of their houses " offering. It is olijected against this inter- (Rawlinson)] and precious stones [the onyx, pretation (1) that we should require the emerald, and turquoise are still found in plure.I, i.e.," burnt offerings ; " but this is by Arabia, and in former times the variety no means certain, o.s the historiaµ. may was apparently much greater (Plin., Nat. refer to one particular holocaust (see eh. ix. Hist. xxxvii.)]; a.nd when Bhe wa.s come to 25) which the queen witnessed; and (2) Solomon, she co=uned with h1m of (Heb. that the sight of burnt offerings could not spake to him] ell that was 1n her heart. have ea.used her e.ny astonishment (Keil). [The words a.re not to be restricted, e.s by But their prodigious number may smely Keil, to riddles. There may well have been, have done so ; e.nd we a.re certainly to under- as the earlier interpreters supposed, religious stand that Solomon was reme.rkable for the diacourse-gravissimas et sae1·as quaestiones. scale of his sacrifices. Considering, how- Ver. 3.-And Solomon told her [i'~iJ is ever, that the word undoubtedly means need of solving riddles in Judges xiv. 13 "ascent" in Ezek. xl. 26, and that it is so (Bahr), and interpreting dreo.ms Gen. xli. paraphrased by the chronicler, it is perhaps 24; Dan. v. 12] ell her questions [Hea. safer to retain this rendering here] ; there 1DordsJ ; there was not anything hid from was no more spirit 1n her lso.me expression the ldng, which he told her not. Josh. v. 1, and cf. ii 11. For various legends Ver. 4.-And when the queen of Sheba as to this queen, see Stanley," Jewish Ch." had seen ell Solomon's wisdom, and the ii. pp. 234-236], house he had built [ver. 6 compels us to Ver. 6.-And she said to the kl.ng, It was understo.nd this of the po.lace, not of the a true report [Heb. Tmth was the word] temple. Josephus so.ye she was especially that I heard 1n mlne own land of thy :icts astonished at the house of the forest of [or words. So.me word e.s above e.nd in the Leb&non], next verse] and of thy wisdom. Ver. 5.-And the meat of his table [eh. Ver. 7.-Bowbeit, I believed not the iv. 22, 23], and the B1tt1ng [" The rooms of words [" Fame, as it is e.Iways a blo.b, so the courtiers in attendance" (Keil). But ofttimes e. liar" (Bp. Ho.11)] until I came, :i~io may meo.n an assembly (Pse.. i. 1), e.nd and mlne eyes had seen it : and behold, the possibly the queen se.w them when gathered halt was not told me ; thy wisdom and together for e. meal] of his servants, and prospertty exceeded the fame [Heb. thou the attends.nee [Heb. standing. According hast added wisdom and good to the report] to Keil," the rooms of the inferior servants." which I heard. Dut ver. 8 1tppeo.rs to be decisive a.go.inst this Ver, 8.-Bappy [Heb. 0 the happiness, 204 TRE FIRST BOOK OF RINGS. [on. x. 1-19. as in Psa. i. 1; ii. 12; xxxiii. 12, &c.] a.re would rather seem that they a.re included o.e thy men [LXX. ,rives, y,•~a,K,,]; happy a.re one of the chief products of the voyage. thy servants, which stand continually be- Ver. 11.-And the navy of Hiram alsc,,, fore thee [see on eh. i. 2], and that hear [i.e., built and equipped by him, eh. ix. thy wisdom. 26-28], that brought gold from Ophlr, Ver. 9.-Blessed be the Lord thy God brought in from Ophlr great plenty of [From this mention of the name of Jehovah, al.mug trees [In 2 Chron. ii. 8 ; ix. 10, called taken in connexion with Matt. xii. 42, it has "algum-trees." The origin e.nd meaning been conolnded that the queen became a of the word a.re alike uncertain. By some convert to the fe.ith of Israel. But this (see Gesen., Thea. i. p. 93) the Al is supposed inference is unwarranted. Polytheism per- to be the Are.bio article, as found in ,H-coran, mitted, and, indeed, encouraged, e. full .A.l-cohol, .A.d-miral, &c., but later authorities recognition of the gods many of the dif- (see, e.g., Max Millier, "Science of Language," ferent races and regions. See on eh. v. 7, p. 214) lend no support to this view. "Cel- nnd cf. 2 Chron. ii. 12 and Ezra i. 3. sius enumerates fifteen different trees, each Obserrn, too, it is "Jehovah, thy God." of which has been supposed to have a claim And it is very significant that e.11 her gifts to represent the almug tree of Scripturn" and treasures were for the king ; none were (Diet. Bib. iii. Appendix, p. vi.) It is now, offerings to the temple] which delighted however, pretty generally agreed that the 1n thee [cf. eh. v. 7], to set thee on the red sandal-wood (pterocarpus sand.aliorus, throne of Israel ; because the Lord loved Linn.; or, according to others, santalum Israel for ever [e. graceful and thoroughly album, the white species) is intended-a tree Oriental compliment. This visit was as which grows in India and on the coast of flattering to the pride of the chosen people Malabar. It is said that in India. sandn.1- as to their king] , therefore made he thee wood is called valguha .(same root); and killg, to do judgment and justice. Stanley sees in almug the " Hebre.ized form Ver. 10.-A.nd she ga.ve the k1ng an of the Deccan word for sandal." Dr. hundred and twenty [Josephus says twenty] Hooker, however, (Diet. Bib. l.c.) regards talents of gold [Psa. lxxii.15. "The rivers the question as still undeciJed], and pre- still nm into the sea; to him that hath cious stones. [Stanley remarks on the fre- shall be given" (Bp. Hall). As to the talent, quent references to gold and silver e.nd see on eh. ix. 14], and of spices very great precious stones in the Book of Proverbs store [Heb. much exceedingly (Ewald, 287 c.) (chs. i. 9. ; iii. 14, 15 ; viii. 10, 11 ; x. 20 ; " The i=ense abundance of spices in xvi. 16, &c.), as one indication that it be- Arabia . . . is noted by many writers. Hero- longs to the age of Solomon.] dotus says that the whole tract exhaled an Ver. 12.-And the king made of the al.mug odour marvellously sweet (iii. 113). Dio- t;rees pillars (lit., props. In 2 Cluon. ix. dorns relates that the odour was carried out 11 we have e. different word, ni':>i;,,;, (of. to sea to a considerable distance from the Judg. xx. 31, 32; 1 Sam. vi. 12, &c.)," there shore (iii. 46). According to Strabo the translated stairs. The word in the text spice-trade of Arabia was in the hands of iyoo is l11ra; Xty. Keil understands two nations, the Sabeans and Gerrhaeans, whose profits from it were so enormous t!1at "~teps with bannisters; " Biihr (after in his time they were the two wealthiest Jarchi) "tesselated pavements;" Gesenius, nations on the face of the earth (xvi 4. 19)," " balusters; " Thenius, "divans ; " Bott- Rawlinson], and precl.ous atones: there cher, " benches and similar moveables.'' ea.me no more such abundance of spices But was not the pavement already laid, and as these which the queen of Sheba gave of cedar ; and would the sanctuary have to king Solomon. [Josephus states (Ant. divans, &c.?] for the house of the Lord, and viii. 6. 6) that the cultivation ?l t~e. balsam for the king's house, harps also and paal- in Pal~stine dates from this VIBlt ; the tertes [also mentioned together (Psa. lxxi. plant having been one of the queen's 22 ; cviii. 2; cl. 3). They were stringed instruments, but their precise she.pe and gifts. character is quite uncertain. One species The two following verses form a sort of of sandal-wood, or of wood closely allied to parenthesis. In speaking of the gold and it, is said to have been much sought after for gems brought by the Arabian queen, it musical instruments] for the singers: there occurs to the historian to state that both of came no such al.mug trees, nor were seen these commodities were also brought ill by unto this day. Ver. 13.-And king Solomon gave unto the fleet. Possibly, too, the mention of the the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatso- spices reminded him of the fro.grant a.lmug ever she asked, beside that which Solomo:u trees brought from Ophir (Biihr). But it gave her of h1B royal bounty. [Heh. ac• OB, X, 1-18.] THE FIRST ·.BOOK OF KINGS. 205