Coral
CORAL
A hard calcareous, marine production, produced by the labors of millions of insects, and often resembling in figure the stem of a plant, divided into branches. It is of various colors, black, white, and red. The latter is the most valuable. It is ranked by Job 28:18, and Eze 27:16, among precious stones. It abounds in the Red sea; and the islands of the South seas are often coral reefs, covered over with earth. The word “rubies” in Pro 3:15 ; 8:11; 20:15; 31:10, is thought by many to mean ornaments of coral.
Fuente: American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
Coral
is usually understood to be denoted by the word (ramoth’, literally heights, i.e. high-priced or valuable things, or from its upright growth; Sept. , but in Ezekiel ), in Job 28:18; Eze 27:16; and this interpretation is not unsuitable (comp. Niebuhr, Beschr. p. 41), although the etymology is not well made out (Pareau, De immortalitatis notitiis Iob [Daventr. 1808], p. 321 sq.), and the dialects afford little support. According to the Rabbins, it means red corals. The ancient translators were evidently much perplexed to determine whether the word (peninim’, literally branches; rendered rubies, Job 28:18; Pro 3:15; Pro 8:11; Pro 20:15; Pro 31:10; Lam 4:7) meant corals or pearls. This will always be doubtful; but the text in Lam 4:7, by describing the article as red, suggests a preference of the former. It is scarcely credible, indeed, that such a product should have circulated under two different names (if ramoth also means coral); but surely there is no difficulty in conceiving that one word may have denoted coral generally, while another may have distinguished that red coral which was the most esteemed, and the most in use for ornament (see Gesenius, Thes. Heb. p. 1113, 1249).
Coral is a hard, cretaceous marine production, arising from the deposit of calcareous matter by a minute polypous animal, in order to form the cell or polypidom into whose hollows the tenant can wholly or partially retire. The corals thus produced are of various shapes, most usually branched like a tree. The masses are often enormous in the tropical seas, where they top the reefs and cap the submarine mountains, frequently rising to or near the surface, so as to form what are called coral islands and coral reefs (see Kitto, Pict. Bible, on Job 28:18). These abound in the Red Sea (Wellsted, Trav. 2:181; Ruppel, Abyssin. 1:140), from which, most probably, was derived the coral with which the Hebrews were acquainted; but coral is also found in the Mediterranean. The coral brought by the merchants of Syria to Tyre must have come from the Indian seas, by the Euphrates and Damascus (comp. Plin. 32:2). Coral was in higher esteem formerly as a precious substance than now, probably because the means of obtaining it in a fine state were not so efficacious as those now practiced. It is of different colors white, black, red. The red was anciently, as at present, the most valued, and was worked into various ornaments (Plin. 32:11; comp. Hartmann, Hebr. 1:275 sq.).
For the scientific classification of corals, see the Penny Cyclopoedia, s.v. Polyparia. The red variety is the stony skeleton of a compound zoophyte, allied to the sea-apemones of our coasts. It forms a much-branching shrub, the beautiful scarlet stone constituting the solid axis, which is covered during life by a fleshy bark, out of which protrude here and there upon thesurface minute polypes with eight tentacles. It is found attached to the rocks at considerable depths, as from 20 to 120 fathoms. The demand for it has given rise to a fishery of some importance, about 180 boats being employed in it on the coast of Algeria, of which 156 fish in the neighborhood of Bona and Calla, obtaining 36,000 kilogrammes (about 720 cwt.) of coral; and this, selling at the rate of 60 francs per kilogramme, produces a return of $450,000. The mode by which it is obtained is the same which has always prevailed, and is rude and wasteful. A great cross of wood loaded with stones, and carrying at the end of each arm a sort of net formed of cords partly untwisted, is lowered from a boat, and dragged over the bottom. The branches of the corals are entangled in this apparatus, and, as the boat moves on, are torn off; at intervals it is pulled up, and the produce secured. Of course a great deal must be broken off which is not secured, but yet it is a profitable employment. A boat manned by nine or ten hands has been known to bring in 80 or 100 kilogrammes in a day, yielding $100 or $125; but such success is rare. The fishery is prosecuted from the 1st of April to the end of September, during which there may be on the average about 100 days in which the fishermen can work (Milne Edwards, Hist. des Corallines). SEE GEM.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Coral
Heb. ramoth, meaning “heights;” i.e., “high-priced” or valuable things, or, as some suppose, “that which grows high,” like a tree (Job 28:18; Ezek. 27:16), according to the Rabbins, red coral, which was in use for ornaments.
The coral is a cretaceous marine product, the deposit by minute polypous animals of calcareous matter in cells in which the animal lives. It is of numberless shapes as it grows, but usually is branched like a tree. Great coral reefs and coral islands abound in the Red Sea, whence probably the Hebrews derived their knowledge of it. It is found of different colours, white, black, and red. The red, being esteemed the most precious, was used, as noticed above, for ornamental purposes.
Fuente: Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Coral
More precious in ancient times than now, when it is more easily procured (Job 28:18; Eze 27:16). The red coral is the stony skeleton of a red zoophyte. In the Mediterranean, on the African coast off Tunis, attached to the rock at a considerable depth, and broken off from them by long hooked poles, and thus drawn out (Hebrew for “price,” Job 28:18, is meshek, “the drawing out”.) From Carthage (where Tunis now stands) the rough coral was imported to the mother city Tyre, and there manufactured into ornaments to be purchased by merchants for the women of Syria. Its tree-like growth is implied by its name ramoth, from raam “to be high”; others from the Sanskrit ramye, “pleasant.”
Fuente: Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
Coral
CORAL.See Jewels and Precious Stones.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Coral
koral (, ra’moth, , pennm): The red coral or precious coral, Corallium rubrum, is confined to the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. It is the calcareous axis of a branching colony of polyps. It does not form reefs, but occurs in small masses from 40 to 100 fathoms below the surface. It differs totally in structure from the white corals which form coral reefs, belonging to the order of Octactinia or Eight-rayed Polyps, while the reef-building corals belong to the Hexactinia or Six-rayed Polyps.
Ra’moth, apparently from r. ra’am, to be high (compare rum, to be high), occurs in three passages. In Pro 24:7, EVV have too high: Wisdom is too high for a fool. In Job 28:12-19, where various precious things are compared with wisdom, English Versions of the Bible has coral(King James Version, margin Ramoth). It is mentioned here along with seghor, gold (the Revised Version, margin treasure); kethem, gold of Ophir; shoham, onyx (the Revised Version, margin beryl); sappr, sapphire; zahabh, gold; zekhukhth, crystal (the Revised Version (British and American) glass); paz, gold; gabhsh, pearls (the Revised Version (British and American) crystal); pennm, rubies (the Revised Version, margin red coral or pearls); pitedhah, topaz. While the real meaning of some of these terms is doubtful (see STONES, PRECIOUS), they all, including ra’moth, appear to be precious stones or metals. In Eze 27:16, , ra’moth occurs with nophekh, emeralds (the Revised Version, margin carbuncles); ‘argaman, purple; rikmah, broidered work; buc, fine linen; kadhkodh, agate(King James Version, margin chrysoprase, the Revised Version (British and American) rubies). Here the context does not require a precious stone or metal, and Vulgate (Jerome’s Latin Bible, 390-405 ad) has sericum, i.e. Chinese material or silk. Notwithstanding, therefore, the traditional rendering, coral, the real meaning of ra’moth must be admitted to be doubtful.
Pennm (from the root panan, to divide up, to separate; compare Arabic fanan, a branch of a tree) occurs in Job 28:18; Pro 3:15; Pro 8:11; Pro 20:15; Pro 31:10; Lam 4:7. In all these passages English Versions of the Bible has rubies (Job 28:18, the Revised Version, margin red coral or pearls; Lam 4:7, the Revised Version, margin corals). Everywhere a precious substance is indicated, but nowhere does the context give any light as to the nature of the substance, except in Lam 4:7, where we have the statement that the nobles of Jerusalem were more ruddy in body than pennm. This and the etymology favor a branching red substance such as precious coral. The occurrence of pennm and ra’moth together in Job 28:18 is, if we give the precedence to pennm, a further argument against ra’moth meaning coral.
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Coral
Coral (Job 28:18; Eze 27:16), a hard, cretaceous marine production arising from the deposit of calcareous matter by a minute polypus animal, in order to form the cell or polypidom into whose hollows the tenant can wholly or partially retire. The corals thus produced are of various shapes, most usually branched like a tree. The masses are often enormous in the tropical seas, where they top the reefs and cap the submarine mountains, frequently rising to or near the surface so as to form what are called coral islands and coral reefs. These abound in the Red Sea; from which, most probably, was derived the coral with which the Hebrews were acquainted; but coral is also found in the Mediterranean. It is of different colors, white, black, red. The red kind was anciently, as at present, the most valued, and was worked into various ornaments.
Fuente: Popular Cyclopedia Biblical Literature
Coral
The Hebrew word is ramoth, and occurs only in Job 28:18 and Eze 27:16: it signifies high priced or costly things. The Rabbis think it refers to red coral.
Fuente: Concise Bible Dictionary
Coral
Job 28:18 Eze 27:16
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Coral
Coral. Eze 27:16. A production of the sea, formed by minute animals called zoophytes. It is their shell or house. It takes various forms, as of trees, shrubs, hemispheres. The principal colors are red and white. It was used for beads and ornaments.
With regard to the estimation in which coral was held by the Jews and other Orientals, it must be remembered that coral varies in price with us. Pliny says that the Indians valued coral as the Romans valued pearls. Job 28:18.
Fuente: Smith’s Bible Dictionary
CORAL
Job 28:18; Eze 27:16
Fuente: Thompson Chain-Reference Bible
Coral
, Job 28:18; Eze 27:16; a hard, cretaceous, marine production resembling in figure the stem of a plant, divided into branches. It is of different coloursblack, white, and red. The latter is the sort emphatically called coral, as being the most valuable, and usually made into ornaments. This, though no gem, is ranked by the author of the book of Job 28:18, with the onyx and sapphire. Dr. Good observes, It is by no means certain what the words here rendered corals and pearls,’ and those immediately, afterward rendered rubies and topaz,’ really signified. Reiske has given up the inquiry as either hopeless or useless; and Schultens has generally introduced the Hebrew words themselves, and left the reader of the translation to determine as he may. Our common version is, in the main, concurrent with most of the oriental renderings: and I see no reason to deviate from it.