Tharshish

Tharshish (Tarshish) was a distant maritime region associated with the great trading ships that sailed long ocean voyages in the ancient world (1 Kings 10:22; 22:48). The ships of Tarshish became a proverbial expression for large merchant vessels capable of extended seafaring, used by Phoenicians and later by Israelite traders under Solomon and Jehoshaphat.

Its precise location remains debated: the most commonly proposed identifications are Tartessus in southern Spain, Carthage in North Africa, or a region somewhere in the western Mediterranean. The consistent association with silver, iron, tin, and lead (Ezek. 27:12) and with very long voyages argues for a location far to the west of Palestine. Jonah's attempt to flee to Tarshish (Jon. 1:3) is used to illustrate the impossibility of escaping God's presence.