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2. Now Solomon the king
was at this time engaged in building these cities. But if any inquire why all
the kings of Egypt from Menes, who built Memphis, and was many years earlier
than our forefather Abraham, until Solomon, where the interval was more than
one thousand three hundred years, were called Pharaohs, and took it from one
Pharaoh that lived after the kings of that interval, I think it necessary to
inform them of it, and this in order to cure their ignorance, and to make the
occasion of that name manifest. Pharaoh, in the Egyptian tongue, signifies a
king (16) but I suppose they
made use of other names from their childhood; but when they were made kings,
they changed them into the name which in their own tongue denoted their
authority; for thus it was also that the kings of Alexandria, who were called
formerly by other names, when they took the kingdom, were named Ptolemies, from
their first king.
The Roman emperors also were
from their nativity called by other names, but are styled Caesars, their empire
and their dignity imposing that name upon them, and not suffering them to
continue in those names which their fathers gave them. I suppose also that
Herodotus of Halicarnassus, when he said there were three hundred and thirty
kings of Egypt after Menes, who built Memphis, did therefore not tell us their
names, because they were in common called Pharaohs; for when after their death
there was a queen reigned, he calls her by her name Nicaule, as thereby
declaring, that while the kings were of the male line, and so admitted of the
same nature, while a woman did not admit the same, he did therefore set down
that her name, which she could not naturally have. As for myself, I have
discovered from our own books, that after Pharaoh, the father-in-law of
Solomon, no other king of Egypt did any longer use that name; and that it was
after that time when the forenamed queen of Egypt and Ethiopia came to Solomon,
concerning whom we shall inform the reader presently; but I have now made
mention of these things, that I may prove that our books and those of the
Egyptians agree together in many things.
3. But king Solomon
subdued to himself the remnant of the Canaanites that had not before submitted
to him; those I mean that dwelt in Mount Lebanon, and as far as the city
Hamath; and ordered them to pay tribute. He also chose out of them every year
such as were to serve him in the meanest offices, and to do his domestic works,
and to follow husbandry; for none of the Hebrews were servants [in such low
employments]: nor was it reasonable, that when God had brought so many nations
under their power, they should depress their own people to such mean offices of
life, rather than those nations; while all the Israelites were concerned in
warlike affairs, and were in armor; and were set over the chariots and the
horses, rather than leading the life of slaves. He appointed also five hundred
and fifty rulers over those Canaanites who were reduced to such domestic
slavery, who received the entire care of them from the king, and instructed
them in those labors and operations wherein he wanted their assistance.
4. Moreover, the king
built many ships in the Egyptian Bay of the Red Sea, in a certain place called
Ezion-geber: it is now called Berenice, and is not far from the city Eloth.
This country belonged formerly to the Jews, and became useful for shipping from
the donations of Hiram king of Tyre; for he sent a sufficient number of men
thither for pilots, and such as were skillful in navigation, to whom Solomon
gave this command: That they should go along with his own stewards to the land
that was of old called Ophir, but now the Aurea Chersonesus, which belongs to
India, to fetch him gold. And when they had gathered four hundred talents
together, they returned to the king again.
5. There was then a
woman queen of Egypt and Ethiopia; (17) she was inquisitive into philosophy, and one that on
other accounts also was to be admired. When this queen heard of the virtue and
prudence of Solomon, she had a great mind to see him; and the reports that went
every day abroad induced her to come to him, she being desirous to be satisfied
by her own experience, and not by a bare hearing; (for reports thus heard are
likely enough to comply with a false opinion, while they wholly depend on the
credit of the relators;) so she resolved to come to him, and that especially in
order to have a trial of his wisdom, while she proposed questions of very great
difficulty, and entreated that he would solve their hidden meaning. Accordingly
she came to Jerusalem with great splendor and rich furniture; for she brought
with her camels laden with gold, with several sorts of sweet spices, and with
precious stones.
Now, upon the king's kind
reception of her, he both showed a great desire to please her, and easily
comprehending in his mind the meaning of the curious questions she propounded
to him, he resolved them sooner than any body could have expected. So she was
amazed at the wisdom of Solomon, and discovered that it was more excellent upon
trial than what she had heard by report beforehand; and especially she was
surprised at the fineness and largeness of his royal palace, and not less so at
the good order of the apartments, for she observed that the king had therein
shown great wisdom; but she was beyond measure astonished at the house which
was called the Forest of Lebanon, as also at the magnificence of his
daily table, and the circumstances of its preparation and ministration, with
the apparel of his servants that waited, and the skillful and decent management
of their attendance: nor was she less affected with those daily sacrifices
which were offered to God, and the careful management which the priests and
Levites used about them. When she saw this done every day, she was in the
greatest admiration imaginable, insomuch that she was not able to contain the
surprise she was in, but openly confessed how wonderfully she was affected; for
she proceeded to discourse with the king, and thereby owned that she was
overcome with admiration at the things before related; and said,
"All things indeed, O
king, that came to our knowledge by report, came with uncertainty as to our
belief of them; but as to those good things that to thee appertain, both such
as thou thyself possessest, I mean wisdom and prudence, and the happiness thou
hast from thy kingdom, certainly the same that came to us was no falsity; it
was not only a true report, but it related thy happiness after a much lower
manner than I now see it to be before my eyes. For as for the report, it only
attempted to persuade our hearing, but did not so make known the dignity of the
things themselves as does the sight of them, and being present among them. I
indeed, who did not believe what was reported, by reason of the multitude and
grandeur of the things I inquired about, do see them to be much more numerous
than they were reported to be. Accordingly I esteem the Hebrew people, as well
as thy servants and friends, to be happy, who enjoy thy presence and hear thy
wisdom every day continually. One would therefore bless God, who hath so loved
this country, and those that inhabit therein, as to make thee king over
them."
6. Now when the queen
had thus demonstrated in words how deeply the king had affected her, her
disposition was known by certain presents, for she gave him twenty talents of
gold, and an immense quantity of spices and precious stones. (They say also
that we possess the root of that balsam which our country still bears by this
woman's gift.) (18) Solomon also
repaid her with many good things, and principally by bestowing upon her what
she chose of her own inclination, for there was nothing that she desired which
he denied her; and as he was very generous and liberal in his own temper, so
did he show the greatness of his soul in bestowing on her what she herself
desired of him. So when this queen of Ethiopia had obtained what we have
already given an account of, and had again communicated to the king what she
brought with her, she returned to her own kingdom.
Footnotes
(16) This signification of the name Pharaoh appears to be
true. But what Josephus adds presently, that no king of Egypt was called
Pharaoh after Solomon's father-in-law, does hardly agree to our copies, which
have long afterwards the names of Pharaoh Neehob, and Pharaoh Hophrah, 2 Kings
23:29; Jeremiah 44:30, besides the frequent mention of that name Pharaoh in the
prophets. However, Josephus himself, in his own speech to the Jews, Of the
War, B. V. Ch. 9. Sect. 4, speaks of Neehao, who was also called
Pharaoh, as the name of that king of Egypt with whom Abraham was concerned; of
which name Neehao yet we have elsewhere no mention till the days of Josiah, but
only of Pharaoh. And, indeed, it must be conceded, that here, and Sect. 5, we
have more mistakes made by Josephus, and those relating to the kings of Egypt,
and to that queen of Egypt and Ethiopia, whom he supposes to have come to see
Solomon, than almost any where else in all his Antiquities.
(17) That this queen of Sheba was a queen of Sabea in South
Arabia, and not of Egypt and Ethiopia, as Josephus here asserts, is, I suppose,
now generally agreed. And since Sabea is well known to be a country near the
sea in the south of Arabia Felix, which lay south from Judea also; and since
our Savior calls this queen, "the queen of the south," and says, "she
came from the utmost parts of the earth," Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31, which
descriptions agree better to this Arabia than to Egypt and Ethiopia; there is
little occasion for doubting in this matter.
(18) Some blame Josephus for supposing that the balsam tree
might be first brought out of Arabia, or Egypt, or Ethiopia, into Judea, by
this queen of Sheba, since several have said that of old no country bore this
precious balsam but Judea; yet it is not only false that this balsam was
peculiar to Judea but both Egypt and Arabia, and particularly Sabea; had it;
which last was that very country whence Josephus, if understood not of
Ethiopia, but of Arabia, intimates this queen might bring it first into Judea.
Nor are we to suppose that the queen of Sabaea could well omit such a present
as this balsam tree would be esteemed by Solomon, in case it were then almost
peculiar to her own country. Nor is the mention of balm or balsam, as carried
by merchants, and sent as a present out of Judea by Jacob, to the governor of
Egypt, Genesis 37:25; 43:11, to be alleged to the contrary, since what we there
render balm or balsam, denotes rather that turpentine which we
now call turpentine of Chio, or Cyprus, the juice of the
turpentine tree, than this precious balm. This last is also the same word that
we elsewhere render by the same mistake balm of Gilead; it should be
rendered, the turpentine of Gilead, Jeremiah 8:22.
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