Job 28:2 — Word Study
WLCבַּ֭רְזֶל מֵעָפָ֣ר יֻקָּ֑ח וְ֝אֶ֗בֶן יָצ֥וּק נְחוּשָֽׁה׃
BSA◂Ironbarzel [a strong metal] is takenlâqach▸ [extracted, dug out] from the earthʻâphâr [dust, dry ground] and coppernᵉchûwshâh [bronze, a metal made from melting copper ore] is smeltedtsûwq▸ [melted, poured out] ◂from oreʼeben [stone, a rock or mineral deposit]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בַּ֭רְזֶל | iron | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| מֵעָפָ֣ר | from [the] dust | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| יֻקָּ֑ח | it is taken | Verb, Hophal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
| וְ֝אֶ֗בֶן | and stone | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| יָצ֥וּק | someone pours out | Verb, Qal, participle (passive) masculine singular |
| נְחוּשָֽׁה׃ | copper | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. |
| KJV | Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. |
| ASV | Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone. |
| YLT | Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass. |
| WEB | Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore. |
| BBE | Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire. |
Where they part company is in the translation of יֻקָּ֑ח — see How Translations Differ.
One main clause with a conjunction linking it to a second clause, providing a clear structure to the extraction processes.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectבַּרְזֶל
verbלָקַח
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 28:2
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Search for Wisdomgenerated
Job 28:2 illustrates the human pursuit of valuable resources from the earth, emphasizing the skill and labor involved in extracting metals like iron and copper. This passage reflects on the hidden treasures of nature and the lengths to which humanity goes to uncover them, paralleling the search for wisdom and understanding.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 4:22 | And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. |
| 2 | Numbers 31:22 | Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead— |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 8:9 | a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper. |
| 4 | 1 Chronicles 22:14 | Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בַּרְזֶל, Bar.zelgenerated
The word בַּרְזֶל (barzel) refers to iron, a strong metal used for tools and construction. It symbolizes strength or harshness and is derived from a root associated with cutting. In this verse, it signifies the extraction of a valuable resource from the earth.
Iron is described as being taken from the earth, indicating the labor involved in mining. The term encompasses both the raw material and its various uses, highlighting its importance in ancient society.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb יֻקָּ֑ח (it is taken) governs the main clause, with two phrases providing details: a prepositional phrase indicating the source of iron and a participial phrase describing the process of smelting copper. The structure emphasizes the actions of extraction and processing.
The word order places the subject בַּ֭רְזֶל (iron) at the beginning, highlighting its significance as the primary focus of the sentence.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בַּרְזֶל as σίδηρος (sideros), which also means iron and carries similar connotations of strength. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of iron's value across cultures.
For יָצ֥וּק, the LXX uses λατομεῖται (latomeitai), which suggests the act of quarrying or mining, emphasizing the labor involved in obtaining metals.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 28:2 tells us that iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. This verse highlights the processes of mining and metallurgy, showing how humans extract valuable metals from the ground.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The verse indicates that iron is extracted from the earth while copper is smelted from ore, illustrating the processes involved in obtaining these metals.
Iron symbolizes strength and is a crucial material for tools and construction, reflecting human ingenuity in utilizing natural resources.
Smelting copper involves melting it down from ore to create a usable metal, highlighting the skill required in ancient metallurgy.
The extraction of valuable resources like iron and copper serves as a metaphor for the deeper pursuit of wisdom and understanding in life.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What are some ways I can seek out valuable truths in my own life, similar to how iron and copper are mined?
- How can I apply the lessons of hard work and skill from this verse to my own endeavors?
- In what areas of my life do I need to dig deeper to uncover hidden treasures of wisdom?
- How does understanding the processes of extraction and smelting enhance my appreciation for the materials I use every day?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Fathers have commented on this verse, often reflecting on the significance of iron and copper as symbols in their moral teachings.
Iron is taken out of the earth. And the stone being melted with heat is turned into brass. Moreover, we are to consider that there are some whom Almighty God by His secret counsel preserving in innocency from their very beginnings promotes…Early Church Fathers on Job 28 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 28:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleIron is taken out of the earth,.... Very easily, and in great plenty, and is more common, being in most countries, is nearer the surface of the earth, and here said to be taken "out of the dust" (x);
Read John Gill on Job 28 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. Brass - i:e., copper; because brass is a mixed metal of copper and zinc, of modern invention.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 28 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleIron is taken out of the earth; being made of earth, concocted by the heat of the sun into that hardness, and by miners digged out of the earth. Brass; or, copper. Is molten out of the stone, wherewith it is mixed and incorporated in the earth, and by fire and the art of the metallist it is separated from it, and taken out of it, as Pliny observes, ,10 36:27.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 28 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 28:2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass [is] molten [out of] the stone.Ver. 2. Iron is taken out of the earth] That is, out of the irony vein, which is said to be a drossy kind of earth, not sufficiently digested and hardened to make a stone. Of the generation of these inferior metals, see Pliny and the chemists; who yet are not to be hearkened unto when they tell us, that by their art they can turn these baser metals into gold, since they are here distinguished by their place, matter, form, &c. Neither is gold the end of other metals, every one of which is perfect in its kind; and, besides, the essence of everything is indivisible, and the use diverse. Iron can do that which…
Read John Trapp on Job 28 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 2. Iron is taken out of the earth] This most useful metal is hidden under the earth, and men have found out the method of separating it from its ore. Brass is molten out of the stone.] As brass is a factitious metal, copper must be the meaning of the Hebrew word נחושה nechusah: literally, the stone is poured out for brass. If we retain the common translation, perhaps the process of making brass may be that to which Job refers; for this metal is formed from copper melted with the stone calamine; and thus the stone is poured out to make brass.
Read AdamClarke on Job 28 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges2. brass is molten out of the stone] lit. they (men) melt the stone into brass, i.e. copper. Men know how to possess themselves of the metals.
Read Cambridge on Job 28 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleIron - As has been remarked above, iron was early known, yet probably its common use indicates a more advanced state of civilization than that of gold and silver.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 28 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible2. Iron… earth — Iron and brass are both alluded to in the final address of Moses as abounding in the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 8:9.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 28 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Iron is taken from the ground, and rock is poured out as copper.
Tyndale line
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is melted out of the stone.
Yron is taken out of the dust, and brasse is molten out of the stone.
Strictly literal
Iron is taken out of the dust, and copper is molten out of the stone.
Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.
Iron is taken from the dust, || And bronze [from] the firm stone.
Iron is taken out of the dust, and the stone is melted into copper.
Iron is taken out of the earth; copper is smelted out of the stone.
From the Latin
Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone melted with heat is turned into brass.
Simplified
Iron is extracted from the earth and copper is smelted from its ore.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their representation of this verse. Four of the six words match, indicating a strong consistency in the translation and interpretation of this passage across these ancient texts.
בַּ֭רְזֶל מֵעָפָ֣ר יֻקָּ֑ח וְ֝אֶ֗בֶן יָצ֥וּק נְחוּשָֽׁה׃
4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 28:2
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
בַּרְזֶל (barzel) means 'iron' and can refer to iron ore or iron implements like tools and utensils. It also carries figurative meanings related to harshness, strength, or oppression. The word may be derived from a root associated with cutting. There is an Aramaic equivalent, פַּרְזֶל (parzel), also meaning 'iron'.
בַּרְזֶל n.m. iron
iron, lit.
tool of iron
iron in fig. of unwatered earth
base
H1270 בַּרְזֶל iron
1270 barzel bar-zel'
perhaps from the root of 1269; iron (as cutting); by
extension, an iron implement:--(ax) head, iron.
see HEBREW for 01269
בַּרְזֶל (bar.zel) — iron.
1) iron
1a) iron
1a1) iron ore
1a2) as material of furniture, utensils, implements
2) tool of iron
3) harshness, strength, oppression (fig.)
Aramaic equivalent: par.zel (פַּרְזֶל "iron" H6523)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
Iron
Tubal-Cain is the first-mentioned worker in iron (Gen. 4:22). The Egyptians wrought it at Sinai before the Exodus. David prepared it in great abundance for the temple (1 Chr. 22:3: 29:7). The merchants of Dan and Javan brought it to the market of Tyre (Ezek. 27:19). Various instruments are mentioned as made of iron (Deut. 27:5; 19:5; Josh. 17:16, 18; 1 Sam. 17:7; 2 Sam. 12:31; 2 Kings 6:5, 6; 1 Chr.…
is mentioned with brass as the earliest of known metals. (Genesis 4:22) The natural wealth in iron of the soil of Canaan is indicated by describing it as a land whose stones are iron." (8:9) (Recent explorations have shown that iron ore is abundant in the northern part of Palestine. --ED.) The book of Job contains passages which indicate that iron was a metal well known. Sheet-iron was used for cooking utensils. (Ezekiel 4:3) cf. Levi 7:9 That it was plentiful in the time of David appears from (1 Chronicles 22:3) The market of Tyre was supplied with bright or polished iron by the merchants of by Dan and Javan. (Ezekiel 27:19) The Chalybes of the Pontus were celebrated as…
Was early known and wrought, Ge 4:22. Moses often alludes to it. He compares the bondage in Egypt to a furnace for smelting iron, and speaks of the iron ore of Canaan, De 3:11 4:20 8:9. Many different articles and tools were anciently made of it. Immense quantities were provided for the building of the temple, 1Ch 29:2,7. "Iron" is used to illustrated slavery, strength, obstinacy, fortitude, affliction, etc., De 28:48 Job 40:18 Isa 48:4 Jer 1:18 Eze 22:18,20…
עָפָר (aphar) refers to dry earth or dust, encompassing meanings such as powder, ashes, and rubbish. It is derived from a root meaning to be dry and is used in various contexts, including clay and mortar. The entries consistently highlight its association with loose earth and debris.
עָפָר n.m. dry earth, dust
base
H6083 עָפָר dry earth, dust
6083 `aphar aw-fawr'
from 6080; dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth,
mud:--ashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish.
see HEBREW for 06080
עָפָר (a.phar) — dust.
1) dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish
1a) dry or loose earth
1b) debris
1c) mortar
1d) ore
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
dust (`aphar; koniortos, chous): Small particles of earth. The word has several figurative and symbolic meanings:
(1) Dust being the material out of which God is said to have formed man (Ge 2:7), it became a symbol of man's frailty (Ps 103:14, "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust"; compare Ge 18:27; Job 4:19, etc.), and of his mortality (Ge 3:19, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return"; compare Job 34:15; Ps 104:29; Ec 3:20…
Dust
Storms of sand and dust sometimes overtake Eastern travellers. They are very dreadful, many perishing under them. Jehovah threatens to bring on the land of Israel, as a punishment for forsaking him, a rain of “powder and dust” (Deut. 28:24).
To cast dust on the head was a sign of mourning (Josh. 7:6); and to sit in dust, of extreme affliction (Isa. 47:1). “Dust” is used to denote the grave (Job 7:21). “To shake off the dust from one’s feet” against another is to renounce all future intercourse with him (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51). To “lick the dust” is a sign of…
[MOURNING]
Jos 7:6. Dust or ashes put upon the head was a sign of mourning; sitting in the dust, a sign of affliction, La 3:29 Isa 47:1. "Dust" is also put for the grave, Ge 3:19 Job 7:21. It signifies a multitude, Ge 13:16, and a low and mean condition, 1Sa 2:8. We have two remarkable instances of casting dust recorded in Scripture, and they seem to illustrate a practice common in Asia: those who demanded justice against a criminal were accustomed to throw dust upon him, signifying that he deserved to be cast into the grave.…
The Hebrew word לָקַח (*laqach*) means 'to take' and encompasses a wide range of actions, including to receive, seize, capture, and carry away. It can refer to taking something in hand, taking a wife, or even taking vengeance. The verb has various forms indicating different nuances, such as being taken away or captured.
לָקַח 965 vb. take
Qal
take, take in hand
take and carry along with oneself
take from, or out of
take, carry away
take away from, so as to deprive of
esp. take away life
take to or for a person
take up, upon = put upon
= fetch
take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)
take = capture, seize
take = carry off
in phr. take vengeance
Niph.
be captured, of ark
be taken away, removed
be taken, brought unto
Pu.
be taken from, out of
= be stolen from
be taken captive
be taken away, removed
Hoph.
be taken, brought unto
be taken out of
be taken away from
Hithp. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning
base
H3947 לָקַח take .. take, take in hand
. take and carry along with oneself
. . take from, or out of
. take, carry away
. take away from, so as to deprive of
. esp. take away life
. take to or for a person
. take up, upon = put upon
. = fetch
. take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)
. take = capture, seize
. take = carry off
. in phr. take vengeance
. . be captured, of ark
. be taken away, removed
. be taken, brought unto
. . be taken from, out of
. = be stolen from
. be taken captive
. be taken away, removed
. . be taken, brought unto
. be taken out of
. be taken away from
. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning
3947 laqach law-kakh'
a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of
applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch,
get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve,
seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.
לָקַח (la.qach) — to take: take.
: take
1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to take, take in the hand
1a2) to take and carry along
1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away
1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept
1a5) to take up or upon, put upon
1a6) to fetch
1a7) to take, lead, conduct
1a8) to take, capture, seize
1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be captured
1b2) to be taken away, be removed
1b3) to be taken, brought unto
1c) (Pual)
1c1) to be taken from or out of
1c2) to be stolen from
1c3) to be taken captive
1c4) to be taken away, be removed
1d) (Hophal)
1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto
1d2) to be taken out of
1d3) to be taken away
1e) (Hithpael)
1e1) to take hold of oneself
V-Q-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Hophal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVHi3ms
The Hebrew word אֶ֫בֶן (*eben*) means 'stone' and encompasses various types, including common stones, precious stones, and stones used as weights or tools. It can also refer to metaphorical uses, such as a hardened heart or sinking in water. The entries highlight its physical and symbolic significance, with no notable disagreements among lexicons.
אֶ֫בֶן 274 n.f. stone
in natural state
stone, as material
precious stone, gen. with modifying word
stone containing metal, = ore
a weight, as orig. stone
plummet
objects like stone
in sim. (mostly poet.) of sinking in water
In topogr. terms
base
H68 אֶ֫בֶן stone . in natural state
. stone, as material
. precious stone, gen. with modifying word
. stone containing metal, = ore
. a weight, as orig. stone
. plummet
. objects like stone
. in sim. (mostly poet.) of sinking in water
. In topogr. terms
68 'eben eh'-ben
from the root of 1129 through the meaning to build; a
stone:--+ carbuncle, + mason, + plummet, (chalk-, hail-,
head-, sling-)stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s).
see HEBREW for 01129
אֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) — stone.
: stone
1) stone (large or small)
1a) common stone (in natural state)
1b) stone, as material
1b1) of tablets
1b2) marble, hewn stones
1c) precious stones, stones of fire
1d) stones containing metal (ore), tool for work or weapon
1e) weight
1f) plummet (stones of destruction) also made of metal
1g) stonelike objects, eg hailstones, stony heart, ice
1h) sacred object, as memorial Samuel set up to mark where God helped Israel to defeat the Philistines
1i) (simile)
1i1) sinking in water, motionlessness
1i2) strength, firmness, solidity
1i3) commonness
1j) (metaph)
1j1) petrified with terror
1j2) perverse, hard heart
אֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) — stone: weight.
: weight
1) stone (large or small)
1a) common stone (in natural state)
1b) stone, as material
1b1) of tablets
1b2) marble, hewn stones
1c) precious stones, stones of fire
1d) stones containing metal (ore), tool for work or weapon
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa
Stone
Stones were commonly used for buildings, also as memorials of important events (Gen. 28:18; Josh. 24:26, 27; 1 Sam. 7:12, etc.). They were gathered out of cultivated fields (Isa. 5:2; comp. 2 Kings 3:19). This word is also used figuratively of believers (1 Pet. 2:4, 5), and of the Messiah (Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11, etc.). In…
The allusion in Re 2:17 may be to the practice at the Olympic games of giving the successful competitor a white stone, inscribed with his name and the value of his prize; or to the mode of balloting with black and white stones on the question of the acquittal of an accused person, or his admission to certain privileges; if the stones deposited in the urn by the judges were all white, the decision was favorable. In early ages, flint-stone knives were in common use, instead of steel, Ex 4:25 Jos 5:2.
It was also customary to raise a heap or mound of stones in commemoration of any remarkable event, Ge 31:46 Jos 4:5-7 7:26 8:29…
צוּק (tsuq) is a Hebrew verb meaning to pour out or melt. It is derived from a primitive root that suggests the idea of narrowness, often used in contexts of smelting or pouring. The entries consistently emphasize its application in both literal and figurative senses.
[צוּק] vb. pour out, melt
base
H6694 [צוּק] pour out, melt
6694 tsuwq tsook
a primitive root (identical with 6693 through the idea of
narrowness (of orifice)); to pour out, i.e. (figuratively)
smelt, utter:--be molten, pour.
see HEBREW for 06693
צוּק (tsuq) — to pour.
(Qal) to pour out, melt
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · participle (passive) masculine singularHVqsmsa
נְחוּשָׁה (nchuwshah) refers to copper or bronze, indicating materials used in ancient metallurgy. It is a feminine form derived from the root word for copper, and it encompasses both pure copper and bronze, which is an alloy. The term appears in contexts related to metalworking and materials in the Old Testament.
נְחוּשָׁה and נְחֻשָׁה n.f. copper, bronze
base
H5154 נְחוּשָׁה and נְחֻשָׁה copper, bronze
5154 nchuwshah nekh-oo-shaw'
or nchushah {nekh-oo-shaw'}; feminine of 5153;
copper:--brass, steel. Compare 5176.
see HEBREW for 05153
see HEBREW for 05176
נְחוּשָׁה (ne.chu.shah) — bronze.
1) copper, bronze
1a) copper (made from melting copper ore)
1b) bronze (made from copper and alloy)
Aramaic equivalent: ne.chash (נְחָשׁ "bronze" H5174)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
kop'-er (nechosheth): The word is translated "copper" in only one passage (Ezr 8:27 the King James Version). In the American Standard Revised Version of this passage, "brass" has been substituted. Neither describes the actual alloy according to present definitions so well as the word "bronze." Copper was one of the earliest metals to be known and utilized in alloy, but copper, as a single metal, was probably little used. The remains of spears, balances, arms, vases, mirrors, statues, cooking utensils, implements of all kinds, etc., from Bible times are principally of an alloy of copper hardened with tin known today as bronze (see BRASS). In such passages as De 8:9, where reference is made to the native metal or ores, "copper" should be substituted for "brass" as in the American…
Copper
Derived from the Greek kupros (the island of Cyprus), called “Cyprian brass,” occurs only in the Authorized Version in Ezra 8:27. Elsewhere the Hebrew word (nehosheth) is improperly rendered “brass,” and sometimes “steel” (2 Sam. 22:35; Jer. 15:12). The “bow of steel” (Job 20:24; Ps. 18:34) should have been “bow of copper” (or “brass,” as in the R.V.). The vessels of “fine copper” of Ezra 8:27 were probably similar to those of “bright brass” mentioned in 1 Kings 7:45;
Heb. nechosheth , in the Authorized Version always rendered "brass," except in (Ezra 8:27) and Jere 15:12 It was almost exclusively used by the ancients for common purposes, and for every kind of instrument, as chains, pillars, lavers and the other temple vessels. We read also of copper mirrors, (Exodus 38:8) and even of copper arms, as helmets, spears, etc. (1 Samuel 17:5,6,38; 2 Samuel 21:16)
One of the primitive metals, and the most ductile and malleable after gold and silver. Of this metal and zinc is made brass, which is a modern invention. There is little doubt but that copper is intended in those passages of our translation on the Bible which speak of brass. Copper was known prior to the flood, and was wrought by Tubal-cain, Ge 4:22. Hiram of Tyre was a celebrated worker in copper, 1Ki 7:14. Palestine abounded in it, De 8:9, and David amassed great quantities to be employed in building the temple, 1Ch 22:3-14. In Ezr 8:27, two vessels are mentioned "of fine copper, precious as gold." This was probably a…