What does almug mean?
Almug is the name of a precious wood described in the Hebrew Bible as one of the treasures King Solomon's navy brought back from the distant land of Ophir. According to 1 Kings 10:11–12, Solomon used this rare timber to make supports, or pillars, for the house of the Lord and for his own palace, as well as harps and lyres for his musicians — making it one of the few woods associated with both sacred architecture and music. The parallel account in 2 Chronicles spells the name 'algum', and translators and scholars have long debated the wood's identity, with red sandalwood being the most common identification, though alternatives such as ebony or fragrant cedar have been proposed. Because the word survives only in these ancient texts, almug functions today almost entirely as a biblical and scholarly term, evoking rarity, exotic trade, and the splendour of Solomon's kingdom rather than any living botanical category.
nounA precious wood, most often identified with red sandalwood, mentioned in the Bible as imported from Ophir by King Solomon's navy and used for the pillars of the Temple and for musical instruments.
- A valuable timber mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, imported by Solomon from Ophir and used for Temple pillars and musical instruments.
"Solomon's fleet returned from Ophir laden with gold, silver, and almug trees."
"And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord."
"Scholars have long debated whether the biblical almug was red sandalwood or some other fragrant hardwood."
Rarely needed, since almug usually refers to the uncountable timber itself; when individual trees are meant, the plural 'almugs' may be used.
"The fleet carried back cargoes of almugs along with gold and precious stones."
The wood Solomon used to build his famous harps and lyres was so rare that no one today can say with certainty which tree it actually came from.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of almug
Almug derives from the Hebrew 'almuggim' (אַלְמֻגִּים), the term used in 1 Kings for the timber brought from Ophir by Solomon's ships. The parallel biblical passage in 2 Chronicles preserves a slightly different Hebrew form, 'algummim', which English translators rendered as 'algum'. The ultimate identity of the underlying tree remains uncertain, though red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus) is the traditional identification, suggesting a possible Indian or East African source via the Red Sea trade routes.
How almug is actually used
Almug is an almost exclusively biblical and scholarly term, encountered in translations of 1 Kings and in commentaries on them. It carries connotations of rarity, luxury, and sacred craftsmanship. The variant spelling 'algum' occurs in 2 Chronicles 9:10–11 in many English translations.
Easily confused with almug
Algum is simply a variant spelling of the same biblical word, appearing in 2 Chronicles where almug appears in 1 Kings.