H8143 H8143
Ivory, or possibly 'ivory and ebony'; luxury goods imported by Solomon
A noun of uncertain meaning, appearing in the lists of Solomon's imports via the Tarshish fleet in 1 Kings 10:22 and 2 Chronicles 9:21. Traditional interpretation, reflected in many English versions, reads this as 'ivory,' though the Hebrew form is unusual (normally just שֵׁן, 'tooth/ivory,' is used). Some scholars propose emending the text to read 'ivory and ebony,' treating הָבְנִים as ebony (compare Ezekiel 27:15). The Septuagint and Vulgate support 'ivory' or 'elephant teeth.' Whatever the exact identification, the term denotes a luxury import, part of Solomon's wealth and international trade. The multilingual glosses uniformly favor 'ivory.'
Senses
1. sense 1 — Solomon's Tarshish fleet brought exotic goods—gold, silver, ivory, apes, peacocks—symbolizing the king's vast wealth and far-reaching trade networks. Whether שֶׁנְהַבִּים means 'ivory' alone or 'ivory and ebony,' the term contributes to the portrait of Solomonic splendor. The unusual form has puzzled interpreters, leading to emendations and varied translations, but the core sense—precious, imported material—is stable. The repetition in Kings and Chronicles confirms the tradition, and the cross-linguistic agreement on 'ivory' shows the influence of ancient lexical decisions. 2×
AR["عاجاً", "عَاجًا"]·ben["হাতিদাঁত", "হাতির-দাঁত"]·DE["[שנהבים]", "ivory"]·EN["ivory"]·FR["[שנהבים]", "ivory"]·heb["שֶׁנְהַבִּים", "שנהבים"]·HI["हाथी-दाँतों", "हाथीदाँत"]·ID["gading"]·IT["[שנהבים]", "avorio"]·jav["gading"]·KO["상아과", "상아들-을"]·PT["marfim"]·RU["слоновые-бивни"]·ES["marfil"]·SW["pembe-za-ndovu"]·TR["fildeşileri", "fildişi"]·urd["ہاتھی-دانت"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שֶׁנְהַבִּים appar. n.m. [pl.], in list of Solomon’s imports, 1 K 10:22 = 2 Ch 9:21, AV RV ivory (elsewhere שֵׁן alone); hence הַבִּים = elephants according to Ges (in Thes) Ew Hi SchrZMG xxvii (1873), 709 COT 1 K, cf. 𝔊 (2 Ch, and A in 1 K) ὀδόντων ἐλεφαντίνων, 𝔙 (in 1 K) dentes elephantorum, 𝔗; but this very dub.; EB 1154 שֵׁן (וְ)הָבְנִים ivory (and) ebony (Ez 27:15).