Scripture three times mentions a rare species of tree whose wood was valuable in the days of Kings David and Solomon. It was called Algum or Almug wood. The identity of this wood has long been speculated by bible scholars, with some suggesting it was Sandalwood from India and Indonesia. I will suggest a more likely candidate for Algum Wood in this post.
Why Algum Wood was Probably Not Sandalwood
The Sandalwood Tree (Santalum album) originally grew in tropical Indonesia along the spice trade route. The ancient spice trade spread this tree to India, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Polynesia. However, the primary uses of Sandalwood are related to its fragrant oil. It is ground up and the oil is pressed and distilled to get fragrance for the cosmetics industry, and secondarily it is the preferred wood for carving wooden idols of Buddha in India, and for making incense.
The scriptural text indicates that Algum Wood was used by Solomon for construction and stringed musical instruments, neither of which Sandalwood is used for today or in the known past.
Where Did Algum Wood Come From?
The geography of the source of Algum wood gives us a clue that can help to solve the Algum Wood mystery.
When Solomon first began collecting wood for the Temple, he wrote to Hiram of Tyre to ask for fir, cedar, and Algum Wood logs. If Algum logs were native to the Levant, like cedar and fir were, then we would not expect it to warrant the exclamation, “There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.” That means the Algum Tree was probably not native to Lebanon.
The Phoenicians of Tyre operated long-distance Ships of Tarshish which went on three-year journies taking manufactured goods such as glass beads from the civilized world to the far reaches of the world to exchange for raw materials, especially metals.
Tarshish is believed to be a reference to the port of Tartessos in Spain, outside of the Straights of Gibraltar. Ships of Tarshish were most likely seagoing vessels that crossed the Atlantic.
The fact that Hiram of Tyre had access to Algum Wood from the Mediterranean port of Tyre, while Solomon later obtained it from the Red Sea Port of Ezion Geber suggests that Algum Wood was native to either Africa or South America. Both continents are in the tropics and both can be accessed from the Atlantic and Pacific-Indian Oceans.
As it happens, one of the exotic woods traded in the Indian Ocean spice routes was Ebony. Ebony is a black hardwood whose subspecies grow all around the Indian Ocean, including Africa, India, Indonesia, and Australia.
The highest quality subspecies for the Ebony trade include Diospyros crassiflora and Diospyros ebenum, which trades today under the name “African Blackwood”. The African Black Ebony trees originally grew in the West African nations of Gabon, Cameroon, and Benin. Ebony trees grow up to 25 meters in height and have a dense black hardwood core that is resistant to rot, fungus, and insects. It is fine-grained and considered ideal for carving bas-relief images and patterns. A single mature Black Ebony tree today is worth more than a million US dollars.
Furthermore, Ebony wood is extremely resilient and resistant to wear because its wood has three times the density of red oak. Its wear resistance would make it ideal for decking and stairs, were it not so expensive. African Blackwood currently trades for $100 per board foot. It is one of the most expensive types of wood on planet Earth. Compare that to floor-quality Red Oak lumber, which sells for about $5 per board foot.
What Was Algum Wood Used For?
Solomon had ordered logs of Algum Wood from Hiram of Tyre when he was preparing to build the Temple. Later, we are told what Solomon did with this Algum Wood (2 Chronicles 9:11):
And the king made walkways of the algum wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.
1 Kings 10: 12 gives us a little bit more detail:
And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
The fact that this wood was used for steps, decking, and stringed musical instruments narrows down what species it was.
Stringed instruments require a special wood for the necks, pegs, and pins that is both extremely strong and resistant to wear. Master violin makers, Benning Violins, explain which woods are suitable:
Fingerboards, pegs, tailpieces and end pins need to be made out of a dense hardwood, commonly Ebony. Of all hardwoods, Ebony is the strongest, and its black coloring is desirable to create the look of the violin. Rosewood, Boxwood and certain Mahoganies can also be used, but are not as enduring.
In addition to stringed instruments, Solomon used the Algum Wood for steps and decking. We are not told if this was indoor or outdoor. However, the use suggests that a waterproof wood resistant to footwear was required. Both sandalwood and ebony are tropical rot-resistant hardwoods. But only ebony is also resistant to abrasion.
Why would Solomon place so much value on a wood that is used to make stringed instruments? His Temple was to become the center of the worship of the God, Yahweh, whose singers primarily used harps and lyres to sing Psalms of praise to Him.
Conclusion
Solomon’s Algum Wood was expensive and rare. It was sold in the form of logs. It could be acquired from both the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean trade routes. It was used for stringed musical instruments and could be used for decking and stairs. There is only one type of wood on the planet that satisfies all of these details — the black ebony tree. Black ebony is to this day one of the most expensive types of wood on the planet — a wood fit for the Temple of the Lord of Heaven and Earth.