Queen (59 Occurrences)

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Bible Concordance

Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here. (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 11:31 The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, one greater than Solomon is here. (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 8:27 He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 18:7 However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart,'I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.' (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 5:30 Are they not getting, are they not parting the goods among them: a young girl or two to every man; and to Sisera robes of coloured needlework, worked in fair colours on this side and on that, for the neck of the queen? (BBE)

1 Kings 10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Yahweh, she came to prove him with hard questions. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 10:4 When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 10:10 She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones. There came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 10:13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 11:19 Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 15:13 Also Maacah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 10:13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, "Who are you?" They answered, "We are the brothers of Ahaziah. We are going down to greet the children of the king and the children of the queen." (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 9:1 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bore spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 9:3 When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 9:9 She gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 9:12 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which she had brought to the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 15:16 Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 2:6 The king said to me (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall your journey be? and when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:11 to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the royal crown, to show the people and the princes her beauty; for she was beautiful. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was very angry, and his anger burned in him. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:15 "What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because she has not done the bidding of the King Ahasuerus by the eunuchs?" (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:16 Memucan answered before the king and the princes, "Vashti the queen has not done wrong to just the king, but also to all the princes, and to all the people who are in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:17 For this deed of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to show contempt for their husbands, when it is reported,'King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she didn't come.' (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:18 Today, the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's deed will tell all the king's princes. This will cause much contempt and wrath. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 2:4 and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." The thing pleased the king, and he did so. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 2:17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 2:22 This thing became known to Mordecai, who informed Esther the queen; and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 4:4 Esther's maidens and her eunuchs came and told her this, and the queen was exceedingly grieved. She sent clothing to Mordecai, to replace his sackcloth; but he didn't receive it. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Esther 5:2 When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near, and touched the top of the scepter. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 5:3 Then the king asked her, "What would you like, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom." (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 5:12 Haman also said, "Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow I am also invited by her together with the king. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 7:1 So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 7:2 The king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, "What is your petition, queen Esther? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed." (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 7:3 Then Esther the queen answered, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 7:5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen, "Who is he, and where is he who dared presume in his heart to do so?" (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 7:6 Esther said, "An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 7:7 The king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden. Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 7:8 Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman had fallen on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he even assault the queen in front of me in the house?" As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 8:1 On that day, King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the Jews' enemy, to Esther the queen. Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 8:7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, "See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged on the gallows, because he laid his hand on the Jews. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 9:12 The king said to Esther the queen, "The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in the citadel of Susa, including the ten sons of Haman; what then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! Now what is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your further request? It shall be done." (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 9:29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 9:31 to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had decreed, and as they had imposed upon themselves and their descendants, in the matter of the fastings and their cry. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 9:32 The commandment of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book. (See RSV)

Psalms 45:9 Kings' daughters are among your honorable women. At your right hand the queen stands in gold of Ophir. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Isaiah 47:5 Be seated in the dark without a word, O daughter of the Chaldaeans: for you will no longer be named, The Queen of Kingdoms. (BBE NAS NIV)

Isaiah 47:7 And you said, I will be a queen for ever: you did not give attention to these things, and did not keep in mind what would come after. (BBE NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 13:18 Say to the king and to the queen mother, Humble yourselves, sit down; for your headdresses have come down, even the crown of your glory. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 29:2 (after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen mother, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem), (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 44:17 But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 44:18 But since we left off burning incense to the queen of the sky, and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 44:19 When we burned incense to the queen of the sky, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands? (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 44:25 Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, saying, You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have fulfilled it, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to her: establish then your vows, and perform your vows. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Lamentations 1:1 How the city sits solitary, that was full of people! She has become as a widow, who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces is become tributary! (See NIV)

Ezekiel 16:13 Thus you were decked with gold and silver; and your clothing was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work; you ate fine flour, and honey, and oil; and you were exceeding beautiful, and you prospered to royal estate. (See NIV)

Daniel 5:10 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spoke and said, O king, live forever; don't let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your face be changed. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Nahum 2:7 And it is decreed: she is uncovered, she is carried away; and her handmaids moan as with the voice of doves, beating upon their breasts. (See JPS BBE)

Thesaurus

Queen (59 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary No explicit mention of queens is made till we read of
the "queen of Sheba." The wives of the kings of Israel are not so designated. ...
/q/queen.htm - 44k

Queen's (3 Occurrences)
...Queen's (3 Occurrences). ... Esther 1:18 Today, the princesses of Persia and Media who
have heard of the queen's deed will tell all the king's princes. ...
/q/queen's.htm - 7k

Queen-mother (2 Occurrences)
Queen-mother. << Queenly, Queen-mother. Queens >>. Multi-Version
Concordance Queen-mother (2 Occurrences). Jeremiah 13:18 ...
/q/queen-mother.htm - 7k

Vashti (10 Occurrences)
... Beautiful, the queen of Ahasuerus, who was deposed from her royal dignity because
she refused to obey the king when he desired her to appear in the banqueting ...
/v/vashti.htm - 12k

Mother (2641 Occurrences)
... The queen-dowager occupied a very important position at the court of the kings of
Israel, eg Bathsheba (1 Kings 2:19); Maacah (1 Kings 15:13); Athaliah (2 ...
/m/mother.htm - 17k

Ahasu-e'rus (30 Occurrences)
... RSV). Esther 1:9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the
royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. (See RSV). ...
/a/ahasu-e'rus.htm - 15k

Ahasuerus (28 Occurrences)
... It was after his return from this invasion that Esther was chosen as his
queen. Multi-Version Concordance Ahasuerus (28 Occurrences). ...
/a/ahasuerus.htm - 17k

Xerxes (24 Occurrences)
... NIV). Esther 1:9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the
royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus. (See NIV). ...
/x/xerxes.htm - 14k

Candace (1 Occurrence)
... The queen of the Ethiopians whose "eunuch" or chamberlain was converted to Christianity
by the instrumentality of Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:27). ...
/c/candace.htm - 8k

Libations (29 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 7:18 The sons are gathering wood, And the fathers are causing the fire
to burn, And the women are kneading dough, To make cakes to the queen of the ...
/l/libations.htm - 16k

Greek

938. basilissa -- a queen
... a queen. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: basilissa Phonetic Spelling:
(bas-il'-is-sah) Short Definition: a queen Definition: a queen. ...
/greek/938.htm - 6k

2582. Kandake -- Candace, a queen of Ethiopia
... Candace, a queen of Ethiopia. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Kandake
Phonetic Spelling: (kan-dak'-ay) Short Definition: Candace Definition ...
/greek/2582.htm - 6k

2403. Iezabel -- Jezebel, the symbolic name of a false prophetess
... Short Definition: Jezebel Definition: Jezebel, name given to a false prophetess
of Thyatira, possibly borrowed from the name of Ahab's wife, queen of Israel. ...
/greek/2403.htm - 6k

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Queen

This title is properly applied to the queen-mother, since in an Oriental household it is not the wife but the mother of the master who exercises the highest authority. Strange as such an arrangement at sight appears, it is one of the inevitable results of polygamy. An illustration of the queen-mother's influence is given in (1 Kings 2:19) ff. The term is applied to Maachah, (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 16:16) and to Jezetiel, (2 Kings 10:13) and to the mother of Jehoiachin or Jeconiah, (Jeremiah 13:18) compare 2Kin 24:12; Jere 29:2

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

QUEEN

kwen: The Bible applies this term:

(1) To the wife of a king ("queen consort") (malkah). In the Book of Esther it is the title given to Vashti (1:9) and Esther (2:22); compare Songs 6:8 f. Another Hebrew word for queen consort is gebhirah, literally "mistress" (compare 1 Kings 11:19, the wife of Pharaoh; 2 Kings 10:13, "the children of the king and the children of the queen"). In Nehemiah 2:6 and Psalm 45:9 we find the expression sheghal, which some trace back to shaghal, "to ravish," a rather doubtful derivation. Still another term is sarah, literally, "princess" (Isaiah 49:23). The Septuagint sometimes uses the word basilissa; compare Psalm 45:9.

(2) To a female ruler or sovereign ("queen regnant"). The only instances are those of the queen (malkah) of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13; compare 2 Chronicles 9:1-12) and of Candace, the queen (basilissa) of the Ethiopians (Acts 8:27). In Matthew 12:42 (compare Luke 11:31) Christ refers to the queen of the south (basilissa notou), meaning, of course, the queen of Sheba.

(3) To a heathen deity, melekheth ha-shamayim, "the queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:17).

See QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

(4) Metaphorically, to the city of Babylon (Rome) (Revelation 18:7): an expression denoting sovereign contempt and imaginary dignity and power.

William Baur

QUEEN MOTHER

(gebhirah, literally, "mistress," then a female ruler, and sometimes simply the wife of a king ("queen," 1 Kings 11:19); in Daniel 5:10 the term malketha' "queen," really means the mother of the king): It stands to reason that among a people whose rulers are polygamists the mother of the new king or chief at once becomes a person of great consequence. The records of the Books of Kings prove it. The gebhirah, or queen mother, occupied a position of high social and political importance; she took rank almost with the king. When Bath-sheba, the mother of Solomon, desired "to speak unto him for Adonijah," her son "rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand" (1 Kings 2:19). And again, in 2 Kings 24:15, it is expressly stated that Nebuchadnezzar carried away the king's mother into captivity; Jeremiah calls her gebhirah (29:2). The king was Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Jeremiah 29:2), and his mother's name was Nehushta (2 Kings 24:8). This was the royal pair whose impending doom the prophet was told to forecast (Jeremiah 13:18). Here again the queen mother is mentioned with the king, thus emphasizing her exalted position. Now we understand why Asa removed Maacah his (grand?)mother from being queen (queen mother), as we are told in 1 Kings 15:13 (compare 2 Chronicles 15:16). She had used her powerful influence to further the cause of idolatry. In this connection Athaliah's coup d'etat may be briefly mentioned. After the violent death of her son Ahaziah (2 Kings 9:27), she usurped the royal power and reigned for some time in her own name (2 Kings 11:3; compare 2 Chronicles 22:12). This was, of course, a revolutionary undertaking, being a radical departure from the usual traditions.

And finally, the political importance of the gebhirah is illustrated by the fact that in the Books of Kings, with two exceptions, the names of the Jewish kings are recorded together with those of their respective mothers; they are as follows: Naamah, the Ammonitess, the mother of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21; compare 14:31, and 2 Chronicles 12:13); Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom (1 Kings 15:2) or Absalom (2 Chronicles 11:20) the mother of Abijah; Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom, the mother (grandmother?) of Asa (1 Kings 15:10; compare 2 Chronicles 15:16); Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi, the mother of Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:42; compare 2 Chronicles 20:31); Athaliah, the grand-daughter of Omri, the mother of Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:26; compare 2 Chronicles 22:2); Zibiah of Beersheba, the mother of Jehoash (2 Kings 12:1; compare 2 Chronicles 24:1); Jehoaddin (Jehoaddan, 2 Chronicles 25:1) of Jerusalem, the mother of Amaziah (2 Kings 14:2); Jecoliah (Jechiliah, 2 Chronicles 26:3) of Jerusalem, the mother of Azariah (2 Kings 15:2) or Uzziah (2 Kings 15:13, 30, etc.; compare 2 Chronicles 26:3); Jerusha (Jerushah, 2 Chronicles 27:1), the daughter of Zadok, the mother of Jotham (2 Kings 15:33); Abi (Abijah, 2 Chronicles 29:1), the daughter of Zechariah, the mother of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:2); Hephzibah, the mother of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1); Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah, the mother of Amon (2 Kings 21:19); Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath, the mother of Josiah (2 Kings 22:1); Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, the mother of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31); Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah, the mother of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:36); Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem, the mother of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:8); Hamutal (Hamital), the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, the mother Of Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:18). The exceptions are Jehoram and Ahaz.

William Baur

QUEEN OF HEAVEN

(melekheth ha-shamayim, although there is another reading, mele'kheth, "worship" or "goddess"): Occurs only in two passages: Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25, where the prophet denounces the wrath of God upon the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem who have given themselves up to the worship of the host of heaven. This is no doubt a part of the astral worship which is found largely developed among the Jews in the later period of their history in Canaan. It is first mentioned in 2 Kings 17:16 as practiced by the men of the Northern Kingdom when Samaria had fallen and the ten tribes were being carried away into captivity. Moses is represented as warning the Israelites against the worship of the sun and moon and stars and all the host of heaven, practiced by the people of Canaan (Deuteronomy 4:19; Deuteronomy 17:3) and the existence of such worship among the Canaanites and neighboring nations is attested from an early period (compare Job 31:26-28). The worship of the heavenly bodies was widely spread in the East and in Arabia; and the Babylonian pantheon was full of astral deities, where each divinity corresponded either to an astral phenomenon or to some circumstance or occurrence in Nature which is connected with the course of the stars (Jeremias, The Old Testament in the Light of the Ancient East, I, 100). From the prophets we gather that before the exile the worship of the host of heaven had become established among all classes and in all the towns of Israel (Jeremiah ubi supra; Ezekiel 8:16). In that worship the queen of heaven had a conspicuous place; and if, as seems probable from the cakes which were offered, she is to be identified with the Assyrian Ishtar and the Canaanite Astarte, the worship itself was of a grossly immoral and debasing character. That this Ishtar cult was of great antiquity and widely spread in ancient Babylonia may be seen from the symbols of it found in recent excavations (see Nippur, II, 236). How far the astral theorists like Winckler and Jeremias are entitled to link up with this worship the mourning for Josiah, the lamentations over Tammuz, the story of Jephthah's daughter, and even-the narrative of the misfortunes and the exaltation of Joseph, is questionable. But that the people of Judah in the days before the exile had given themselves over to the worst and vilest forms of heathen worship and incurred the grievous displeasure of Yahweh is made clear by the denunciation of the worship of the queen of heaven by Jeremiah.

T. Nicol.

QUEEN OF SHEBA

she'-ba (1 Kings 10:1-13 2 Chronicles 9:1-12, called in Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31, "the queen of the south" (basilissa notou)):

1. Old Testament Accounts:

The two Old Testament accounts of the coming of the queen of Sheba (see SHEBA) to Solomon differ slightly from one another, and, of the two, that in 1 Kings is the older. (1) The words "concerning the name of Yahweh" (1 Kings 10:1) are lacking in 2 Chronicles; while the Septuagint in 1 Kings has "and the name of Yahweh," apparently a correction of the Massoretic Text. (2) For 1 Kings 10:9, "because Yahweh loved Israel for ever," 2 Chronicles 9:8 has "because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever"; the Septuagint in 1 Kings has "because Yahweh loved Israel, to establish it forever." (3) In the last verse of each account we find another difference: 2 Chronicles 9:12 says that Solomon gave to the queen all her desire, "besides that which she had brought unto the king." i.e. according to some, besides the equivalent of what she had brought to him; 1 Kings 10:13 margin has" besides that which he gave her according to the hand of king Solomon," i.e. besides gifts commensurate with his own wealth and power (SBOT), or be sides gifts which he gave her qua king.

2. The Narrative:

The narrative tells of the queen of Sheba, on hearing of Solomon's great wisdom, coming to test him with perplexing questions or riddles (compare Judges 14:12). She brought presents to the king, and interviewed him: "And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built" (i.e. the palace, not the temple) as well as its arrangements, "and his burnt-offering which he offered in the house of Yahweh (so read and translate with the Revised Version margin in 1 Kings 10:5, and also in 2 Chronicles 9:4); there was no more spirit in her": the half of Solomon's wisdom had not been told her. "Happy," she said to him, "are thy wives (so read with Septuagint, Syriac and Old Latin versions), happy are these thy servants." She then exchanged gifts with him and returned to her own land.

The narrative is a complement of that in 1 Kings 3:16-28, where the king's justice is exemplified; here his wisdom.

3. Employed by Jesus:

The narrative is referred to by Jesus in Matthew 12:42 Luke 11:31, where He refuses to accede to the request of the scribes and Pharisees for a sign from Him. He tells them that no sign will be given them except that of Jonah, whose sign was his preaching, one that proved sufficient to the Ninevites; and `behold something greater than Jonah is here.' The men of Nineveh will be a living condemnation of them "in the judgment" (compare Luke 16:31); and so will the "queen of the south" who came from the ends of the earth after hearing of Solomon's wisdom, `and behold something greater than Solomon is here.' The only sign to be given is that of the wisdom of Jesus, a wisdom far greater than that of Solomon (see D. Smith, Days of His Flesh, 176;).

4. Eastern Literature:

Eastern literature has much to say about the queen of Sheba. The Arabs called her Bilqis. Abyssinian legend declares that she came from Ethiopia, her name being Maqeda, and that she had a son by Solomon. See Delitzsch, Iris, 116-27; ZDMG, X, 19 f; J Pr T, VI, 524; -1880. Gressmann (in Schriften des Altes Testament, II, 1,203) has further references to Wilhelm Hertz, Gesammelte Abhandlungen, 1905, 413;; Bezold, Kebra Nagast, 1905, and also ZDMG, 60,666;. For the Mohammedan story, see Koran xxvii, with notes in Sale's translation.

David Francis Roberts

SOUTH, QUEEN OF THE

(Matthew 12:42).

See QUEEN OF SHEBA.

SHEBA, QUEEN OF

See QUEEN OF SHEBA.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

No explicit mention of queens is made till we read of the "queen of Sheba." The wives of the kings of Israel are not so designated. In Psalm 45:9, the Hebrew for "queen" is not malkah, one actually ruling like the Queen of Sheba, but shegal, which simply means the king's wife. In 1 Kings 11:19, Pharaoh's wife is called "the queen," but the Hebrew word so rendered (g'birah) is simply a title of honour, denoting a royal lady, used sometimes for "queen-mother" (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16). In Cant. 6:8, 9, the king's wives are styled "queens" (Hebrews melakhoth).

In the New Testament we read of the "queen of the south", i.e., Southern Arabia, Sheba (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31) and the "queen of the Ethiopians" (Acts 8:27), Candace.

Queen of heaven

(Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17, 25), the moon, worshipped by the Assyrians as the receptive power in nature.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) The wife of a king.

2. (n.) A woman who is the sovereign of a kingdom; a female monarch; as, Elizabeth, queen of England; Mary, queen of Scots.

3. (n.) A woman eminent in power or attractions; the highest of her kind; as, a queen in society; -- also used figuratively of cities, countries, etc.

4. (n.) The fertile, or fully developed, female of social bees, ants, and termites.

5. (n.) The most powerful, and except the king the most important, piece in a set of chessmen.

6. (n.) A playing card bearing the picture of a queen; as, the queen of spades.

7. (n.) A male homosexual, esp. one who is effeminate or dresses in women's clothing.

8. (v. i.) To act the part of a queen.

9. (v. i.) To make a queen (or other piece, at the player's discretion) of by moving it to the eighth row; as, to queen a pawn.

Strong's Hebrew

4436. malkah -- queen
... << 4435, 4436. malkah. 4437 >>. queen. Transliteration: malkah Phonetic Spelling:
(mal-kaw') Short Definition: Queen. Word Origin fem. ...
/hebrew/4436.htm - 6k

7694. shegal -- (queen) consort
... << 7693, 7694. shegal. 7695 >>. (queen) consort. Transliteration: shegal Phonetic
Spelling: (shay-gawl') Short Definition: queen. Word ...
/hebrew/7694.htm - 6k

4446. meleketh -- queen
... << 4445b, 4446. meleketh. 4447 >>. queen. Transliteration: meleketh Phonetic
Spelling: (mel-eh'-keth) Short Definition: queen. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/4446.htm - 6k

4433. malka -- queen
malka or malkah. << 4432, 4433. malka or malkah. 4434 >>. queen. Transliteration:
malka or malkah Phonetic Spelling: (mal-kaw') Short Definition: queen. ...
/hebrew/4433.htm - 6k

1377. gebirah -- lady, queen
... << 1376, 1377. gebirah. 1378 >>. lady, queen. Transliteration: gebirah Phonetic
Spelling: (gheb-ee-raw') Short Definition: mother. Word Origin fem. ...
/hebrew/1377.htm - 6k

4427a. malak -- to be or become king or queen, to reign
... << 4427, 4427a. malak. 4427b >>. to be or become king or queen, to reign.
Transliteration: malak Short Definition: king. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/4427a.htm - 6k

2060. Vashti -- queen of Pers.
... << 2059, 2060. Vashti. 2061 >>. queen of Pers. ... Word Origin of foreign origin
Definition queen of Pers. NASB Word Usage Vashti (10). Vashti. ...
/hebrew/2060.htm - 5k

4427. malak -- to be or become king or queen, to reign
... << 4426, 4427. malak. 4427a >>. to be or become king or queen, to reign.
Transliteration: malak Phonetic Spelling: (maw-lak') Short Definition: consult. ...
/hebrew/4427.htm - 5k

1404. gebereth -- lady, queen, mistress
... << 1403, 1404. gebereth. 1405 >>. lady, queen, mistress. Transliteration: gebereth
Phonetic Spelling: (gheb-eh'-reth) Short Definition: mistress. ...
/hebrew/1404.htm - 6k

8472. Tachpenes -- an Eg. queen
... Tachpenes. 8473 >>. an Eg. queen. Transliteration: Tachpenes Phonetic Spelling:
(takh-pen-ace') Short Definition: Tahpenes. ... queen NASB Word Usage Tahpenes (3). ...
/hebrew/8472.htm - 6k

Subtopics

Queen of Sheba, Visits Solomon

Queen: Candace, of Ethiopia

Queen: Counsels the King

Queen: Crowned

Queen: Divorced

Queen: Makes Feasts for the Women of the Royal Household

Queen: Sits on the Throne With the King