Bible Dictionary
Almug
Almug was a costly wood brought from Ophir for the temple, royal buildings, and musical instruments. Its exact identity is uncertain; proposed identifications include white or red sandalwood.
Definition
Almug was a costly wood brought from Ophir for the temple and other royal purposes. It was also called algum and was used for musical instruments.
Biblical Usage
Almug is associated with Solomon’s temple, his house, and the construction of instruments. The plural form in Hebrew may indicate that it was brought in planks.
Historical Background
The exact species is uncertain. It has been identified with white sandalwood from India or with red sandalwood from the Coromandel coast and Ceylon. The proposed woods are fragrant, heavy, and fine-grained.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(1 Kings 10:11, 12) = algum (2 Chr. 2:8; 9:10, 11), in the Hebrew occurring only in the plural almuggim (indicating that the wood was brought in planks), the name of a wood brought from Ophir to be used in the building of the temple, and for other purposes. Some suppose it to have been the white sandal-wood of India, the Santalum album of botanists, a native of the mountainous parts of the Malabar coasts. It is a fragrant wood, and is used in China for incense in idol-worship. Others, with some probability, think that it was the Indian red sandal-wood, the pterocarpus santalinus, a heavy, fine-grained wood, the Sanscrit name of which is valguka. It is found on the Coromandel coast and in Ceylon.