Revised Standard Version begins this verse with a long sentence, it will probably be prudent to divide it into two sentences in many languages. The first sentence would introduce the queen of Sheba and tell why she wanted to visit Solomon. The second sentence would then give the details about her caravan.

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon: The exact location of the country of Sheba is debated, but it was probably located on the southwest coast of the Arabian peninsula, corresponding to modern-day Yemen, about 2,250 kilometers (1,400 miles) from Jerusalem. However, the first-century Jewish historian Josephus called the queen the “Queen of Egypt and Ethiopia” (Jewish Antiquities 8.6.5-6), and Ethiopian tradition says that their kings descend from Solomon and the queen of Sheba.

The Hebrew word translated fame often means “hearing” (coming from the verb “to hear”) or “report.” But in this context it refers to the widespread reputation for wisdom that Solomon had. In some languages this idea is expressed by the word “honor.”

She came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions: Hard questions refers to questions that are not easy to answer because the answers require wisdom or good understanding. Some translations include “enigmatic questions” (Revised English Bible, Osty-Trinquet), “difficult questions” (New Jerusalem Bible), “perplexing questions” (Anchor Bible), and “subtle questions” (New American Bible). In some languages this will be best translated by the word for “riddle.” The purpose of such questions was to test him (literally “to test Solomon”). But this does not indicate any wrong intent on the part of the queen. She simply wanted to find out if Solomon was as wise as she had heard he was.

Having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones: Retinue translates a Hebrew noun that has a range of meanings, including “power,” “wealth,” “landowner,” “army,” and “upper class [of a city].” In this context most interpreters understand it as referring to the persons who accompany the queen, so it has been rendered “retinue” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), “group of attendants” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation), and “caravan” (New International Version). However, Osty-Trinquet sees the focus on the wealth itself and not on the persons bringing the gifts. He renders a very great retinue as “immense riches.”

For camels see the comments on 1 Chr 5.21.

Spices translates a Hebrew noun meaning “balsam oil,” but it is to be taken here in the more general sense of various sweet-smelling objects. These spices were expensive because they were imported. They were ground up and mixed with oil and used as perfumes, incense, or embalming substances. They were not used for cooking. Anchor Bible and Bible en français courant translate this noun as “perfumes.”

According to verse 9, the amount of gold was 120 talents.

Precious stones may be rendered “precious gems” ( NET Bible) or “jewels” (Good News Translation, Moffatt). Some languages say “rocks/pebbles of value.”

The text implies that these various items brought by the queen of Sheba were to be given as gifts to Solomon. This information comes in verse 9. However, it seems reasonable to make this explicit here in the receptor language if there is any danger that readers may think that she has some other purpose in mind. Contemporary English Version adds the word “gifts” to make this clear.

She told him all that was on her mind: This nearly literal translation of the Hebrew may suggest the wrong meaning. In contemporary American English, when you “tell someone what is on your mind,” it means to tell someone what is bothering you or what your concerns are. New Revised Standard Version says “she discussed with him all that was on her mind.” Mind translates the Hebrew noun for “heart” (see the comments on this noun in 1 Chr 17.2). Good News Translation renders this clause as “she asked him all the questions that she could think of,” and New American Bible says “[she] questioned him on every subject in which she was interested.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .