The 'Queen of Sheba', (
Hebrew 'מלכת שבא' '',
Arabic 'ملكة سبأ' '',
Ge'ez: ንግሥተ ሳባ ''Nigista Saba''), referred to in the Hebrew scriputures (Old Testament),
Bible books of 1
Kings and 2
Chronicles, the
New Testament, the
Qur'an, and
Ethiopian history, was the ruler of
Sheba, an ancient kingdom mentioned in the Jewish scriptures (
Old Testament). The actual location of the historical kingdom is disputed between Ethiopia and Yemen.
Known to the Ethiopian people as 'Makeda' (
Ge'ez: ማክዳ ''mākidā''), she has been called a variety of names by different peoples in different times. In Islamic tradition she was Bilqis. To
King Solomon of
Israel she was the
Queen of Sheba. She supposedly lived in the
10th century BC.
In the Old Testament genealogy of the nations (Genesis 10:7),
Sheba, along with
Dedan, is listed as one of the descendants of
Noah's son
Ham (as son of Raamah, son of
Cush, son of
Ham).
The name
Cush given this civilization comes from the
Old Testament where
Cush was one of the sons of
Ham who settled in
Africa after leaving the Ark when waters of
The Great Flood receded. In the
Bible and archaically, a large region covering present-day
Ethiopia,
Yemen,
Saudi Arabia,
Eritrea, and
Somalia were known as Cush.
Biblical Hebrew account
The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba
According to the Hebrew
Bible, the unnamed queen of the land of Sheba heard of the great wisdom of King
Solomon of
Israel and journeyed there with gifts of spices, gold, precious stones and beautiful wood to test him with questions, as recorded in First
Kings 10:1-13 (largely copied in 2
Chronicles 9:1-12). The queen was awed by Solomon's wisdom and wealth, and pronounced a blessing on Solomon's God. Solomon reciprocated with gifts and "everything she desired," whereupon the queen returned to her country. The queen was apparently quite rich herself, as she brought 4.5 tons of gold with her to give to Solomon (1 Kings 10:10).
The
Song of Solomon/Song of Songs contains some references which have been at various times interpreted as referring to love between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Thus, the female lover at 1:5 declares "I am black but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,
As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon, Look not upon me because I am black
Because the sun hath scorched me." However, the young woman continued to deny the romantic advances of King Solomon, instead professing her unwavering love for an unnamed young man, who himself expressed his love for her. The
Song of Solomon/Song of Songs(Hebrew title שיר השירים, Shir ha-Shirim) is a book of the Hebrew Bible—Tanakh or Old Testament—one of the five megillot (scrolls) traditionally read at the biblical Jewish festivals.
Modern African account
Sheba is alleged to be one of two African queens mentioned in the Bible, the second being
Kandake in the
Book of Acts.
Josephus refers to Sheba as "Queen of
Ethiopia and
Sheba". Both early church fathers
Origen and
Jerome considered her a queen of Black African nationality.
Indeed, according to
Strabo, in the second century BC Ethiopians lived along both the
Eastern African and Arabian coastlines.
Homer [Surely Herodotus?] further has this to say: "The Ethiopians that border Egypt are themselves, also, divided into two groups; for some of them live in
Asia and others in
Libya (Africa) though they differ in no respect from each other". There is no doubt that many peoples crossed the narrows of the Red Sea in both directions from an early date, and even in historical times, Ethiopian kings have held dominance over parts of southern Arabia, e.g., in the 6th century AD.
Qur'anic account
Main articles: Islamic view of the Queen of Sheba
The Qur'an never mentions the Queen of Sheba by name, though
Arab sources name her ''Balqis''. The story is similar to the one in the Bible. The Qur'anic narrative has Solomon getting reports of a kingdom ruled by a queen whose people
worship the sun. He sends a letter inviting her to come to him in submission to
Allah, the Lord of the
Alamin. She replies with a gift after consulting her people. He replies threatening an invasion. Then one of the servants of Solomon (who had the knowledge of the "Book") proposes to
bring him the throne of Sheba 'in the twinkling of an eye' (27:40). The queen arrives at his court, is shown her throne, and when she enters his crystal palace she accepts
Abrahamic
monotheism and the worship of
God alone.
(See also
Similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an.)
Modern Arab view
Some modern Arab academics have placed the Queen of Sheba not in Yemen, as older Arab sources did, but rather as a ruler of a trading colony in Northwest
Arabia, established by South Arabian kingdoms . Modern archeological finds do indeed confirm the fact that such colonies existed, with south Arabian script and artifacts, although nothing specific to Belqees has been uncovered.
Ethiopian and Eritrean account
The imperial family of
Ethiopia claims its origin directly from the offspring of
King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (
Ge`ez: ንግሥተ ሣብአ ''nigiśta Śab'a'' , who is named 'Makeda' (Ge`ez: ማክዳ) in the Ethiopian account. The etymology of her name is uncertain, but there are two principal opinions about its source. One group, which includes the British scholar
Edward Ullendorff, holds that it is a corruption of "Candace", the Ethiopian queen mentioned in the New Testament
Acts; the other group connects the name with Macedonia, and relates this story to the Ethiopian legends about
Alexander the Great. The Italian scholar
Carlo Conti Rossini, however, was unconvinced by either of these theories and believed the matter unresolved.
[1]
The Ethiopian narrative ''
Kebra Negast'' ('the Glory of Kings'), is supposed to record the history of Makeda and her descendants. King Solomon is said in this account to have seduced the Queen, and sired a son by her, who would eventually become
Menelik I, the first Emperor of Ethiopia. The tradition that the biblical Queen of Sheba was a ruler of Ethiopia who visited King Solomon in Jerusalem in ancient Israel is supported by the 1st century AD Jewish historian
Flavius Josephus, who identified Solomon’s visitor as a queen of Egypt and Ethiopia.
While there are no traditions of matriarchal rule in Yemen during the early first millennium BC, the earliest inscriptions of the rulers of
Dʿmt in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea mention queens of very high status, possibly equal to their kings.
[2]
Christian interpretations
The Queen of Sheba is mentioned as the "Queen of the South" in the
Matthew 12:42 and
Luke 11:31 in the New Testament, where
Jesus indicates that she and the
Ninevites will judge the generation of Jesus' contemporaries who rejected him.
Christian interpretations of the Queen of Sheba scriptures in the Hebrew Bible typically have emphasized both the historical and metaphorical values in the story. The account of the Queen of Sheba can be interpreted as Christian metaphor and analogy. The Queen's visit to Solomon has been compared to the metaphorical marriage of the Church to Christ where Solomon is the anointed one or messiah and Sheba represents a
Gentile population submitting to the messiah.
The Queen of Sheba's chastity has also been depicted as a foreshadowing of the
Virgin Mary, and the three gifts that she brought (gold, spices and stones) have been seen as analogous to the gifts of the
Magi (gold, frankincense and myrrh), which is consistent with a passage from Isaiah 60:6; ''And they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring forth gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.''
[3]
Medieval depictions
Art in the middle ages depicting the visit of the Queen of Sheba includes the Portal of the Mother of God at the 13th Century
Amiens Cathedral, which is included as an analogy as part of a larger depiction of the gifts of the Magi.
[4]. The 12th century cathedrals at
Strasbourg,
Chartres,
Rochester and
Canterbury include artistic renditions in such elements as stained glass windows and door jamb decorations.
[3]
Renaissance depictions
Boccaccio's ''
On Famous Women'' (Lat. ''De Mulieribus Claris'') follows Josephus in calling her Nicaula, and
Christine de Pizan's ''
The Book of the City of Ladies'' continues the convention. Piero della Francesca's frescoes in Arezzo (ca 1466) on the Legend of the True Cross, contain two panels on the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. The legend links the beams of Solomon's palace (adored by Queen of Sheba) to the wood of the crucifixion. See the
Piero della Francesca entry for images. The Renaissance continuation of the metaphorical view of the Queen of Sheba as an analogy to the gifts of the Magi is also clearly evident in the Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi, ca.
1510 by
Hieronymus Bosch. Bosch chooses to depict a scene of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon in an ornately decorated collar worn by one of the Magi.
[6]
Modern theories
A theory has been voiced that the meeting between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba was not for love or admiration but a discussion about trade. According to the
Bible Solomon built a fleet of ships at
Ezion-geber. The theory is that Solomon intended to routinely sail to
East Africa and there trade, bypassing the South Arabian kingdom of
Sheba which previously acted as
middleman in this trade. The
revisionist historian Ralph Ellis suggests that the Queen of Sheba (Seba) may have been the queen of Pharaoh
Psusennes II, who ruled in Lower Egypt in this same era and whose Egyptian name was Pa-'Seba'-Khaen-Nuit. He suggests that the link between this queen and
Ethiopia may have been derived from the
Kebra Negast, which indicates that the eastern borders of Ethiopia terminated at
Gaza and
Jerusalem (KN 92).
The Queen of Sheba in popular culture
In Britain, and Canada, there is a common colloquial remark "''And I'm the Queen of Sheba.''" or "''If (that is so), then I'm the Queen of Sheba.''", meaning "''I do not believe that statement.''"
Another common colloquial usage in the UK and North America is to poke fun at another person who has dressed up fancily, or has perhaps displayed superior behavioral traits, resulting in someone remarking, "Who does she think she is, The Queen of Sheba?".
Songs
★
Bonnie Raitt makes a reference to the Queen of Sheba in the song "Thing Called Love" by saying "Baby, you know I ain't no Queen of Sheba." The song was written by
John Hiatt.
★
Dolly Dots make a reference to The Queen of Sheba in the song "Leila Queen of Sheba" by saying "this day about a story talk by Leila Queen of Sheba"
★
Cassandra Wilson refers to the Queen of Sheba as Makeda in the second verse of the song "Solomon Sang".
★
Nas makes a reference to the Queen of Sheba in the song "Big Girl" from his ''Nastradamus'' CD, saying "I need her, I'll eat her / Do anything to please her / My ghetto queen of Sheba".
★
Les Nubians make reference to the Queen of Sheba as the subject of their song "Makeda"
★
Jandek refers to the Queen of Sheba in the song "Sheba Doesn't Have". ("The Queen of Sheba/Doesn’t have nothing on you/You dance on my necktie/Like it was your tattoo/i fall on my face here and dribble all about"). Its on
Newcastle Sunday recorded live at the Sage Gateshead in Newcastle.
★ The
Poor Righteous Teachers include the Queen of Sheba in a list of important black women throughout history in the film clip to their song "Shakiyla"
Operas
★
George Frideric Handel, oratorio ''
Solomon'' (1749). The Act III symphony is entitled 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' and is probably the best known piece from this work.
★
Charles Gounod, ''Reine de Saba'' (1862)
★
Karl Goldmark, ''Die Königin von Saba'' (1875)
Ballets
★
Ottorino Respighi, ''Belkis, regina di Saba'' (1930-31)
Movies
★
Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004), starring Swedish actress
Helena Bergström
★ ''The Queen of Sheba'' (1921), starring
Betty Blythe
★ ''
Solomon and Sheba'' (1959), starring
Yul Brynner and
Gina Lollobrigida
★ ''
The Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man'' (1963), directed by
Ron Rice
★ ''
Solomon and Sheba'' (1995), starring
Halle Berry
Books
★ ''Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba'' (2005), written by India Edghill.
★ Small explicitly sexual role in ''
American Gods'' (2002), as Bilquis, written by
Neil Gaiman.
★ "Queen of Sheba and Biblical Scholarship", written by Dr Bernard Leeman, Queensland Academic Press 2005, (3rd edition 2007) ISBN 0-9758022-0-8
★ "Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen" (2001), written by Nicholas Clapp
★ Brief appearance in ''
The Temptation of Saint Anthony'' (1874), by
Flaubert
★ "Sandstorm", a novel written by James Rollins. The Queen of Sheba is featured prominently.
★ "Queen Sheba's Ring" (1910), by
H. Rider Haggard.
★ ''The Butterfly that Stamped'': one of
Rudyard Kipling's ''
Just So Stories'', featuring the
queen "wise Balkis of Sheba" who is said to be married to the polygamist King Solomon son of David. She is the only one of
1000 wives who does not quarrel with Solomon, out of her adoration for him, and so is herself sad when the incessant quarrels of the other
999 wives saddens their husband. She eventually tricks Solomon into making all the other queens frightened of his
power, so that they will not argue again.
See also
★
Sheba
★
Old Testament
★
King Solomon
★
Minaean
★
Teleportation in Islam
★
Bilocation
References
1. David Allen Hubbard, "The Literary Sources of the Kebra Nagast", doctoral thesis (St. Andrews, 1954), pp. 303f.
2. Rodolfo Fattovich, "The 'Pre-Aksumite' State in Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea Reconsidered" in Paul Lunde and Alexandra Porter ed., ''Trade and Travel in the Red Sea Region'', in D. Kennet & St J. Simpson ed., Society for Arabian Studies Monographs No. 2. BAR International Series 1269. Archaeopress, Oxford: 2004, p. 73.
3. Byrd, Vickie, editor; Queen of Sheba: Legend and Reality, (Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2004), p. 17.
4. Murray, Stephen, The Portals:Access to Redemption, http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/Mcahweb/facade/body.html, webpage, accessed August 6, 2006.
5. Byrd, Vickie, editor; Queen of Sheba: Legend and Reality, (Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2004), p. 17.
6. Web Gallery of Art, http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/b/bosch/91adorat/01tripty.html, website accessed August 2, 2006
External links
★
The Queen Of Sheba by
Michael Wood and the
BBC.
★
Queen of Sheba Temple restored (2000, BBC)
★
Jewish Encyclopedia with information on Jewish and Muslim legends
★
The Queen of Sheba, web directory with thumbnail galleries
★
Makeda, Queen of Sheba by Torrey Philemon.
★
"Queen of Sheba mystifies at the Bowers" - Gladys Rama's review of a museum exhibit for UC Irvine's 'New U' publication
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
