Olney Hymns · Chapter
Queen of Sheba explained
The poem draws a parallel between the Queen of Sheba's journey to see Solomon and the believer's journey to Christ.
What happens
The poem draws a parallel between the Queen of Sheba's journey to see Solomon and the believer's journey to Christ. The Queen, having heard of Solomon's glory, finds the reality far exceeds the report. Similarly, the speaker, having heard the gospel, comes to Christ and finds His wisdom, love, and bounty surpass all expectations, bringing peace to a troubled conscience.
Themes in this chapter
Divine Providence and Guidance
God's wisdom in Solomon and in Christ guides the seeker to truth and peace.
Grace and Unmerited Favor
Christ's bounty exceeds all requests, granting more than the seeker can ask or think.
Faith and Trust in Christ
The speaker moves from hearing to believing, finding in Christ the answer to all doubts.
Characters to notice
- The Queen of Sheba
She travels to Solomon's court, amazed that the reality exceeds the rumors.
- Solomon
His wisdom and glory, inspired by God, astonish the Queen and prefigure Christ.
- Jesus Christ
The greater Solomon, whose wisdom and love surpass all human understanding.
- The Narrator
The speaker who, like the Queen, comes to Christ and finds peace and bounty.
Key passages
“From Sheba a distant report Of Solomon’s glory and fame Invited the queen to his court, But all was outdone when she came”
The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon's court because of what she had heard, but the reality far exceeded the report.
The Queen's experience mirrors the believer's discovery that Christ exceeds all expectations.
“Thus I, when the gospel proclaim’d The Saviour’s great name in my ears, The wisdom for which he is famed, The love which to sinners he bears, I long’d, and I was not denied, That I in his presence might bow; I saw, and transported I cried, “A greater than Solomon thou!””
When I heard the gospel, I longed to come to Christ, and when I did, I found Him greater than Solomon.
The speaker applies the Queen's experience to his own encounter with Christ.
“My conscience no comfort could find, By doubt and hard questions opposed; But he restored peace to my mind, And answer’d each doubt I proposed.”
My troubled conscience found no relief until Christ answered my doubts and gave me peace.
Christ, like Solomon, resolves the hard questions of the soul.