אֹופִיר S 211 TWOT 50 GK 234, 235 n.pr. Ophir — א׳ 1 K 10:11 +; אֹופִירָה 9:28 + אֹופִר •Gn 10:2 9; אֹפִיר •1 K 10:1 1— 1. n.pr.m. 11th son of Joktan Gn 10:29 ( J ) = 1 Ch 1:2 3; Ö Οὐφειρ, Ὠφειρ , name of an Arabian tribe, vid. Gn 10:30

& Di . 2. n.pr.loc. ( land or city S. or SE. from Palestine, exact position unknown, cf. infr .; Ö Σωφηρα, Σωφειρα, Σουφειρ , etc.; Jb 28:16 Ὠφειρ AC, cf. 1 K 22:49

A Ὠφειρδε , B om. ) place whither Sol.’s ships went from Ezion Geber, bringing thence gold 1 K 9:28 — cf. 22:4 9 —2 Ch 8:1 8; gold, almug-(sandal-?) wood & gems 1 K 10:11 ^(×2), cf. 2 Ch 9:1 0; prob. 1 K 10:22 ref. to same ships; they came once in 3 years with gold, silver, ivory, apes & peacocks (all from Ophir?); 2 Ch 9:21 makes these ships go to Tarshish (but on Tarshish-ships, i.e. large, sea-going vessels, merchantmen, v. 1 K 22:49 & sub תַּרְשִׁישׁ ). 3. characteristic of fine gold (poet. & late) זְהַב א׳ 1 Ch 29: 4; כֶּחֶם א׳ Is 13:12 Jb 28:16 ψ 45:10 . 4. hence for fine gold itself Jb 22:24 ( || בֶּצֶר ).— ( If 2 = 1 , the southern, prob. south-eastern, Arabia ( cf. Di Gn 10:2 9) furnished the gold; and other articles, which point farther E. (e.g. to India, toward which the words קֹופִים apes & תֻּכִּיִּים peacockes seem to lead), were either brought to Ophir by traders, & so found there by Sol.’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 loc. 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 ( cf. Ö supr. 2 , but also 1 ; form with Σ said on Copt.

authority to denote India, v. Jablonskii Opusc. ed. te Water i. 337 ; cf. also Jos ^Ant. viii, 6, 4 ; in that case its use by Ö may indicate a theory of the location of Ophir); ( b ) peninsula Malacca; ( c ) island Sumatra; ( d ) Sofâla , with city Zimbabye (SE.

Africa); ( e ) west coast of Arabia (where gold & silver formerly found), etc. On these & other theories, v. Di Gn 10:29 Ri ^HWB, Herzog, Smith Dict. Bib. ; cf. Glaser ^Skizze ii. 367 ff. WMM As. u. Eur. 111 identifies with Egypt. Pvnt , on W. coast of

Red Sea ) .

Du B. Duhm. A Alexandrine MS . of Setpuagint. loc. local, locality.
supr. supra, above.

Jos Fl. Josephus, Antiquities Ri E. Riehm, Handwörterb. d. bibl. Alterth .

Dict. Smith, Dictionary of Bible. Glaser E. Glaser, skizze der Geschichte u. Geographie arabiens .