Why does the queen of Saba say Solomon’s wisdom exceeds the report she heard?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

She did not believe the reports until she came and saw for herself. After he answers her questions and she sees his wisdom, house, table, servants, ministers, cupbearers and offerings, she says that not even half had been told her.

Chapter breakdown

Hearing of Solomon’s fame in the Lord’s name, the queen of Saba comes to test him with hard questions. She enters Jerusalem with a great train, riches and camels carrying spices, an immense quantity of gold and precious stones. She tells Solomon all that is in her heart. He explains everything she proposes: there is no word he is ignorant of or unable to answer. She sees his wisdom and the house he built, the food at his table, his servants’ apartments, his ministers’ order and clothing, the cupbearers and the holocausts he offers in the Lord’s house. The account says she has no longer any spirit in her.

The queen tells him that the report she heard in her country about his words and wisdom is true. She had not believed those who told her until she came and saw; not even half had been told her, and his wisdom and works exceed the fame she heard. She calls blessed his men and servants who always stand before him and hear his wisdom. She blesses the Lord his God, whom Solomon has pleased and who has put him on Israel’s throne because of his love for Israel forever, appointing him to do judgment and justice. She gives Solomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold, a very great store of spices and precious stones. No more such abundance of spices is brought as what she gives him.

Hiram’s navy, which brings gold from Ophir, also brings great quantities of thyine trees and precious stones from there. Solomon uses the trees for rails in the Lord’s house and his own house, and for singers’ citterns and harps. The account says no such thyine trees had been brought or seen unto this day. Solomon gives the queen everything she desires and asks, besides what he offers of his own royal bounty. She returns to her country with her servants.

The gold brought to Solomon each year weighs six hundred and sixty-six talents, besides what is brought by those over the tributes, merchants, retail sellers, all Arabia’s kings and the country’s governors. He makes two hundred shields of the purest gold, allowing six hundred sicles for the plates of each. He makes three hundred targets of fine gold, with three hundred pounds of gold covering each, and puts them in the house of the forest of Libanus.

Solomon makes a great ivory throne overlaid with the finest gold. It has six steps, a top rounded behind, two hands at either side holding the seat, and two lions, one at each hand. Twelve little lions stand on both sides of the six steps; no such work has been made in any kingdom. All Solomon’s drinking vessels are gold, and the forest house’s furniture is the purest gold, with no silver. Silver is not accounted of in his days.

Once every three years the king’s navy goes by sea with Hiram’s navy to Tharsis, bringing gold, silver, elephants’ teeth, apes and peacocks. Solomon exceeds all earth’s kings in riches and wisdom. All the earth desires to see his face and hear the wisdom God has given his heart. Every year people bring presents: silver and gold vessels, garments, armor, spices, horses and mules.

Solomon gathers a thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, placing them in fortified cities and with himself in Jerusalem. He makes silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as common as sycamores in the plains. Horses come for him from Egypt and Coa; his merchants buy them from Coa and bring them at a set price. A chariot of four horses comes from Egypt for six hundred sicles of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. The account says all the kings of the Hethites and Syria sell horses in this manner.

The story inside

The queen comes because she has heard of Solomon’s fame and wants to test him. His answers and what she sees lead her to say the reports were true but incomplete, bless his servants and God, and give gifts. The account includes Hiram’s imports and the uses of thyine wood before the queen’s return. It then gives annual gold amounts, shields, targets, throne, gold vessels, the three-year fleet, yearly gifts and horse trade. Its comparisons and figures describe the wealth and wisdom without supplying a trade monopoly or a new warning about future conduct.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The queen explains the change in her judgment: she did not believe the reports, then heard answers and saw the court and offerings. Her conclusion is that not even half had been told her. Keeping that sequence preserves the reason for her testimony without inventing private conversations or a conversion.
2
The account separates recurring amounts. Six hundred and sixty-six gold talents come yearly besides the named additional sources; Tharsis voyages occur once in three years; gifts are brought every year. These different intervals should remain distinct.
3
The horse trade has specified places and prices. Egypt and Coa are named, as are six hundred silver sicles for a four-horse chariot and a hundred and fifty for a horse. The final selling statement concerns Hethite and Syrian kings; it does not say Solomon holds a monopoly.

Test your recall

How do the queen’s earlier disbelief, Solomon’s answers and what she sees lead to her statement that not even half had been told her?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 36024–36046
3 Kings Chapter 10 The queen of Saba cometh to king Solomon: his riches and glory. 10:1. And the queen of Saba having heard of the fame of Solomon in the name of the Lord, came to try him with hard questions. 10:2. And entering into Jerusalem with a great train, and riches, and camels that carried spices, and an immense quantity of gold, and precious stones, she came to king Solomon, and spoke to him all that she had in her heart. 10:3. And Solomon informed her of all the things she proposed to him: there was not any word the king was ignorant of, and which he could not answer her. 10:4. And when the queen of Saba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built, 10:5. And the meat of his table, and the apartments of his servants, and the order of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cupbearers, and the holocausts, which he offered in the house of the Lord, she had no longer any spirit in her;
Lines 36048–36066
10:6. And she said to the king: The report is true, which I heard in my own country, 10:7. Concerning thy words, and concerning thy wisdom. And I did not believe them that told me, till I came myself, and saw with my own eyes, and have found that the half hath not been told me: thy wisdom and thy works exceed the fame which I heard. 10:8. Blessed are thy men, and blessed are thy servants, who stand before thee always, and hear thy wisdom. 10:9. Blessed be the Lord thy God, whom thou hast pleased, and who hath set thee upon the throne of Israel, because the Lord hath loved Israel for ever, and hath appointed thee king, to do judgment and justice. 10:10. And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices a very great store, and precious stones: there was brought no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Saba gave to king Solomon.
Lines 36068–36079
10:11. (The navy also of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir great plenty of thyine trees, and precious stones. 10:12. And the king made of the thyine trees the rails of the house of the Lord, and of the king’s house: and citterns and harps for singers: there were no such thyine trees as these brought nor seen unto this day.) 10:13. And king Solomon gave the queen of Saba all that she desired, and asked of him: besides what he offered her of himself of his royal bounty. And she returned, and went to her own country, with her servants.
Lines 36081–36093
10:14. And the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon every year, was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold: 10:15. Besides that which the men brought him that were over the tributes, and the merchants, and they that sold by retail, and all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the country. 10:16. And Solomon made two hundred shields of the purest gold: he allowed six hundred sicles of gold for the plates of one shield. 10:17. And three hundred targets of fine gold: three hundred pounds of gold covered one target: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Libanus.
Lines 36095–36108
10:18. King Solomon also made a great throne of ivory: and overlaid it with the finest gold. 10:19. It had six steps: and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were two hands on either side holding the seat: and two lions stood, one at each hand, 10:20. And twelve little lions stood upon the six steps, on the one side and on the other: there was no such work made in any kingdom. 10:21. Moreover, all the vessels out of which king Solomon drank, were of gold: and all the furniture of the house of the forest of Libanus was of most pure gold: there was no silver, nor was any account made of it in the days of Solomon:
Lines 36110–36122
10:22. For the king’s navy, once in three years, went with the navy of Hiram by sea to Tharsis, and brought from thence gold, and silver, and elephants’ teeth, and apes, and peacocks. 10:23. And king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 10:24. And all the earth desired to see Solomon’s face, to hear his wisdom, which God had given in his heart. 10:25. And every one brought him presents, vessels of silver and of gold, garments, and armour, and spices, and horses, and mules, every year.
Lines 36124–36137
10:26. And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen: and he bestowed them in fenced cities, and with the king in Jerusalem. 10:27. And he made silver to be as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones: and cedars to be as common as sycamores which grow in the plains. 10:28. And horses were brought for Solomon out of Egypt, and Coa: for the king’s merchants bought them out of Coa, and brought them at a set price. 10:29. And a chariot of four horses came out of Egypt, for six hundred sicles of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. And after this manner did all the kings of the Hethites, and of Syria, sell horses.