Gold of Ophir

Ophir was a distant land, reached by sea, famed for producing gold of the highest quality. Solomon’s fleets brought back great quantities of it, and “gold of Ophir” became a byword for the purest, most precious gold imaginable — the gold against which all other riches were measured.

Because it represented the summit of earthly wealth, Scripture uses it to make comparisons that humble human values. Job declares that wisdom “cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,” and the psalmist pictures the queen adorned with “gold of Ophir” in royal splendour.

Above all, Ophir’s gold sets the price tag for what truly matters. The psalmist prizes God’s commandments “above gold; yea, above fine gold,” and Job insists that wisdom and the fear of the LORD outrank the finest treasure earth can yield. The gold of Ophir stands for the best the world offers — and for the truth that the things of God are worth still more.