Note 11 — INTRODUCTION BY A. H. KEANE, LL.D.

And, it may be asked, in the above-quoted passage from 1 Kings, does the expression “ships of Tharshish” mean “ships of the sea”? The Hebrew text has אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ, “ships of Tharshish.” And if for Tharshish we substitute Ophir—Oppert’s alternative suggestion—we get nonsense; “ships of Ophir go to Ophir.” Even the “higher critics” will scarcely accept this.