Iron

Iron ore is mined from the earth

Job 28:2 See also Deuteronomy 8:7–9

Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.

Iron ore is refined by smelting in a furnace

Such imagery is often used of God's testing of his people

Ezekiel 22:20 See also Numbers 31:21–23; Jeremiah 6:27–29; Ezekiel 22:18

Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you.

Egypt is described as an iron-smelting furnace

Deuteronomy 4:20 See also 1 Kings 8:51; Jeremiah 11:4

Yet the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you are today.

Iron was a valuable metal

Revelation 18:11–12 See also Joshua 22:6–8; Isaiah 60:17; Ezekiel 27:12, Ezekiel 27:19

And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo — cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;

Iron was prized for its great strength

Daniel 2:40–43 See also Leviticus 26:19; Deuteronomy 28:23JOB Deuteronomy 40:15–18, Job 41:27PSA Job 2:9; Revelation 2:27, Revelation 19:15 Isaiah 48:4; Jeremiah 1:18, Jeremiah 15:12; Daniel 2:31–35DAN Daniel 7:7, Daniel 7:19 Micah 4:13

Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will shatter and crush all the others. And just as you saw that the feet and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron will be in it — just as you saw the iron mixed with clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together any more than iron mixes with clay.

Iron objects were taken as booty in war

Joshua 6:24 See also Joshua 6:15–19, Joshua 22:8

Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.

Iron was used in the construction of the temple

1 Chronicles 29:2 See also 1 Chronicles 22:14–16, 1 Chronicles 29:7; 2 Chronicles 2:7, 2 Chronicles 2:13–14, 2 Chronicles 24:12

Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God — gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble — all in abundance.

Other uses of iron

For tools

Genesis 4:22 See also Deuteronomy 27:5; Joshua 8:30–31; 2 Samuel 12:31 parallel 1 Chronicles 20:3; 2 Samuel 23:7; 1 Kings 6:7; 2 Kings 6:5–6; Job 19:23–24; Jeremiah 17:1; Amos 1:3; 1 Timothy 4:2

And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

For chains, shackles and fetters

Psalm 105:18 See also Psalm 107:10, Psalm 149:6–9; Daniel 4:15, Daniel 4:23; Mark 5:1–4

They bruised his feet with shackles and placed his neck in irons,

For chariots

Judges 1:19 See also Joshua 17:15–18; Judges 4:2–3, Judges 4:12–13

The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.

For gates and gate fittings

Acts 12:10 See also Deuteronomy 33:25; 1 Chronicles 22:3; Psalm 107:15–16; Isaiah 45:2

They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.

For weapons and armour

1 Samuel 17:7 See also Numbers 35:16; Job 20:24; Revelation 9:9

The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him.

For idols

Daniel 5:4 See also Daniel 5:23

As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

For yokes

Deuteronomy 28:48 See also Jeremiah 28:13–14

you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.

For horns

1 Kings 22:11 parallel 2 Chronicles 18:10

Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’”

For cooking utensils

Ezekiel 4:3

Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

For a bed

Deuteronomy 3:11

(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)