Illustration created for this project.
Queen of Sheba
A queen who travelled far to test Solomon's wisdom and marvelled at his court.
What we know — and how we know it
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Origin & birthplace
ScholarlyHer kingdom of Sheba is the historical Saba of south-west Arabia (modern Yemen), a wealthy caravan state trading gold, spices and incense — attested by its own inscriptions and monuments such as the great dam at Marib from about the 8th century BC. The queen herself leaves no record, and her visit to Solomon is remembered only in scripture.
Archaeology of the Sabaean kingdom (Marib), South Arabia
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Solomon
Where in scripture
1 KingsIn their own words — 3 recorded sayings
“And she said to the king, The account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true. But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself; and now I see that it was not half the story; your wisdom and your wealth are much greater than they said. Happy are your wives, happy are these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom. May the Lord your God be praised, whose pleasure it was to put you on the seat of the kingdom of Israel; because the Lord's love for Israel is eternal, he has made you king, to be their…” — 1 Kings 10:6-9
“And she said to the king, The account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true. But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself; and truly, word was not given me of half your great wisdom; you are much greater than they said. Happy are your wives and happy these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom. Praise be to the Lord your God whose pleasure it was to put you on the seat of his kingdom to be king for the Lord your God: because, in his love for Israel, it was the purpose of your God to make…” — 2 Chronicles 9:5-8
“The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the house of the feast: the queen made answer and said, O King, have life for ever; do not be troubled by your thoughts or let the colour go from your face: There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and reason like the wisdom of the gods were seen in him: and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him master of the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs; Because a most special spirit, and knowledge and…” — Daniel 5:10-12
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Journeys
The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon
A queen of the rich caravan kingdom of Saba travels the length of Arabia to test Solomon's wisdom.
- Sheba — Sets out from her kingdom in south Arabia
- Jerusalem — Tests Solomon with hard questions and is astonished
Places in their life
Photo: Godot13 — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)