SPECIAL TOPIC: TARSHISH

SPECIAL TOPIC: TARSHISH (place)

The word itself has an uncertain meaning. There have been two major guesses.
1. from Akkadian for a refinery (lit. "to heat," i.e., Albright)
2. from Greek for an "oar" (Javan's son related to maritime nations, Kittim and Rodanim)
The word itself can refer to
1. a person (i.e., one of the four sons of Javan, cf. Gen. 10:4)
2. a jewel (i.e., one of the engraven stones on the Breast Plate of the High Priest, see SPECIAL TOPIC: BREASTPLATE OF THE HIGH PRIEST, cf. Exod. 28:20; 39:13; Ezek. 28:13)
3. a type of ship (possibly 1 Kgs. 9:26-27; Isa. 2:16; 60:9)
4. a type of cargo (possibly 1 Kgs. 10:22; 1 Chr. 9:21)
5. a place (see note below; 2 Chr. 20:36-37)
This place name (BDB 1076 II, KB 1797 I) could refer to
1. a city in southern Spain on the Atlantic side, which was a Phoenician colony (i.e., Tartessus, Isa. 23:7; possibly modern Sevilla). Herodotus also mentions this in 1.163; 4:152)
2. he island of Sardinia (i.e., inscription from 9^th B.C. mentions a city named "Tarshish"; i.e., Albright 1961: 346-347)
3. a city on the north African coast (Carthage was a colony of Phoenicia; from LXX of Ezek. 27:12)
4. imagery for a far distant port (possibly related to Ezion-Geber or the Red Sea, KB 1797, B., d., cf. Ps. 72:10; Ezek. 38:13)
5. a type of large sea-going commercial ship (cf. 1 Kgs. 10:22; 22:48; Isa. 23:1,14)

The book of Jonah asserts it is to the west of Israel (cf. Jon. 1:3; 4:2), but how far is not stated. By implication, however, it was as far as Jonah could get from the God of Israel.