THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 135. 
translated ashur-wood or box-wood, and the whole passage 
should read:—“Of the oaks of Bashan have they made their 
oars; the benches of the rowers have they made of ashur-wood 
(box-wood), inlaid with ivory, brought out of the Isles of 
Chittim” (the isles of Greece). Isaiah 41 ch., 19, includes the 
box amongst the trees for renovating the wilderness, and (Isa. 
60 ch., 13), for beautifying the sanctuary. 
Goplir-wood. In Gen. 6 ch., 14, directions are given for this 
wood to be used for building the ark. This is probably the 
same as copher, the cypress pine (Cupressus sempervirens), 
which grows plentifully in Chaldea and Armenia and is in every 
way suitable for the purpose. 
Almug-tree. Solomon used almug timber brought by Hiram 
along with gold from Ophir (India), for the pillars of the 
temple and for making musical instruments (I. Kings. 10 ch., 
11-12). The wood, which was obviously very highly valued, has 
been identified with two Indian timbers, red sandal or sanders 
wood, either Adenanthera pavonina or Pterocarpus santalinus 
and with the common sandal-wood (Santalum album), any one 
of which would be suitable. 
Ebony. The ebony (Hebrew hobnim), mentioned (Hazek. 
97 ch., 15), as being brought by the men of Dedan—the people 
of the Persian Gulf—is the heart-wood of Diospyros ebenum, 
a native of India. 
Cedar. No tree has received more prominent notice in the 
Bible than the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani). “The boughs 
thereof were like goodly cedars” (Ps. 80ch., 10). In biblical 
times the tree grew plentifully on Lebanon. It is a magnificent 
tree, evergreen, with wide-spreading branches. It yields a fine 
timber which was very largely used in building the temple at 
Jerusalem, the trees being sent by Hiram, King of Tyre, and 
used in making pillars, walls, floors and numerous fittings, also 
in the construction of the palaces of David and of Solomon. 
Allusions to the sources of supply and use of this timber are 
frequent in various chapters of 2 Sam., I. Kings., 1 Chron. and 
2 Chron., while symbolical allusions to the beauty, strength and 
size of the tree and to its fragrant resin, are also numerous. 
Two translations as cedar (Lev. 14ch., 4; and Numb. 19 ch., 
6), are considered by authorities to be erroneous and to refer 
to a resinous juniper (J. excelsa) which was one of the plants 
used as incense and which would be much better adapted for the 
purpose described, in connection with the ceremonial sacrifice 
of burnt offerings. 
