The chief countries mentioned as producing gold are Arabia, Sheba, and Ophir (1 Kings ix, 28 ; x, 1 ; Job xxviii, 10 ; in Job xxii, 24 the word Ophir is used for gold). Gold is not found in Arabia now (Niebuhr's Travels, p. 141), but it used to be (Artcmidor. ap. Stra- bo, xvi, 3, 18, where he speaks of an Arabian river \pyjyiAa \nv(Toi' Kara(p'(pon>). Diodorus also says that it was found there native (uTrvnov) in good-sized nug- gets (/SwXapio). Some suppose that Ophir was an Arabian port to which gold was brought (compare 2 Chron. ii, 7 ; ix, 10). Other gold-liearing countries were Uphaz (Jer. x, 9; Dan. x, 5), Parvaim (2 Chron. iii, C), and (at least primevally) Havilah (Gen. ii, 11). No traveller in Palestine makes ain' mention of gold except Dr. Edward D. Clarke. At the lake of Tiberias, he observes, " Native gold was found here formerly. We noticed an appearance of this kind, but, on account of its trivial nature, neglected to paj- prop- er attention to it, notwithstanding the hints given by more than one writer upon the subject." However, for everj' practical purpose, it mnj' be said that Pales- tine has no gold. It is always spoken of by the Jew- ish writers as a foreign product. As gold was very common, relativeh', in Egyjjt at a verj' early date, much of that in the hands of the early Hebrews was probably obtained thence (Exod. xii, 33 ; xxxii, 2, 4 ; xxxviii, 24).
Metallurgic processes are mentioned in Psa. Ixvi, 10 ; Prov. xvii, 3 ; xxvii, 21 ; and in Isa. xlvi, G the trade of goldsmith (compare Judg. xvii, 4, vl'^i:) is al- luded to in connection with the overlaying of idols with gold-leaf (liosenmiiller's Minerals o^ Scripture, p. 4G-51).— Smith, s. v. See Golds:mitii.
Gold, in the Scriptures, is the symbol of great value, duration, incoiTuptil)ilit_v, and strength (Isa. xiii, 12 ; Lam. iv, 2 ; 2 Tim. ii, 20 ; Prov. xviii, 11 ; Job xxxvi, 19). In Dan. ii, 38, the Babylonian empire is a "head of gold," so called on account of its great riches ; and Babylon was called l)y Isaiah, as in our version, "the golden city" (xiv, 4), but more properly "the exact- ress of gold." In Eccles. xii, 6, some explain the ex- pression "or the golden bowl be broken" of tlie human head or skull, which resemjiles a bowl in form. In Kev. iv, 4, "the elders," and ix, 7, "the locusts, had on their heads crowns of gold." In the costume of the East, a linen turban with a gold ornament was reckoned a crown of gold, and is so called in the lan- guage of Scripture (Lev. viii, 9"). Gold denotes spirit- ually the redeeming merits of Christ (Rev. iii, 18 : " I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that tiiou mayst be ricli"), though others interpret it of being rich in good works before God. In 1 Cor. iii, 12, it seems to denote sincere believers, built into the
golde:n' calf
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GOLDSMITH
Christian Church, who will stand the fiery trial. — Wemyss, Symbol. Diet. s. v. See Metal.
Golden Calf (ri2&"9 ?Ji>, e' [jel niassehuh' , a steer- image, Exod. xxxii, 4, 8; Dent, ix, 16; Neh. ix, 19, lit. a calf, a molten image, and therefore massive, not a mere wooden idol plated with gold), an idolatrous representation of a j'oung bullock, which the Israelites formed at Mount Sinai (Exod. xxxii, 3 sq. ; compare Psa. cvi, 19 ; Acts vii, 39 sq.), interdicted by Jehovah (Hengstenberg, Pentai. i, 159) ; and eventuall}^ in the time of Jeroboam I of the kingdom of Israel, erected into a national object of worship (1 Kings xil, 28 sq. ; 2 Kings x, 29 ; comp. xvii, 16 ; Hos. viii, 5 sq. ; x, 5 ; Tobit i, 5) at liethel and Dan (q. v.). See Image. The S3'mbol was undoubtedly borrowed from Egypt (comp. Ezek. xx, 7, 8 ; Acts vi, 39 ; see Philo, ii, 159 ; Hengstenberg, Pentat. i, 156 sq.), where living bul- locks. Apis (q. v.), as a living symbol of sins (Plu- tarch, hid. 33) in Memphis (Herod, iii, 28; Diod. Sic. i, 21 ; Strabo, xvii, 805), and Mnevis (q. v.) as a rep- resentation of the sun-god [see Egypt] at Ileliopolis (Diod. Sic. i, 21 ; Strabo, xvii, 903), were objects of worship (see Jablonsk)', Panih. ^gypt. i, 122 sq. ; 258 sq. ; Creuzer, Symbol, i, 480 sq.). One of these two, possibly Apis (Lactant. Instit. iv, 10 ; Jerome, in IIos. iv, 15 ; comp. Spencer, Leg. Rit. Ihb. I, i, 1, p. 32 sq. ; Witsii JEgypt. II, ii, p. Gl sq. ; Selden, De diis <S'^?\ I, iv, p. 125 sq. ; Lengerke, Ken. p. 464), but more prob- ably Mnevis ("Wilkinson, Anc. Eg. 2d ser. ii, 97), was the model of the golden calf which the Israelites in the desert, and perhaps Jeroboam afterwards, set up. On the contrarj', Philo (0pp. i, 371), with whom Mill {Dissei-t. Sacr. p. 309 sq.) agrees, asserts that the Isra- elitish calf was an imitation of the Egj'ptian Typhon; but this view was dictated rather by theological prej- udices than historical considerations. Nevertheless, the bovine symbol is found in the ornamentation of the Temple (Ezek. i, 10 ; 1 Kings vii, 29), and is one of wide prevalence in antiquity (Movers, Pkunic. p. 373 sq.). See Cherubim.