Timber from the almug tree is extremely heavy and has a fine-grained appearance. Its outside is black and inside is ruby red. The wood polishes nicely. It was used for musical instruments such as the harps and psalteries. The psaltery, also called the nebel, was a collection of different large instruments. Harps of biblical times were much smaller. One harp called the kinnor was likely made of this wood. The ingredient known as tannin, from almug wood, was mixed with sapan to make a good rich red colored dye for silks and woolen fabrics. A common use for sandalwood would be to act as perfume for homes with it strewn across couches.
Source: All the plants of the Bible, Walker
1 Kings 10:11 (KJV) And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from
Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.
1 Kings 10:12 (KJV) And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the
house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for
singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
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