1 Kings 10:11

1Ki 10:11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.

Ver. 11. And the navy also of Hiram,] i.e., Built with the timber sent by Hiram, and manned by his mariners. {2Ch 8:18}

Brought gold from Ophir.] Called there hence aurum obryzum, as it is likely.

Brought in from Ophir,] i.e., From Africa; Fez in Africa, some say; others, from Sumatra or Taprobane in India; others, from Peru in America. All are but conjectures.

Great plenty of almug trees.] Such as are mentioned in Rev 18:12, called there thyine wood. {a} The Rabbis render it coral; but that is not likely.

{a} Vide Plin., lib. xiii. cap. 15, 16.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 10:11-12. The navy of Hiram — brought great plenty of almug-trees — It is very uncertain what these almug-trees were, or algum-trees, as they are termed 2Ch 2:8, by a transposition of letters. Dr. Waterland renders the expression gum-trees, and Houbigant ligna citra, citron-wood. But Dr. Castell thinks it was the wood called sanctulum, which is proper for all the uses mentioned in the next verse, and is still in India. The king made of the almug-trees pillars for the house — There is nothing said from whence we can form any conjecture what is meant by these pillars or props, or how or where they were applied.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10:11 Sandalwood is a reddish-brown wood native to India and valued for its aromatic essential oil. Cuneiform tablets found at Ras Shamra and Alalakh also indicate its value for making fine furniture and musical instruments.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

almug trees--Parenthetically, along with the valuable presents of the queen of Sheba, is mentioned a foreign wood, which was brought in the Ophir ships. It is thought by some to be the sandalwood; by others, to be the deodar--a species of fragrant fir, much used in India for sacred and important works. Solomon used it for stairs in his temple and palace (Ch2 9:11), but chiefly for musical instruments.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 11. Great plenty of almug trees] In the parallel place, 2Ch 9:10-11, these are called algum trees, the ם mem and the ג gimel being transposed; probably the latter is the more correct orthography. What the algum trees were we do not exactly know. The Vulgate calls it ligna thyina, the thya or lignum vitae wood; and Mr. Parkhurst thinks that the original אלגומים algumim, comes from אל al, not, and גם gem, to fill; because the lignum vitae is of so close a texture that it can imbibe no water, and cannot be affected by wet weather. The Septuagint translate it ξυλα πυκινα, pine timber; the Syriac [Syriac] kaise dakisotho, probably cypress wood, or what the translators render ligna brasilica; the Arabic translates coloured wood, and subjoins a paraphrase, for that wood was by nature painted with various colours. Perhaps the Arabic comesnearest the truth; wood shaded of different colours, such as the rose wood and such like, which are brought to us from various parts of the East Indies. The whole passage as it stands in the Arabic is this: "And the ships of Hiram brought gold from the land of Hind, (India,) and they carried also much coloured wood, (but this wood is naturally painted of various colours,) and very precious jewels. And Solomon put some of that same painted wood which was brought to him in the house of the Lord, and in his own house; and with it he adorned them." And for inlaying and veneering nothing can be finer than this wood.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(11, 12) Gold from Ophir.—The insertion of this notice is obviously suggested by the mention of the gold and precious stones brought from Sheba. The wood of the “almug” tree, called (apparently more properly) the “algum” tree in 2Ch_9:10, is (see Note on 1Ki_9:25) the red sandal-wood found in China and the Indian Archipelago, and still used for precious utensils in India. The “pillars for the house of the Lord” could not have been any of the larger supports of the Temple. They are usually supposed to have been (see margin) “rails” or “balustrades” for stairs. (See 2Ch_9:11.) For the harps and the “psalteries” (which appear to have been like our guitars) the beauty and hardness of the word would be especially appropriate. These represent the stringed instruments chiefly in use in the service of the Temple. The harp (kinnor) is the more ancient, traced (see Gen_4:21) even to antediluvian times. The psaltery (nebel) is first mentioned (generally with the harp) in the Psalms. Both seem to have been played either with the hand, or with a plectrum or quill.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the navy also of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir,.... This perhaps was before Solomon was concerned with Hiram in navigation and merchandise; though in Ch2 9:10 both their servants are said to bring it; and it is here inserted perhaps to show that Solomon had not his gold, at least all of it, from the queen of Sheba; but much from Hiram, who fetched it from Ophir; and as this was in India, as observed on Kg1 9:28, many writers make mention of gold in that part of the world, as Diodorus Siculus (w), Strabo (x), Dionysius (y), Curtius (z), Pliny (a), and others: and this navy also

brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees: or algum trees, by transposition of letters, Ch2 9:10, which some of the Jewish writers (b) take to be coral, which is not likely; others Brasil, rather ebony, which was peculiar to India, as both Solinus (c) and Virgil (d) say; Strabo (e) makes mention of strange trees in India:

and precious stones; of which there is great variety and plenty in that country, as related by Dionysius (f), as diamonds, beryls, jaspers, topazes, and amethysts, and by Curtius (g), Solinus (h), and others.

(w) Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 121. (x) Geograph l. 15. p. 481. (y) Perieg. v. 1144. (z) Hist. l. 8. sect. 9. (a) Nat. Hist. 1. 6. c. 19, 20. (b) Daved de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 70. 3. (c) Polyhistor. c. 64. (d) "Sola India nigrum fert ebenum." Georgie. l. 2. ver. 116, 117. (e) Geograph. l. 15. p. 477. (f) Perieget, ver. 1119, &c. (g) Hist. l. 8. c. 9. (h) Polyhistor. c. 65.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The navy of Hiram - i. e., Solomon’s navy in the Red Sea, which was chiefly manned by subjects of Hiram. (see the marginal reference).

Almug-trees - Probably the sandal-wood tree (pterocarpus santalinus). The wood is very heavy, hard, and fine grained, and of a beautiful garnet color, which, according to the rabbinical writers, was the color of the algum. One of the names of the red sandal-wood, in its own native country (India) is “valguka,” a word of which “algum” is a natural corruption.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Thyine. Pliny ([Natural History?] iii. 16.) mentions a species of tall and incorruptible trees, called thya. The wood was odoriferous, and very costly. Citri et mensarum insania, quas feminæ viris contra margaritas regerunt. (B. xiii., and xv. 16.) Calypso burnt it, to perfume her whole island. (Homer) --- It ws used as a sort of incense in sacrifices, and thence received its name. (Haydock) --- Septuagint translate, "plained;" and elsewhere, pine-trees, which is adopted by St. Jerome, 2 Paralipomenon ii. 8. (Calmet) --- Hebrew reads almuggim in one place, and algumin in the other, the letters being transposed; "for I suppose, says Kennicott, it will hardly be said that these trees were both almug and algum." (Haydock) --- One word might be the Ethiopian pronunciation. (Huet) --- Yet Kimchi observes, that such transpositions of letter are very common among the Hebrews. (Du Hamel) --- Solomon had desired Hiram to send him some algum, or "gum bearing" wood: but as there was not sufficient, or so fine, in Libanus as in Ophir, or in foreign parts, he procured more from those countries. The wood might probably resemble that of settim, or of black acacia, (Exodus xxv. 5.) whence the gum of Arabia is extracted. Acanthos, in Thebais, was celebrated for its fine thorn-trees, and for its gum. (Strabo xvii.) (Calmet) --- It is placed near Memphis. (Pliny, [Natural History?] iv 10.) --- The Rabbins commonly understand the Hebrew to mean, "coral," which is not fit for instruments, much less for architecture. Others translate ebony, or Brazil wood, but without reason. (Calmet) (Tirinus)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

11. Of almug trees — Josephus describes them as a sort of pine; Shaw understands the cypress to be meant; but most moderns identify this tree with the sandal-wood, which was celebrated in the East from very early times as a fine-grained and fragrant tree. The reference to the navy of Hiram, and the mention of Ophir, seem to have been because the navy brought therefrom so many products similar to those which the queen of Sheba presented to him.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the navy of Hiram also i.e. , built and equipped by him, 1Ki_9:26-28 that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees In 2Ch_2:8 2Ch_9:10, called "algum trees." The origin and meaning of the word are alike uncertain. By some (see Gesen., Thessalonians 1. p. 93) the Al is supposed to be the Arabic article, as found in Al-coran, Al-cohol, Ad-miral, etc., but later authorities (see, e.g., Max Muller," Science of Language," p. 214) lend no support to this view. "Celsius enumerates fifteen different trees, each of which has been supposed to have a claim to represent the almug tree of Scripture" Dict. Bib. 3. Appendix, p. 6.) It is now, however pretty generally agreed that the red sandalwood (pterocarpus sandaliorus, Linn.; or, according to others, santalum album, the white species) is intended a tree which grows in India and on the coast of Malabar. It is said that in India sandalwood is called valguha (same root); and Stanley sees in almug the "Hebraized form of the Deccan word for sandal." Dr. Hooker, however, (Dict. Bib. l.c. ) regards the question as still undecided, and precious stones. Stanley remarks on the frequent references to gold and silver and precious stones in the Book of Proverbs, (Pro_1:9:3:14, 15 8:10, 11 10:20 16:16, etc.) as one indication that it belongs to the age of Solomon.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The king made

It might be best to translate so that the reader understands that other people helped Solomon do this. AT: "The king told his people to make" (See: Synecdoche)

almug wood

a type of wood, possibly one with a pleasant scent (See: Translate Unknowns)

or been seen again

This can be stated in active form. AT: "nor has anyone ever seen such a great quantity again" (See: Active or Passive)

to this day

This means to the day that the author was writing this.

translationWords

column

temple

palace

harp

lute

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Coral. Corail, in O.F.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.