a Jewess. "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions *[1]." Our Saviour, moreover, speaks of her with praise, pointing her out as an example to the Jews †[2]. And, in her thanksgiving before Solomon, she alludes to God's blessing on the seed of Israel for ever ‡[3], which is by no means the language of a Pagan, but of a person skilled in the ancient history of the Jews.
She likewise appears to have been a person of learning,and that sort of learning which was then almost peculiar to Palestine, not to Ethiopia. For we see that one of the reasons of her coming, was to examine whether Solomon was really the learned man he was said to be. She came to try him in allegories, or parables, in which Nathan had instructed Solomon.
The learning of the East, and of the neighbouring kings that corresponded with each other, especially in Palestine and Syria, consisted chiefly in these: "And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the Cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle." — "Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast
- ↑ * 1 Kings, chap. x. ver 1. and 2 Chron. chap. ix. ver. 1.
- ↑ † Matt. chap. xii. ver. 43. and Luke, chap xi. ver. 31.
- ↑ ‡ 1 Kings, chap. x. ver. 9. and 2 Chron. chap. ix. ver 8.
"smitten
- 1 Kings, chap. x. ver 1. and 2 Chron. chap. ix. ver. 1.
† Matt. chap. xii. ver. 43. and Luke, chap xi. ver. 31.
‡ 1 Kings, chap. x. ver. 9. and 2 Chron. chap. ix. ver 8.
