History · Chapter 9 of 36

2 Chronicles 9

The queen of Sheba travels to test Solomon with hard questions and is overwhelmed by his wisdom, his palace, and his ordered court, confessing that the reality exceeds the report. She praises Israel's God and exchanges lavish gifts. Chronicles then catalogs Solomon's staggering wealth: gold shields, an ivory throne, yearly tribute, and unmatched riches and wisdom. Kings of the earth seek him. After forty years Solomon dies, and Rehoboam succeeds him.

What happens in 2 Chronicles 9

The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon's fame, comes with a great caravan of spices, gold, and jewels to test him with hard questions. Solomon answers everything, hiding nothing. Seeing his wisdom, his palace, the food of his table, his servants and their attire, and his ascent to the temple, she is left breathless, confessing that she had not believed the reports until she saw for herself, and that the half was not told her. She blesses the LORD who set Solomon on the throne.

They exchange rich gifts. Chronicles then details Solomon's wealth: six hundred sixty-six talents of gold yearly, ceremonial shields of beaten gold, a great ivory throne overlaid with gold and flanked by lions, and vessels all of gold. He surpasses all kings in riches and wisdom, and the whole earth seeks his presence. After reigning forty years, Solomon dies, and his son Rehoboam succeeds him.

2 Chronicles 9 in context

Chronicles reaches the summit of Solomon's reign, portraying the wisdom and glory God gave him drawing even distant rulers to Jerusalem. The queen of Sheba's visit shows the nations coming to seek the wisdom of God's king, a picture the post-exilic community could hold as both memory and hope.

Notably, the Chronicler omits Solomon's later idolatry recorded in Kings, keeping the focus on the glory that pointed beyond Solomon to God's larger purposes.

Main themes of 2 Chronicles 9

2 Chronicles 9 (KJV)

1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, 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. 2And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. 3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 4And 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 into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 5And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: 6Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard. 7Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. 8Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice. 9And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon. 10And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones. 11And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. 12And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants. 13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold; 14Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target. 16And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: 19And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom. 20And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 21For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 22And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. 24And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 25And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 26And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. 27And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance. 28And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands. 29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

Verses to carry from 2 Chronicles 9

“And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, 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.”2 Chronicles 9:1

“Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.”2 Chronicles 9:8

“And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.”2 Chronicles 9:22

Reflection

The queen crossed a desert for a wisdom that would fade, and went home amazed. A greater than Solomon has come, and He is near, not across any wilderness. Do you seek Him with even a fraction of her hunger? The fullness of Christ still leaves honest seekers saying the half was never told.

A prayer from 2 Chronicles 9