Queen of Sheba: Pursuing Wisdom for Its Own Sake

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The Queen of Sheba, mentioned at the beginning of Melachim¹ and again in Divrei Hayamim², is a historical figure who has been made the center of multiple mythical tales. In Ethiopian tradition, she is known as Makeda; in the Koran, she is referred to as Bilqis. Each tradition assigns her a unique set of characteristics and furnishings, but the basic story remains roughly consistent. Let us explore the Jewish tradition of this fascinating woman.

In Pursuit of Wisdom

The Queen of Sheba was a wise woman and seeker. The Metzudat David says she wanted to test Shlomo’s renowned genius to see whether it was just folklore or something truly extraordinary and divinely gifted. She came to him bearing gifts: camels loaded with spices, gold and precious jewels.

The Queen tested Shlomo with “all that she had in mind”. The Midrash³ recounts some of their conversation.

She asked, “Are you Shlomo, about whom I have heard, about your kingdom and your wisdom?”. Shlomo said he was. She said, “You are incredibly wise. If I ask you questions, will you answer me?” Shlomo replied that all wisdom is from Hashem.

She asked, “What are the seven that go out, the nine that enter, the two that pour, and the one who drinks?” Shlomo replied, “These are the seven days of menstruation, the nine months of pregnancy, the two breasts and the child that suckles.”

The Queen posed her next riddle. “A woman said to her son: your father – my father, your elder – my husband, you – my son, and I – your sister.” Shlomo said, “These are the daughters of Lot.”

She brought before him young children dressed alike in long robes, and asked him to identify the males from the females. Shlomo had his servants scatter nuts and seeds on the ground. The boys scampered to collect the treats into their dresses, while the girls used their handkerchiefs to hold their bounty. Shlomo said, “These are the males and these are the females.”

The Queen was blown away by Shlomo’s wisdom and his ability to answer all of her questions.

Prominence and Power

Shlomo’s wisdom was not hypothetical knowledge. He applied it to create a kingdom that ran smoothly, fairly, and with true glory. The pasuk recounts: When the Queen of Sheba observed all of Solomon’s wisdom, and the palace he had built, the fare of his table, the seating of his courtiers, the service and attire of his attendants, and his wine service, and the burnt offerings that he offered at the House of GOD, she was left breathless. How fortunate are your people and how fortunate are your courtiers, who are always in attendance with you and can hear your wisdom!”

The Queen of Sheba’s story, while wildly disagreed upon, remains an important tale, mentioned twice in Tanach and countless times in later writings. Whichever version actually occurred, her story can teach us a lot about the power of pursuing wisdom, not just as an academic quality but applied in the service of Hashem, and how ultimate wisdom is all Torah-true.

According to Ralbag, the Queen’s objective in visiting Shlomo was to see the attitude he took with his wisdom. She wanted to see if he attributed his wisdom to Hashem, if he recognized the gifts he had and used them nobly for his kingdom, or whether he was corrupted and power-hungry. From her response, it is easy to tell she was duly impressed. Shlomo was a man of wisdom, but also a man with yirat shamayim, and that was the true mark of genius.

Disputes

There are, of course, disputes over who the Queen of Sheba was to begin with. According to the Gemara⁴, she was not an actual woman, only the figurative name for a kingdom. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: Anyone who says that the Queen of Sheba who came to visit King Shlomo was a woman is nothing other than mistaken. What is the meaning of Malchat Sheba? The kingdom of Sheba, Malkut Sheba…

But the Zohar mentions their interaction as legitimate, citing another question the Queen asked, based on kabbalistic materials. We have found in the Book of Asmodai which he gave to King Shlmo, that anyone who desires to make powerful enchantments, if he knows the rock where Balaam fell, will find there snakes formed from the bones of that wicked one, and if he kills one he can make certain enchantments with its head and others with its body, and others again with its tail, there being three kinds in each one. One of the questions which the Queen of Sheba asked Solomon was how to take hold of the bone of the serpent of three enchantments⁵.

The Kuzari, too, seems to believe the interaction actually occurred. Speaking of Shlomo’s wisdom: The wisdom he displayed in his intercourse with the Queen of Sheba and elsewhere is not mentioned, because it was not the author’s intention to relate anything… The Kuzari, among other early commentators, cites a Midrash that we no longer have. The story there is that the Queen of Sheba, smitten by Shlomo’s brilliance and leadership, converted and married him. Her conversion was insincere though, and she returned home to Sheba, already pregnant.

According to this tradition, the child she bore either was Nevuchadnezzar, or was his grandfather. According to Josephus, as well as Ethiopian legend, the Queen of Sheba indeed fathered a child from Shlomo, who was the ancestor to powerful kings.

There is more legitimacy to the story of her conversion granted in Shemot Rabbah 27:4, where the Queen of Sheba is likened to Yitro and Rachav, who came to believe in Hashem through His miracles and through the greatness of His people.

Taste of Truth