Ophir (; Hebrew: אוֹפִיר, Modern: ʼŌfīr, Tiberian: ʼŌp̄īr) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. Its existence is attested to by an inscribed pottery shard found at Tell Qasile (in modern-day Tel Aviv) in 1946, dating to the eighth century BC, which reads "gold of Ophir to/for Beth-Horon [...] 30 shekels". The location of Ophir is unknown, though the find confirms it as a real place which exported gold.
Contents
Biblical and apochyphal references
Ophir in Genesis 10 (the Table of Nations) is said to be the name of one of the sons of Joktan. The Books of Kings and Chronicles tell of a joint expedition to Ophir by King Solomon and the Tyrian king Hiram I from Ezion-Geber, a port on the Red Sea, which brought back large amounts of gold, precious stones and "algum wood", and of a later failed expedition by king Jehoshaphat of Judah. The famous '"gold of Ophir" appears in several other books of the Hebrew Bible: in particular, Isaiah 13:12 refers to the "golden wedge of Ophir".
In the Septuagint, other variants of the name are mentioned: Ōpheír, Sōphír, Sōpheír and Souphír.
The New Testament apocryphal book Cave of Treasures contains a passage:"And the children of Ophir, that is, Send, appointed to be their king Lophoron, who built Ophir with stones of gold; now, all the stones that are in Ophir are of gold."
Theorized locations
Possible ancient trade routes
The 1st-century historian Josephus, in his "Antiquities of the Jews" (8.6.4), identified Ophir as "the Aurea Chersonesus, which belongs to India". "Aurea Chersonesus" (Χρυσῆ Χερσόνησος) is Greco-Latin for "Golden Peninsula". At that time, India was thought to comprise, not just the Indian subcontinent, but also Indochina, and Indonesia. Hence, in his Geography, the nearly contemporaneous geographer Ptolemy lists these additional lands within the province of "India beyond the Ganges". Ptolemy therein identifies exactly where this Golden Peninsula is, centering it in Malaysia, perhaps also extending somewhat into Sumatra. In particular, Ptolemy mentions a "golden river" (Χρυσοάνα ποταμος) somewhat south of the archaeological site of the Bujang Valley (Βήσυγγα ἐμπόριον), and in the vicinity of the "Palandos river" (Παλάνδος ποταμος) (the modern Pahang region, also common in the derived toponyms surrounding Kuala Lumpur). These areas are indeed famous for gold. Indeed, the longest-lasting name for Sumatra, Svarṇa, which also means "gold," may have derived directly from the word Ophir, by a means similar to the Classical Greek pronunciation displayed in the Septuagint: "Soophaara"/"Souphir" (Σωφηρα/Σουφιρ).
Europeans, arriving later, consequently renamed mythologically-famous 'golden' Mount Ledang near Malacca, Malaysia, as Mount Ophir.
The 10th-century lexicographer David ben Abraham al-Fasi identified Ophir with Serendip, the old Persian name for Sri Lanka (aka Ceylon).
A Dictionary of the Bible by Sir William Smith, published in 1863, notes the Hebrew word for parrot Thukki, derived from the Classical Tamil for peacock Thogkai and Sinhalese "tokei", joins other Classical Tamil words for ivory, cotton-cloth and apes preserved in the Hebrew Bible. This theory of Ophir's location in Uvari in Tamil Nadu is further supported by other historians. According to local tradition, the name Uvari has been associated with "Obeer Pattanam", and some writers have noted a phonetic similarity between this name and the biblical Ophir, a region mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as a source of gold during the reigns of King Solomon and King David. However, this proposed connection remains speculative and has not been widely accepted within mainstream historical scholarship.
Archaeological excavations at Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu have revealed evidence of an ancient civilization in the region. In 2022, researchers reported discoveries including gold artifacts, human remains, and other archaeological materials dating to approximately 1000 BC. This period broadly corresponds to the era traditionally associated with King David and King Solomon in biblical chronology. Some authors and researchers have suggested that these findings may warrant further investigation into possible connections between ancient South Indian maritime trade networks and regions described in biblical texts, although no definitive evidence has established an identification of Uvari, Adichanallur, or Tamil Nadu with the biblical Ophir.
Inspiration or named after
In a letter written in May 1500, Peter Martyr claimed that Christopher Columbus identified Hispaniola with Ophir.
The theologian Benito Arias Montano (1571) proposed finding Ophir in the name of Peru, reasoning that the native Peruvians were thus descendants of Ophir and Shem.
The California Gold Rush boomtown, Ophir, was renamed after "the biblical source of Solomon's treasure."
Ophir, Oregon, is an unincorporated community on the coast in Curry County.
The site of the discovery of the first payable gold deposit in Australia is known as Ophir, as is gold-mining settlement of Ophir, in Otago, New Zealand.
After their discovery by Europeans in 1568 by Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña, the Solomon Islands were subsequently referred to as Islas Salomón (Solomon Islands) by others following reports of his voyage optimistically conflated with stories of King Solomon, believing them to be Ophir.
Ophir Chasma, named after the biblical Ophir, is a canyon making up part of the Valles Marineris canyon system on Mars.