◄ 211. Ophir ►
Brown-Driver-Briggs אוֺפִיר proper name Ophir — ׳א 1 Kings 10:11 +; אוֺפִ֫ירָה 1 Kings 9:28 + אוֺפִר Genesis 10:29; אֹפִיר 1 Kings 10:11 — 1. proper name, masculine 11th son of Joktan Genesis 10:29 (J) = 1 Chronicles 1:23; ᵐ5 Οὐφειρ, Ὠφειρ, name of an Arabian tribe, see Genesis 10:30 & Di. 2. proper name, of a location (land or city south or southeast from Palestine, exact position unknown, compare below; ᵐ5 Σωφηρα, Σωφειρα, Σουφειρ, etc.; Job 28:16 Ὠφειρ AC, compare 1 Kings 22:49 A Ὠφειρδε, B omitted) place whither Solomon's ships went from Ezion Geber, bringing thence gold 1 Kings 9:28 — compare 1 Kings 22:49 — 2 Chronicles 8:18; gold, almug- (sandal-?) wood & gems 2 Chronicles 10:11 (twice in verse), compare 2Chronicles 9:10; probably 1 Kings 10:22 reference to same ships; they came once in three years with gold, silver, ivory, apes & peacocks (all from Ophir ?); 2 Chronicles 9:21 makes these ships go to Tarshish (but on Tarshish-ships, i.e. large, sea-going vessels, merchantmen, see 1 Kings 22:49 & below תַּרְשִׁישׁ). 3 characteristic of fine gold (in poetry & late) ׳זְהַב א 1 Chronicles 29:4; ׳כֶּתֶם א Isaiah 13:12; Job 28:16; Psalm 45:10. 4 hence for fine gold itself Job 22:24 ("" בֶּצֶר). — (If 2 = 1, then southern, probably south-eastern, Arabia (compare Di Genesis 10:29) furnished the gold; and other articles, which point farther east (e.g. to India, toward which the words קוֺפִים apes & תֻּכִּיִּים peacocks seem to lead), were either brought to Ophir by traders, & so found there by Solomon's men, or were found elsewhere by the latter, whose cruise may have taken them beyond Ophir, the name of Ophir alone, as source of gold-supply, being preserved. If (less likely) 1 & 2 are not the same, the only data for determining location of 2 are the articles brought, & one may look toward India, Ceylon or other islands, or even lower Africa. Particular theories have as yet no adequate support; e.g. (a) old city Supara, or Uppara, in the region of Goa, Malabar coast (compare ᵐ5 above 2, but also 1; form with Σ said on Coptic authority to denote India, see JablonskiiOpusc. ed. te Water i. 337; compare also JosAnt. viii. 6. 4; in that case its use by ᵐ5 may indicate a theory of the location of Ophir); (b) peninsula Malacca; (c) island Sumatra; (d) Sofâla, with city Zimbabye (southeast Africa); (e) west coast of Arabia (where gold & silver formerly found), etc. On these & other theories, see Di Genesis 10:29 RiHWB, Herzog, SmithDict. Bib.; compare GlasSkizze ii. 367 ff.) **WMMAs.u.Eur.111 identifies with Egyptian Punt, on western coast of Red Sea. Forms and Transliterations אוֹפִ֑יר אוֹפִ֔ירָה אוֹפִ֛ירָה אוֹפִ֥יר אוֹפִ֥ר אוֹפִֽיר׃ אופיר אופיר׃ אופירה אופר מֵאֹפִ֜יר מֵאוֹפִ֑יר מאופיר מאפיר ’ō·w·p̄î·rāh ’ō·w·p̄ir ’ō·w·p̄îr ’ōwp̄ir ’ōwp̄îr ’ōwp̄îrāh mê’ōp̄îr mê’ōwp̄îr mê·’ō·p̄îr mê·’ō·w·p̄îr meoFir oFir oFirah Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts