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Bible Lexicons
Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's #211 - אוֹפִר
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
- Ophir = "reducing to ashes"
- eleventh son of Joktan
- a land or city in southern Arabia in Solomon´s trade route where gold evidently was traded for goods
- characteristic of fine gold
- fine gold
- Book
- Word
did not use
this Strong's Number
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 Acts , 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 2 Chronicles 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 Jablonskii Opusc. ed. te Water i. 337; compare also Jos Ant. 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 Ri HWB, Herzog, Smith Dict. Bib.; compare Glas Skizze ii. 367 ff.) ** WMMAs.u.Eur.111 identifies with Egyptian Punt, on western coast of Red Sea.
