The Queen of Sheba: Her Story and Her Connection with Solomon

The Queen of Sheba, also known as the Queen of the South, is a biblical figure mentioned both in the Old and New Testaments. She is remembered in the story for her search for wisdom regarding the name of the Lord, during the memorable visit she made to King Solomon, son of David.

The Bible does not mention the name of the Queen of Sheba. It simply recounts that she traveled from her distant kingdom, located in Africa, probably where present-day Ethiopia or Yemen is, to learn about the wisdom of the kingdom of Israel, in Jerusalem.

The Queen of Sheba traveled many miles with a great entourage and brought valuable gifts such as gold, spices, and precious stones. Her goal was to test Solomon's wisdom with difficult questions.

King Solomon answered all the questions with great wisdom, leaving the Queen of Sheba very impressed. She was astonished, both by his answers and by the splendor of his palace and the organization of his kingdom.

The story ends with the Queen of Sheba recognizing that Solomon's wisdom and prosperity far exceeded anything she had heard. She praised the God of Israel for His eternal love for His people and for choosing Solomon as king. After exchanging gifts, the queen returned to her country.

In the New Testament, Jesus bears witness to the Queen of Sheba, contrasting her with that generation of Israelites who despised Him. Jesus said that the Queen of Sheba would rise up on the day of judgment against the unbelievers because of their unbelief and lack of repentance.

Jesus also reminded them that the Queen of the South came from afar to personally learn of Solomon's wisdom. Yet, these people were standing before the Messiah and still unable to believe in His Word.

Main Characteristics of the Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba was an impressive woman: bold, courageous, with a critical spirit, and full of valor. Other characteristics that we can highlight about her include the following:

• Wise Woman: The queen proposed difficult riddles to test King Solomon. Indeed, she had a high level of intelligence, reasoning, and general knowledge, to the point of demonstrating, through challenging questions (philosophical, logical, and primarily theological), the wisdom of the Jewish king.

• Powerful Queen: She was a wealthy and influential ruler of a very prosperous kingdom. This is clear from the account when we see the number of gifts that she and her entourage brought to the king of Israel.

• Curiosity: Although we don’t know for certain where Sheba was located, it is almost certain that she traveled many miles from her country (in Africa) to Jerusalem. She did this motivated by her curiosity and sense of inquiry. The Queen of Sheba had a special interest in learning about the God of Israel.

• Great Generosity: The queen brought valuable gifts such as gold, spices, and precious stones from afar to present them to King Solomon. In the end, her diplomatic visit also resulted in a generous exchange of gifts between both parties.

• Seeker of Truth: Jesus praised her in the New Testament (Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31) for her attitude and determination in seeking the truth and the wisdom of God.

Did the Queen of Sheba marry Solomon?

There is nothing in the biblical account that suggests the Queen of Sheba married Solomon. The biblical story tells us that, at the end of her visit, the Queen of Sheba returned to her country and kingdom, making it clear that Solomon did not marry her, as he did with hundreds of other women.

Another important observation is that the Scriptures highlight this significant queen for her quest for knowledge. They do not describe the Queen of Sheba as one of the many princesses who had romantic relationships with King Solomon (and who corrupted his heart).

Instead, the account presents a wise and inquisitive queen, focused on discovering whether what she had heard about the wisdom of the King of Israel regarding the name of the Lord was truly the truth. There is no evidence of hidden motives.

Read the Story of King Solomon.

What We Learn from the Story of the Queen of Sheba

The story of the Queen of Sheba offers deep lessons, and here are some of them:

• Only God is the source of true wisdom: The Queen of Sheba was an intelligent and wise woman, but she herself testified to how amazed she was by the enlightenment she received through Solomon. God had endowed Solomon with great wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34).

• Personal desire to know God and His wisdom: The Queen of Sheba was determined to gain knowledge of God through the wise King Solomon. Her genuine interest led her to transcend the boundaries of distance and culture to achieve what she sought.

• Be discerning in the search for truth: The Queen was critical in her investigation. She reflected on what she had heard and then sought answers. Determined, she carefully analyzed and was amazed by what she heard and saw with her own eyes. We must reason about what we hear and question those who claim to be wise, so we are not deceived by false teachings.

• Diligence in seeking true knowledge brings good results: The Queen was resilient in her pursuit of wisdom. She had surely already heard from several wise people in her kingdom, but she was not satisfied. She reached true knowledge when she sought the right source.

• The importance of generosity and humility in the pursuit of divine wisdom: The Queen of Sheba valued understanding and wisdom, which is why she was generous in returning what she received. But Solomon, as a representative of the God of Israel, surpassed her in everything she heard and even in the gifts he gave. She received much more.

• A good testimony can impact generations: She recognized and testified to the wonders she saw and heard in Solomon's kingdom. Jesus Himself spoke of the Queen of Sheba as someone who knew divine wisdom (Matthew 12:42).

• A woman who made a difference in history: Although many kings visited Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had given him (2 Chronicles 9:23), the visit of the Queen of Sheba is especially detailed in the Bible. Perhaps because she turned to God and found the source of wisdom and understanding that she had sought miles away from her homeland.

To learn more about the Queen of Sheba, read the full passages that mention her in 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9, as well as the references to her made by Jesus in Matthew 12 and Luke 11.

Learn more about women mentioned in the Bible:

• The Story of Ruth in the Bible (The Faithful Foreigner)
• The Story of Esther in the Bible (And What We Can Learn)
• 13 Great Women In the Bible And What They Inspire Us To Be and Do
• 20 Inspirational And Encouraging Bible Verses For Strong Women