HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H8143
שֶׁנְהַבִּים
shen.hab.bim — ivory
ivory
2 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY
Ivory
Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term
How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.
GREEK · G7181
ἐλέφας
elephas — ivory
1. the elephant , (Herdotus Historicus) 2. the elephant's tusk, ivory , (Iliad by Homer) (ML)
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H8127
שֵׁן
shen — tooth
: tooth 1) tooth, ivory 1a) tooth 1a1) of man, lex talionis, beast 1b) tooth, tine (of fork) 1c) ivory 1c1) as material 1c2) of commerce 1d) sharp pointed rock
44 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →GREEK · G1661
ἐλεφάντινος
elephantinos — made of ivory
ἐλεφάντινος, -η, -ον (ἐλέφας, ivory), [in LXX for שֵׁן ;] of ivory: Rev.18:12.† (AS)
1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →Historical dictionary entry
(Heb. pl. shenhabbim, the “tusks of elephants”) was early used in decorations by the Egyptians, and a great trade in it was carried on by the Assyrians (Ezek. 27:6; Rev. 18:12). It was used by the Phoenicians to ornament the box-wood rowing-benches of their galleys, and Hiram’s skilled workmen made Solomon’s throne of ivory (1 Kings 10:18). It was brought by the caravans of Dedan (Isa. 21:13), and from the East Indies by the navy of Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22). Many specimens of ancient Egyptian and Assyrian ivory-work have been preserved. The word habbim is derived from the Sanscrit ibhas, meaning “elephant,” preceded by the Hebrew article (ha); and hence it is argued that Ophir, from which it and the other articles mentioned in 1 Kings 10:22 were brought, was in India.
Scripture references
Ezekiel 27:6Revelation 18:121 Kings 10:18Isaiah 21:131 Kings 10:222 Chronicles 9:17Ezekiel 27:151 Kings 22:39Amos 6:4
Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.