ivory

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(elephant tooth), Much used by Hebrews (1 Kings 10:22²²For 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, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. (1 Kings 10:22); 2 Chron. 9:17-21¹⁷Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: ¹⁹And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom. ²⁰And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon. ²¹For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. (2 Chronicles 9:17‑21); Ezek. 27:15¹⁵The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. (Ezekiel 27:15)).

Concise 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 10:18¹⁸Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. (1 Kings 10:18); 1 Kings 22:39³⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (1 Kings 22:39); Psa. 45:8⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Psalm 45:8); Song of Sol. 5:14¹⁴His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. (Song of Solomon 5:14); Song of Sol. 7:4⁴Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus. (Song of Solomon 7:4); Amos 3:15¹⁵And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord. (Amos 3:15); Amos 6:4⁴That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; (Amos 6:4); Rev. 18:12¹²The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, (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.

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:

8143 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Transliteration:

shenhabbiym

Phonic:

shen-hab-beem’

Meaning:

from 8127 and the plural apparently of a foreign word; probably, tooth of elephants, i.e. ivory tusk

KJV Usage:

ivory

From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Amos 6:4⁴That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; (Amos 6:4). That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches.

The divan on which the beds were spread, or the frames on which they rested, were inlaid and ornamented with ivory. Compare the note on “houses of ivory” (Amos 3:15¹⁵And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord. (Amos 3:15), #604).