And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.
Parallel translations
- WEB People of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, sent by all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
- KJV And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
- BSB So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
- NKJV And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
- NASB People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
People and kings from all nations came to hear Solomon's wisdom. His God-given insight drew the world to Israel.
Overview
The fame of Solomon's wisdom brought representatives of many nations, as later seen in the Queen of Sheba's visit. This drawing of the nations to God's wise king anticipates the gospel's gathering of the peoples. It points to Christ, the wisdom of God, before whom every nation will one day bow.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Chr 9:23All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
- 1 Kgs 10:1When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning Yahweh’s name, she came to test him with hard questions.
- 2 Chr 9:1When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to test Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great caravan, including camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. When she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart.
- Isa 2:2It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.
- Zech 8:23Yahweh of Armies says: “In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 4:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.