But we know that Arabia does not contain elephants, and therefore it could not have produced ivory.
The coast line has the pearl oyster, in common with the whole of the Persian Gulf; but not in such abundance as to have been an article of commerce at that place.
Arabia contains no peacocks, nor the guinea-fowl, which is evidently intended by the Hebrew word in the original text.
It never contained apes at the time referred to; for they were introduced into Arabia by Dthoo’l-Adhàr, “the lord of terror,” or “the terrible one,” who received that epithet in allusion to the frightful animals he had introduced. He reigned in Yemen, during the invasion of Ælius Gallus, which took place in the year one of the Christian era.
The almug tree, supposed by the best authorities to be sandal wood, is not indigenous to Arabia. Some have gone as far even as Anam, or Cochin-China, for what they believe is this fragrant wood, called in Arabic A’llawwa, and in Sanscrit Aguru.
Arabia has never produced precious stones in any quantity.
By the extract from the Book of Kings already given, we are told that the voyage to Ophir and back took three years to accomplish, which, if situated in Arabia, might be performed easily in one-third of that time.
It is evident that this Ophir of Solomon was the Ultima Thule of the Jews and Phœnicians in the East (or rather South); and if situated in Arabia, it would be approached by land, and not by sea, the latter being in those days a more difficult mode of travelling than the former; and commercial relations being, even at that date, established by land between the Persian Gulf and the Holy Land.
Now, on the other hand, we are distinctly told that “the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees and precious stones,” showing that these articles were all found at Ophir, and were not imported into that place.
And it will be seen when we describe the produce of Sofala, which we hold to be the Ophir of Solomon, that from time immemorial it has produced, in great abundance, gold, silver, pearls, precious stones, apes and monkeys, and also guinea-fowls, which is supposed, by some authorities, to be the true meaning of the word in the original text which has been translated in our version “peacock.”