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Precious stones and metals
Gold
Hebrew zahav · Greek chrysos · the metal named most often in the Bible
Native gold was known in the Middle East before 4000 BC, but Israel was never rich in it, and most of its gold was imported. Solomon’s fleet, built at Ezion-geber on the Red Sea and manned with sailors sent by Hiram of Tyre, brought 420 talents of gold from Ophir (1 Kings 9:26–28). Where Ophir lay is uncertain; most scholars place it in southwest Arabia. The Bible gives the gold that came to Solomon each year as 666 talents (1 Kings 10:14).
Gold was made into jewelry, cups and shields. Goldsmiths beat it into thin sheets to overlay wood — the ark was covered with gold “both inside and out” (Exodus 25:11) — and cut threads from the sheets to weave into fine cloth (Exodus 39:3). After the exile the goldsmiths of Jerusalem worked as a guild and helped repair the city wall (Nehemiah 3:8). The gold of temple and palace drew invaders: Shishak of Egypt carried off Solomon’s gold shields (1 Kings 14:26), and kings of Judah sent gold as tribute to Assyria. The wise men from the east brought gold to the child Jesus (Matthew 2:11).
Key verses
The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman.King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his servants, men who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants. They sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents—and delivered it to Solomon.Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs, and next to him, Hananiah son of the perfumer made repairs. They fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.Sources
Adapted and shortened from the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers · CC BY-SA 4.0 — Minerals* and Metals; Minerals* and Metals: Specific Metals; Ophir (Place); Goldsmith; Cloth and Cloth Manufacturing*: Cotton, Silk, and Gold Thread
Adapted from Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary: articles chosen, shortened and retold in our own words (history, nature and daily life only) and, in languages other than English, machine-translated. The original work by Tyndale House Publishers is available for free at tyndaleopenresources.com.
