Gold, silver, bronze, iron, copper, tin and lead are all mentioned in Scripture. Prized for their value, they were used in a variety of ways. Scripture uses as an image a metal refiner's fire for the purification of the lives of believers.
Gold
Job 23:10 See also Exodus 25:10–22, Exodus 38:21–24; 1 Kings 6:27–35, 1 Kings 7:48–50, 1 Kings 10:14–21; Psalm 19:7–11; Revelation 3:18, Revelation 17:4
Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
Silver
Psalm 12:6 See also Genesis 37:26–28; Exodus 38:25–28; 2 Chronicles 9:26–27; Psalm 119:72; Matthew 27:3–10
The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.
Bronze
Genesis 4:22 See also Exodus 27:1–7, Exodus 38:29–31; Numbers 16:31–40; 2 Chronicles 4:9–18
And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
Iron
Deuteronomy 3:11 See also Deuteronomy 8:7–9; Judges 4:2–3; Job 40:15–18; Ezekiel 27:19
(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.)
Copper
Job 28:2 See also Mark 12:41–44 parallel Luke 21:1–4
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Tin
Ezekiel 27:12 See also Ezekiel 22:18
Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.
Lead
It was an exceptionally heavy metal
Exodus 15:10 See also Zechariah 5:5–8
But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
It was refined before use
Jeremiah 6:29 See also Numbers 31:21–23; Ezekiel 22:18–20
The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged.
Inscriptions were sometimes made on lead
I wish that my words were recorded and inscribed in a book, by an iron stylus on lead, or chiseled in stone forever.
It was traded between nations
Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.
The value of metals
All metals were of value
Joshua 22:8 See also 1 Chronicles 18:10, 1 Chronicles 22:14, 1 Chronicles 29:1–7; Revelation 18:11–12
saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”
The relative value of metals
Isaiah 60:17 See also 1 Kings 10:21 parallel 2 Chronicles 9:20; 1 Kings 14:25–28
Instead of bronze I will bring you gold; I will bring silver in place of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler.
Trade with metals
1 Kings 10:22 parallel 2 Chronicles 9:21 See also Genesis 37:28; 1 Kings 10:11, 1 Kings 10:14–15 parallel 2 Chronicles 9:13–14; 1 Kings 22:48; Ezekiel 27:13, Ezekiel 27:22; Zephaniah 1:11
For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
Idols were often made from various metals
Leviticus 19:4 See also 1 Kings 14:9; Psalm 106:19; Isaiah 48:5; Daniel 5:22–23, Daniel 11:8
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.
The refining of metals as an image of purification
Isaiah 48:10; Malachi 3:2 See also Psalm 12:6; Zechariah 13:9
See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.