1 Kings 10:11

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 2 Chronicles 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 1 Kings 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, 2 Chronicles 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.