1 Kings 9:28

Contextual Overview

¹⁵Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. ¹⁵ Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord 's temple, his own palace, the terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. ¹⁵Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon raised up to build the house of Yahweh, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ (And this is the summe whiche king Solomon raysed for a tribute when he buylded the house of the Lorde, and his owne house, and Millo, and the wall of Hierusalem, and Hazor, and Megeddo, and Gazer. ¹⁵ And this is the reason of the labor force that King Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ King Solomon forced slaves to work for him to build the Temple and his palace. Then he used these slaves to build many other things. He built the Millo and the city wall around Jerusalem. Then he rebuilt the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ And this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megid'do and Gezer ¹⁵ This is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Yahweh, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ And this is the reason of the leuie which king Solomon raised, for to build the house of the Lord, and his owne house, and Millo, and the wall of Ierusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ophir: 1 Kings 10:11, Genesis 10:29, 1 Chronicles 29:4, 2 Chronicles 8:18, 2 Chronicles 9:10, Job 22:24, Job 28:16, Psalms 45:9, Isaiah 13:12

four hundred: 2 Chronicles 8:18

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 9:14 - General 1 Kings 10:14 - was six hundred 1 Kings 22:48 - to Ophir 1 Chronicles 1:23 - Ophir Ecclesiastes 2:8 - silver

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they came to Ophir,.... About which place there are various opinions; some take it to be the little island of Zocatora, on the eastern coast of Africa, at a small distance from the straits of Babelmandel; others the island of Ceylon; others Sofala in Africa; some k Peru in America; Vatablus the island of Hispaniola in the West Indies, discovered by Columbus, and who thought l himself that he had found the land of Ophir, because of the quantity of gold in it; others the southern part of Arabia; but the most reasonable opinion is, says my author m, that it is a rich country in Malacca, which is a peninsula in the true Red sea (that part of the ocean which divides Asia from Africa), known by the name of the "golden Chersonese", and which agrees with Josephus n; and at twelve leagues from Malacca there is a very high mountain, which by the natives is called Ophir, and is reported to be, or to have been, very rich in gold, though at present only some tin mines are worked there; and Kircher o says the word Ophir is a Coptic or Egyptian word, by which the ancient Egyptians used to call that India which contains the kingdoms of Malabar, Zeilan, the golden Chersonese, and, the islands belonging to it, Sumatra, Molucca, Java, and other neighbouring golden islands. So Varrerius p thinks that all that coast in which are contained Pegu, Malaca, and Somatra, is Ophir; which places, besides gold, abound with elephants, apes, and parrots. In the island of Sumatra gold is now found, especially in Achin, in great plenty; in which is a mountain, called the "golden mountain", near the mines q Reland r takes Ophir to be the country round about a city called Oupara or Suphara, in the East Indies, where now stands Goa, the most famous mart in all India at this day for many of those things Solomon traded thither for. Though after all perhaps there was no such place originally as Ophir in India; only the gold brought from thence was like that of Ophir in Arabia, and therefore they called the place so from whence it was had; see Job 22:24

and fetched from thence gold four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon; which according to Brerewood s amounted to 1,890,000 pounds of our money; and according to another writer t 5,132,400 ducats of gold. Abarbinel says a talent of gold was equal to 12,300 Venetian ducats; in 2 Chronicles 8:18 it is said, that four hundred and fifty talents of gold were brought to Solomon; perhaps thirty might be expended in the voyage, or paid to Hiram's servants for their wages, as some Jewish writers observe; or in the bulk or ore it might be four hundred and fifty talents, but when purified only four hundred and twenty, as Grotius remarks; either way removes the difficulty; though some think different voyages are respected here and there; of the gold of Ophir frequent mention is made in Scripture.

k Erasm. Schmid. de America, orat. ad Cale. Pindar. p. 261. So some Jewish writers say it is the new world, Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 10. 1. l P. Martyr Decad. 1. l. 1. m Harris's Voyages, ut supra. (vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3. p. 377.) n Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 4.) o China Illustrat. cum Monument. p. 58. & Prodrom. Copt. c. 4. p. 119. p Comment. de Ophyra. q Dampier's Voyages, vol. 2. ch. 7. r Dissert. de Ophir, sect. 6, 7. s De Ponder. & Pret. c. 5. t Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 572.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

On Ophir, see the marginal reference note. Among the various opinions three predominate; all moderns, except a very few, being in favor of Arabia, India, or Eastern Africa. Arabia’s claims are supported by the greatest number.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 9:28. And they came to Ophir — No man knows certainly, to this day, where this Ophir was situated. There were two places of this name; one somewhere in India, beyond the Ganges, and another in Arabia, near the country of the Sabaeans, mentioned by Job, Job 22:24: Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust; and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. And Job 28:16: It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. Calmet places this country at the sources of the Euphrates and Tigris.

But there are several reasons to prove that this was not the Ophir of the Bible, which it seems was so situated as to require a voyage of three years long to go out, load, and return. Mr. Bruce has discussed this subject at great length; see his Travels, vol. ii., chap. iv., p. 354, c. He endeavours to prove

1. That Ezion-geber is situated on the Elanitic branch of the Arabian Gulf or Red Sea.

2. That Tharshish is Moka, near to Melinda, in the Indian Ocean, in about three degrees south latitude.

3. That Ophir lies somewhere in the land of Sofala, or in the vicinity of the Zimbeze river, opposite the island of Madagascar, where there have been gold and silver mines in great abundance from the remotest antiquity. And he proves,

4. That no vessel could perform this voyage in less than THREE years, because of the monsoons that more time need not be employed, and that this is the precise time mentioned in 1 Kings 10:22.

1 Kings 10:5. That this is the country of the queen of Sheba, or Sabia, or Azeba, who on her visit to Solomon, brought him one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices and precious stones great store, 1 Kings 10:10. And that gold, ivory, silver, c., are the natural productions of this country.

To illustrate and prove his positions he has given a map on a large scale, "showing the track of Solomon's fleet in their three years' voyage from the Elanitic Gulf to Ophir and Tharshish" to which, and his description, I must refer the reader.