1 Kings 10:1

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Now the queen of Sheba, hearing great things of Solomon, came to put his wisdom to the test with hard questions.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וּמַֽלְכַּת־שְׁבָ֗א שֹׁמַ֛עַת אֶת־שֵׁ֥מַע שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לְשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה וַתָּבֹ֥א לְנַסֹּת֖וֹ בְּחִידֽוֹת׃

Transliteration

And malkat-Sheba shomaʿat [was hearing] et-shemaʿ Shelomoh for shem YHWH; wa-tabo to nasoto with ḥidot.

Grammar Details

• *malkat*: construct state, feminine, singular - queen of
• *Sheba*: proper noun - Sheba
• *shomaʿat*: Qal participle, feminine, singular - hearing/having heard
• *et*: direct object marker
• *shemaʿ*: noun, masculine, singular construct - report/fame of
• *Shelomoh*: proper noun - Solomon
• *shem*: noun, masculine, singular construct - name/reputation of
• *YHWH*: proper noun - the LORD/Yahweh
• *wa-tabo*: Qal imperfect with waw consecutive, 3rd person feminine singular - and she came
• *nasoto*: Piel infinitive construct with 3rd masculine singular suffix - to test him
• *ḥidot*: noun, feminine plural - riddles/difficult questions

Word Meanings

• *shomaʿat*: hearing/having heard/was informed about
• *shemaʿ*: report/fame/reputation
• *shem*: name/reputation/renown
• *nasoto*: to test him/to prove him/to examine him

Referenced Verses

• Matt 12:42 : 42 The queen of the South will come up in the day of judging and give her decision against this generation: for she came from the ends of the earth to give ear to the wisdom of Solomon; and now a greater than Solomon is here.
• Luke 11:31 : 31 The queen of the South will come up on the day of judging and give her decision against the men of this generation: for she came from the ends of the earth to give ear to the wisdom of Solomon; and now something greater than Solomon is here.
• Gen 10:7 : 7 And the sons of Cush: Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
• Gen 10:28 : 28 And Obal and Abimael and Sheba
• Ps 72:10 : 10 Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands come back with offerings; let the kings of Sheba and Seba give of their stores.
• Ps 72:15 : 15 May he have long life, and may gold from Sheba be given to him: may prayers be made for him at all times; may blessings be on him every day.
• Judg 14:12-14 : 12 And Samson said, Now I have a hard question for you: if you are able to give me the answer before the seven days of the feast are over, I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing; 13 But if you are not able to give me the answer, then you will have to give me thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing. And they said to him, Put your hard question and let us see what it is. 14 And he said, Out of the taker of food came food, and out of the strong came the sweet. And at the end of three days they were still not able to give the answer.
• Isa 60:6 : 6 You will be full of camel-trains, even the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba will come, with gold and spices, giving word of the great acts of the Lord.
• Jer 6:20 : 20 To what purpose does sweet perfume come to me from Sheba, and spices from a far country? your burned offerings give me no pleasure, your offerings of beasts are not pleasing to me.
• Ezek 27:22-23 : 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah did trade with you; they gave the best of all sorts of spices and all sorts of stones of great price and gold for your goods. 23 Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traders of Asshur and all the Medes:
• Ezek 38:13 : 13 Sheba, and Dedan and her traders, Tarshish with all her traders, will say to you, Have you come to take our goods? have you got your armies together to take away our property by force? to take away silver and gold, cattle and goods, to go off with great wealth?
• 2 Chr 9:1-9 : 1 Now the queen of Sheba, hearing great things of Solomon, came to Jerusalem to put his wisdom to the test with hard questions; and with her came a very great train, and camels weighted down with spices, and great stores of gold and jewels: and when she came to Solomon she had talk with him of everything in her mind. 2 And Solomon gave her answers to all her questions; there was no secret which he did not make clear to her. 3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had made, 4 And the food at his table, and all his servants seated there, and those who were waiting on him in their places, and their robes, and his wine-servants and their robes, and the burned offerings which he made in the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. 5 And she said to the king, The account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true. 6 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. 7 Happy are your wives and happy these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom. 8 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 them strong for ever, he made you king over them, to be their judge in righteousness. 9 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a great store of spices and jewels: never had such spices been seen as the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon. 10 And the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, in addition to gold from Ophir, came back with sandal-wood and jewels. 11 And with the sandal-wood the king made steps for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, and instruments of music for the makers of melody; never before had such been seen in the land of Judah. 12 And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she made request for, in addition to what she had taken to the king. So she went back to her country with her servants.
• Ps 49:4 : 4 I will put my teaching into a story; I will make my dark sayings clear with music.
• Job 6:19 : 19 The camel-trains of Tema were searching with care, the bands of Sheba were waiting for them:
• Job 28:28 : 28 And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.
• John 17:3 : 3 And this is eternal life: to have knowledge of you, the only true God, and of him whom you have sent, even Jesus Christ.
• 1 Cor 1:20-21 : 20 Where is the wise? where is he who has knowledge of the law? where is the man of this world who has a love of discussion? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For because, by the purpose of God, the world, with all its wisdom, had not the knowledge of God, it was God's pleasure, by so foolish a thing as preaching, to give salvation to those who had faith in him.
• Matt 13:11 : 11 And he said to them in answer, To you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
• Matt 13:35 : 35 That it might come true which was said by the prophet, Opening my mouth, I will give out stories; I will give knowledge of things kept secret from before all time.
• Mark 4:34 : 34 And without a story he said nothing to them: but privately to his disciples he made all things clear.
• 1 Kgs 4:31 : 31 For he was wiser than all men, even than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman and Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and he had a great name among all the nations round about.
• 1 Kgs 4:34 : 34 People came from every nation to give ear to the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had word of his wisdom.
• Gen 25:3 : 3 And Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. And from Dedan came the Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim.
• Prov 1:5-6 : 5 (The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided:) 6 To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
• Prov 2:3-6 : 3 Truly, if you are crying out for good sense, and your request is for knowledge; 4 If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth; 5 Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth come knowledge and reason: