Bible Dictionary
Ape
An ape was among the imported luxuries brought to Solomon by trading fleets. The biblical term probably refers broadly to a monkey or similar exotic animal from distant lands.
Definition
An ape in the biblical passages is probably a monkey or a similar exotic animal imported from distant lands. It was counted among the luxury goods brought to Solomon along with gold, silver, ivory, and peacocks.
Biblical Usage
Apes appear in the descriptions of Solomon’s wealth and the imported goods obtained by his trading fleets.
Historical Background
The sources suggest that the animals may have come from India or Africa. The Hebrew term is connected with Greek and Indian names for monkeys, though the precise source of the imports depends on the identification of Tarshish and Ophir.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
An animal of the monkey tribe (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21). It was brought from India by the fleets of Solomon and Hiram, and was called by the Hebrews koph_, and by the Greeks _kepos, both words being just the Indian Tamil name of the monkey, kapi, i.e., swift, nimble, active. No species of ape has ever been found in Palestine or the adjacent regions.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ap (qoph): The word occurs only in the two parallel passages (1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21) in which the magnificence of Solomon is illustrated by the things which are brought to him from foreign countries. Apes are mentioned with gold, silver, ivory and peacocks. Peacocks are natives of India and Ceylon. Apes and ivory may have been brought from India or Africa. Gold and silver may have come from these or other quarters. An Indian origin may be inferred from the fact that the Hebrew qoph, the Greek kebos and the English "ape" are akin to the Sanskrit "kapi", which is referred to the root kap, kamp, "to tremble"; but the question of the source of these imports depends upon what is understood by TARSHISH and OPHIR (which see). Canon Cheyne in Encyclopedia Biblica (s.v. "Peacock") proposes a reading which would give "gold, silver, ivory and precious stones" instead of "gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks." Assuming, however, that animals are here referred to, the word ape should be understood to mean some kind of monkey. The word "ape" is sometimes used for the tail-less apes or anthropoids such as the gorilla, the chimpanzee and the orangutang, as opposed to the tailed kinds, but this distinction is not strictly held to, and the usage seems formerly to have been freer than now.</p><p>Alfred Ely Day</p>