1 Raja-raja 10:1

Solomon Entertains a Queen

10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, ¹  she came to challenge ²  him with difficult questions. ³ 

Ayub 6:19

6:19 The caravans of Tema ⁴  looked intently ⁵  for these streams; ⁶ 

the traveling merchants ⁷  of Sheba hoped for them.

Mazmur 72:10

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ⁸  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ⁹  and Seba ¹⁰  will bring tribute.

Mazmur 72:15

72:15 May he live! ¹¹  May they offer him gold from Sheba! ¹² 

May they continually pray for him!

May they pronounce blessings on him all day long! ¹³ 

Yesaya 60:6

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ¹⁴ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ¹⁵  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ¹⁶ 

Yehezkiel 27:22

27:22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products.

[10:1]  ¹ tn Heb “the report about Solomon.” The Hebrew text also has, “to the name of the Lord,” which fits very awkwardly in the sentence. If retained, perhaps it should be translated, “because of the reputation of the Lord.” The phrase, which is omitted in the parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:1, may be an addition based on the queen’s declaration of praise to the Lord in v. 9.

[10:1]  ² tn Or “test.”

[10:1]  ³ tn Or “riddles.”

[6:19]  ⁴ sn Tema is the area of the oasis SE of the head of the Gulf of Aqaba; Sheba is in South Arabia. In Job 1:15 the Sabeans were raiders; here they are traveling merchants.

[6:19]  ⁵ tn The verb נָבַט (navat) means “to gaze intently”; the looking is more intentional, more of a close scrutiny. It forms a fine parallel to the idea of “hope” in the second part. The NIV translates the second verb קִוּוּ (qivvu) as “look in hope.” In the previous verbs the imperfect form was used, expressing what generally happens (so the English present tense was used). Here the verb usage changes to the perfect form. It seems that Job is narrating a typical incident now – they looked, but were disappointed.

[6:19]  ⁶ tn The words “for these streams” are supplied from context to complete the thought and make the connection with the preceding context.

[6:19]  ⁷ tn In Ps 68:24 this word has the meaning of “processions”; here that procession is of traveling merchants forming convoys or caravans.

[72:10]  ⁸ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ⁹ sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ¹⁰ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[72:15]  ¹¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yÿkhiy hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).

[72:15]  ¹² tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.

[72:15]  ¹³ tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.

[60:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”