# 2 Chronicles 09 đź“–: The Queen of Sheba Visits
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Solomon Entertains a Queen
[[#Verse 01.]] When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind.Â
[[#Verse 02.]]Â Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.Â
[[#Verse 03.]] When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he had built,Â
[[#Verse 04.]] the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed.Â
[[#Verse 05.]] She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight was true!Â
[[#Verse 06.]] I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me.Â
[[#Verse 07.]]Â Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy!Â
[[#Verse 08.]] May the Lord your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf. Because of your God’s love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them, he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions.”
[[#Verse 09.]] She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.Â
[[#Verse 10.]] (Huram’s servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as fine timber and precious gems.
[[#Verse 11.]] With the timber the king made steps for the Lord’s temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah before that.)
[[#Verse 12.]] King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her attendants.
### Solomon’s Wealth
[[#Verse 13.]] Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year,Â
[[#Verse 14.]] besides what he collected from the merchants and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.Â
[[#Verse 15.]] King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of hammered gold were used for each shield.Â
[[#Verse 16.]] He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest.
[[#Verse 17.]]Â The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.Â
[[#Verse 18.]] There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.
[[#Verse 19.]]Â There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.
[[#Verse 20.]] All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.
[[#Verse 21.]] The king had a fleet of large merchant ships manned by Huram’s men that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
[[#Verse 22.]]Â King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.Â
[[#Verse 23.]]Â All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.Â
[[#Verse 24.]]Â Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.
[[#Verse 25.]] Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and also with him in Jerusalem.Â
[[#Verse 26.]] He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt.Â
[[#Verse 27.]] The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills.Â
[[#Verse 28.]]Â Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.
### Solomon’s Reign Ends
[[#Verse 29.]] The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat.Â
[[#Verse 30.]]Â Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years.Â
[[#Verse 31.]] Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.
## đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
###### Verse 27.
###### Verse 28.
###### Verse 29.
###### Verse 30.
###### Verse 31.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Sheba is generally located in southwest Arabia, in the region of modern Yemen.
2. The queen came to test Solomon with hard questions (9:1).
3. She gave Solomon 120 talents of gold and more spices than had ever been seen (9:9).
4. Solomon's yearly gold income was 666 talents (9:13).
5. Solomon made 200 large shields and 300 small shields of gold (9:15-16).
6. His ivory throne had six steps with twelve lions, a lion on each side of every step (9:17-19).
7. Solomon's ships went to Tarshish and returned every three years with gold, silver, ivory, and exotic animals (9:21).
8. Chronicles does not record Solomon's later turning to idols, which is described in 1 Kings 11.
9. Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem (9:30), the same as David.
10. The records of Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo are named as sources for Solomon's reign (9:29).
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42). The queen of Sheba traveled far to hear Solomon's wisdom (9:1-6), but Jesus is the wisdom of God who invites all to come to Him (Matthew 11:28-29).
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. The queen of Sheba said the half had not been told her (9:6). How does experiencing God compare to just hearing about Him?
2. She praised the Lord for setting Solomon on His throne (9:8). How can our lives point others to God?
3. Solomon gathered great wealth, horses, and gold (9:13-28). How do the warnings in Deuteronomy 17:16-17 help us read this chapter?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verse 6: The queen of Sheba says not even half of Solomon's wisdom had been told to her.
- đź“– verse 8: She praises the Lord, who placed Solomon on His throne.
- đź“– verse 22: Solomon becomes greater in riches and wisdom than all the kings of the earth.
## đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đź”— [[1 Kings 10#Verse 01.|1 Kings 10:1-29]] - The parallel account of the queen of Sheba.
- đź”— [[Matthew 12#Verse 42.|Matthew 12:42]] - Someone greater than Solomon is here.
- đź”— [[Deuteronomy 17#Verse 16.|Deuteronomy 17:16-17]] - Warnings for kings about horses, wives, and gold.
- đź”— [[1 Kings 11#Verse 01.|1 Kings 11:1-6]] - Solomon's heart is turned away.
- đź”— [[1 Timothy 06#Verse 06.|1 Timothy 6:6-10]] - Godliness with contentment is great gain.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
đź“ť SOAP: [[2 Chronicles 09 - SOAP|Too Much of A Good Thing]]
## đź“‚ Internal Notes