מלכים א, פרק י׳, פסוק ט״ו

King Solomon's legendary wealth was not built solely on direct imports of gold. He established a vast network of international trade, taxes, and tributes that flowed into the royal treasury every year. He wisely drew enormous capital from foreign sources without placing a heavy tax burden on his own citizens [אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These various streams of revenue were collected in addition to the primary shipments of gold [מצודת דוד].

One significant source of income came from traveling merchants who scoured different lands to buy and transport goods. Commentators differ on the scale of these operations. Some suggest these were major international traders who traveled to the ends of the earth to find the most profitable markets [מלבי״ם, רלב״ג]. Others argue they were actually small-scale traders who, lacking significant funds, were forced to wander extensively in search of cheap bargains [רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. A completely different approach suggests this revenue did not come from merchants at all, but rather from a specific northern nation known as the Tartars [אברבנאל].

Another stream of wealth came from wandering spice sellers who traveled from city to city. These individuals were generally considered smaller-scale peddlers [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רלב״ג, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Solomon collected a fixed tax from them whenever they moved their goods across his borders or utilized his ships [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, this income might not refer to the peddlers themselves, but to the actual cargo of spices brought to the king from the land of Ophir alongside his gold [אברבנאל].

Beyond commercial trade, the royal treasury was constantly enriched by tributes and gifts from regional leaders. Much of this came from the kings of Arabia [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, another perspective views these royal contributors as foreign kings who lived under Solomon's protection and relied on his guarantee of safety [רש״י]. Alongside these monarchs, local rulers, government ministers, and provincial governors also paid regular taxes to the crown [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].