DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.25989#0091
TO CHATEEGAON.
77
that the gold it produced might be brought by
land to some parts of the Tigris and Euphrates.
" Before the reign of David the Hebrews did
not apply themselves to trade by sea, but after
David had conquered Idumaea, and was become
master of Eloth, and of Ezion-geber, upon the
Red sea, he considered the advantage their si-
tuation afforded tor trade on the ocean. Solo-
mon's successors, the kings of Judah, who
possessed Idumaea, carried on this trafhc ; they
used the port of Ezion-geber, down to the times
of Jehoshaphat.
" Tharshish or Tarshish, tP'&nfl, signifies a
bruise, that is, to the enemy, from the Syriac.
There is a multitude of opinions concerning the
country of Tharshish, whither Solomon sent
his fleet (1 Kings x. 22; 2 Chron. ix. 2f.) Jo-
sephus, the Chaldee and Arabic paraphrasts,
explain it of Tharsus, a city of Cilicia. The
Septuagint, Jerome, and Theordoret, under-
stand it of Carthage. Eusebius derives the
Spaniards from Tharshish. The Arabian geo-
grapher thinks it was Tunis in Africa. Boch-
art makes it Tartessus, an island in the straits
of Gades. Le Clerc understands Thassus an
island and city in the Aegean sea. Grotius
thinks the v hole ocean was called Tharshish,
because of the famous city of Tartessus now
mentioned. Sanctius believes the sea, in gene-
77
that the gold it produced might be brought by
land to some parts of the Tigris and Euphrates.
" Before the reign of David the Hebrews did
not apply themselves to trade by sea, but after
David had conquered Idumaea, and was become
master of Eloth, and of Ezion-geber, upon the
Red sea, he considered the advantage their si-
tuation afforded tor trade on the ocean. Solo-
mon's successors, the kings of Judah, who
possessed Idumaea, carried on this trafhc ; they
used the port of Ezion-geber, down to the times
of Jehoshaphat.
" Tharshish or Tarshish, tP'&nfl, signifies a
bruise, that is, to the enemy, from the Syriac.
There is a multitude of opinions concerning the
country of Tharshish, whither Solomon sent
his fleet (1 Kings x. 22; 2 Chron. ix. 2f.) Jo-
sephus, the Chaldee and Arabic paraphrasts,
explain it of Tharsus, a city of Cilicia. The
Septuagint, Jerome, and Theordoret, under-
stand it of Carthage. Eusebius derives the
Spaniards from Tharshish. The Arabian geo-
grapher thinks it was Tunis in Africa. Boch-
art makes it Tartessus, an island in the straits
of Gades. Le Clerc understands Thassus an
island and city in the Aegean sea. Grotius
thinks the v hole ocean was called Tharshish,
because of the famous city of Tartessus now
mentioned. Sanctius believes the sea, in gene-