2 Chronicles 9 Study Notes

9:1 Sheba is identical with the ancient kingdom of Saba, located in what is today Yemen at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. This was a thriving kingdom, strategically located between the more distant parts of Asia and the Middle East, thus able to profit from the trade between the two areas. When the combined fleet of Solomon and Hiram began to commute regularly between Arabia and Israel, Saba’s economy may have been affected adversely because the two kings were able to eliminate Saba’s role as a middleman. The queen of Sheba had heard many stories about this king who was noted for his wealth and wisdom. She made this long, arduous journey to meet Solomon face to face, to learn his secrets of statecraft, and presumably to be on the right side of any potential conflict. She attempted to impress this king who had more wealth than he could ever use by bringing him even more riches.

9:2-4 Solomon was able to answer all her questions and to explain many things to her. By the time the queen had seen everything of Solomon’s material glory, as well as the extravagance of the temple and its rituals, it took her breath away. Solomon’s intent to build a temple that demonstrated God’s superiority to all other gods (1:5) had been accomplished.

9:5-9 The queen acknowledged that the reports she had heard about Solomon did not come close to the reality she saw. She was unaware of the unrest among Solomon’s subjects that would reach a climax in the next chapter (and which is elaborated in 1Kg 11:26-40). She only saw the glorious side of the kingdom and even gave the Lord credit for having arranged Solomon’s reign. To show her appreciation for the king, she gave him gold . . . spices, and precious stones.

9:10-11 Algum, more commonly called almug, was one of several types of sandalwood known for its fragrance. It could be burned like incense. Solomon incorporated this wood into walkways for the temple and into musical instruments.

9:12 The presents of the queen of Sheba to Solomon turned out to be an investment because the king sent her home with far more wealth than she had brought.

9:13-16 Solomon, as we have seen (2:18; 8:7-8), used slave labor for his building projects and even instituted forced labor among the Israelites (10:4). He hoarded the accumulating amount of gold and devised an ingenious method of storing it by molding it into shields that covered the walls of his palace. People could admire it, but he had quick access to it if he needed it.

9:17-21 The Chronicler sees Solomon’s wealth and his splendor as evidence of God’s blessing (1:12). His acquisitions included ornate furniture and exotic animals, most coming to him as profit from his partnership with Hiram. Even the grandiose attitude that permeates this description was supposed to demonstrate to the Gentile world the reality of the Lord’s blessings of his king. But this does not mean that Solomon’s policies, such as those that led to the devaluation of precious metals, were wise over the long haul. The overabundance of silver and gold in Jerusalem probably created a shortage in other lands, and it was only a brief time before someone attempted to restore balance (12:9).

9:22-24 Even Solomon’s legendary wisdom led to an increase in his wealth. Some of this wisdom has been preserved for us in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Of particular note, given Solomon’s extraordinary wealth is that, at the end of his life he was so devoted to material acquisitions, he said, “Absolute futility. Everything is futile” (Ec 1:2).

9:25-28 On Solomon’s accumulation of horses and chariots, see note at 1:16-17.

9:29-31 The Chronicler applies his standard summary of the life and rule of a king to Solomon, just as he had done for David (1Ch 29:26-30). If we compare Solomon’s final notice with David’s, we see that Solomon’s obituary carries neither praise nor condemnation. Even though the Chronicler did not dwell on Solomon’s shortcomings as the writer of 1 Kings did, he was certainly aware of them. He chose to focus on Solomon the temple builder rather than on Solomon the man. The temple that he built was of greater significance than the king himself.