Ebony

A tree found in Africa and Asia, known for its hard, dark wood used in furniture and musical instruments.

Ebony
Ebony (Malcolm Manners (Wikimedia Commons)) Ebony

About Ebony

A black wood that people valued highly in ancient times for making furniture. Ebony trees grow mostly in tropical climates in southern Asia. These trees have hard, dark-colored wood at their center.

Ebony comes from the date plum or date tree (Diospyros ebenaster and Diospyros melanoxylon) of India. This tree is very different from the date palm. Phoenician ships carried ebony across the Arabian Sea and up the Red Sea to the market in Tyre. From there, traders moved it overland using camel caravans.

Read full article
Go deeper
The plant itself Article

Habitat, identification, and how translators render the term across languages.

Key References

Ezekiel 27:15

The men of Dedan were your clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.

All Scripture References (1)

Ezekiel (1)
Ezekiel 27:15

The men of Dedan were your clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.