An animal rudely resembling the human race. The tribe may be familiarly distinguished as monkeys, apes, and baboons. Solomon imported them from Ophir, 1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21. They were at one time worshipped in Egypt; and still are adored in some parts of India, where one traveller describes a magnificent temple dedicated to the monkey. There may be an allusion to large apes or baboons, literally "hairy ones," in Le 17:7; Isa 13:21; 34:13.

an animal of the monkey tribe (1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21). It was brought from India by the fleets of Solomon and Hiram, and was called by the Hebrews koph, and by the Greeks kepos, both words being just the Indian Tamil name of the monkey, kapi, i.e., swift, nimble, active. No species of ape has ever been found in Palestine or the adjacent regions.

Apes were imported along with peacocks from Ophir by Solomon (1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21). In importing monkeys, Solomon here imitated the custom of the Assyrian and Egyptian monarchs, as we now know by the monuments. No kind of monkey is indigenous in Palestine.

E. W. G. Masterman.

The ape is not indigenous to Palestine; they were brought in the days of Solomon, with gold, silver, ivory and peacocks by the ships of Tarshish. The word goph may signify any of the monkey tribe. 1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21.

APE, ???, ????? and ?????, cephus, 1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21. This animal seems to be the same with the ceph of the Ethiopians, of which Pliny speaks, 1. viii, c. 19: "At the games given by Pompey the Great," says he, "were shown cephs brought from Ethiopia, which had their fore feet like a human hand, their hind legs and feet also resembled those of a man." The Scripture says that the fleet of Solomon brought apes, or rather monkeys, &c, from Ophir. The learned are not agreed respecting the situation of that country; but Major Wilford says that the ancient name of the River Landi sindh in India was Cophes. May it not have been so called from the ???? inhabiting its banks?

We now distinguish this tribe of creatures into

1. Monkeys, those with long tails; 2. Apes, those with short tails; 3. Baboons, those without tails.

The ancient Egyptians are said to have worshipped apes; it is certain that they are still adored in many places in India. Maffeus describes a magnificent temple dedicated to the ape, with a portico for receiving the victims sacrificed, supported by seven hundred columns.

With glittering gold and sparkling gems they shine, But apes and monkeys are the gods within.

Figures of apes are also made and reverenced as idols, of which we have several in Moore's "Hindoo Pantheon;" also in the avatars, given in Maurice's "History of India," &c. In some parts of the country the apes are held sacred, though not resident in temples; and incautious English gentlemen, by attempting to shoot these apes, (rather, perhaps, monkeys,) have been exposed, not only to all manner of results and vexations from the inhabitants of the villages, &c, adjacent, but have even been in danger of their lives.