ABSTRACT
When she arrived in Jerusalem Solomon welcomed her cordially, paid her great honours, and gave her apartments in his palace. His cooks supplied her and her suite with food both morning and evening, and sent her wine, honey and sweetmeats from his own table. A company of 25 singing men and 25 singing maidens provided, presumably, with harps of various kinds, pipes, castanets, cymbals and tambourines, waited upon her to dis course sweet music to her day by day. Solomon paid her visits, which pleased him, and she returned his visits and was delighted with the courtesy of his behaviour towards her, and his wisdom, and judgment, and sweet voice, and his eloquent and fluent speech. “ Everything that he spake was perfect,” and she thanked God Who had made her to tread on the threshold of his gate, and to hear his voice. When she went to inspect the building of the House of God she noted that he set out the measurements for the builders, and estimated the weight of material required, and showed the carpenters how to use hammer, drill and chisel, and the masons how to use the square, and the circle-measure, and the cubit rule; and she learned later that he knew the languages of beasts and birds, and that he possessed Words-of-power which compelled the spirits and the devils to appear and to do his will. This great wisdom God gave him because he had not asked for fame, or riches, or triumph in battle, but wisdom. Solomon and Makeda conversed long and frequently, and the chief burden of every discourse of his was the beauty of wisdom. His words sank into her heart, and at length she consulted him about her religion. She admitted that she was a Sun-worshipper, though others adored stones, trees, and graven images, and she said that she had heard of the God o f Israel, and the Ark of the Covenant and the “ Tablet” of Moses the Prophet. When Solomon had explained to her the might and power of God the Creator, the God of Israel, the queen abandoned
the worship of the Sun, and became a follower of the One True God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
