3 Kings 10:11
(The navy also of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir great plenty of thyine trees, and precious stones.
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- (Sed et classis Hiram, quæ portabat aurum de Ophir, attulit ex Ophir ligna thyina multa nimis, et gemmas pretiosas.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἡ ναῦς Χειρὰμ ἦν αἴρουσα τὸ χρυσίον ἐκ Σουφείρ· ἤνεγκεν ξύλα πελεκητὰ πολλὰ σφόδρα καὶ λίθον τίμιον.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְגַם֙ אֳנִ֣י חִירָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר נָשָׂ֥א זָהָ֖ב מֵאוֹפִ֑יר הֵבִ֨יא מֵאֹפִ֜יר עֲצֵ֧י אַלְמֻגִּ֛ים הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹ֖ד וְאֶ֥בֶן יְקָרָֽה
Haydock's commentary
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 was 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 letters 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)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.