Luke 11:31

"But that indeed in the day of judgment the doings of those who have known the truth are compared with the good deeds of those who have been in error, the unlying One Himself has taught us, saying to those who neglected to come and …

Or because the South is praised in Scripture as warm and life-giving, therefore the soul reigning in the south, that is, in all spiritual conversation, comes to hear the wisdom of Solomon, the Prince of peace, the Lord our God, (i. e. is raised up to contemplate Him,) to whom no one shall come except he reign in a good life. But He brings next an example from the Ninevites, saying, The men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it.

Second, the generation of the Jews is reproved because it was lukewarm in learning, when it is added: The queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with the men of this generation. From which it appears that the resurrection will be universal, not …

The Queen of the South will rise in the judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them. She will indeed condemn not by the power of judgment, but by the comparison of a better act. But if the Queen of the South, …

For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.--Here in this place it signifies not a pronoun, but an adverb of place, that is, he is conversing among you in the …

Not certainly by any authority to judge, but by the contrast of a better deed. As it follows, For she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Hie in this place is not the pronoun, but the adverb of place, that is, "there is one present among you who is incomparably superior to Solomon." He said not, "I am greater than Solomon," that he might teach us to be humble, though fruitful in spiritual graces. As if he said, "The barbarian woman hastened to hear Solomon, taking so long a journey to be instructed in the knowledge of visible living creatures, and the virtues of herbs. But ye when ye stand by and hear Wisdom herself teaching you invisible and heavenly things, and confirming her words with signs and wonders, are strangers to the word, and senselessly disregard the miracles."

But if the queen of the South, who doubtless is of the elect, shall rise up in judgment together with the wicked, we have a proof of the one resurrection of all men, good as well as bad, and that not according to Jewish fables to happen a thousand years before the judgment, but at the judgment itself.

The Queen of the South shall likewise condemn this generation, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. By the "queen of the south," understand also every soul that is strong and steadfast in goodness. Let me explain. …

Now Jonas after he came forth from the whale's belly converts the men of Nineveh by his preaching, but when Christ rose again, the Jewish nation believed not. So there was a sentence already passed upon them, of which there follows a second example, as it is said, The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them.

The queen of the south,....

The queen of the south, etc. - Perhaps it would be better to translate, A queen of the south, and the men of this race, shall rise up in judgment, etc. See the note on Luk 11:7. The 32d verse may be read in the same way.

OUR FIRST thought is that no mere man would have said this concerning himself unless he had been altogether eaten up with vanity; for Solomon was among the Jews the very ideal of greatness and wisdom. It would be an instance of the utmost self-conceit if any mere man were to say of himself’’A greater than Solomon is here.’ Any person who was really greater and wiser than Solomon would be the last man to claim such preeminence. A wise man would never think of it; a prudent man would never say it.

A woman is brought before us in this passage of Scripture, of whose name and history we know nothing. We read that, as our Lord spoke, "A certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said unto him: Blessed is the mother that gave you birth." At once our Lord founds a great lesson on her remark. His perfect wisdom turned every incident within His reach to profit. We should observe in these verses — how great are the privileges of those who hear and keep God's Word.

A woman is brought before us in this passage of Scripture, of whose name and history we know nothing. We read that, as our Lord spoke, "A certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said unto him: Blessed is the mother that gave you birth." At once our Lord founds a great lesson on her remark. His perfect wisdom turned every incident within His reach to profit. We should observe in these verses — how great are the privileges of those who hear and keep God's Word. They are regarded by Christ with as much honor as if they were His nearest relatives. It is more blessed to be a believer in the Lord Jesus — than it would have been to have been one of the family in which He was born after the flesh. It was a greater honor to Mary herself, to have Christ dwelling in her heart by faith — than to have been the mother of Christ, and to have nursed Him on her bosom. We are generally very slow to receive truths like these. We are apt to imagine that to have seen Christ, and heard Christ, and lived near Christ, and been a relative of Christ according to the flesh — would have had some mighty effect upon our souls. We are all naturally inclined to attach great importance to a religion of sight, and sense, and touch, and eye, and ear . We love a physical, tangible, material Christianity — far better than one of faith. And we need reminding that seeing is not always believing. Thousands saw Christ continually, while He was on earth, and yet clung to their sins. Even His brethren at one time "did not believe in him." (John 7:5.) A mere fleshly knowledge of Christ, saves no one. The words of Paul are very instructive, "Though we have known Christ after the flesh — yet we do not know Him any more in this way." (2 Corinthians 5:16.)

OUR FIRST thought is that no mere man would have said this concerning himself unless he had been altogether eaten up with vanity; for Solomon was among the Jews the very ideal of greatness and wisdom. It would be an instance of the utmost self-conceit if any mere man were to say of himself’’A greater than Solomon is here.’ Any person who was really greater and wiser than Solomon would be the last man to claim such preeminence. A wise man would never think of it; a prudent man would never say it. The Lord Jesus Christ, if we regard Him as a mere man, would have never uttered such an expression, for a more modest, self-forgetting man was never found in all our race. View it on the supposition that the Christ of Nazareth was a mere man, and I say that His whole conduct was totally different from the spirit which would have suggested an utterance like this’’A greater Solomon is here.’ For men to compare themselves with one another is not wise, and Christ was wise; it is not humble, and Christ was humble. He would not have thus spoken if there had not been cause and reason in His infinitely glorious nature. It was because the divinity within Him must speak out. For God to say that He is greater than all His creatures is no boasting; for what are they in His sight? All worlds are but sparks from the anvil of His omnipotence. Space, time, eternity, all these are as nothing before Him; and for Him to compare or even to contrast Himself with one of His own creatures is supreme condescension, let Him word the comparison how He may. It was the divine within our Lord which made Him say’and not even then with a view to exalt Himself, but with a view to point the moral that He was trying to bring before the people’’A greater than Solomon is here.’ He did as good as say, ‘’The queen of the south came from a distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but you refuse to hear me.