Ophir

Ophir is a name with historical and cultural significance primarily from the Hebrew Bible. In the biblical books of Kings and Chronicles, Ophir is described as a distant land famous for its wealth in gold, from which King Solomon’s ships returned bearing gold, silver, ivory, and other valuable goods. The text portrays Ophir as a place of great wealth connected to long-distance maritime trading networks.

The exact geographic location of Ophir remains uncertain and has been the subject of scholarly debate for centuries. Proposed identifications range from regions in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula (such as parts of modern Yemen or Oman) to areas in the Horn of Africa (including Ethiopia or Eritrea) and other locations along Indian Ocean trade routes. The name may have referred to a region rather than a single fixed site, and its precise identification may never be resolved with certainty.

In modern usage, Ophir is also a given name in Jewish and Israeli contexts, often associated with the meaning of gold or wealth. It appears in some place names and cultural references as well. The term continues to be used in literature and popular discourse as a symbolic reference to wealth, distant lands, and ancient trade networks.