OPELOUSAS. [Lotestaws..) OP1111t, a name indicating a place which was known to the Hebrews and to the neighbouring nations, as early as the time of Joh, as VW clueing such an abundance of excellent gold, that 'the gold of Ophir' became a proverbial expression fur fine gold. The position of this place is very difficult to determine. We are informed that Solomon, in conjunction with Hiram, king of Tyro, sent a navy from Ezion at the head of the Red Sea, to Ophir, and that this navy returned ' ed bringing 420 (in Chronicles 450) talents of gold, sandal-wood (called in our translation almug or alguniarces), and precious atones (I Kings, ix. 26-28; x.11, compared with 2 Cleans viii. 17-18; ix. 10): and also that Johoshaphat built ships of 'Parkhill to go to Ophir for gold (in Chronicles it is said that he built ships to go to Tarshish), which were wrecked at Ezion-Geber. (1 Kings xxii. 48-49, compared with 2 Citron. xx. 36.37.) Wo are also told in 1 Kings, x. 22, that Solomon had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram ; once in three years (or every third year) came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes, fuel peacocks.
Both Solomon and Jehoshaphat built the navies bound for Ophir at Ezion-Geber, at the head of the Red Sea, and nearly all the inquiries into the position of this place have proceeded on the assumption that tame passage in I Kings, x. 22, refers to the same navy i which is spoken of in 1 Kings, ix. 27.23, &c., and consequently that Tarshish and Ophir were visited in the same voyage. It has there
fore been necessary for those who make thin assumption not only to find a place which suite the description of Ophir, and which produces 'gold, sandalwood, and precious stones,' but also to account for the 'silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks; which were brought by the navy of Tarshish, and for the three years consumed in the voyage.
The position of Ophir and Tarshish have occasioned much discus sion. Tarshish is generally supposed to be identified with Tartessus lu Spain, a colony and trading port of the Phconiciatia. tint to connect this port with Ophir in one voyage from Ezion-Geber in the Red Sea, would involve the doubling of the Cape of Good Hope, which is by no means likely to have been effected at so early an age, and still less a common tradi1ug voyage ; sun therefore it Ilan been endeavoured to find another Tarshish in the musk Tho position of Ophir has been placed by different writers on the south-west coast of Arabia; in Eastern Africa, about Sofala; in the Persian Gulf; and in India. The probability is that, though there may have been places of those names, the names were used to indicate any long voyage, as ships of Tarshish were large ships for long voyages, as is shown by Solomon having a navy of Tarshish' at sea with that of Hiram, as we now speak of a fleet of East or West Indiamen without meaning to designate any particular port they may be bound to.