METALS MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 281 



worked at Sarabit-el-Khadim in the Sinaitic peninsula by the 

 Pharaohs before the Exodus. These mines are in the " Nubian 

 Sandstone " formation, and have been investigated and described 

 by the officers of the Ordnance Survey of Sinai, in their magnificent 

 volumes, and more recently by Professor Flinders Petrie. The 

 turquoise being a blue stone, it was probably the same as that 

 designated as the " sapphire." The author had bestowed great 

 labour on this paper — and probably there is nothing more to be 

 said on the subject. 



Remarks by Lieut.-Colonel Mackinlay. 



With reference to the words " a land whose stones are iron " 

 (Deut. viii, 9), it has been remarked that no iron ore is to be found 

 in Palestine • but the promised land extends from the Nile, the 

 Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon to the Euphrates (Gen. xv, 18, 

 Deut. i, 7, xi, 24), and in that larger district it is most probable that 

 iron ore exists. 



The metals lead and tin are only alluded to nine and five times 

 respectively in the Scriptures ; but gold, silver, brass (or copper) 

 and iron are often mentioned, gold about 400 times, silver some 

 260 times, brass (or copper) and iron a little more and a little less 

 than 100 times each respectively. This order of value is observed 

 in the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, also apparently in Is. lx, 

 17, and in the tabernacle in the wilderness the first three metals 

 come in the same order. 



Gold and silver have long been known as the noble metals, 

 because they do not oxidize, etc. Gold is the emblem of glory : thus 

 we find the boards of the tabernacle covered with gold and the 

 vessels within also of gold ; the heathen made gods of silver and gold 

 (Is. ii, 20, Ps. cxv, 4), and a crown of pure gold is set on the King's 

 head (Ps. xxi, 3). 



Silver has pre-eminently been used for money (the French word 

 argent being synonymous with money) : Joseph was sold for 20 

 pieces of silver, the Lord Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Each Hebrew 

 was redeemed with half a silver shekel (Ex. xxx, 13-15) ; thus silver 

 stands typically for redemption or atonement, and we find that 

 much of the silver of the atonement money was used for the 

 sockets on which the gold-covered boards of the tabernacle rested 



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