TARPELITES (k:^?^?, plur. emph. ; B Topo^aX- Xafoi, A and Luc. TapipaMaiOi). — One of the peoples settled by Assurbanipal (?) iu the cities of Samaria, Ezr 4'. Their identity is quite uncertain. Kawlin- son suggested the Ttiplai of the Inscriptions, i.e. the TifSapri^oi on the coast of Poutus ; Hitzig con- jectured Tripolis in N. Phoenicia.
TARSHISH (c^TiB). — 1. See following article. 2. The eponym of a Benjamite family, 1 Ch 7'" (B'l'a/icirffai, A and Luc. Ua/3<7e(i). 3. One of the seven jirinces of Persia and Media who 'sat first in the kingdom,' and had the right of access to the royal presence, Est 1"(LXX om.). See Admatha. 4. The name of a precious stone (once Ezk 10" B'-if^B px, elsewhere simply o'^'-ji?). Ex 28''"' 39'*, Ezk V ICiiH's, Ca 5'*, Dn 1(J« ; identified by AV and IIV witli the bori/l, although 11 Vm oilers as alter- native renderings chcilcedony or topaz or .itone uf Tarshish. The LXX has in Exodus and Ezk 28'« (cf. Jos. Artt. III. vii. 5) x/""''^'^'''"'. in ^'^ 40' ivOpa^, elsewhere dapud%. See, further, artt. STONES (Precious), p. 62u'', and Topaz, p. 7'J7.
J. A. Selbie.
TARSHISH (v-v-yn ; LXX eap<T(h [on other renderings see below]). — The name of a maritime country, situated far to the W. of Palestine. The biblical passages teach us the following facts about this much discussed name : —
In Gn 10'= 1 Ch 1' Tarshish is one of the sons of Javan, under wliich latter name the Orientals seem to have comprised almost all Western mari- time nations. In Gn 10 we find the order : Elishah (i.e. Cyprus, after the most modiin lesearches), Tarshish, Kittim (AV Chittim, which was, until recently, usually explained as the Cyprians, but they belong, with all probability, to nuicli more westerly tracts of the Mediterranean ; cf. Winckler, Forscliungen, ii. 442), and Uodaiiim (or Uodaiiim, a very obscure name). Tliis arrangement does not allow any certain conclusions. — In Jon P the prophet embarks at Jojipa to Ilee to Tarshisli (cf. 4^), which seems to represent here the extreme ends of the earth, so far as it was known to the Hebrews, the country farthest away from Jeho- vah's seat. — In Is 60'" it represents, togetlier with Javan, with the isles afar oil' and several Asiatic (if we except the somewhat doubtful Pul or Put) countries, the most remote quarters of the earth to which the exiled Jews may have fled ; cf. below on 60". — Somewhat similnrly, Ezk 38" places Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish parallel
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with (or, better probably, in contrast to) the mysterious Gog of Magog. It is impossible to draw any inferences about the situation of Tarshish from this parallelism ; certainly vicinity to the Arabian countries Sheba and Dedan is not indicated (cf. Gn 10'). — Ps 72'° quite analogously places the kings of Tarsliish and of the isles in contrast to the kings of Slieba and Seba. — In Is 23* the prophet sarcastically advises the Tyrians to flee from the approaching destruction of their city to Tarshish and tlie isle (read evidently the plural: isles). V.'" works this out more fully: ' Overflow (liVm) thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish : there is no more girdle ' (AVm ; text ' strengtii '), i.e. that country will be overcrowded by Phoenician fugiti^es. Evidently, Tyrian ships were specially familiar with the journey to Tarshish.
The remote position of Tarshish led to the use of the expression 'Tarshish ship' for a certain class of specially strong and large ships, destineil for longer voyages, exactly as sailors used to mean by an ' East Indiaman ' a type of ship, not only one sailing to or from India (thus, correctly, alreadj' Gesenius, Tliesaurus). Ezk 27^° (RV) ' the ships of Tarshish were thy caravans for thy merchandise,' need not necessarily point to a prevalence of naval trade with Tarshish. Is 60' ' the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first to bring thy sons from far,' might, indeed, also be understood literally as a parallel to 66". The curse on Tyre, however, in 23', beginning ' Howl, ye ships of Tarshish,' means, evidentlj-, the Tyrian fleet, or its best ships ; or, at any rate, not ships belonging to the inhabitants of Tarshish. Ps 48' ' with the east wind thou breakest the ships of Tarsliish,' intends only a very general illustration of God's power over the most mighty things. Cf., analo- gously. Is 2" ' (the day of the Lord shall be) on all ships of Tarshish.' In 1 K 10^ ' the king (Solomon) had at sea a navy (better : a ship) of Tarshish with the navy of rfiram,' and this ship was sent to bring ' gold and silver, ivory, and apes and pea- cocks'; evidently, the expeditions to Ophir (v." and O-"*) are meant. Wherever that country of Ophir may have been, it is clear that the Tarshish ship was not sailing to or from Tarshisli, but along the E. African coast, as already its sailing port Ezion-geber shows. The Chronic ler, however, no longer understood that old nautical expression, and interpreted it, literally, of an expedition sent to Tarshish. Thus 2 Ch 9*' ' ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Hurnm,' etc. (after 1 K lU"), and 2u^* ' Jehoshaphat of Judah joined himself with Aliaziah, king of Israel, to build ships in Ezion - geher to go to Tarshish.' These sliijis were liroken so that they were not able to go to ' Tarshish,' while the original text, 1 K 22''*, spoke merely of ' ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold.' These [passages might be understood (together with Ezk 38'^, Ps 72'") as pointing to a region of Arabia, Africa, or even India, assump- tions which of course would be in direct conflict Willi Gn 10, etc.*