Ophir

[oh-fer]

noun

1. a country mentioned in the Bible: of uncertain location, possibly southern Arabia or the eastern coast of Africa.

Ophir

/ ˈəʊfə /

noun

1. Bible a region, probably situated on the SW coast of Arabia on the Red Sea, renowned, esp in King Solomon's reign, for its gold and precious stones (I Kings 9:28; 10:10)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ophir¹

From Late Latin Ophir, from Hebrew Ōphīr, of uncertain meaning

Example Sentences

In September it received the Ophir, Israel's most prestigious film award, for best documentary.

Read more on Barron's

On Sept. 16, the film, written and directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak, an Israeli, and produced by Baher Agbariya, a Palestinian Israeli, won best picture at Israel’s Ophir Awards.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The day after the Ophir awards, Israel’s culture minister Miki Zohar denounced the film as “defamatory” and “embarrassing” and said he would establish a new Israeli state Oscar that would “reflect the nation’s values and spirit.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Arabic-language film “The Sea,” a drama about a 12-year-old Palestinian boy attempting to reach the Mediterranean Sea from the West Bank, recently won best film at the Ophir Awards, Israel’s version of the Oscars.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The film, which follows a boy from the occupied West Bank who wants to travel to Tel Aviv to see the sea for the first time, won best film at the Ophir Awards - Israel's equivalent of the Oscars.

Read more on BBC