For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks — Solomon's merchant-fleet (אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁיש) departed every three years (לִשְׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים) and returned bringing exotic goods: gold, silver, ivory (שֵׁנִיַּיִם), apes (קוֹפִים), and peacocks (תֻּכִּיִּים). Tarshish (a distant location, possibly Crete, Sardinia, or Spain) represented the far reaches of accessible maritime commerce. The three-year cycle of trade-voyages brought continuous wealth.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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