Topic
Metallurgy
4 passages cited, from 1 classic reference work.
These works date from 1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Job 28:1ISBE
Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
- Isaiah 1:25ISBE
¶ And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
- Ezekiel 22:18ISBE
Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
- Ezekiel 22:22ISBE
As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.
In the reference works
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 4 references
met'-al-ur-ji: There are numerous Biblical references which describe or allude to the various metallurgical operations. In Job 28:1 occurs zaqaq, translated "refine," literally, "strain." This undoubtedly refers to the process of separating the gold from the earthy material as pictured in the Egyptian sculptures (Thebes and Beni Hassan) and described by Diodorus. The ore was first crushed to the size of lentils and then ground to powder in a handmill made of granite slabs. This powder was spread upon a slightly inclined stone table and water was poured over it to wash away the earthy materials. The comparatively heavy gold particles were then gathered from the table, dried, and melted in a closed crucible with lead, salt and bran, and kept in a molten condition for 5 days, at the end of which time the gold came out pure.
The alloying of gold and silver with copper, lead or tin, and then removing the base metals by cupellation is used figuratively in Eze 22:18,22 to denote the coming judgment of Yahweh. Again in Isa 1:25 it indicates chastening. The fact that the prophets used this figure shows that the people were familiar with the common metallurgical operations.
See REFINER.
James A. Patch
Texts: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.