BDB234 [H211]

1. proper name, masculine 11th son of Joktan Gen 10:29 (J) = 1Chr 1:23 ᵐ5 Οὐφειρ, Ὠφειρ, name of an Arabian tribe, see Gen 10:30 & Di.

2. proper name, of a location (land or city south or southeast from Palestine, exact position unknown, compare below; ᵐ5 Σωφηρα, Σωφειρα, Σουφειρ, etc.; Job 28:16 Ὠφειρ AC, compare 1Kgs 22:49 A Ὠφειρδε, B omitted) place whither Solomon's ships went from Ezion Geber, bringing thence gold 1Kgs 9:28 — compare 1Kgs 22:49 — 2Chr 8:18 gold, almug- (sandal-?) wood & gems 2Chr 10:11 (twice in verse), compare 2Chr 9:10 probably 1Kgs 10:22 reference to same ships; they came once in three years with gold, silver, ivory, apes & peacocks (all from Ophir ?); 2Chr 9:21 makes these ships go to Tarshish (but on Tarshish-ships, i.e. large, sea-going vessels, merchantmen, see 1Kgs 22:49 & below תַּרְשִׁישׁ).

3. characteristic of fine gold (in poetry & late) ׳זְהַב א 1Chr 29:4 ׳כֶּתֶם א Isa 13:12; Job 28:16; Ps 45:10.

4. hence for fine gold itself Job 22:24 (|| בֶּצֶר). — (If 2 = 1, then southern, probably south-eastern, Arabia (compare Di Gen 10:29) furnished the gold; and other articles, which point farther east (e.g. to India, toward which the words קוֺפִים apes & תֻּכִּיִּים peacocks seem to lead), were either brought to Ophir by traders, & so found there by Solomon's men, or were found elsewhere by the latter, whose cruise may have taken them beyond Ophir, the name of Ophir alone, as source of gold-supply, being preserved. If (less likely) 1 & 2 are not the same, the only data for determining location of 2 are the articles brought, & one may look toward India, Ceylon or other islands, or even lower Africa. Particular theories have as yet no adequate support; e.g.
\ \ \ (a) old city Supara, or Uppara, in the region of Goa, Malabar coast (compare ᵐ5 above 2, but also 1; form with Σ said on Coptic authority to denote India, see Jablonskii^{Opusc. ed. te Water i. 337}; compare also Jos^{Ant. «JOSEPHUS:Antiquities 8:6»viii. 6}. 4; in that case its use by ᵐ5 may indicate a theory of the location of Ophir);
\ \ \ (b) peninsula Malacca;
\ \ \ (c) island Sumatra;
\ \ \ (d) Sofâla, with city Zimbabye (southeast Africa);
\ \ \ (e) west coast of Arabia (where gold & silver formerly found), etc. On these & other theories, see Di Gen 10:29 Ri^{HWB, Herzog}, Smith^{Dict. Bib}.; compare Glas^{Skizze ii. 367 ff}.)