Kommentar zu Divrej Hajamim II 9:35

to test Solomon whether that which she had heard about his wisdom was true, and she came to test him.

with riddles - Heb. בְחִידוֹת like (Jud. 14:12): “Let me ask you a riddle (אָחוּדָה נָא לָכֶם חִידָה),” [in the story] of Samson.

and nothing was hidden Since she saw that he told her everything, and nothing that she asked him was hidden, she admitted that the report she had heard was true. In the Targum (Sheni) of Megillath Esther (1:2), some of the riddles that she asked him are written.

And the food of his table fowl (I Kings 5:3) and kinds of delicacies that were served on his table in abundance.

and the seating of his servants That each one recognized his place when they were seated at the table, and of those who constantly saw the king’s face, no one was allowed to sit in his neighbor’s place all the days of his life.

and the station of his attendants Each one would retain his station and his position, and he would not change it the next day.

and their attire The attire that they would wear tomorrow was not the same as, the attire that they wore today.

and his cupbearers most of his cupbearers.

and his ascent the stairway by which he ascended from his palace to the Temple.

and she was breathless because she thought that there was no wisdom in any of the kingdoms but in her own country and like that of her wise men, because her country was in the east; they were wise because they were stargazers, as is stated in the first chapter of Tractate Rosh Hashanah, for Eretz Israel is west of Babylon, and that is what is written (I Kings 5:10): “And Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the children of the east,” for they were in the east, as it is written (Gen. 11: 2): “And it came to pass as they migrated from the east.” (I Kings 5:10) “And all the wisdom of Egypt,” for they were sorcerers, necromancers, and astrologers, and he was wise in divination (טַיִיר). So it is written in Pesikta (d’Rav Kahana p. 33b). The word (טַיִיר) is Arabic, and in Leviticus Rabbah (32:2), in the chapter dealing with the son of the Egyptian (24:10): (Eccl. 10:20): “for a bird of the air shall carry the voice.” This is the raven and refers to the art of bird divination (טוּיאַרִי).

half of your abundant [wisdom] The many wisdoms.

algom wood In Pesikta it is explained: One verse (I Kings 10:11) says אַלְמֻגִּים, and one verse says אַלְגּוּמִּים. The truth is that its name is אַלְגּוּמִּים, but it is called אַלְמֻגִּים because it melted and bent because of its softness, (like cups, which bend because of their value.)

a path מְסִלּוֹת, stairs. In I Kings (10:12) it is written מִסְעָד, [a support] after the manner that they make for those who ascend by way of elevated places and stairs. Some say that מִסְעָד and מְסִילָה are one and the same.

and harps and psalteries for the singers Some say (Jonathan and Rashi to Kings) for the Levites who sing with musical instruments, and Rabbi Eliezer explained it to mean: for the singers who stroll before the king. A similar case is (I Kings 5:12): “and his songs were a thousand and five.” These were secular songs that he composed to sing before him, and that is what is meant (below 35:25): “And Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and all the male singers and the female singers recited in their lamentations, etc.”

aside from that which she brought This is written here in deference to the honor of the kings of Judah; it means that she gave him more than he gave her, and in I Kings (10:13) it is written: “aside from that which he gave her according to King [Solomon’s] ability.” [He gave her] things that were common in the land of Israel, but were not common in her country.

Aside from that which the guides - Heb. הַתָּרִים. They were afraid to pass from province to province or from kingdom to kingdom without a guide, and they would give him the guide’s fee.

and the merchants would bring They would bring him [gold] on a pretext in order to see his wisdom.

two hundred shields צִנָּה which encompasses the person from his three sides, as is written (Ps. 5: 13): “As a shield You encompass him with favor” (כַּצִּנָּה).

malleable gold gold that is soft and easily flattened out. It had great value because it could be spun like a thread.

six hundred gold pieces Six hundred zehubim, the equivalent of six manehs, for the zahab is the dinar.

the forest of Lebanon Solomon built a huge house in Jerusalem, as is proven further, and Shishak took all those shields (below 12:9), and he made them (sic) from an abundance of the large trees of Lebanon, as it is written in I Kings (7:2): “And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon, etc. on four rows, etc.,” and there he deposited those shields, and that is what is written (Isa. 22:8): “and you looked on that day to the weapons of the house of the forest.”

ivory throne the ivory of elephants.

And there were six steps to the throne steps by which to ascend.

with armrests on either side by the place of the seat like rods from corner to corner, from the right and from the left, upon which to support his arms.

and two lions were standing beside the armrests [The lions were made] of gold, and the entire form of the throne and the forms of the beasts that were in the throne are depicted in the Targum of the Scroll of Esther (1:2).

ivory the tusks of elephants and the elephants themselves.

and apes In German, meerkats, long- tailed monkeys.

and peacocks - Heb. וְתוּכִּיִּים.

Now King Solomon transcended, etc. To fulfill that which He said to him, (I Kings 3:13): “And I have also given you that which you have not asked, etc. and honor.”

And all the kings of the earth, etc. To fulfill that which He said to him, (ibid. verse 12): “Behold I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you.”

And each one would bring his gift as a pretext because they were [really] coming to hear [his wisdom], since it is disrespectful to come before a king empty-handed, similar to (Deut. 16:16): “and he shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.”

weapons - Heb. נֶשֶׁק.

and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. some of them. He transgressed [the negative commandment of] (Deut. 17:17): “Only he shall not multiply horses to himself.”

in the words of Nathan the prophet (II Sam. 12:25): “And He sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah for the Lord’s sake.”

and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (I Kings 11:31) who rent the kingdom from him and gave it to Jeroboam.

over all Israel forty years unlike David, who reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.