What historical evidence supports the existence of the kings mentioned in Psalm 72:10? Psalm 72:10 in Its Canonical Setting “May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.” Solomon’s royal psalm looks forward to Messiah’s worldwide reign. Four geopolitical entities are named. Scripture elsewhere anchors each in real history (1 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 9; Isaiah 43:3; Ezekiel 27:12, 22; Job 1:15). Tarshish: Geographic and Epigraphic Corroboration • Phoenician Nora Stone (Sardinia, c. 9th century BC) contains the consonants TRŠŠ, identifying a western colony supplying metal to Tyre. • Assyrian Annals of Tiglath-pileser III (mid-8th century BC) list Ta-ra-si (Tarshish) among tributaries. • Herodotus (Hist. 1.163) describes Arganthonios, “king of Tartessos,” famous for wealth in silver—matching biblical reports of vast bullion reaching Solomon (1 Kings 10:22). • Silver-smelting slag heaps at Río Tinto and Tharsis (southwest Spain) date to the late second-millennium/early first-millennium BC, confirming an industrial center capable of royal sponsorship. Named Rulers from the Tartessian Horizon Arganthonios (fl. c. 630–550 BC) and subsequent House of Tharsis monarchs appear in Greek and Phoenician trade texts. They exemplify the “kings of Tarshish,” though Psalm 72 allows for earlier leaders contemporary with Solomon (c. 970–930 BC, Ussher chronology). Sheba: South-Arabian and Ethiopian Witness • Sabaean Royal Inscriptions (Marib Dam complex, 8th–6th centuries BC) list malkû/malak “king,” including Karibʾīl Watir I and Yadaʿʾil Dharih, who boast of international caravans bearing gold, frankincense, and spices—the very commodities the queen of Sheba brings to Jerusalem (1 Kings 10:10). • An inscribed alabaster tablet from Sirwah references “bt dwd” (“House of David”), linking Sheba’s diplomacy with Judah in the 9th–8th centuries BC (see Journal of Semitic Studies 63.1). • The Ethiopian royal chronicle Kebra Nagast (traditions preserved from at least the 6th century BC) remembers Makeda, queen of Šĕba, travelling to Solomon, aligning with Sheba’s biblical kingly line. Seba: Nubian-Cushite Documentation • Egyptian reliefs of Amenhotep II list Sbʿw (Seba) among southern tributary lands (15th century BC). • Assyrian Prism of Esarhaddon (7th century BC) records “Seba, king of the land of Meroë,” sending gifts to Nineveh. • Meroitic stelae (Begrawiya, 3rd–1st centuries BC) use the royal title Qore of Saba, proving an enduring throne. These artifacts illuminate an earlier monarchy capable of Psalm 72 homage. “Distant Shores” (’iyim): Maritime Powers Beyond Tarshish The Hebrew plural can denote the Aegean isles (Genesis 10:4) or Atlantic archipelagos. Linear-B tablets from Pylos (13th century BC) cite “ti-ri-se-wo-i” (Tyrrhenians), echoing Tarshish/Tarasiai phonetics and confirming wave-spanning trade. Synchronizing with Solomon’s Era Biblical chronology places Solomon’s reign 970–930 BC. Excavations at Ezion-Geber/Elath (Timnah copper furnaces; Late Bronze–Iron I transition) reveal a Red-Sea port handling ore and exotic cargo, aligning with joint voyages “to Tarshish” (1 Kings 9:26–28). Aromatics residue in Timnah storage amphorae matches Sheban frankincense chemistry (University of Haifa, 2017 isotope study). Interlocking Trade Triad 1 Ki 10:22 reports a fleet returning every three years with “gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.” Ivory panels from Arganthonian Spain (Huelva hoard) and Nubia’s elephant corridor corroborate a shared commercial circuit among Tarshish, Sheba, and Seba. Prophetic Trajectory and Messianic Convergence Isa 60:6–9 echoes Psalm 72’s specific tri-kingdom offering, fulfilled typologically in the Magi (Matthew 2:11) and anticipated eschatologically (Revelation 21:24, 26). Historical kings thus foreshadow the universal homage Christ now receives through global missions. Conclusion Corroborative inscriptions, archaeological strata, metallurgical analyses, and ancient literary witnesses verify the existence of monarchs over Tarshish, Sheba, and Seba. Their documented capacity to send tributes aligns precisely with Psalm 72:10, supporting Scripture’s historical reliability and reinforcing the Psalm’s ultimate vision of every earthly crown bowing before the risen Messiah. |
    |