Topical Encyclopedia
Ivory, a precious material derived from the tusks of elephants and other animals, holds significant cultural and symbolic value in the biblical narrative. In the ancient Near East, ivory was a luxury item, often associated with wealth, opulence, and artistic craftsmanship. The Bible references ivory in various contexts, highlighting its use in construction, decoration, and trade.
Biblical References1.
Construction and Decoration: Ivory was used extensively in the construction and decoration of royal palaces and furniture. In
1 Kings 10:18, we read about King Solomon's throne: "The king also made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold." This description underscores the grandeur and splendor of Solomon's reign, as ivory was a symbol of affluence and divine blessing.
2.
Trade and Wealth: The trade of ivory is mentioned in the context of the wealth and commerce of ancient cities.
Ezekiel 27:15 describes the trade network of Tyre: "The men of Dedan were your merchants; many coastlands were your market; they brought you ivory tusks and ebony as your payment." This passage illustrates the extensive trade routes and the high value placed on ivory as a commodity.
3.
Symbol of Luxury: Ivory is often associated with luxury and excess. In
Amos 3:15, the prophet warns of impending judgment: "I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory will be destroyed, and the great houses will come to an end," declares the LORD. Here, ivory houses symbolize the opulence and moral decay of the people, serving as a reminder of the transient nature of earthly wealth.
4.
Artistic Craftsmanship: The use of ivory in artistic craftsmanship is evident in the biblical narrative.
Psalm 45:8 mentions "ivory palaces," which may refer to the intricate and beautiful inlays and decorations made from ivory, signifying the beauty and majesty of the king's dwelling.
Cultural and Historical ContextIn the ancient world, ivory was sourced primarily from elephants, but also from hippopotamuses and walruses. The material was prized for its smooth texture and ability to be carved into intricate designs. Ivory artifacts have been discovered in archaeological sites throughout the Near East, attesting to its widespread use and value.
The biblical portrayal of ivory reflects its status as a luxury item, often linked to royalty and the elite. Its use in Solomon's throne and the palaces of the wealthy underscores the material's association with power and prestige. However, the prophetic warnings against the excesses of ivory-laden houses serve as a moral critique, emphasizing the dangers of materialism and the neglect of spiritual values.
Theological SignificanceFrom a theological perspective, ivory in the Bible can be seen as a symbol of both divine blessing and human excess. While it represents the beauty and splendor of God's creation, it also serves as a cautionary emblem of the potential for wealth to lead to moral and spiritual decline. The biblical narrative encourages believers to appreciate the beauty of God's gifts while remaining vigilant against the temptations of materialism and pride.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
IvoryThe word translated "ivory" literally signifies the "tooth" of any animal, and hence more especially denotes the substance of the projecting tusks of elephants. The skilled work-men of Hiram, king of Tyre, fashioned the great ivory throne of Solomon, and overlaid it with pure gold. (1 Kings 10:18;2 Chronicles 9:17) The ivory thus employed was supplied by the caravans of Dedan, (Isaiah 21:13;Ezekiel 27:15) or was brought, with apes and peacocks, by the navy of Tarshish. (1 Kings 10:22) The "ivory house" of Ahab, (1 Kings 22:39) was probably a palace, the walls of which were panelled with ivory, like the palace of Menelaus described by Homer. Odys. iv. 73. Beds inlaid or veneered with ivory were in use among the Hebrews. (Amos 6:4)
ATS Bible Dictionary
IvoryMentioned in the reign of Solomon, and referred to inPsalm 45:1-17, as used in decorating palaces. Solomon, who traded to India, brought thence elephants and ivory to Judea. "For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish, with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver and ivory,"1 Kings 10:222 Chronicles 9:21. Solomon had a throne decorated with ivory, and inlaid with gold, these beautiful materials relieving the splendor and heightening the luster of each other,1 Kings 10:18. Ivory, as is well known, is the substance of the tusks of elephants, and hence it is always called in Hebrew, tooth.
As to the "ivory houses,"1 Kings 22:39 Am 3:15, they may have had ornaments of ivory, as they sometimes have of gold, silver, or other precious materials, in such abundance as to be named from the article of their decoration; as the emperor Nero's palace was named aurea, or golden, because overlaid with gold. This method of ornamenting buildings or apartments was very ancient among the Greeks, and is mentioned by Homer. SeeEzekiel 27:6,15 Am 6:4Revelation 18:12.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Hebrews pl. shenhabbim, the "tusks of elephants") was early used in decorations by the Egyptians, and a great trade in it was carried on by the Assyrians (
Ezek. 27:6;
Revelation 18:12). It was used by the Phoenicians to ornament the box-wood rowing-benches of their galleys, and Hiram's skilled workmen made Solomon's throne of ivory (
1 Kings 10:18). It was brought by the caravans of Dedan (
Isaiah 21:13), and from the East Indies by the navy of Tarshish (
1 Kings 10:22). Many specimens of ancient Egyptian and Assyrian ivory-work have been preserved. The word habbim is derived from the Sanscrit ibhas, meaning "elephant," preceded by the Hebrew article (ha); and hence it is argued that Ophir, from which it and the other articles mentioned in
1 Kings 10:22 were brought, was in India.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) The hard, white, opaque, fine-grained substance constituting the tusks of the elephant. It is a variety of dentine, characterized by the minuteness and close arrangement of the tubes, as also by their double flexure. It is used in manufacturing articles of ornament or utility.
2. (n.) The tusks themselves of the elephant, etc.
3. (n.) Any carving executed in ivory.
4. (n.) Teeth; as, to show one's ivories.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
IVORYi'-vo-ri (1) shen, "tooth" (translated "ivory,"1 Kings 10:18;1 Kings 22:392 Chronicles 9:17;Psalm 45:8Songs 5:14;Songs 7:4Ezekiel 27:6, 15Amos 3:15;Amos 6:4);
(2) shenhabbim; Septuagint odontes elephdntinoi, "elephants' teeth" (1 Kings 10:222 Chronicles 9:21);
(3) elephantinos, "of ivory" (Revelation 18:12)):
Shen occurs often, meaning "tooth" of man or beast. In the passages cited it is translated in English Versions of the Bible "ivory" (of "crag,"1 Samuel 14:4, 5; "cliff,"Job 39:28 twice; "flesh-hook of three teeth,"1 Samuel 2:13). Shenhabbim is thought to be a contracted form of shen ha-'ibbim, i.e. ha, the article, and 'ibbim, plural of 'ibbah or 'ibba'; compare Egyptian ab, ebu, "elephant," and compare Latin ebur, "ivory" (see Liddell and Scott, under the word elephas). On the other hand, it may be a question whether -bim is not a singular form connected with the Arabic fil, "elephant." If the word for "elephant" is not contained in shenhabbim, it occurs nowhere in the Hebrew Bible.
Ivory was probably obtained, as now, mainly from the African elephant. It was rare and expensive. It is mentioned in connection with the magnificence of Solomon (1 Kings 10:18, 22), being brought by the ships of Tarshish (2 Chronicles 9:17, 21). An "ivory house" of Ahab is mentioned in1 Kings 22:39. It is mentioned among the luxuries of Israel in the denunciations of Amos (3:15; 6:4). It occurs in the figurative language ofPsalm 45:8Songs 5:14;Songs 7:4. It is used for ornamentation of the ships of the Tyrians (Ezekiel 27:6), who obtain it with ebony through the men of Dedan (27:15). It is among the merchandise of Babylon (Revelation 18:12).
We do not learn of the use of elephants in war until a few centuries before the Christian era. In 1 Maccabees 8:6, there is a reference to the defeat of Antiochus the Great, "having an hundred and twenty elephants," by Scipio Africanus in 190 B.C. 1 Maccabees 1:17 speaks of the invasion of Egypt by Antiochus Epiphanes with an army in which there were elephants. 1 Maccabees 6:28-47 has a detailed account of a battle between Antiochus Eupator and Judas Maccabeus at Bethsura (Beth-zur). There were 32 elephants. Upon the "beasts" theria) there were "strong towers of wood"; "There were also upon every one two and thirty strong men, that fought upon them, beside the Indian that ruled him."
InJob 40:15, the King James Version margin has for "behemoth," "the elephant, as some think."
Alfred Ely Day
IVORY, TOWER OF
(mighdal hashen): InSongs 7:4 the neck of the Shulammite is compared in whiteness and stateliness to a (or the) tower of ivory. The definite article may suggest that the comparison is with some actual tower in or near Jerusalem; but more probably the language is simply a figure.
TOWER OF IVORY
(mighdal hashen): Occurs only inSongs 7:4. Cheyne would, not unreasonably, emend the text and read the "tower of Shenir" as a parallel to the "tower of Lebanon" in the same verse. If the reading "tower of ivory" is correct, the reference must be to some piece of furniture in the adornment of which ivory was much used, and when we compare the word mighdal here with its use for a "pulpit" inNehemiah 8:4, we can think only of a reminiscence of something of the nature of the throne of ivory made by Solomon (1 Kings 10:18).
W. M. Christie
Greek
1661. elephantinos -- ofivory... of
ivory. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: elephantinos Phonetic Spelling:
(el-ef-an'-tee-nos) Short Definition: made of
ivory Definition: made of
...Strong's Hebrew
8143. shenhabbim --ivory... 8142, 8143. shenhabbim. 8144 .
ivory. Transliteration: shenhabbim Phonetic
Spelling: (shen-hab-beem') Short Definition:
ivory. Word
...8127. shen -- tooth,ivory
... 8126, 8127. shen. 8128 . tooth,ivory. Transliteration: shen Phonetic Spelling:
(shane) Short Definition: teeth.... crag, forefront,ivory, sharp, tooth....
7161. qeren -- a horn
... An elephant's tooth (ieIvory), a corner (of the altar), a peak (of a mountain),
a ray (of light); figuratively, power -- X hill, horn. see HEBREW qaran....
Library
His Hands are Turned as of Gold, Set with Hyacinths; his Belly is...
... CHAPTER V. 14. His hands are turned as of gold, set with hyacinths; his
belly isivory, set with sapphires. By His hands are to...
Thy Neck is as a Tower ofivory; Thine Eyes Like the Fish-Pools in...
... 4. Thy neck is as a tower ofivory; thine eyes like the fish-pools in Heshbon, which
are in the gate of the daughter of the multitude; thy nose is as the tower...
On Costly Vessels.
... food, and others for other uses which I am ashamed to name, of easily cleft cedar
and thyine wood, and ebony, and tripods fashioned ofivory, and couches with...
And Then the Future Captivity under an Oppressive King is...
... set apart for the day of evil, and come near to the seat of oppression." Then are
subjoined the evils of luxury: "ye that lie upon beds ofivory, and stretch...
And all the Methods I have Mentioned are Constantly Used by Nearly...
... set apart for the day of evil, and come near to the seat of oppression." Then are
subjoined the evils of luxury: "ye that lie upon beds ofivory, and stretch...
The Carcass and the Eagles
... 3. Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
4. That lie upon beds ofivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches...
Pagan Shrines and Temples.
... 34] mention four hundred and twenty-four temples, three hundred and four shrines,
eighty statues of gods, of precious metal, sixty-four ofivory, and three...
Ezekiel's Discourse
... Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; they have made thy benches
ofivory inlaid in boxwood, from the isles of Kittim....
Diversity of Dreams and visions Epicurus Thought Lightly of Them...
... Homer has assigned two gates to dreams, [1770] "the horny one of truth,
theivory one of error and delusion. For, they say, it...
The King of Heaven at the Bar of Pilate.
... just outside this Hall was a place called "The Pavement." It was a broad floor of
many-colored marbles, open toward the city, and having anivory judgment-seat...
Thesaurus
Ivory (13 Occurrences)... It was used by the Phoenicians to ornament the box-wood rowing-benches of their
galleys, and Hiram's skilled workmen made Solomon's throne of
ivory (1 Kings 10
...Inlaid (8 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Inlaid (8 Occurrences). 1 Kings 10:18 Moreover the king
made a great throne ofivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. (See NIV)....
Elephant
... Not found in Scripture except indirectly in the original Greek word (elephantinos)
translated "ofivory" in Revelation 18:12, and in the Hebrew word (shenhabim...
Ape
... Apes are mentioned with gold, silver,ivory and peacocks. Peacocks are natives of
India and Ceylon. Apes andivory may have been brought from India or Africa....
Ebony (2 Occurrences)
... only), vocalization uncertain; compare Arabic abnus): Mentioned (Ezekiel 27:15)
along withivory as merchandise of Tyre brought by the men of Dedan....
Peacock
... For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three
years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver,ivory, and apes...
Crafts (2 Occurrences)
... "Variegated cloth, linen, anivory bed, a seat of inlaidivory, a table" were among
the captured articles. These were probably Phoenician work....
Overlaid (50 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 10:18 Moreover the king made a great throne ofivory, and overlaid it with
the finest gold.... His body is likeivory work overlaid with sapphires....
Overlayeth (19 Occurrences)
... gold, (YLT). 1 Kings 10:18 And the king maketh a great throne ofivory,
and overlayeth it with refined gold; (YLT). 2 Chronicles 3...
Tarshish (24 Occurrences)
... For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three
years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver,ivory, and apes...
Resources
What was the significance of the horns of the altar (Amos 3:14)? | GotQuestions.orgIvory: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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