Topical Encyclopedia
The term "ape" appears in the Bible in the context of King Solomon's wealth and trade activities. In
1 Kings 10:22 and
2 Chronicles 9:21, the Berean Standard Bible mentions apes as part of the exotic goods brought to Solomon's kingdom. The passages read:
1 Kings 10:22 : "For the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks."
2 Chronicles 9:21 : "For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once every three years, they would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks."
These references highlight the extensive trade networks and the wealth of Solomon's kingdom, which was renowned for its prosperity and splendor. The inclusion of apes among the items brought to Solomon suggests their value as exotic animals, likely prized for their rarity and perhaps their entertainment value in the royal court.
The Hebrew word used for "ape" in these passages is "קֹוף" (qoph), which is believed to refer to a type of primate. The exact species is not specified, but it is generally thought to refer to monkeys or similar animals that were known in the ancient Near East. The presence of apes in the biblical text underscores the wide-ranging trade connections of the ancient Israelites, reaching as far as regions where such animals were native.
The mention of apes, along with other luxury items like gold, silver, and ivory, reflects the opulence of Solomon's reign and the fulfillment of God's promise to bless him with wisdom and wealth. This prosperity is seen as a testament to God's favor and the fulfillment of His covenant with David, Solomon's father.
In the broader biblical narrative, the inclusion of exotic animals like apes serves to illustrate the grandeur of Solomon's kingdom, which was a foreshadowing of the ultimate kingdom of God, characterized by peace, abundance, and the gathering of nations. Solomon's wealth and the presence of such rare animals in his court are seen as a reflection of the divine wisdom granted to him, which attracted the attention and admiration of rulers from distant lands, such as the Queen of Sheba.
The biblical references to apes, while brief, contribute to the depiction of Solomon's era as a time of unprecedented prosperity and international influence, aligning with the biblical theme of God's blessings upon those who seek His wisdom and follow His commandments.
ATS Bible Dictionary
ApeAn animal rudely resembling the human race. The tribe may be familiarly distinguished as monkeys, apes, and baboons. Solomon imported them from Ophir,1 Kings 10:222 Chronicles 9:21. They were at one time worshipped in Egypt; and still are adored in some parts of India, where one traveller describes a magnificent temple dedicated to the monkey. There may be an allusion to large apes or baboons, literally "hairy ones," in Le 17:7Isaiah 13:21 34:13.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
An animal of the monkey tribe (
1 Kings 10:22;
2 Chronicles 9:21). It was brought from India by the fleets of Solomon and Hiram, and was called by the Hebrews koph_, and by the Greeks _kepos, both words being just the Indian Tamil name of the monkey, kapi, i.e., swift, nimble, active. No species of ape has ever been found in Palestine or the adjacent regions.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A quadrumanous mammal, esp. of the family Simiadae, having teeth of the same number and form as in man, and possessing neither a tail nor cheek pouches. The name is applied esp. to species of the genus Hylobates, and is sometimes used as a general term for all Quadrumana. The higher forms, the gorilla, chimpanzee, and ourang, are often called anthropoid apes or man apes.
2. (n.) One who imitates servilely (in allusion to the manners of the ape); a mimic.
3. (n.) A dupe.
4. (v. t.) To mimic, as an ape imitates human actions; to imitate or follow servilely or irrationally.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
APEap (qoph): The word occurs only in the two parallel passages (1 Kings 10:222 Chronicles 9:21) in which the magnificence of Solomon is illustrated by the things which are brought to him from foreign countries. Apes are mentioned with gold, silver, ivory and peacocks. Peacocks are natives of India and Ceylon. Apes and ivory may have been brought from India or Africa. Gold and silver may have come from these or other quarters. An Indian origin may be inferred from the fact that the Hebrew qoph, the Greek kebos and the English "ape" are akin to the Sanskrit "kapi", which is referred to the root kap, kamp, "to tremble"; but the question of the source of these imports depends upon what is understood by TARSHISH and OPHIR (which see). Canon Cheyne in Encyclopedia Biblica (s.v. "Peacock") proposes a reading which would give "gold, silver, ivory and precious stones" instead of "gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks." Assuming, however, that animals are here referred to, the word ape should be understood to mean some kind of monkey. The word "ape" is sometimes used for the tail-less apes or anthropoids such as the gorilla, the chimpanzee and the orangutang, as opposed to the tailed kinds, but this distinction is not strictly held to, and the usage seems formerly to have been freer than now.
Alfred Ely Day
Greek
4381. prosopolemptes -- an accepter of a face, ie a respecter of...... accepter of a face, ie a respecter of persons. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: prosopolemptes Phonetic Spelling: (pros-o-pol-
ape'-tace) Short
...354. analempsis -- a taking up
... a taking up. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: analempsis Phonetic
Spelling: (an-al'-ape-sis) Short Definition: a taking up, lifting up Definition...
3336. metalempsis -- taking, receiving, sharing
... taking, receiving, sharing. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: metalempsis
Phonetic Spelling: (met-al'-ape-sis) Short Definition: participation...
678. aprosopolemptos -- not accepting the person, ie without...
... accepting the person, ie without respect of persons. Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: aprosopolemptos Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ros-o-pol-ape'-tos) Short...
423. anepilemptos -- without reproach
... without reproach. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: anepilemptos Phonetic
Spelling: (an-ep-eel'-ape-tos) Short Definition: irreproachable Definition...
4380. prosopolempteo -- to have respect of persons
... to have respect of persons. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: prosopolempteo
Phonetic Spelling: (pros-o-pol-ape-teh'-o) Short Definition: I show partiality...
484. antilempsis -- a laying hold of, help
... a laying hold of, help. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: antilempsis
Phonetic Spelling: (an-til'-ape-sis) Short Definition: help, ministration...
4382. prosopolempsia -- respect of persons
... respect of persons. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: prosopolempsia
Phonetic Spelling: (pros-o-pol-ape-see'-ah) Short Definition: partiality...
Strong's Hebrew
6971. qoph -- anape... an
ape. Transliteration: qoph Phonetic Spelling: (kofe) Short Definition: apes.
Word Origin of foreign origin Definition an
ape NASB Word Usage apes (2).
ape.
...Library
In the Body of theApe the Good of Beauty is Present, Though in a...
... Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manich??ans. Chapter 15. "In the Body
of theApe the Good of Beauty is Present, Though in a Less Degree....
Religious Dangers
... acacia copses, and groups of date trees round the lonely well, that nature shews
herself too strong for man, and crushes him down to the likeness of theape....
Night
... Pepi broke the silence once. "Shall we drop theape first, my Lady?".... And here, too,
was the other faithful suggestion of her lost love"the petape....
The Promised Land
... Since there were no children in their house, Senci and the murket spoiled Anubis,
and in the eyes of his devoted master theape had earned his soft life....
The Image of Self.
... When the painter had left the chapel, a petape of Aretino's came in, and having
during the day seen the artist at work, he took up brush and colours, and began...
Rondelet, {7} the Huguenot Naturalist {8}
... He is somewhat like Socrates in face, and in character likewise; in him, as in Socrates,
the demigod and the satyr, the man and theape, are struggling for the...
The Scaffolding Left in the Body
... The connection, if any, between Man andApe is simply that the most Man-like thing
in creation is theApe, and that, in his Ascent, Man probably passed through...
Appendix
... In the second place, if the Anti-christ is to be a perfect counterfeit of the true
Christ, if he is toape the millennial Christ as set forth in Old Testament...
Small Good Things in Comparison with Greater are Called by...
... are called by contrary names in comparison with greater things; as in the form of
a man because the beauty is greater, the beauty of theape in comparison with...
The Suicide of Thought
... They are both movements in the brain of a bewilderedape?" The young sceptic says,
"I have a right to think for myself." But the old sceptic, the complete...
Thesaurus
Ape... No species of
ape has ever been found in Palestine or the adjacent regions. Noah
Webster's Dictionary.
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
APE.
...Zoology
... For further notices of animals in the following list, see the articles referring
to them: Mammals: PRIMATES:Ape INSECTIVORA: Hedgehog....
Thresher (1 Occurrence)
... It is found both upon the American and the European coasts. Called also fox shark,
seaape, sea fox, slasher, swingle-tail, and thrasher shark....
Mimic
... 2. (n.) One who imitates or mimics, especially one who does so for sport; a copyist;
a buffoon. 3. (vt) To imitate orape for sport; to ridicule by imitation....
Adult (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Having arrived at maturity, or to full size and
strength; matured; as, an adult person or plant; an adultape; an adult age....
Apartment (4 Occurrences)
Apella (1 Occurrence)
Sham (1 Occurrence)
... pretenses. 5. (vt) To obtrude by fraud or imposition. 6. (vt) To assume the
manner and character of; to imitate; toape; to feign. 7...
Resources
The missing link'has it been found? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about cavemen, prehistoric men, neanderthals? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about the possibility of Bigfoot/Sasquatch? | GotQuestions.orgApe: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
