Tarshish
Tartessus (as Asshur became Athur, Bashan, Batanoea), a Phoenician city S. of Spain; the portion of Spain known to the Hebrew (Psa 72:10). "The kings of Tarshish ... kings of Sheba," i.e. the wealthy Tarshish in the far W. and Sheba in the S.E. Tarshish was a dependency of Phoenician Tyre. Isa 23:6; Isa 23:10 ("pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish," i.e.
Tartessus and its inhabitants would now that Tyre's strength was disabled pour forth as waters, no longer kept working mines for the parent city), 14,18; Eze 26:15; Eze 26:18; Eze 27:12. "Tarshish was thy (Tyre's) merchant ... with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs." Tarshish was famed for various metals exported to Tyre; most of them were drawn from Spain and Portugal, tin possibly from Cornwall or from Lusitania or Portugal.
"Ships of Tarshish" are mentioned often: Psa 48:7, "Thou brakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind," alluding with undesigned coincidence to the event recorded 2Ch 20:36-37; "Jehoshaphat joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel to make ships to go to Tarshish ... in Ezion Gaber ... because ... the Lord hath broken thy works," i.e. wrecked thy ships.
The ships of Tarshish built at Ezion Geber on the Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea (1Ki 22:48) were intended by Jehoshaphat to trade with Africa and India; but a copyist in 2Ch 20:36 makes them go to Tarshish. It is possible they were carried across the land to the Mediterranean, but more likely that "ships of Tarshish" mean large vessels, as our phrase "East Indiamen" does not imply the destination but the size; the copyist mistook the phrase for the destination.
So in 1Ki 9:26; 1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21; the "peacocks" point to India, for southern Asia and the isles of the eastern archipelago are their native home. The names too are of Sanskrit etymology, tukki, related to Tamil Iota, "the tailed bird," i.e. peacock. So "apes," kaph, related to Sanskrit kapi. The Greeks received the peacock from Persia, as the Greek taos is the Persian tans. Strabo makes the Boetis or Guadalquivir (great stream) be called Tartessus.
An island, a town, and a region bore the name. (On Gen 10:4, which Rawlinson refers to Tarsus, at the close.) (See TARSUS)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Tarshish
Tarshish tar'-shish (tarshish): ⇒See a list of verses on TARSHISH in the Bible. (1) Eponym of a Benjamite family (1Ch 7:10); Rhamessai, A and Lucian, Tharseis (2) One of the "seven princes" at the court of Ahasuerus (Es 1:14 Massoretic Text). ⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia. (3) The Hebrew name of a precious stone (Eze 10:9 margin, English Versions of the Bible "beryl"; Ex 28:20; 39:13; Eze 1:16; 28:13; Song 5:14; Da 10:6). See STONES, PRECIOUS.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Tarshish
The name of a maritime country, situated far to the W. of Palestine. The biblical passages teach us the following facts about this much discussed name : — In Gn 10'= 1 Ch 1' Tarshish is one of the sons of Javan, under wliich latter name the Orientals seem to have comprised almost all Western mari- time nations. In Gn 10 we find the order : Elishah (i.e. Cyprus, after the most modiin lesearches), Tarshish, Kittim (AV Chittim, which was, until recently, usually explained as the Cyprians, but they belong, with all probability, to nuicli more westerly tracts of the Mediterranean ; cf. Winckler, Forscliungen, ii. 442), and Uodaiiim (or Uodaiiim, a very obscure name). Tliis arrangement does not allow any certain conclusions. — In Jon P the prophet embarks at Jojipa to Ilee to Tarshisli (cf. 4^), which seems to represent here the extreme ends of the earth, so far as it was known to the Hebrews, the country farthest away from Jeho- vah's seat. — In Is 60'" it represents, togetlier with Javan, with the isles afar oil' and several Asiatic (if we except the somewhat doubtful Pul or Put) countri…
Smith's Bible Dictionary on Tarshish
(established). Probably Tartessus, a city and emporium of the Phoenicians in the south of Spain, represented as one of the sons of Javan. (Genesis 10:4; 1 Kings 10:22; 1 Chronicles 1:7; Psalms 48:7; Isaiah 2:16; Jeremiah 10:9; Ezekiel 27:12,25; Jonah 1:3; 4:2) The identity of the two places is rendered highly probable by the following circumstances: 1st. There is a very close similarity of name between them, Tartessus being merely Tarshish in the Aramaic form. 2nd. There seems to have been a special relation between Tarshish and Tyre, as there was at one time between Tartessus and Phoenicians. 3rd. The articles which Tarshish is stated by the prophet Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 27:12) to have supplied to Tyre are precisely such as we know, through classical writers, to have been productions of the Spanish peninsula. In regard to tin, the trade of Tarshish in this metal is peculiarly significant, and, taken in conjunction with similarity of name and other circumstances already mentioned, is reasonably conclusive as to its identity with Tartessus. For even not when countries in Europe or on the…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia