276 CHEW W. P. JERVIS, F.G.S., ON THE MINERALS AND 



See under gold for the account David gave Solomon of the 

 materials he had prepared for the erect ion of the Temple, which 

 included " brass and iron without weight." Then the chief of 

 the fathers offered willingly, including " 100,000 talents of 

 iron" (i Chron. xxii, 3, 14, 16 ; xxix, 2, 7.) 



Solomon sent to Huram, King of Tyre, requesting him to 

 send him a man cunning to work " in iron " and in other 

 metals. To which Huram replied that he had sent Solomon a 

 man skilful to work " in iron" etc. (n Chron. ii, 7, 14.) 



B.C. 1012. In the 480th year after the children of Israel 

 were come out of Egypt, Solomon began to build the Temple. 

 " And the house when it was in building was built of stone made 

 ready before it was brought thither, so that there was no 

 hammer or axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it 

 was in building/' (i Kings vi, 7.) 



B.C. 856. About three centuries after the building of the 

 Temple it greatly required repair, on account of the injuries it 

 had sustained from enemies of the Jews, and King Joash 

 concerted with Jehoida the priest to collect the needful money, 

 which they paid to such as did the service of the house of the 

 Lord, " and such as wrought iron and brass, to mend the house 

 of the Lord." (ii Chron. xxiv, 12.) 



Iron Symbolically. Job xl, 18 ; xli, 7 {'passim). 



Complaining of the cruel reproaches of his friends, Job cried, 

 " Oh that my words were now written ! Oh that they were 

 printed in a book ! that they were graven with an iron pen and 

 lead in the rock for ever ! " (Job xix, 24.) 



Zophar the Naamathite said to Job as a reproach, "Knowest 

 thou not that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the 

 joy of the hypocrite but for a moment, he shall flee from the 

 iron weapon, and the bow of steel (copper) shall strike him 

 through." (Job xx, 24). 



The Lord spake unto Job out of the whirlwind, saying, 

 " Behold behemoth, which I made with thee, his bones are as 

 strong pieces of brass, his bones are like bars of iron. Canst 

 thou draw out leviathan with an hook ? Canst thou fill his 

 skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish spears ? The 

 sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold, the spear, the 

 dart, nor the habergeon (margin : breastplate). He esteemeth 

 iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood " (Job xl, 18 ; xli, 7, 27.) 



Altogether iron is mentioned in 82 verses of the Old Testa- 

 ment. 



