1 Kings Chapter 10

“And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, etc.] Josephus f200 calls her a queen of Egypt and Ethiopia; but Sheba was in the southern part of Arabia Felix; her name with the Ethiopians is Maqueda f201 , and with the Arabic geographer f202 Belequis. Some f203 think that Sheba, or Saba, is not the name of a country, but of the queen herself; and that she is the same with Sabbe the sibyl mentioned by Pausanias f204; but no doubt Sheba or Saba, the metropolis of Arabia Felix, as Philostorgius f205 calls it, is here meant; which Benjamin of Tudela says f206 is called the country of Al Yeman, or the…”

“THE QUEEN OF SHEBA ADMIRES THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON. (Kg1 10:1-13) the queen of Sheba--Some think her country was the Sabean kingdom of Yemen, of which the capital was Saba, in Arabia-Felix; others, that it was in African Ethiopia, that is, Abyssinia, towards the south of the Red Sea. The opinions preponderate in favor of the former. This view harmonizes with the language of our Lord, as Yemen means "South"; and this country, extending to the shores of the Indian ocean, might in ancient times be considered "the uttermost parts of the earth." heard of the fame of Solomon--doubtless by the Ophir fleet. concerning the…”

“Doubt has arisen whether the “queen of Sheba” was an Ethiopian or an Arabian princess. Both countries profess to have traditions on the subject connecting the queen of Sheba with their history; and in both countries, curiously enough, government by queens was common. But the claims of Arabia decidedly preponderate. The Arabian Sheba was the great spice country of the ancient world; whereas Ethiopia furnished no spices. The Arabian Sheba was an important kingdom. Sheba in Ethiopia was a mere town, subject to Meroe. And it may be doubted whether the Cushite Sheba of Scripture Genesis 10:7 is not rather to be sought…”

“Sheba - Of that part of Arabia, called Shabaea, which was at great distance from Jerusalem, bordering upon the Southern Sea; for there, much more than in Ethiopia, were the commodities which she brought, Kg1 10:2, Kg1 10:10. Name of the Lord - That is, concerning God; the name of God being often put for God; concerning his deep knowledge in the things of God. For it is very probable she had, as had divers other Heathens, some knowledge of the true God, and an earnest desire to know more concerning him. Questions - Concerning natural, and civil, and especially, Divine things. 3 Kings (1 Kings) 10:2”

“10:1-13 The queen of Sheba visited to test the accuracy of accounts concerning Solomon’s wisdom (10:1, 3, 6-7). She may also have sought commercial partnership (10:2, 10, 13). All of Solomon’s accomplishments resulted from his God-given wisdom, as the queen of Sheba testifies in the central speech of the narrative (10:6-9). 10:1 The queen likely heard tales of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth because of his trading ventures to Ophir (10:11; see 9:26-28). Sheba, located in southwestern Arabia (modern Yemen), was a notably fertile commercial center. The trading enterprises of the ancient Sabeans encompassed great swaths…”

“am 3014, bc 990 And when: Ch2 9:1-12; Mat 12:42; Luk 11:31 Sheba: Gen 10:7, Gen 10:28, Gen 25:3; Job 6:19; Psa 72:10, Psa 72:15; Isa 60:6; Jer 6:20; Eze 27:22, Eze 27:23, Eze 38:13 heard: Kg1 4:31, Kg1 4:34 concerning: Job 28:28; Pro 2:3-6; Joh 17:3; Co1 1:20, Co1 1:21 prove him: Jdg 14:12-14; Psa 49:4; Pro 1:5, Pro 1:6; Mat 13:11, Mat 13:35; Mar 4:34 3 Kings (1 Kings) 10:2”

“Visit of the Queen of Saba (cf. Ch2 9:1-12). \- When the fame of Solomon's great wisdom came to the ears of the queen of Saba, probably through the Ophir voyages, she undertook a journey to Jerusalem, to convince herself of the truth of the report which had reached her, by putting it to the test by means of enigmas. שׁבא, Σαβά, is not Ethiopia or Mero, as Josephus (Ant. viii. 6, 5), who confounds שׁבא with סבא, and the Abyssinian Christians suppose (vid., Ludolfi hist. Aeth. ii. 3), but the kingdom of the Sabaeans, who were celebrated for their trade in incense, gold, and precious stones, and who dwelt in Arabia…”