Tarshish

In the Bible

Tarshish is a place name used several times in the Old Testament for a location far from Israel by sea.

• Table of nations: In Genesis 10:4 and 1 Chronicles 1:7, Tarshish appears among the descendants of Javan, the son of Japheth.
• Royal ships: According to 1 Kings 10:22, Solomon "had at sea a navy of Tharshish." These ships sailed with the ships of Hiram, and once every three years they returned bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks (see 2 Chronicles 9:21). Jehoshaphat also built ships of Tarshish, but they were wrecked at Ezion-geber (1 Kings 22:48; 2 Chronicles 20:35–37).
• Jonah's flight: In Jonah 1:3, Jonah, seeking to evade the command to go to Nineveh, went down to Joppa and boarded a ship bound for Tarshish.
• Psalms and the Prophets: The name also appears in Psalms 48:7 and 72:10; Isaiah 2:16, 23, 60:9, and 66:19; Jeremiah 10:9; Ezekiel 27:12; and elsewhere.

The same name is also borne by individuals (1 Chronicles 7:10; Esther 1:14).

Background

Ezekiel 27:12 records that Tarshish traded with Tyre in silver, iron, tin, and lead, and Jeremiah 10:9 states that silver was brought from Tarshish. The Bible thus portrays Tarshish as a distant trading center rich in metals.

Its exact location has not been determined. Scholars generally propose the following candidates:

• Ancient Tartessos in southwestern Spain
• The island of Sardinia
• A site in North Africa

The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) is reported to render Tarshish as Carthage in some passages. The etymology of the name is also uncertain.

Significance Across Scripture

In the prophetic books, Tarshish and the "ships of Tarshish" carry two distinct meanings:

• Human wealth and pride: In Isaiah 2:16, they represent the human wealth and pride that will be brought low on the Day of the Lord.
• The return of the nations: In Isaiah 60:9, the ships of Tarshish bring back the scattered children together with silver and gold. In Isaiah 66:19, Tarshish is listed among the distant nations that have not heard of God's glory.

The name Tarshish does not appear in the New Testament. However, in light of Jesus' reference to Jonah (Matthew 12:41) and the New Testament theme of the gospel going to the ends of the earth, Tarshish is sometimes read in connection with the mission to the Gentiles.

Interpretation and Debate

• Distinction from Tarsus: Although the name Tarshish resembles Tarsus, the hometown of Paul, the two are distinct places in the biblical text. Josephus is reported to have identified them as the same place, but this is a minority view in modern scholarship.
• The meaning of "ships of Tarshish": Because Jehoshaphat's ships of Tarshish were meant to sail to Ophir (1 Kings 22:48), some interpreters understand the phrase as denoting a class of large oceangoing vessel rather than an actual destination.
• Why Jonah fled to Tarshish: In Jonah 4:2, Jonah himself explains that he fled because he knew God was gracious and merciful and would relent from sending calamity. Explanations such as national hostility toward Nineveh or fear are interpretations built on this passage.

In the Korean Church

In sermons on Jonah, the phrase "a ship bound for Tarshish" is frequently used to describe the path of running from God's call. Preachers also commonly draw attention to the repeated statement that Jonah "went down"—to Joppa and then into the hold of the ship—to illustrate the consequences of disobedience.