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.