Ophir

Ophir was where the gold came from. Solomon’s ships went there with Hiram’s sailors and came back with “gold, four hundred and twenty talents” (1 Kings 9:28), along with almug trees and precious stones. The name became shorthand for the finest gold: David gave “the gold of Ophir” for the temple (1 Chronicles 29:4), and Job says wisdom “cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir” (Job 28:16). Genesis 10:29 lists Ophir among the sons of Joktan, so the name began with a person. Scripture does not say exactly where it lay. Job 28 is a good place to start.

9 verses

Genesis

Genesis 10:29

And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

1 Kings

1 Kings 9:28

And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

1 Kings 10:11

And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.

1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles 29:4

Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:

2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 8:18

And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

Job

Job 22:24

Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

Job 28:16

It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

Psalms

Psalms 45:9

Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

Isaiah

Isaiah 13:12

I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

(1.) One of the sons of Joktan (Gen. 10:29).

(2.) Some region famous for its gold (1 Kings 9:28; 10:11; 22:48; Job 22:24; 28:16; Isa. 13:12). In the LXX. this word is rendered “Sophir,” and “Sofir” is the Coptic name for India, which is the rendering of the Arabic version, as also of the Vulgate. Josephus has identified it with the Golden Chersonese, i.e., the Malay peninsula. It is now generally identified with Abhira, at the mouth of the Indus. Much may be said, however, in favour of the opinion that it was somewhere in Arabia.

From Smith's Bible Dictionary

William Smith, 1884

(abundane).

(1.) The eleventh in order of the sons of Joktan. (Genesis 10:29; 1 Chronicles 1:23) (B.C. after 2450.)

(2.) A seaport or region from which the Hebrews in the time of Solomon obtained gold. The gold was proverbial for its fineness, so that "gold of Ophir" is several times used as an expression for fine gold, (1 Chronicles 29:4; Job 28:16; Psalms 45:9; Isaiah 13:12) and in one passage (Job 22:24) the word "Ophir" by itself is used for gold of Ophir, and for gold generally. In addition to gold, the vessels brought from Ophir almug wood and precious stones. The precise geographical situation of Ophir has long been a subject of doubt and discussion. The two countries which have divided the opinions of the learned have been Arabia and India, while some have placed it in Africa. In five passages Ophir is mentioned by name - (1 Kings 9:28; 10:11; 22:18; 2 Chronicles 8:18; 9:10) If the three passages of the book of Kings are carefully examined, it will be seen that all the information given respecting Ophir is that it was a place or region accessible by sea from Ezion-geber on the Red Sea, from which imports of gold, almug trees and precious stones were brought back by the Tyrian and Hebrew sailors. The author of the tenth chapter of Genesis certainly regarded Ophir as the name of some city, region or tribe in Arabia. It is almost certain that the Ophir of Genesis is the Ophir of the book of Kings. There is no mention, either in the Bible or elsewhere, of any other Ophir; and the idea of there having been two Ophirs evidently arose from a perception of the obvious meaning of the tenth chapter of Genesis on the one hand, coupled with the erroneous opinion, on the other that the Ophir of the book of Kings could not have been in Arabia. (Hence we conclude that Ophir was in southern Arabia, upon the border of the Indian Ocean; for even if all the things brought over in Solomon’s ships are not now found in Arabia, but are found in India, yet, there is evidence that they once were known in Arabia and, moreover, Ophir may not have been the original place of production of some of them, but the great market for traffic in them.)