King Solomon's Trade with India

The aim of this paper is to discuss the expedition of King Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre who went to Ophir and brought back gold, monkeys, and other commodities, based on the Biblical narrative (1 Kings 9:26-28 [=2 Chro. 8:17-18], 1 Kings 10:11-12, 22 [=2 Chro. 9:10-11, 21]). Scholarly opinion is divided as to whether this narrative is historical fact or fiction, and even modern commentators consider it an enigma. It will be shown that in Antiquity, Ophir was identified with Souphir (near Mumbai) in India, and modern scholars have demonstrated that some of the words in the biblical text derived from the Tamili language (i.e., monkey and peacock). The land of Havilah, mentioned in the story of the Garden of Eden, is in present day India and Pakistan (near the Indus Valley), a land that was well-known as an exporter of gold in Antiquity. The biblical genealogy of Havilah will be discussed. In the Negev, there are remains of a fortress from the 10th century BCE that is identified with Tamar, built by King Solomon (1 Kings 9:18). It is argued that this fortress was built in the hinterland of EtsyonGbr, to support the aforementioned expedition's security, especially since so much gold was involved.