Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/267

Rh Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was not any thing hid from Solomon which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the ; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the fame that I heard. Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and bear thy wisdom. Blessed be the thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for the thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over

hard questions] Heb. ḥidoth, "dark sayings" (Prov. i. 6); the sing. is translated "riddle" (Judg. xiv. 12—18).

4. and their apparel] The phrase is repeated probably through an error of transcription; it occurs once only in the parallel place in 1 Kin.

his ascent by which he went up] Render (if the text be sound), his manner of going up, i.e. the pomp with which he went up (so Targ.); but it is better, with LXX. and Pesh., to read the burnt offerings which he used to offer, a rendering which is right in 1 Kin. x. 5 (cp. R.V. mg.). The difference of reading between Chron. and 1 Kin. in the Heb. is slight.

5. of thine acts] Lit. of thy matters; the reference is quite general.

6. the greatness of thy wisdom] Cp. 1 Kin. x. 7, "thy wisdom and prosperity."

8. on his throne] To the Chronicler the Israelite throne belongs to God; the visible king occupies it only as a deputy. Cp. 1 Chr. xxviii. 5, "the throne of the kingdom of the "; ibid. xxix. 23, "Solomon sat on the throne of the ." Contrast 1 Kin. x. 9.