Meaning of OPHIR

Tribe arising from Joktan (Gen. 10:29; 1 Chron. 1:23) and the country occupied by it; It was a region famous for its gold (1 Chron. 29:4; Jb. 22:24; 28:16; Ps. 45:10; Isa. 13:12).

Hiram and Solomon sent a fleet from Ezion-geber to Ophir (1 Kings 9:26-28); Perfumed woods (possibly sandalwood) were also brought from there, as well as gold (1 Kings 10:11). It is also likely that the silver, ivory, monkeys and peacocks of 1 Kings 10:22 came from Ophir (cf. 1 Kings 22:49).

Jehoshaphat attempted to imitate this enterprise, but his ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber (1 Kings 22:49) in the Gulf of Akaba. Therefore, it is evident that Ophir's route passed through the Red Sea, not the Mediterranean.

Ofir has not been positively identified. Josephus equates the land of gold with India (Ant. 8:6, 4), stating that it was possibly the basin of the Cophenes River (Ant. 1:6, 4).

For this reason, there are those who have thought about the mouth of the Indus, in the Abhira region. Southern Arabia, the Persian Gulf in eastern Arabia, and Africa, perhaps the Somalia area, have also been suggested.

The location of India is quite plausible, taking into account that the voyage lasted three years, although the Transvaal region of South Africa has also recently been pointed out.