“And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.” – thus begins the story of the Queen of Sheba found in the pages of the Holy Bible. Scripture does not mention much more of the Queen other than what has been stated above. However there is an extra-biblical account of the story of the Queen of Sheba that goes into much detail. That book is know to the Ethiopians as the Kebra Nagast, which is interpreted as – The Glory of Kings. The Christians of Ethiopia hold this book sacred and base their lineage from the union of Solomon and Sheba as found in its pages. Though the Ethiopian Orthodox Church holds this story as a part of Her history many are skeptical as to its authenticity. One Ethiopian scholar has stated that he would not say that the story is false or that the story is true, but believes that we should all enjoy this rich culture that has come down to us through the traditions found in the Bible, in history and in legend. So, let us now embark on a journey back to the ancient past, to antiquity and discover great secrets as we slowly unravel the mysteries found in these wonderful stories!
It is believed that the Queen of Sheba (Makeda) lived in the 10th century B.C. and was from the country of Ethiopia or possibly Yemen. Some sources would point to her ruling both countries, since they are close geographically and also due to archaeological discoveries in the Yemen that suggest a royal presence in the region dating back to ancient times. The Queen is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament her story is found in I Kings chapter 10, and II Chronicles chapter 9. In the New Testament Christ Himself refers to her as the Queen of the South in Matthew 12:42 and again in Luke 11:31. In the 27th chapter of the Qur’an, a history of King Solomon is given and speaks of the land of Saba that is ruled by a woman, most likely the Queen of Sheba. Going further chapter 34 of the Qur’an is called Al-Saba’ – a reference Yemen, where the Queen may have reined. Finally the most detailed account of The Queen of Sheba is found in the Ethiopian holy book the Kebra Nagast. Though the Kebra Nagast gives an account of the events from Antiquity, it was written over 2,000 years later in the 14th– century A.D.
From the text of the Kebra Negast, Queen Makeda went to visit King Solomon in order to test his wisdom and to see for herself the riches and magnificence of his kingdom. She came with many gifts for Solomon along with a great company of camels and servants. When the Queen finally arrived in Jerusalem she was dumbstruck by the wisdom of Solomon. After spending much time in ancient Israel and conversing with the king, Queen Makeda not only knew for herself that the reports about Solomon were true, but was convinced that he was even wiser than what she had been told.
Now Solomon was a lover of women and he desired the Queen. However she was a virgin and it was not her intention to give herself to him. So Solomon devised a plan. On the last night of the Queen’s visit, King Solomon told her that he would not take anything from her if she would not take anything from him. The Queen laughed that Solomon in all his riches would say such a thing and so promised him. When the evening meal was brought Solomon instructed his servants to give Makeda food seasoned with pepper and to lace her drink with vinegar in order to make her thirsty. After dinner the King went to sleep on one side of his chamber and the Queen on the other side. But before they went to sleep the king had a bowl of water placed between them.
That night the Queen awoke with a great thirst due to the spice and vinegar that the king had secretly put in her food. So she looked at the bowl of water and desired so much to quench her thirst. Looking at Solomon she thought he was asleep, however he was only pretending and was watching her closely. As the Queen raised the bowl to take a drink, the king took hold of her and said, “since you have broken your oath now I am relived of my oath.” The Queen protested and argued that it was just water. The king replied saying, “what on earth is more precious than water?” So the Queen said, “be free from your oath but let me drink water.” So Solomon permitted her to drink water, and after the Queen had drunk the water he worked his will with her and they slept together.
Thus is the legend of Solomon and Sheba. It is more than possible that several liberties were taken in its creation. However, it is an interesting peace of ancient literature that deserves to be studied – if not for historical or Biblical research, then most definitely for its cultural development. What has been left out of this study on the Kebra Nagast is the tale of the son that would be born from the relationship between Solomon and Sheba and how the worship of the One True God would be brought back to Ethiopia on the Queen’s return from Jerusalem…but that is another story.
References:
Archbishop Yesehaq. The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church. (Nashville, Tennessee: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).
Brooks, M.F. Kebra Nagast. (Kingston, Jamaica: LMH Publishing Limited, 2001).
Cambridge University Press. The Apocrypha, Authorized King James Version. (Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1992).
Maulana Muhammad Ali. The Holy Qur’an with English Translation and Commentary.(Dublin, Ohio: Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at Islam Lahore Inc., 2002).
Pankhurst, R. The Ethiopians: A History. (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 1998).
Ullendorff, E. Ethiopia and the Bible. (New York, NY: Oxford Universoty Press Inc., 1968).
Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).