Ophir

Biblical Text

Ophir appears in Scripture chiefly in the phrase "the gold of Ophir." It is also used once as a personal name.

• Son of Joktan: Genesis 10:29 and 1 Chronicles 1:23 list Ophir among the sons of Joktan, a descendant of Shem. Sheba and Havilah appear in the same list.
• Solomon's trade: According to 1 Kings 9:26-28, Solomon built ships at Ezion-geber, on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. Sailors sent by Hiram king of Tyre went with these ships to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold. The parallel account in 2 Chronicles 8:18 gives the figure as 450 talents. First Kings 10:11 is set within the account of the visit of the Queen of Sheba. This verse records that Hiram's ships brought from Ophir gold, a great quantity of almug trees, and precious stones.
• Jehoshaphat's failure: In 1 Kings 22:48, Jehoshaphat king of Judah built ships to go to Ophir for gold. The ships, however, were wrecked at Ezion-geber and never set out.
• A standard of value: In 1 Chronicles 29:4, David offers three thousand talents of the gold of Ophir for the building of the temple. In Job 22:24 and 28:16, Psalm 45:9, and Isaiah 13:12, "the gold of Ophir" serves as an idiomatic expression for the most precious gold.

Background and Location

The Bible does not specify where Ophir was. Scholars generally discuss three views.

• Southwestern Arabia: This view rests on the fact that Ophir appears alongside Sheba and Havilah in Genesis 10.
• The East African coast: This view connects the voyages' departure from a Red Sea port with the gold-producing regions mentioned in ancient Egyptian records.
• India: The ancient Jewish historian Josephus is reported to have identified Ophir with a land toward India. Some also connect the ivory, apes, and peacocks brought by the ships of Tarshish in 1 Kings 10:22 with the voyages to Ophir. That verse, however, does not mention Ophir directly.

Outside the Bible, a potsherd inscribed with the words "gold of Ophir" is reported to have been found at Tell Qasile in Israel. It is cited as evidence that "gold of Ophir" designated an actual commodity of trade. The sherd does not, however, reveal Ophir's location.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Ophir is a name that symbolizes the wealth and international commerce enjoyed by Solomon's kingdom. Job 28 declares that wisdom is so precious that it cannot be bought even with the gold of Ophir. In this passage Ophir serves as a point of comparison that highlights the value of wisdom.

The New Testament does not mention Ophir directly. However, Psalm 45, which depicts the queen standing adorned in the gold of Ophir, is quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9. For this reason Christian tradition has read the psalm in terms of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church.

Interpretation and Debate

The location of Ophir remains unresolved. Accordingly, any account that definitively identifies a particular region as Ophir should be regarded as one scholarly theory among others.

Outside the Bible, the legend of "King Solomon's mines" became widespread. In the nineteenth century, some Europeans linked the ruins of Great Zimbabwe in southern Africa with Ophir or with Solomon. Later archaeological research, however, established that the site was built by an indigenous African society. The biblical text does not say that Solomon owned mines; it states only that he sent ships and brought back gold.