Era 6 · The First Kings1 Kings
Interpretive Investigation: The Queen of Sheba across Traditions
One short story, three religions, and three thousand years of retelling
| Tradition | Source | Date | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew Bible | 1 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 9 | Composed by the 6th–4th c. BC (earlier sources) | The visit, the questions, the gifts |
| New Testament | Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31 | 1st c. AD | "The queen of the south" will judge this generation |
| Josephus | Antiquities 8.165–175 | c. AD 93 | Calls her queen of Egypt and Ethiopia |
| Quran | Sura 27 (al-Naml) | 7th c. AD | Solomon, the hoopoe and the queen of Saba; her conversion |
| Jewish legend | Targum Sheni to Esther; Alphabet of Ben Sira | Late antique–medieval | Riddles; later demonizing legends |
| Islamic tradition | Commentators and tales of the prophets | Medieval | Names her Bilqis |
| Ethiopian tradition | Kebra Nagast | Compiled 14th c. AD from older traditions | Names her Makeda; her son Menelik brings the ark to Ethiopia |
Sheba or Ethiopia?
Saba in Yemen is the usual identification. The kingdom of Da'amat in northern Ethiopia (8th–5th centuries BC) had Sabaean-style inscriptions and temples, showing close links across the Red Sea, which helps explain why Ethiopian tradition claimed the queen. Both claims are traditions about a figure the Bible leaves unnamed.
Where is the ark?
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church holds that the ark is kept in the Chapel of the Tablet at Aksum, seen only by one guardian monk. This cannot be examined. Other traditions say the ark was hidden by Jeremiah (2 Maccabees 2:4–8) or lost when Babylon destroyed the temple.
What the evidence shows
- The Kebra Nagast was compiled in the 14th century AD.
- Da'amat had Sabaean-style inscriptions.
- The queen of Sheba bore Solomon a son named Menelik.
- The ark is in Aksum.
Continue the journey
Ancient MysteriesThe Queen of ShebaWho was the queen of Sheba, and is there evidence of her visit?More from this lesson
Investigations
Optional deep dives: the ancient sources, the physical evidence, and every interpretation side by side, including unconventional ones, each labeled for what it is.
The Queen of ShebaSaba: documented · Arabian queens: documented (8th c. BC) · The visit: unverified
Who was the queen of Sheba, and is there evidence of her visit?
Sheba is usually identified with Saba in Yemen, a kingdom made rich by the incense trade. Sabaean and Assyrian inscriptions document Saba and Arabian queens, but none names a queen who visited Solomon. Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Ethiopian traditions later retold her story richly (Bilqis, Makeda). These are reception history, not evidence of the visit.
Open the full investigation →Echoes Across Civilizations
Optional: how other ancient peoples told similar stories. Open one to compare, then come back to the lesson.
Queens of Arabia and the incense roadAssyrian · Sabaean
Were there queens in ancient Arabia who traded with the Levant?
- Assyrian: Zabibe and Samsi, queens of the Arabs Possible historical contact
- Sabaean: Sabaean royal inscriptions Possible historical contact
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- The queen of the south.
- Jeremiah hides the ark.