The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-07-05
Where and What was Ophir Of
the Hebrew Scriptures

Rev. DIR. KFapf, and some few other
German scholars of reputation, havesup-
posed that Ophir may have been on the
Eastern coast of Africa; but this does
not seem probable. Max Muller is sure,
that it must have been somewhere i'll
India and says, very justly, that the
names of the articles broughtfrom Ophir
are as foreign to Hebrew, astobacco and
gutta-percha are to English; but that
does not make them Sanscrit, as he
makes an unsatisfactory attempttoprove
them to be.
We will try to look for the situation
of that country by a different road. In
a very remote period, Europe and Africa
were considered as but one of the two
grand divisions of the earth the appel
latiOn Africa was extended to the West
ern parts of Europe, all along the shores
of the Atlantic. In the prehistoric times
Europe and Africa were, undoubtedly,
by the civilized nations in Asia called
the West" just as the Europeans now
have turned that appellation round in
calling Asia the East" 1t is only since
the time of the Romans that the word
Africa has become the name for one of
the grand divisions of the globe. Pre-
viously Egypt was considered as a part
fAsia and the balance of Eastern Africa
was called Sancha, a term that still re-
mains in the name of Zanguebar or Fan
zibar. The Northern, and especially
the Northwestern part of that grand
division was designated Aphar, and f.
nally Africa.
The word "Ophir," as used in the He
brew scriptures, means " the West" and
is the same as the words Aphar, Apar
and Aupir. Major MILFORD says very
justly, in the 8th volume of the "Asiatic
Researches" "In scripture, Parvaim
and Ophir mean countries at the East
and at the West; but these terms are
not deducible from the Hebrew" From
Ophir Or Aphar is derived the name
Africa. 1t is the same word that, as
mentioned above, in ancient times was
used to describe the Western African
and European countries.
Therefore, when it is said, that the
ships Of Solomon went to Ophir, the
meaning is that they went to the West
erns countries, and, probably, all the
countries beyond the Cape of Good
Hope were so called. The Ophir visited
may have been the coast of Guinea,
where gold and ivory still are abundant,
for in making these voyages, the ships
went not only down the Red Sea, but
also through the Strait of Gibraltar, and
down the Western coast Of Africa. This
appears to be the meaning Of the follow
ing statements: Sand King Solomon
made q navy of ships in EziOngeber
which is beside ElOth, on the shore OF
the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And
Hiram sentin the navy his servants, ship.
men that had knowledge of the sea, witt
the servants of Solomon. Andthey went
to Ophir and fetched from thence gold
Il Kings TX. 26-28) and this one: "The
Kings ships went to Tarshish with the
servants of Hiram every three year;
once came the ships of Tarshish, bring
ing gold and silver, ivory, apes and pea,
cocks" Cor perhaps "Guinea fowl") II
Chron. TX. q. Thati is to say, the ships
sailed for Ophir as we'll from Tarshisl
(Tartessus), on the Southern coast O.
Spain, as from Ezion-geber, on the Rec
4 Sea.
1t is a pity to see that J%ehOsaphat die
not succeed. in reviving the Ophir trade
We see that he hadno Phnnician sailor
to mar his ships and his own subject
never have been a ~seafaring people
Their s%hipbuilding must have been o
the poorest description, too, for we reaC
that the ships foundered in the harbo1
before they could start on their journey
I This seems to have been the plain trutl
) about the transaction, of which we hav
, two versions. / Kings chapter XXI
[ verse 49 and 40 says: "JehOsaphat har
r ten shipsmade at Tarshish to go to Ophi
l for gold; but they wentnOt, for the ship
were broken at Ezion-geber. Then sal
Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, unto Jehosa
phat: Let my servants go with thy ser
t wants in the ships. But Jehosapha
, would not" II Chronicles, chapter Ky
t verses 36 and 81 says: "And he (JehOsa
phat) joined himself with him fAhazial
i. to make ships to go to Tarshish, an
f they made the ships in Ezion-gebet
= Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavah {
t. Mareshah prophesied against Jehoss
phat, saying: Because thou hast :joine
thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord has brc
ken thy works. And the ships wei
r broken, that they were moi. able to go
: Tarshish." The meaning of these tw
q contradictory reports is undoubtedl
r that the ships were both built and shil
wrecked at Ez~ion-geber. Tarshish W.
. a Phenician colony, where Jehosaph'
had no business to build ships. ThatI
> had admitted King Ahaziah of Israel
participation in his enterprise is undOub
eddy the case, as we will see .beloY
5 Eliezer's prophesy is one made post fac
f by the priest-party, that was blindly an
n fanatically opposed to any good unde
standing between tho Kingdoms Of j
2 dab and Israel. $R
Jehosaphat was no common man.. T
was, without any doubt, the most sens
s. BILE, or perhaps the only sensible, of /
David's successors. Though orthodt
enough to satisfy the priest who wro
the history of the Jewish people, he st
n had foo mnnh sound sense not to seq Ri