{"id":5673,"date":"2026-09-18T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/?p=5673"},"modified":"2026-09-15T05:44:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T05:44:57","slug":"solomon-and-the-queen-of-sheba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/2026\/09\/18\/solomon-and-the-queen-of-sheba\/","title":{"rendered":"Solomon and the Queen of Sheba"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/p>\n

After Kamose and then Ahmose chased out the Hyksos in the time of Saul, his son Amenhotep I ruled for 21 years which we date to ‑1075‑1054. Since he seems to have had no sons, he chose Thutmose I as his heir, who married a royal woman – generally believed to be Amenhotep I\u2019s sister – to ensure his legitimacy.<\/p>\n

Thutmose I reigned 13 years, it\u2019s generally believed; he appointed his son Thutmose II as his heir along with his half-sister Hatshepsut, who was also his wife (ancient Egyptians, am I right?) whose rule is\u2026 complicated.<\/p>\n

Historians have spent a lot<\/em> of time debating the exact details of Hatshepsut\u2019s succession, and her relationship to Thutmose I and II. For one thing, she claimed that Thutmose I appointed her as king directly, which would make her co-Pharaoh, not merely a queen subject to a king.<\/p>\n

Historians are, of course, very skeptical of this and call it later propaganda. But in their haste to dismiss her claim to have been co-king, they then must struggle to explain why despite reigning only 22 years, she celebrated a 30-year jubilee (a big deal in Egypt)\u2026 and stranger still, it was celebrated in her 16th<\/sup> regnal year.<\/p>\n

As a festival celebrated (with the object of replenishing his powers) in the 30th<\/sup> year of a king\u2019s reign, the sed-festival is chronologically relevant, and has frequently been included in chronological discussions. The apparent<\/em> exceptions to the 30-year rule led to the assumption that this festival was regularly celebrated every 30 years, regardless of actual reigns. However, most of the exceptions have been eliminated, and there remain only a few uncertain cases (Hatshepsut,<\/strong> Akhenaten), which can be explained in terms of particular circumstances. In the case of Hatshepsut, the celebration can be linked to the accession of Thutmosis I (or II)<\/strong>; in Akhenaten\u2019s case it can be anchored to the transition to the worship of Aten as king. A rigid 30-year sequence\u2014as has occasionally been proposed\u2014is improbable in the extreme. (Ancient Egyptian Chronology, Hornung)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We agree completely; her husband\u2019s 13 year reign, if included as her own co-reign, would give her a total of 35 years of reign; plausible for a woman whose mummy was 60 or so years old at death. This also explains why she was such a powerful figure at court after the death of her husband – she was already<\/em> co-Pharaoh for 13 years.<\/p>\n

When Thutmose II died leaving behind his young son Thutmose III, historians believe that Hatshepsut was hungry for power and transitioned from regent to proper king, leaving Thutmose III in her shadow until her death.<\/p>\n

When he died, historians consider her to have been queen regent, and later in her life decided to grab for power at the expense of her now-adult son Thutmose III, for which – in their narrative – he later resented her.<\/p>\n

But based on her sed-festival celebration, she considered herself to have already been co-Pharaoh with her husband from the beginning of his reign. Which means there was no need for her to use her son\u2019s rule to claim power as regent; she was already<\/em> a Pharaoh, although possibly a junior Pharaoh in Thutmose II\u2019s shadow.<\/p>\n

That being said, she may have been the real power behind the throne of her husband all along. I say that because despite ruling 13 years, Thutmose II is very poorly documented in ancient monuments; so much so that historians question whether he really ruled that long at all, despite Manetho giving him 13 years.<\/p>\n

But a powerful queen who ruled in her husband\u2019s name would create just such a vacuum of evidence; perhaps Thutmose II was weak, sick, or simply an idiot. His mummy has been found – at least, we think so, although it\u2019s not beyond question – and it died at less than 30 years of age, supporting the idea that his wife was the real power behind his throne.<\/p>\n

And why not; she was appointed co-Pharaoh by their father.<\/p>\n

HATSHEPSUT<\/h3>\n

As the most powerful female Pharaoh ever, and the first since Sobekneferu, Hatshepsut stands out. While we have yet to place her precisely in history – though we are about to – she clearly belongs to the era of Solomon (‑1031‑991) in our chronology.<\/p>\n

This makes her not only a prime candidate, but the only<\/em> candidate for the famous \u201cQueen of Sheba\u201d who came to visit Solomon, to learn of his wisdom and see the wealth of his kingdom, specifically including the house he had built (<\/span>1 Kings 10:1-10<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We know this took place during or shortly after his 24th<\/sup> year, because the building of the Temple in Jerusalem began in his 4th<\/sup> year and together with his own house took a total of 20 years to finish (<\/span>1 Kings 6:37<\/span>,<\/span> 9:10<\/span>)<\/strong>, which is the immediate context of this chapter, and which he explicitly showed her.<\/p>\n

Josephus adds a bit of detail, telling \u201cThere came to him the queen of Egypt and Ethiopia<\/strong>, to see him and to behold his glory\u201d (Antiquities 8.165). Now at this point, Hatshepsut did indeed control Egypt and the land of Nubia – called Kush by the Egyptians, and synonymous with Ethiopia in ancient times.<\/p>\n

In ancient times, the name Ethiopia was primarily used about the modern-day nation of Sudan which is based in the Upper Nile valley and is located south of Egypt, also called Kush. (Wiki, \u201chistory of Ethiopia\u201d)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which makes it basically proof-positive that Hatshepsut is one and the same person with the Queen of Sheba. It really couldn\u2019t have been anyone else – there weren\u2019t that many powerful queens of Egypt who also ruled over Ethiopia!<\/p>\n

And as always, the only<\/em> reason everyone hasn\u2019t always known this – because all the evidence points to it – is that she is wrongly believed by basically everyone to have lived 450 years too early! Because in all of Egyptian history, no other queen of Egypt could possibly fit the bill.<\/p>\n

As an interesting aside, though of almost no value as proof, the 14th<\/sup> century A.D. Ethiopian legend of the Queen of Sheba identifies her as Makeda; Hatshepsut\u2019s throne name was Ma\u2019atkare, often spelled Makare. Take that for whatever it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

Now if her reign after the death of Thutmose II was 22 years as both Manetho and Egyptologists tell us, that means she began her sole reign not before – and probably not much after – Solomon\u2019s 2nd<\/sup> year. But we can refine that dating, establishing a very nearly precise synchronism with Israel:<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 3:1<\/span><\/strong> Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt<\/strong>, and took Pharaoh\u2019s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of Yahweh, and the wall of Jerusalem all around.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Bible specifically refers to her as a \u201cqueen\u201d every time it mentions her (<\/span>1 Kings 10:1<\/span><\/strong>, etc.) – the Hebrew word Melkah (queen) being different from the Hebrew word Melek (king), as in \u201cking of Egypt,\u201d which it also uses; meaning both a king and<\/em> a queen were ruling in Egypt in Solomon\u2019s 3rd<\/sup> year.<\/p>\n

Which means that the dominant Pharaoh (at least, in name) in Solomon\u2019s 3rd<\/sup> year (‑1028) was not yet Hatshepsut,<\/em> but still her husband Thutmose II. She may have been ruling in all but name, but diplomacy would certainly have been conducted through her husband.<\/p>\n

The marriage to Pharaoh\u2019s daughter comes after Solomon\u2019s third year in the narrative (<\/span>1 Kings 2:39<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>, but before the fourth (<\/span>1 Kings 6:1<\/span>)<\/span>,<\/span> so it is generally agreed to have been in Solomon\u2019s 3rd<\/sup> year (\u20111028)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Later, the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon around his 25th<\/sup> year (‑1006), after his houses were finished. As it happens, Hatshepsut only reigned 22 years, the precise window of our time gap;<\/em> meaning we have a year-perfect synchronism between the 18th<\/sup> dynasty and Israel. A rare gift, indeed.<\/p>\n

This means that Hatshepsut didn\u2019t live long after her trip to see Solomon, and that Thutmose III\u2019s sole reign began in ‑1006. Much more on him later.<\/p>\n

SOLOMON\u2019S EGYPTIAN WIFE<\/h3>\n

The significance of Solomon marrying an Egyptian princess is lost on us, because to avoid foreigners having any claim on the throne of Egypt, no daughter of Pharaoh was given to a foreign king. So if this really happened, then it is utterly unique in the annals of history:<\/p>\n

Amenhotep is quoted by the Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil I in firmly rejecting the latter\u2019s entreaty to marry one of this pharaoh\u2019s daughters, saying \u201cFrom time immemorial, no daughter of the king of Egypt is given to anyone<\/strong>.\u201d (Wiki, Amenhotep III)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If my chronology is correct, this was said less than a century after Solomon did indeed do just that. It\u2019s hardly possible they forgot.<\/em> And unless I\u2019m wrong about everything said so far, Amenhotep III cannot precede Solomon.<\/p>\n

That means we have to come up with a plausible reason why Amenhotep should tell such a baldfaced lie – or better yet, why he didn\u2019t consider<\/em> it a lie. Which of course, I totally intend to do.<\/p>\n

But first we need to identify her by name; given our synchronism between Hatshepsut and Solomon, he must have married either her daughter or her sister, or possibly step-daughter. And in this fairly well-documented period there are only two people it could possibly be.<\/p>\n

The first was a daughter of Thutmose I and sister of Hatshepsut named Neferubity, who is shown with her parents at a young age and then disappears; as tempting as that sounds, she\u2019s a generation earlier than Solomon, and unlikely to be his bride.<\/p>\n

Before this chapter ends we will identify her and her husband, for she also married someone in the Bible; but that story must wait until the end. Meanwhile, we are all but certain that Solomon married Hatshepsut\u2019s own daughter Neferure.<\/p>\n

Neferure was tutored by some of Hatshepsut\u2019s most trusted advisers, at first Ahmose Pen-Nekhebet, who served under several of the preceding pharaohs and was held in great esteem\u2026 Neferure\u2019s next tutor was Senenmut\u2026 After Hatshepsut became regent, Senenmut became her advisor and the role of tutor for Neferure was handed over to the administrator Senimen\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Following her mother\u2019s accession to the Egyptian throne, Neferure had an unusually prominent role in the court, exceeding the normal role played by a royal princess to the pharaoh<\/strong>. As Hatshepsut took on the role of pharaoh, Neferure took on a queenly role in public life<\/strong>. Many depictions of her in these roles exist. (Wiki, Neferure)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No one knows what happened to her in her later life; no one knows her husband, when she died or where she was buried. She just disappears, except that she is represented on the wall of her mother\u2019s tomb, suggesting she was likely present for the funeral.<\/p>\n

While there were almost certainly other daughters of Thutmose I and II, this is by far the most famous – and as far as I can see, she is the only one who could have pulled off the unprecedented feat of marrying a foreign king. To learn how she did that, we simply have to let her tell us.<\/p>\n

SONG OF SOLOMON<\/h3>\n

The Song of Solomon is a bit difficult to follow because it was written in three different voices; it is like an operatic composition in that it\u2019s a sung conversation between two lovers, with a chorus interjecting comments or questions every so often. This explains the shift in pronouns between male and female.<\/p>\n

Christians find the clearly erotic imagery of this poem unsettling, and rush to pronounce it as a metaphor of the relationship between Jesus and the Church, utterly devoid of sex and therefore a \u201cpure\u201d emotion.<\/p>\n

This, as always, blinds them to what\u2019s right in front of them: this is a song, probably written collaboratively, by Solomon and the daughter of Pharaoh, telling the story of their love and courtship – and her jealousy and their making up.<\/p>\n

And we can prove that, because the book is full of verses that absolutely require the author to be a female, royal, Egyptian.<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 1:5<\/span> I am dark, but lovely, you daughters of Jerusalem,<\/em><\/strong> like Kedar\u2019s tents, like Solomon\u2019s curtains. Don\u2019t stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has scorched me. My mother\u2019s sons were angry with me<\/strong>. They made me keeper of the vineyards. I haven\u2019t kept my own vineyard.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Clearly, she is foreign, with a different skin color than the Jewish women. As we showed in an earlier chapter, the early 18th<\/sup> dynasty had significant Nubian blood, and the positively identified mummies all show Nubian features.<\/p>\n

This also tells us that \u201cher mother\u2019s sons were angry with her.\u201d There are two very interesting facts here; first, that she was a powerful woman whose brothers or half-brothers were jealous of her power. And second, that her mother was more important than her father<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Think about it; this was a patriarchal society, and while both Israel and Egypt had the exceptionally rare queen, \u201cmy father\u2019s house\u201d is the normal expression. Why would she care about her mother\u2019s<\/em> sons? Because her mother was Hatshepsut<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Verse 7<\/span><\/strong> Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; For why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions?<\/strong> Lover<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The ancient Israelites, like most Semitic tribes then as now, practiced veiling (<\/span>Genesis 24:65<\/span>,<\/span> Ruth 3:15<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. But you know who didn\u2019t? Egyptians. This, then, is an Egyptian princess saying \u201cwhy should I be veiled, like the other women here are?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Verse 9<\/span><\/strong> I have compared you, my love, to a steed in Pharaoh\u2019s chariots<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At this point in history, Pharaoh\u2019s chariots weren\u2019t a force marching across all nations; so how did this person ever even see<\/em> a horse pulling Pharaoh\u2019s chariots? And who, if not an Egyptian, would compare someone using an Egyptian metaphor in a positive<\/em> way?<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 6:12<\/span><\/strong> Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people\u2019s chariots<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here she was talking about wandering into a valley and seeing \u201cmy royal<\/em> people\u2019s chariots.\u201d In context, this would certainly be Pharaoh\u2019s chariots, of which therefore SHE was royalty!<\/em> So whether or not we identify her with Neferure, the author is certainly the Egyptian royal wife of Solomon!<\/p>\n

THE MEETING<\/h3>\n
\n

Song of Solomon 2:9-10<\/span><\/strong> My beloved is like a roe or a young hart. Behold, he stands behind our wall!<\/strong> He looks in at the windows. He glances through the lattice. My beloved spoke, and said to me, \u201cRise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Note the term \u201che stands behind our<\/em> wall.\u201d Who is \u201cwe\u201d in this context? Presumably the same \u201cwe\u201d of \u201cmy royal people,\u201d thus, \u201cmy royal people\u2019s wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as it happens there was an immense wall that marked the border of Egypt between Israel and Egypt called \u201cwalls-of-the-ruler,\u201d which according to the prophecy of Neferti was built recently by Amenhotep I (not Amenemhet I as commonly believed, as we explained in the chapter on the Hyksos).<\/p>\n

The allusion to windows and lattice implies a physical building, but this was poetry – it is literally nothing but<\/em> metaphors. So she describes how he looked at her from the beyond the wall, and called to her to \u201crise up, my beautiful one,<\/em> and come away.\u201d That is, to come away from Egypt<\/em> to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

He also calls her \u201cbeautiful one.\u201d Now this could be a coincidence – calling your lover beautiful hardly requires a reason, it\u2019s just polite – but Neferure<\/em> literally means \u201cbeauty of Ra.\u201d Regardless, Pharaoh\u2019s daughter goes on to describe her search for true love before meeting Solomon:<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 3:1-4<\/span><\/strong> By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn\u2019t find him<\/strong>. I will get up now, and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn\u2019t find him. The watchmen who go about the city found me; \u201cHave you seen him whom my soul loves?\u201d I had scarcely passed from them, when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother\u2019s house<\/strong>, into the room of her who conceived me.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A lot of extraordinary things here to unpack. Why would she look for her lover in her own bed? Because she didn\u2019t know who he was<\/strong>. She was dreaming about him, fantasizing about what he might be like, as one does.<\/p>\n

So then she looked around her city – poetically, her country – and when she \u201cpassed from the watchmen\u201d she found him. This means she left home<\/em> and found him abroad, beyond the walls-of-the-ruler.<\/em><\/p>\n

And when she found him, she would not let him go \u201cuntil I had brought him into my mother\u2019s house.\u201d Now there\u2019s that phrase again. Why not her father\u2019s house? In a patriarchal society, the mother\u2019s house had little significance.<\/p>\n

So somehow her mother is important,<\/em> and not just important, but important in Egypt. That really narrows it down to Hatshepsut. So why would she need to bring Solomon back to Egypt, to her mother\u2019s house? To get the extraordinary permission necessary to marry him.<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 3:6<\/span><\/strong> Who is this who comes up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke<\/strong>, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all spices of the merchant?<\/strong> Behold, it is Solomon\u2019s carriage! Sixty mighty men are around it, of the mighty men of Israel. They all handle the sword, and are expert in war. Every man has his sword on his thigh, because of fear in the night.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This means that Solomon came to visit her<\/em> across a wilderness – desert – raising clouds of dust \u201clike pillars of smoke,\u201d and with gifts of \u201cmyrrh and frankincense and all spices of the merchant,\u201d bearing an honor guard of the most elite Israelite troops (David\u2019s mighty men) for protection in the desert.<\/p>\n

This can only be describing a diplomatic royal visit between Israel and Egypt, and that – in context – can only be because they had already met, and he was coming \u201cto her mother\u2019s house\u201d to arrange the marriage.<\/p>\n

AMBASSADOR NEFERURE<\/h3>\n

All of this – plus Neferure\u2019s extensive education, and the fact that she behaved in a queen-like role for her mother in public, suggests that she was the envoy that Pharaoh Thutmose II had sent to Israel to congratulate the newly crowned Solomon.<\/p>\n

This was standard practice, indeed not doing so was extremely rude and risked war. And sending a highly ranked official was a matter of respect, the more highly ranked and personal the better. Thus it could easily have been Neferure\u2019s mission, given what we know of her position in Pharaoh\u2019s court.<\/p>\n

And while there, she fell madly in love with Solomon – a feeling which was apparently reciprocated. But it was a marriage which should have been impossible. It. Just. Wasn\u2019t. Done. However, this was a time for things which had never before been done.<\/p>\n

Egypt was still recovering from four centuries of foreign oppression, and desperately needed allies – and a strong Israel who was, at that time, invincible in battle, and who was positioned to be a human wall between Egypt and all<\/em> of her enemies would certainly be an ally worth having.<\/p>\n

To the north and east of Israel at this point in history there was a truly terrifying amount of strong and hostile nations; the Hittites, Mitanni, Assyrians, Kassite Babylonians, among others – none of whom could invade Egypt without passing through Israel, which was a powerful kingdom after forty years of David\u2019s wars.<\/p>\n

It would certainly be a good time to make an exception and allow a diplomatic marriage to secure an ally in the bottleneck. Plus, Hatshepsut was herself a tradition breaker in the extreme, and so would be likely to have more patience with her daughter doing so – particularly \u201cher mother\u2019s favorite daughter\u201d (<\/span>Song of Solomon 6:8<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Besides, her daughter wielded tremendous influence in court – and having a highly educated ambassador\/spy\/messenger in Solomon\u2019s court would have been an immense asset. All of these would have conspired to convince Hatshepsut and Thutmose II to grant the extraordinary request.<\/p>\n

And as a dowry, Egypt conquered some cities in the western side of Canaan and gifted them to their daughter, and by extension Solomon – Gezer among them.<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 9:15-17<\/span>, 24<\/span><\/strong> This is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Yahweh, and his own house [several other cities…] and Gezer. Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it for a portion to his daughter, Solomon\u2019s wife<\/strong>. Solomon built Gezer, and Beth Horon the lower, \u2026 But Pharaoh\u2019s daughter came up out of the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her:<\/strong> then he built Millo.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Note again that \u201chis daughter\u201d proves Thutmose II was still alive at this point after<\/em> the marriage, and yet Song of Solomon\u2019s repetitive use of \u201cmy mother\u2019s house\u201d tells us that she was the real power even then.<\/p>\n

By the way, I know I\u2019ve said I was going to ignore radiocarbon dating, but it\u2019s worth pointing that occasionally their dates actually favor the Bible – when they aren\u2019t trying to fudge them too much to fit their own ideas:<\/p>\n

Lindelle C. Webster\u2019s excavation team concluded recently that correlation of Stratum IX, in Tel Gezer, with Solomon\u2019s era<\/strong> and Siamun \u201c[is] improbable [as the end] of Tandy Stratum 10A is estimated by [radiocarbon] within the 11th<\/sup> century BCE,<\/strong> contemporary with the 21st<\/sup> Dynasty of Egypt but too early for Solomon by any estimate.\u201d<\/strong> (Wiki, Gezer)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can ignore the reference to the 21st<\/sup> Dynasty Siamun which is based entirely on the assumption<\/em> that that dynasty existed in that era, which we know to be false.<\/p>\n

The key takeaway here is their conclusion that the burned layer that shows when Pharaoh destroyed Gezer cannot be used to confirm the Bible, they say,<\/em> because \u201cthe 11th<\/sup> century B.C [date given by radiocarbon]\u201d is \u201ctoo early for Solomon by any estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, except ours which places him in the last half of the 11th<\/sup> century. Convenient, eh?<\/p>\n

AFTER THE HONEYMOON<\/h3>\n

1 Kings 3:1<\/span><\/strong> told us that Pharaoh\u2019s daughter, Neferure, lived in Jerusalem while he was building his house and the temple for 20 years, but after that he went down and built her own house, which she moved into.<\/p>\n

No one is quite sure where this is, but since Gezer was built for her, and given to her, I can\u2019t imagine that it wasn\u2019t where her house was built. This move from Jerusalem to Gezer was alluded to in\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 4:8-9<\/span><\/strong> Come with me from Lebanon<\/strong>, my bride, with me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the lions\u2019 dens, from the mountains of the leopards.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This now is in the voice of Solomon himself, describing coming with her from \u201cLebanon.\u201d Since Lebanon as a place doesn\u2019t figure into this story, this must have another meaning. As it happens, Lebanon or the cedars of Lebanon are often used as an allusion to the royal house of Solomon in Jerusalem, which was built of the coveted cedars of Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Thus, this passage is referring to the time when they moved from Solomon\u2019s palace down to the house he built for her in Gezer. Which must have been awesome at first\u2026 and then Solomon went back to Jerusalem and his other wives.<\/em> And how do you suppose that went?<\/p>\n

At this point in the story, in chapter 5<\/span><\/strong>, there is apparently a lover\u2019s spat; he knocks on her door, she doesn\u2019t answer fast enough, he disappears, then she goes and searches for him – wearing a veil, now, by the way – and the watchmen take her veil and bruise her.<\/p>\n

This is probably a result of her living in her new house in a different town and being jealous of Solomon spending time with his other wives, and the masters of the harem refusing to let her go to him – and her resulting anger.<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 6:4-5<\/span><\/strong> You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners<\/strong>. Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is Solomon trying to appease a wife who is as \u201cawesome [read: scary] as an army with banners.\u201d And telling her that she is as \u201clovely as Jerusalem\u201d (as in, I love you as much as my other wives that still live there<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The context supports this meaning, since the previous verses had her lamenting that \u201cMy beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies\u201d – this is almost certainly an allusion to his being distracted by his other wives. Which is why a little later he tells her she is more important than they are\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 6:8-9<\/span><\/strong> There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother\u2019s only daughter. She is the favourite one of her who bore her<\/strong>. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He soothes her by telling her that she is unique; she\u2019s her mother\u2019s only daughter, her mother\u2019s favorite, and the first Egyptian royal female to ever marry outside the country – again underlining her mother\u2019s<\/em> role in the story. He goes on to describe her:<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 6:10<\/span><\/strong> Who is she who looks forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun,<\/strong> and awesome as an army with banners?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is almost certainly a play on words; because she was named Neferure, which means \u201cBeauty of the sun.\u201d<\/em> Thus telling her \u201cshe looks forth as the morning<\/strong>\u201d (like the sun does), and that she is \u201cbeautiful<\/strong> as the moon and clear as the sun<\/strong>\u201d is telling her she lives up to her name. Plus, again\u2026 scary as an army when she\u2019s mad. She responds\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

Verses 11-12<\/span><\/strong> I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower. Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people\u2019s chariots<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Given that the chariots of Egypt were mentioned in chapter one, this can only be Egyptian chariots. Now the house of Pharaoh\u2019s daughter was in Gezer, which was situated on a major trade route out of Egypt; a prime location to \u201caccidentally\u201d see Egyptian chariots.<\/p>\n

Its importance was due in part to the strategic position it held at the crossroads of the ancient coastal trade route linking Egypt with Syria<\/strong>, Anatolia and Mesopotamia, and the road to Jerusalem and Jericho, both important trade routes. (Wikipedia, Gezer)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Continuing in his efforts to mollify her, Solomon calls her a \u201cShulamite:\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Verse 13<\/span><\/strong> Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Some translate this as a place name, but that would contradict all the Egyptian references so far; but it\u2019s easier to explain when you realize that Shulamite is literally the feminine form of Solomon; thus, he is calling her his female self – or if we want to get poetic, his other half, soulmate, whatever. Shulamite even sounds a bit like soulmate! (Kidding, that means nothing.)<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 7:1<\/span><\/strong> How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince\u2019s daughter!<\/strong> Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skilful workman.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is the first and only reference to her father in the book; which makes sense, because her father died 20 years before this point, but her mother still ruled Egypt!<\/em> And this further solidifies her identity, for Neferure has the distinction of being the only woman in Egyptian history known to be the daughter of two<\/em> Pharaohs, the daughter of Thutmose II and of Hatshepsut.<\/p>\n

\n

Verses 10-11<\/span><\/strong> I am my beloved\u2019s, and his desire is toward me. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

These would be references to the villages of Gezer that Pharaoh conquered; in other words, she is trying to get him away from Jerusalem to spend more time with her.<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 4:9-10<\/span> You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride.<\/em><\/strong> You have ravished my heart with one of your eyes, with one chain of your neck. How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is an odd phrase, used once in the masculine and once in the feminine. Since she certainly wasn\u2019t his actual<\/em> sister, we must look for other allusions. Royalty often referred to each other by equal rank as brothers in their letters, which was an acknowledgment of equality (<\/span>1 Kings 20:32<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. So here Solomon acknowledges the royal status of Pharaoh’s daughter as \u201cmy sister, my bride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Song of Solomon 8:1<\/span><\/strong> Oh that you were like my brother, who nursed from the breasts of my mother! If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me\u2026 I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It was the standard practice of Pharaohs to marry their sisters, particularly in this dynasty, who usually became their \u201cgreat wife,\u201d or primary wife. Therefore this might have been her yearning to have the primary relationship with Solomon that a sister-bride would have had in Egypt, to be his \u201cgreat wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

The theme of jealousy is supported by the fact that, in context, she commands the daughters of Jerusalem to leave him alone until he<\/em> asks them for their presence. And finally, the part that to me seems utterly conclusive as to her Egyptian identity:<\/p>\n

\n

Verse 6<\/span><\/strong> Set me as a seal on your heart<\/strong>, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death<\/strong>. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The meaning of this is lost on a non-Egyptian, but in death – the clear context – the Egyptians placed a scarab on the mummy, over the heart. The scarab\u2019s job was to bind the heart and prevent it from answering truthfully when, during the final judgment, it was asked if it had ever done evil (the correct answer is always \u201cno\u201d).<\/p>\n

Giving the wrong answer would cause a horrible monster to devour your heart, leading to permadeath or worse. So since the pharaohs all knew they were not perfect, they would place this scarab on their hearts with the command not to let it rat them out to Osiris.<\/p>\n

So here, someone intimately acquainted with that religion asks to be placed like a scarab over the heart of Solomon, because love is strong as death and jealousy as cruel as the grave.<\/em><\/strong> Once again underlining the clearly death-and-afterlife themes of this verse, and her own jealousy.<\/p>\n

Basically, she wants to be the seal on his heart so he cannot love anyone else but her. So that if anyone else tried to love him, a horrible monster (her) would devour them. Only in this way, she figures, will she not be jealous. It\u2019s sweet, in a controlling, dark, Egyptian sort-of-way.<\/p>\n

\n

Verses 13-14<\/span><\/strong> You who dwell in the gardens, with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice! Come away, my beloved! Be like a gazelle<\/strong> or a young stag on the mountains of spices!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s unclear who is speaking these final verses, but it\u2019s worth noting that the image of a gazelle had a very particular significance in Egyptian mythology, which once again connects us back to a royal princess.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The picture above<\/span>at right<\/span> is from the reign of Thutmose III, the very next king after Hatshepsut and thus contemporary with the lifetime of Neferure. The Metropolitan Museum of Art says of this artifact\u2026<\/p>\n

During her lifetime, a queen wore this delicate diadem tied over her wig<\/strong>. The headband not only identified her elite rank but also identified her as a woman participating in a cultic performance. Tomb depictions illustrate high-ranking women wearing similar ornaments when they took part in rituals that likely honored important goddesses like Hathor, Mut, or Sakhmet. The reason for depicting gazelles is not clear, although they are associated with the sun god,<\/strong> fertility, and rebirth\u2014all subjects connected to these great goddesses. (https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/553269<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thus, this may have actually been a crown worn by Neferure, although more likely it was a contemporary symbol worn by royal females in general. Hence, the reference to a gazelle in the song of Solomon.<\/p>\n

CONNECTING EGYPT TO ISRAEL<\/h3>\n

So what have we learned? That early in the reign of Solomon, before his third year, the king of Egypt sent an embassage to congratulate the new king, and offer their best wishes for his reign – as was standard practice.<\/p>\n

Due to her high status and education, Thutmose II and Hatshepsut\u2019s daughter Neferure was sent along as an ambassador. There, she found the love of her life, early in his reign, and fell madly in love. The feeling seems to have been mutual, but marrying an Egyptian princess was out of the question.<\/p>\n

Solomon, at some point thereafter, made a royal visit to Egypt, passing walls-of-the-ruler, and was entertained at court. There, he convinced the Egyptians to break their rule against marrying their daughters to foreign kings.<\/p>\n

All was well, but then after 20 years, especially after she moved into her own house Solomon built for her, she felt neglected and jealous of the other wives, leading her to write this song, with or without Solomon\u2019s input (his voice may have been supplied by the poet, after all).<\/p>\n

At about this time, since she had been talking to her mother, sending letters back and forth to Egypt on a regular basis, and since she was clearly<\/em> obsessed with Solomon, she certainly wouldn\u2019t stop talking about how awesome he was<\/strong>. So Hatshepsut came to see for herself.<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 10:6-7<\/span><\/strong> She said to the king, \u201cIt was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts, and of your wisdom<\/strong>. However I didn\u2019t believe the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it. Behold, the half was not told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Interestingly, in the narrative of 1 Kings 3<\/span><\/strong> the gift of wisdom granted him by God follows immediately after<\/em> his marriage to the princess of Egypt. Which means Solomon had not yet been granted supernatural wisdom when last Hatshepsut had seen him.<\/p>\n

And a state visit to Jerusalem was a very rare thing indeed – pharaohs left home with an army, for war; I cannot think of an example where a pharaoh ever left his borders for diplomacy. But it was no doubt also to see her daughter that she came; thus providing two reasons for her visit.<\/p>\n

She brought an immense amount of wealth and gifts with her, as was customary for diplomacy of the day, but she also clearly had some more selfish reasons from coming as well, since she \u201casked\u201d for things:<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 10:13<\/span><\/strong> King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked<\/strong>, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

All told, both parties were happy with the trade, and Egyptian-Israelite relations reached the highest point they ever would. Hatshepsut died soon after her visit, at around 60 years old according to her mummy.<\/p>\n

Naturally, Solomon permitted his wife to go to her mother\u2019s funeral, which explains her presence in the tomb carvings of Hatshepsut even though there was absolutely no other evidence of her presence in Egypt around that time.<\/p>\n

In fact, because of the silence about her until that point, Egyptologists think she had already died and was carved posthumously. But we know better. She died happily married to Solomon. Well, married; \u201chappily\u201d is debatable.<\/p>\n

SOLOMON\u2019S SINS<\/h3>\n

When Solomon got older, his wives whom he gathered from the corners of the earth wanted to worship their gods, and so Solomon not only allowed it, but actively participated. His God, needless to say, did not approve.<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:4<\/span><\/strong> For it happened, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Solomon\u2019s sins are then listed, mostly idolatry and child sacrifice as required by the gods of his many wives, and so God said\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:11-13<\/span><\/strong> Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, \u201cBecause this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Notwithstanding I will not do it in your days, for David your father\u2019s sake; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant\u2019s sake, and for Jerusalem\u2019s sake which I have chosen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Suffice it to say that because of Solomon\u2019s sins, as soon as he died, the kingdom of Israel would be split into two parts, known as the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah.<\/p>\n

The larger part with ten tribes going north would be the kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam, a former general of Solomon\u2019s, and would be based first at Shechem and then at Samaria. This is the kingdom that generated such famous people as Ahab and Jezebel, and would be captured by the Assyrians in \u2011721.<\/p>\n

The smaller part, with Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, would remain under the rule of David\u2019s descendants until the captivity to Babylon in ‑586. This would be known as the kingdom of Judah, and was the source of the only decent kings after David.<\/p>\n

HADAD IN EGYPT<\/h3>\n

Before even the kingdom was split, while he yet lived, God sent trouble Solomon\u2019s way:<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:14<\/span><\/strong> And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king\u2019s seed in Edom.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Bible then backs up to tell of Hadad\u2019s origin story, beginning in the time of David (‑1071‑1031). For reasons that are not explained clearly, David and Joab had made a concerted effort to kill all the males in Edom, but missed a prince called Hadad:<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:17-22<\/span><\/strong> \u2026that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father\u2019s servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child<\/strong>\u2026 and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Note that he was \u201cyet a little child,\u201d so probably under 10, possibly much younger. The events in Edom aren\u2019t specifically dated, but scholars generally place it early in David\u2019s reign over all Israel, around year 10-15 of his reign or very roughly ‑1061‑1056.<\/p>\n

This would have been during the reign of either Amenhotep I (‑1075‑1054) or Thutmose I (‑1054‑1041). We favor the latter, meaning that Thutmose I was the Pharaoh who \u201cgave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land\u201d<\/em> and for his substantial entourage as well.<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:19<\/span><\/strong> Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife<\/strong>, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Since he was yet a child, time then had to pass for him to grow up before Pharaoh, probably a different one,<\/em> gave him a wife around ‑1045‑1040 or so. This would mean he matured either late in the reign of Thutmose I (‑1054‑1041), or early in that of his successor Thutmose II (‑1041‑1028).<\/p>\n

Since Thutmose I would be older by this time and nearing the end of his life, it\u2019s unlikely that his sisters-in-law were young enough to be marriageable to such a young Edomite king. Which is why we favor Thutmose II as the husband of \u201cTahpanes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately the name Tahpanes doesn\u2019t exist in Egyptian as a proper name, so most scholars think it is the title ta hemet nesut<\/em>, meaning \u201cthe king\u2019s wife\/royal wife.\u201d I find that a bit odd, since \u201cthe sister of his own wife\u201d was already specified, so \u201cthe sister of his royal wife, the queen\u201d would be quite redundant.<\/p>\n

Clearly, for whatever reason, the wife of this Pharaoh was significant, and a remarkable woman worthy of being extremely explicit about her identity. Which, if the Pharaoh in question was Thutmose II, she was indeed; for that was the husband of Hatshepsut<\/strong>. And she has a missing sister!<\/p>\n

Neferubity (Ancient Egyptian: nfrw bity) was an ancient Egyptian princess of the 18th<\/sup> Dynasty. She was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and Ahmose, the sister of Hatshepsut<\/strong> and the half-sister of Thutmose II \u2026 She is depicted with her parents<\/strong> Thutmose I and Ahmose in Hatshepsut\u2019s Deir el-Bahari mortuary temple, then vanishes<\/strong>. It is assumed that she died young, with her only depiction having a \u201csidelock of youth.\u201d (Wiki, Neferubity)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So here we have an unmarried royal sister of the queen<\/em> who \u201cvanishes\u201d shortly after the death of Thutmose I (‑1041). Almost exactly at the time we expect her to have been given in marriage to Hadad!<\/strong> Which means that the daughter of Thutmose I, Neferubity, must be the sister of Pharaoh\u2019s wife who married Hadad of Edom!<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:20<\/span><\/strong> The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh\u2019s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh\u2019s house among the sons of Pharaoh<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And this all fits very well, chronologically; because the claim that Genubath was \u201cweaned in Pharaoh\u2019s house\u201d and raised \u201camong the sons of Pharaoh\u201d is a clean fit with known 18th<\/sup> Dynasty court practice.<\/p>\n

The men and women entrusted with the upbringing of the royal children, both male and female, were highly honored members of Egyptian society in Dynasty 18. \u2026 Although there were probably nurses and tutors serving the royal family in earlier times, specific titles identifying people as \u201croyal nurse\u201d (mn\u02bft nswt<\/em>) or \u201croyal tutor\u201d (mn\u02bf nswt<\/em>) only seem to occur during Dynasty 18<\/strong>. These individuals are known from a variety of sources, including tombs, funerary equipment, and statuary. A few, such as Senenmut, who was chief steward of Amun during the reign of Hatshepsut, are well-known figures in Egyptian history; others are almost completely undocumented. (The Eighteenth Dynasty Titles Royal Nurse (mn\u02bft nswt<\/em>), \u2026, Roehrig)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2026 \u201ctutors\u201d or \u201cwet nurses of the king\u201d (New Kingdom; \u2026) were responsible for raising and educating the royal children. The sons and daughters of distinguished officials could be raised together with royal children, thus creating a close personal bond between the future ruling class<\/strong> and the successor to the throne \u2026 (Harem, Roth; excessive citations and Egyptian spellings elided)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thus, the raising of Genubath in this harem during the 18th<\/sup> Dynasty is perfectly aligned with known diplomatic practices from that period and only that period.<\/em> Which is just another way of confirming that we are on the right track to place the 18th<\/sup> Dynasty in around the turn of the 1st<\/sup> millennium.<\/p>\n

THE RETURN OF HADAD<\/h3>\n

Historians largely ignore this story, since it shows a royal female marrying a foreign dignitary, something that was so rare in Egypt that it is believed to have never happened. But Pharaoh did not intend for Hadad to leave; he believed, with reason, that his kingdom no longer existed. That\u2019s why when he tried to leave, Pharaoh resisted:<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:21-22<\/span><\/strong> When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead<\/strong>, Hadad said to Pharaoh, \u201cLet me depart, that I may go to my own country.\u201d Then Pharaoh said to him, \u201cBut what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country?\u201d He answered, \u201cNothing, however only let me depart.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Thus, this was not a diplomatic marriage to secure a treaty with a foreign king; after Joab and David\u2019s work, there wasn\u2019t much of a kingdom left. Instead, it was welcoming a foreign king as a refugee into your Egyptian family. It would not, therefore, have fallen under the usual rules that Solomon had to overcome forbidding marriage to foreign kings.<\/p>\n

It may, however, have been used as a precedent by her niece Neferure to convince her parents; it\u2019s a solid argument, after all; \u201clook, you married aunt Neferubity to Hadad and they left, why can\u2019t I marry Solomon, an actual king<\/em> who can defend Egypt from Asiatics?\u201d<\/p>\n

This is why Neferubity completely disappears from the record; unlike Solomon\u2019s wife, her niece, she was the wife of a rebel king who was in hiding from Solomon, and couldn\u2019t be communicating openly with Egypt like Neferure did since to them, Israel was hostile territory.<\/p>\n

Regardless, since Hadad\u2019s departure was a direct result of the death of Joab at the beginning of Solomon\u2019s reign (<\/span>1 Kings 2:33-34<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>, we conclude that Hadad left Egypt with his wife in ‑1030. He apparently didn\u2019t begin stirring up problems until later in Solomon\u2019s reign, when God punished Solomon for his sins using Hadad and Rezon the Syrian:<\/p>\n

\n

1 Kings 11:23<\/span><\/strong> God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada<\/strong>, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. He gathered men to him, and became captain over a troop, when David killed them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and lived therein, and reigned in Damascus. He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief of Hadad<\/strong>: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This was the beginning of a relationship that would plague Israel for centuries, as Syria rose in power and Israel declined. This Rezon was the founder of a dynasty that included Hazael, Rezin, and other enemies of Israel. All of which will be discussed in its proper place.<\/p>\n

Oh, I promised to explain why Amenhotep III lied when he said that no daughter of Egypt had ever been married to a foreign king. I will, but it needs to wait for two chapters for the groundwork to be laid. Just\u2026 hold that thought.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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