Queen Hatesphut of the 18th Dynasty in ancient Egypt stands out as one of the greatest Pharaohs in the long history of the African kingdom, her reign was marked by 22 years of peace. Hatesphut’s style of leadership was unique and called for a type of wisdom that was uncommon among kings and leaders at any point in history.
There is another African Queen by the name of Sheba whose insight and appreciation of wisdom was so unique that she is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament in the Bible. While speaking to his detractors Jesus refers to Sheba as the Queen of the South when he says “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon: and indeed a greater than Solomon is here” Matt 12:42.
It has been suggested by scholars that Hatesphut and the Queen of the South are one and the same. One of the reasons they state is on the walls of her massive temple at Deir el Bahri where she describes a trip over land and sea to Punt which she calls “Gods Land”. The result of the trip yielded a bounty of gifts like exotic plants and animals that are displayed on the walls of her temple to this day. The Queen of Sheba took a similar trip to Israel and brought back plants and animals and this is mentioned in 1 Kings 10.
The Bible states the purpose of Sheba’s visit to Solomon was to “test him with hard questions”. After her meeting with Solomon, she states, “Happy are your men and happy are these servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom” 1 Kings 10:8 NKJV
In Proverbs in chapter 8 verse 14,15 wisdom is personified as a woman states “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me, kings reign, and rulers decree justice”. Wisdom also states in chapter 14 verse 28, “The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following”. Message Bible
Hatesphut’s success as a leader was unique and her insight into servant leadership caused her to stand out in history. Her thirst for wisdom that would benefit her people was mirrored by the “Queen of th South” as Jesus stated. A trait so unique that the walls of her temple and the pages of the Bible seem to agree that Sheba and Hatesphut were one in the same.