Ivory

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

שנהבים ; from שן , a tooth, and הבים , elephants; ελεφαντινος ,  Revelation 18:12 . The first time that ivory is mentioned in Scripture is in the reign of Solomon. If the forty-fifth Psalm was written before the Canticles, and before Solomon had constructed his royal and magnificent throne, then that contains the first mention of this commodity. It is spoken of as used in decorating those boxes of perfume whose odours were employed to exhilarate the king's spirits. It is probable that Solomon, who traded to India, first brought thence elephants and ivory to Judea. "For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish, with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, and ivory,"

 1 Kings 10:22;  2 Chronicles 9:21 . It seems that Solomon had a throne decorated with ivory, and inlaid with gold; the beauty of these materials relieving the splendour, and heightening the lustre of each other,  1 Kings 10:18 . Cabinets and wardrobes were ornamented with ivory, by what is called marquetry,  Psalms 45:8 .

Quale per artem

Inclusum buxo aut Oricia terebintho

Lucet ebur. Virgil

"So shines a gem, illustrious to behold,

On some fair virgin's neck, enchased in gold: So the surrounding ebon's darker hue Improves the polish'd ivory to the view." PITT.

These were named "houses of ivory," probably because made in the form of a house, or palace; as the silver ναοι of Diana, mentioned  Acts 19:24 , were in the form of her temple at Ephesus; and as we have now ivory models of the Chinese pagodas, or temples. In this sense we may understand what is said of the ivory house which Ahab made,  1 Kings 22:39; for the Hebrew word translated "house is used," as Dr. Taylor well observes, for "a place, or case wherein any thing lieth, is contained, or laid up." Ezekiel gives the name of house to chests of rich apparel,   Ezekiel 27:24 . Dr. Durell, in his note on  Psalms 45:8 , quotes places from Homer and Euripides, where the same appropriation is made. Hesiod makes the same. As to dwelling houses, the most, I think, we can suppose in regard to them, is, that they might have ornaments of ivory, as they sometimes have of gold, silver, or other precious materials, in such abundance as to derive an appellation from the article of their decoration; as the Emperor Nero's palace, mentioned by Suetonius, was named aurea, or "golden," because lita auro, "overlaid with gold." This method of ornamental buildings, or apartments, was very ancient among the Greeks. Homer mentions ivory as employed in the palace of Menelaus, at Lacedaemon:—

Χαλκου τε στεροπην , καδδωματα ηχηεντα

Χρυσου τ ', ηλεκτρου τε , και αργυρου , η δ ' ελεφαντος .

Odyss. v. 72.

"Above, beneath, around the palace, shines The sumless treasure of exhausted mines; The spoils of elephants the roof inlay,

And studded amber darts a golden ray."

Bacchylides, cited by Athenaeus, says, that, in the island of Ceos, one of the Cyclades, the houses of the great men "glister with gold and ivory."

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Sheen , "tooth" or "tusk", namely, of the elephant. There is no Hebrew word in Scripture for the elephant, for the Israelites knew of the elephant first only by its ivory, which was imported from Africa and India. The African elephant exceeds the Indian in the size of the ear and of the tusks, the latter of which are often eight or ten feet long and weigh from 100 to 120 lbs. From the resemblance of its tusks to horns  Ezekiel 27:15 has "horns of ivory." "Palaces of ivory" mean ornamented with ivory ( Psalms 45:8). So Ahab's palace ( 1 Kings 22:39).

Amos ( Amos 3:15) foretells the destruction of the luxurious "houses of ivory" having their walls, doors, and ceilings inlaid with it; also "beds of ivory" ( Amos 6:4), i.e. veneered with it. In  1 Kings 10:22 and  2 Chronicles 9:21 Sheen Habbim is the term "the teeth of elephants"; Sanskrit Ibhas , Coptic Eboy , Assyrian Habba in the inscriptions. Gesenius would read Sheen Habenim , "ivory (and) ebony." On the Assyrian obelisk in the British Museum tribute bearers are seen carrying tusks; specimens of carvings in ivory were found in Nimrud, and tablets inlaid with blue and opaque glass. "All manner vessels of ivory" are in mystic Babylon ( Revelation 18:12).

Solomon made a great throne of ivory overlaid with gold ( 1 Kings 10:18-20); the ivory was brought in the navy of Tarshish, probably from the S. coasts of Arabia, which maintained from ancient times commercial intercourse with both India and Ethiopia. In  Ezekiel 27:6 we read "the Ashurites have made thy (Tyre's) benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim"; rather, as the Hebrew orthography requires, "they have made thy (rowing) benches of ivory, inlaid in the daughter of cedars" or "the best boxwood" ( Bath Ashurim ), from Cyprus and Macedonia, from whence the best boxwood came (Pliny).

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

(adj. ἐλεφάντινος, noun τὸ ἐλεφάντινον, fr.[Note: fragment, from.]ἐλέφας; Skr.[Note: Sanskrit.] ebhas , Lat. ebur , Fr. ivoire )

Ivory was prized by all the civilized nations of antiquity. The OT contains a dozen references to its beauty and value. ‘Every article of ivory’ ( Revelation 18:12) was found in the market of the apocalyptic Babylon (Rome). It was used for the adornment of palaces, for sculpture, for the inlaying of furniture and chariots, for numberless domestic and decorative objects. ‘Ebur Indicum’ (Hor. Car. i. xxxi. 6; cf. Verg. Georg. i. 57) was known to everyone. Statues ( Georg. i. 480), sceptres (Ov. Met. i. 178), lyres (Hor. Car. ii, xi. 22), scabbards (Ov. Met. iv. 148), sword-hilts (Verg. aen. xi. 11), seals (Cic. Verr. ii. iv. 1), couches (Hor. Sat. ii. vi. 103), doors (Verg. aen. vi. 148), curule chairs (Hor. Ep. I. vi. 54) are samples of Roman workmanship in ivory. As the substance is so hard and durable, many ivory works of art have come down from the ancient world.

James Strahan.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Mentioned in the reign of Solomon, and referred to in  Psalm 45:1-17 , as used in decorating palaces. Solomon, who traded to India, brought thence elephants and ivory to Judea. "For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish, with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver and ivory,"  1 Kings 10:22   2 Chronicles 9:21 . Solomon had a throne decorated with ivory, and inlaid with gold, these beautiful materials relieving the splendor and heightening the luster of each other,  1 Kings 10:18 . Ivory, as is well known, is the substance of the tusks of elephants, and hence it is always called in Hebrew, tooth.

As to the "ivory houses,"  1 Kings 22:39   Amos 3:15 , they may have had ornaments of ivory, as they sometimes have of gold, silver, or other precious materials, in such abundance as to be named from the article of their decoration; as the emperor Nero's palace was named aurea, or golden, because overlaid with gold. This method of ornamenting buildings or apartments was very ancient among the Greeks, and is mentioned by Homer. See  Ezekiel 27:6,15   Amos 6:4   Revelation 18:12 .

Holman Bible Dictionary

 1 Kings 10:18 1 Kings 22:39 2 Chronicles 9:17 Psalm 45:8 Ezekiel 27:6 27:15 Amos 3:15 Amos 6:4

 1 Kings 10:22 is cited by scholars as a possible explanation for the source of ivory in Palestine. Apparently, Solomon's ships returned with ivory as a part of their cargo. Sources outside the Old Testament, indicate that elephants existed in northern Syria during the second millennium B.C. Elephants were hunted into extinction in northern Syria by 800 B.C.

The prophet Amos mentioned ivory as a token of luxury and wealth ( Amos 3:15;  Amos 6:4 ). Lists of booty taken by victorious armies included ivory objects. Hezekiah was credited with giving Sennacherib tribute in 701 B.C. Sennacherib's account of the tribute included couches and chairs inlaid with ivory. Ivories have been found at Samaria that are thought to be from the time of Ahab, who reigned in Israel from about 869 to 850 B.C.

James Newell

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Ivory. The word translated "ivory" literally signifies the "Tooth" of any animal, and hence, more especially denotes the substance of The Projecting Tusks Of Elephants. The skilled work-men of Hiram, king of Tyre, fashioned the great ivory throne of Solomon, and overlaid it with pure gold.  1 Kings 10:18;  2 Chronicles 9:17.

The ivory thus employed was supplied by the caravans of Dedan,  Isaiah 21:13;  Ezekiel 27:15, or was brought, with apes and peacocks, by the navy of Tarshish.  1 Kings 10:22.

The "ivory house" of Ahab,  1 Kings 22:39, was probably a palace, the walls of which were panelled with ivory, like the palace of Menelaus described by Homer. Odys. iv. 73. Beds inlaid or veneered with ivory were in use among the Hebrews.  Amos 6:4.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

IVORY ( shçn , lit. ‘tooth’; and shenhabbîm , ‘elephants’ teeth’ [but reading doubtful],   1 Kings 10:22 ,   2 Chronicles 9:21 ). Ivory has been valued from the earliest times. In Solomon’s day the Israelites imported it from Ophir (  1 Kings 10:22 ): it was used in the decorations of palaces (  1 Kings 22:39 ). The ‘tower of ivory’ (  Song of Solomon 7:4 ) may also have been a building decorated with ivory. Solomon had a throne of ivory (  1 Kings 10:18-20 ). ‘Beds of ivory,’ such as are mentioned in   Amos 6:4 , were, according to a cuneiform inscription, included in the tribute paid by Hezekiah to Sennacherib.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The well-known substance of which the tusks of the elephant consist. We read of beds of ivory, thrones of ivory, palaces of ivory, ivory houses, and all manner of vessels. The finest specimens were used for carving and the smaller were cut into veneers for covering surfaces.

 1 Kings 10:18;  1 Kings 22:39;  Psalm 45:8;  Song of Solomon 5:14;  Song of Solomon 7:4;  Amos 3:15;  Amos 6:4;  Revelation 18:12 . It was imported into Palestine by the Assyrians and was brought by the ships of Solomon. Ancient ivories of Egypt and Assyria have been found.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ἐλεφάντινος (Strong'S #1661 — Adjective — elephantinos — el-ef-an'-tee-nos )

an adjective from elephas (whence Eng., elephant), signifies "of ivory,"  Revelation 18:12 .

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Psalm 45:8 (b) Some think that this refers to the mouth, the ivory being the teeth, and the fragrance, the praise and worship that comes from the mouth.

 Song of Solomon 5:14 (c) This describes the unusual value and the striking beauty which the bride saw in the bridegroom. Words that lovers use are not always first class diction. The heart pours out its affection in words that best express the feelings. (See also  Song of Solomon 7:4).

 Amos 3:15 (b) This is descriptive of the destruction that awaits the wealth and the provisions for ease and comfort made by the ungodly.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) The hard, white, opaque, fine-grained substance constituting the tusks of the elephant. It is a variety of dentine, characterized by the minuteness and close arrangement of the tubes, as also by their double flexure. It is used in manufacturing articles of ornament or utility.

(2): ( n.) Any carving executed in ivory.

(3): ( n.) Teeth; as, to show one's ivories.

(4): ( n.) The tusks themselves of the elephant, etc.

King James Dictionary

I'VORY, n. L. ebur. The tusk of an elephant, a hard, solid substance, of a fine white color. This tooth is sometimes six or seven feet in length, hollow from the base to a certain highth, and filled with a compact medullary substance, seeming to contain a great number of glands. The ivory of Ceylon and Achem does not become yellow in wearing, and hence is preferred to that of Guinea.

I'VORY, a. Consisting of ivory as an ivory comb.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Ezekiel 27:6 Revelation 18:12 1 Kings 10:18 Isaiah 21:13 1 Kings 10:22 Habbim Ibhas   1 Kings 10:22

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ı̄´vō̇ - ri ((1) שׁן , shēn , "tooth" (translated "ivory,"   1 Kings 10:18;  1 Kings 22:39;  2 Chronicles 9:17;  Psalm 45:8;  Song of Solomon 5:14;  Song of Solomon 7:4;  Ezekiel 27:6 ,  Ezekiel 27:15;  Amos 3:15;  Amos 6:4 ); (2) שׁנהבּים , shenhabbı̄m  ; Septuagint ὀδόντες ἐλεφάντινοι , odóntes elephántinoi , "elephants' teeth" ( 1 Kings 10:22;  2 Chronicles 9:21 ); (3) ἐλεφάντινος , elephántinos , "of ivory" ( Revelation 18:12 )): Shēn occurs often, meaning "tooth" of man or beast. In the passages cited it is translated in English Versions of the Bible "ivory" (of "crag,"  1 Samuel 14:4 ,  1 Samuel 14:5; "cliff,"  Job 39:28 twice; "flesh-hook of three teeth,"   1 Samuel 2:13 ). Shenhabbı̄m is thought to be a contracted form of shen hā - 'ibbı̄m , i.e. hā , the article, and 'ibbı̄m , plural of 'ibbāh or 'ibbā'  ; compare Egyptian ab , ebu , "elephant," and compare Latin ebur , "ivory" (see Liddell and Scott, under the word ἐλέφας , eléphas ). On the other hand, it may be a question whether - bı̄m is not a singular form connected with the Arabic fı̂l , "elephant." If the word for "elephant" is not contained in shenhabbı̄m , it occurs nowhere in the Hebrew Bible.

Ivory was probably obtained, as now, mainly from the African elephant. It was rare and expensive. It is mentioned in connection with the magnificence of Solomon ( 1 Kings 10:18 ,  1 Kings 10:22 ), being brought by the ships of Tarshish ( 2 Chronicles 9:17 ,  2 Chronicles 9:21 ). An "ivory house" of Ahab is mentioned in  1 Kings 22:39 . It is mentioned among the luxuries of Israel in the denunciations of Amos ( Amos 3:15;  Amos 6:4 ). It occurs in the figurative language of   Psalm 45:8;  Song of Solomon 5:14;  Song of Solomon 7:4 . It is used for ornamentation of the ships of the Tyrians ( Ezekiel 27:6 ), who obtain it with ebony through the men of Dedan ( Ezekiel 27:15 ). It is among the merchandise of Babylon ( Revelation 18:12 ).

We do not learn of the use of elephants in war until a few centuries before the Christian era. In  1 Maccabees 8:6 , there is a reference to the defeat of Antiochus the Great, "having an hundred and twenty elephants," by Scipio Africanus in 190 bc.  1 Maccabees 1:17 speaks of the invasion of Egypt by Antiochus Epiphanes with an army in which there were elephants.   1 Maccabees 6:28-47 has a detailed account of a battle between Antiochus Eupator and Judas Maccabeus at Bethsura (Beth-zur). There were 32 elephants. Upon the "beasts" ( θηρία , thērı́a ) there were "strong towers of wood"; "There were also upon every one two and thirty strong men, that fought upon them, beside the Indian that ruled him."

In  Job 40:15 , the King James Version margin has for "behemoth," " the elephant , as some think."

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Ivory (;; ). 'Elephant's tooth,' or simply 'elephant,' is a common name for ivory, not only in the Oriental languages and in Greek, but also in the Western tongues; although in all of them teeth of other species may be included. Elephants' teeth were largely imported as merchandise, and also brought as tribute into Egypt. The processions of human figures bearing presents, etc., still extant on the walls of palaces and tombs, attest by the black crisp-haired bearers of huge teeth, that some of these came from Ethiopia or Central Africa; and by white men similarly laden, who also bring an Asiatic elephant and a white bear, that others came from the East. Phoenician traders had ivory in such abundance, that the chief seats of their galleys were inlaid with it. In the Scriptures, according to the Chaldee Paraphrase, Jacob's bed was made of this substance we find king Solomon importing it from Tarshish and if was written before his reign, ivory was extensively used in the furniture of royal residences at a still earlier period. The tusks of African elephants are generally much longer than those of the Asiatic; and it may be observed in this place, that the ancients, as well as the moderns, are mistaken when they assert elephants' tusks to be a kind of horns. They are genuine teeth, combining in themselves, and occupying, in the upper jaw, the whole mass of secretions which in other animals form the upper incisor and laniary teeth. They are useful for defense and offence, and for holding down green branches, or rooting up water-plants; but still they are not absolutely necessary, since there is a variety of elephant in the Indian forests entirely destitute of tusks, and the females in most of the races are either without them or have them very small; not turned downwards, as Bochart states, but rather straight, as correctly described by Pliny.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bibliography Information McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Ivory'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/i/ivory.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.