METALS MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 279 



The gold of Ophir is mentioned by Eliphaz and Job ; four 

 times in connection with Solomon, and once with Jehoshaphat ; 

 once in the Psalms, and once in Isaiah as fine gold and the 

 wedge of Ophir. 



The gold of Sheba — somewhere south of Abyssinia — is 

 mentioned by David in his prayer for Solomon, and allegorically 

 of the glory of the church in Isaiah : the merchants of Sheba 

 took gold to the fairs of Tyre. 



God speaking by Jeremiah says that the idols of the heathen 

 were made of silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, and in 

 a vision Daniel saw a certain man whose loins were girded with 

 fine gold of Uphaz. Gold was also obtained from Parvaim, and 

 especially through Tarshish, whence came gold, apes and 

 peacocks. Caranza points out the abundance of peacocks in 

 Andalusia, the apes were from Africa. 



Pure gold was exclusively employed for the tabernacle by 

 special command given to Moses by God for all which pertained 

 to His worship : for the ark, the mercy seat, the table, with all 

 the vessels upon it, the candlestick and its accessories, the altar 

 of incense, the chains and bells of the ephod, the chains of the 

 bleastplate, the plate with the signet ; in all these passages the 

 original reads zohov tohur, clean, pure gold. 



David valued the judgments of the Lord more than much 

 fine gold. The righteous are compared to fine gold (kethem), 

 and refined gold (poz) in the lamentations of Jeremiah, while 

 Solomon declared the gain of wisdom to be better than fine 

 gold (khoruts, pure gold), choice gold (poz, refined gold) and 

 choice silver (keseph nivkhar), and to this latter he compares 

 the tongue of the just. 



Silver {keseph) was early refined in a clay cupel, and melted to 

 oxidize and separate the lead as dross, or litharge ; David speaks 

 of silver tried in a furnace of earth and of his being tried as 

 silver is tried. In two passages Solomon mentions the fining- 

 pot for silver, and the furnace for gold, and alludes to the 

 residual litharge adhering to the broken cupel, as a potsherd. 

 covered with silver dross: he also refers symbolically to the 

 separation of the litharge, saying, " Take away the dross from 

 the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 

 God says of the wicked thy silver is become dross. Reprobate 

 (rejected) silver shall they call them ; and elsewhere, I have 

 refined thee, but not with silver, I have chosen thee in the 

 furnace of affliction. The Lord foretold by Zechariah, I will 

 refine Jerusalem, as silver is refined, and try them, as gold is 

 tried. 



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