1 Kings 9:26
And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.
And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber,.... Which was one of the stations of the Israelites, near the wilderness of Sin, or Paran, Numbers 33:35, it signifies the backbone of a man; and it is said {w} the ridge of rocks before this port were in that form, covered by the sea at high water, and sticking up with various points in a line when it was low. Josephus says {x} in his time it was called Berenice, which is placed by Mela {y} between the Heroopolitic bay, and the promontory Strobilus, or Pharan. It is thought probable {z} to be the same with that which is called by the Arabs Meenah-el-Dsahab, the port of gold, called Dizahab, Deuteronomy 1:1, which stands upon the shore of the Arabic gulf, about two or three days' distance from Mount Sinai; though by others {a} thought to be the same the Arabs call Calzem, where was a great quantity of wood fit for building ships. It is further described,
which is beside Elath, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom; and when Edom was subdued by David, this port fell into his hands, and so was in the possession of Solomon; and there being plenty of timber in the parts adjacent, and this being a port in the Red sea, Solomon chose it as proper place to build ships in. Elath, near to which was, is the same the Elanitic bay had its name from; or which
See Gill on "Deuteronomy 2:8". Trajan, the Roman emperor, formed a navy in the Red sea {b}, that by it he might ravage and waste the borders of India; and here it seems Solomon's navy went; see 1 Kings 9:28.
{w} Harris's Voyages, vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3. p. 377.
{x} Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 4.
{y} De Situ Orbis, l. 3. c. 8.
{z} Clayton's Chronology, &c. p. 407.
{a} Vossius in Melam ut supra, (Harris's Voyages, vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3.) p. 386.
{b} Eutrop. Rom. Hist. l. 8. Ruti Fest. Breviar.