John Gill Commentary 1 Kings 10:11

"And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug-trees and precious stones." — 1 Kings 10:11 (ASV)

And the navy also of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir
This perhaps was before Solomon was concerned with Hiram in navigation and merchandise; though in (2 Chronicles 9:10) both their servants are said to bring it; and it is here inserted perhaps to show that Solomon had not his gold, at least all of it, from the queen of Sheba; but much from Hiram, who fetched it from Ophir; and as this was in India, as observed on (1 Kings 9:28) , many writers make mention of gold in that part of the world, as Diodorus Siculus ^F23 , Strabo ^F24 , Dionysius ^F25 , Curtius ^F26 , Pliny ^F1 , and others: and this navy also

brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees :
or algum trees, by transposition of letters, (2 Chronicles 9:10 2 Chronicles 9:11) , which some of the Jewish writers ^F2 take to be coral, which is not likely; others Brasil, rather ebony, which was peculiar to India, as both Solinus ^F3 and Virgil ^F4 say; Strabo ^F5 makes mention of strange trees in India:

and precious stones ;
of which there is great variety and plenty in that country, as related by Dionysius ^F6 , as diamonds, beryls, jaspers, topazes, and amethysts, and by Curtius ^F7 , Solinus ^F8 , and others.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 121.
• F24: Geograph l. 15. p. 481.
• F25: Perieg. v. 1144.
• F26: Hist. l. 8. sect. 9.
• F1: Nat. Hist. 1. 6. c. 19, 20.
• F2: Daved de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 70. 3.
• F3: Polyhistor. c. 64.
• F4: "Sola India nigrum fert ebenum." Georgie. l. 2. ver. 116, 117.
• F5: Geograph. l. 15. p. 477.
• F6: Perieget, ver. 1119
• F7: Hist. l. 8. c. 9.
• F8: Polyhistor. c. 65.