It is thought that Tarshish was a land in the western Mediterranean region, probably in Spain. It was rich in silver, iron, tin and lead (Jer 10:9; Ezek 27:12). Tarshish was a wealthy trading nation of the ancient world (Ps 72:10; Ezek 27:25) and built large ships to carry goods far and wide to many countries (Jonah 1:3; 4:2). The ships of Tarshish were so successful that they became the model on which people throughout the region built their large merchant ships. As a result, ‘ship of Tarshish’ became the common name for any large ocean-going cargo ship, especially an ore-carrier. The name described a certain kind of ship. It had nothing to do with the place where a particular ship was made, or the place to which or from which it was sailing (1 Kings 10:22; 22:48; Isa 2:16; 23:1,14).