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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

IntroIndex©

TARSHISH (Place)

Place regarded as being very distant from Israel. Many countries have been proposed as the site for Tarshish, from Sardinia to Great Britain. The most commonly accepted identification is Spain, where the name Tartessus hints at Tarshish.

The Phoenicians, who were great sea voyagers, are often associated with Tarshish. Solomon used the sailors of Hiram, king of Tyre, for his fleet (cf. 2 Chr 9:21). They used sailing vessels that were called Tarshish ships (1 Kgs 10:22; 22:48); apparently they were a distinctive type used to journey to that place or were typical of Tarshish (Ps 48:7; Is 2:16; 23:1-14).

The most famous reference to Tarshish in the Bible is in the account of Jonah, who attempted to flee to Tarshish to escape doing the will of God (Jon 1:3; 4:2).