The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 212

ii. 16; Pse.. xlviii. 7; oompe.re our " Ee.st manner identified by Gesenius, al., with the Ind.in.man," " Greenlander "). But the Sanskrit koJ~i. Sir J. Emerson Tennant • words " in the sea," Cl!~. e.re most natara.l.ly (" Ceylon," ti. p. 102) so.ye "the terms by which these articles (ivory, apes, nnd pea- understood of th1tt ocee.n which the Jews cocks) are designated in the Hebrew Sorip- called par excel/~11ce "the sea,'' or " the tures are identical with the Tamil names by great sea" (Num. xxxiv. 6, 7), i.e., the which some of them are called in Ceylon to Mediterranean, though the term Cl;;:! is un- the present day "], a.nd peacocks. [So the doubtedly used of the Red Sea, the Sea. of the ancients interpret the original word, Galilee, and the Dead Sea. And the more though some of the moderns would under- so as we 1.-now that the Tyrians bad a.n exten- stand "parrots." But the root 1::ln appears sive commerce with Tartessns, which was a in several Arya.n tongues (cf. rawc, from great emporium of trade from the earliest raFwr:, li.nd pavo) as indicating the pee.cock times. Biihr objects that " no gold is (Gesen., Max Miiller, al.) which originally found in Spa.in, but few peacocks, a.nd little oa.me from India. Whether it was also ivory; " but Rawlinson, on the other hand, found in Africa is uncertain. Aristophanes affirms that " Spa.in ha.d the richest silver (Birds, 485) says, rca>-Einu IIEp<Tucoc opv,,. mines known in the ancient world, and bad Wordsworth very justly sees in the mention a goodclc!ll of gold also" (Plin., Nat. Hist. of these curious beasts and birds a symptoill iii. 4), while "apes and ivory were produced of declension in simplicity a.nd piety, a token by the opposite coast of Africa." (Herod. iv. that "wealth had brought with it luxury 191. As to peacocks see below). And it and effeminacy, and a frivolous, vainglorious is a powerful arga.ment in favour of Tar- love for novel and outlandish objects." tessus that it is the plentifulness of silver Ver. 23.-So King Solomon exceeded all in Solomon's days has suggested this refer- the kings of the earth for lichee and ence to the fleet. For though silver " was wisdom [Cf. eh. iii.13. " There is something found in the la.nd of the Nabe.tme.ns, accord- ominous of evil here. Riches a.re put before ing to Strabo, xvi. 784" (Keil), yet it was to wisdom. This was not the case in the Tartcssus that the ancient world was chiefly beginning of Solomon's reign (eh. iii. 11)" indcl,teJ for its supplies of that metal. On -Wordsworth. the whole, therefore, it seems probable that Ver. 24.-And all the earth sought to II second fleet, trading with the Mediter~ [Heb. sought the face of] Solomon, to hea.r ranean gee.ports, is here described. And h1s wisdom which God ha.d put in his hea.rt Psa. !=ii 10 is distinctly in favour of this [i.e., mind. Cf. eh. iv. 34]. conclusion. When EwaJd says (" Hist. Ver. 25.-And they brought [Heb. and Israel," iii. 263) that the Phamicians would these (visitors were) bringing] every ma.n hardly tolerate a rival in the Med.iterranean, his present [It is doubtful whether we he surely forgets that they had been admitted a.re to understand by this word tribute, or bv the Jews to share the trade of Ophir] gifts. The succeeding words, " a rate year with the navy of Hiram ; once in three by year," would seem to imply the former; years [This period agrees better with a the fa.et that the visitors ea.me not as sub- voynge to Spa.in than to Southern Arabia. jects, but to "hear the wisdom," &c., the And if we understand it of Spanish latter. Biihr understands that the presents ,oynges, it removes one difficulty in the ••were rPp2ated year by year, so highly had way of placing ~ophir in Arabia. It has Solomon risen in estimation." But even also been urged that " the Hebrews this supposition does not explain the" rate"] reckoned parts of years a.nd days as whole vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, a.nd ones" (Kitto); but this hardly would apply garments [cf. Gen. xlv. 22; 2 Kings v. 26; to the expression " once in three yeara "] Ezra ii. 69], a.nd armour [rather, "arms, came the navy of Ta.rshish, bring1ng gold weapona" (Gesen.) Ewald understands and silver, ivory [Heb. tooth of elephants, pe111,me; LXX. ,rrmcr,}v, i.e., oil of myrrh], LXX. ooon£r; i>,Et,avrwo,. It is noteworthy a.nd spices [cf. ver. 10], horses a.nd mules that the name for elephant used here is de- [see on eh. i. 33], a. rate year by yea.r ri,ed from the Sanskrit (Gesen.), and an [Heb. the matter of a year in his year]. argtllllent has been drawn hence in favour of placing Opbir in India, and of identifying the The remaining verses of this chapter, '.farshish flaet with the navy of Ophir. But which, in the account of the chronicler, such conclusions a.re extremely precarious. find a place at the end of the first cb11.pter of The name may have first come to the Jews his second book, repea.t somo of the informa- from India, in which case it would be re- tion already given in cbs. iv. 26 and ix. 19, tained, from whatever quarter the com- modity was subsequently detjved. See and furnish a few additional particuln.rs 118 Rawlinson, p. 546], a.nd apes [~lp is in like to the wealth and co=erce of the king. CI1, x. 14-20.] THE FIRS'f BOOK OF KINGS. 215