Lexical Summary kuwr: Furnace Original Word: כּוּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance furnace From an unused root meaning properly, to dig through; a pot or furnace (as if excavated) -- furnace. Compare kiyr. see HEBREW kiyr Brown-Driver-Briggs כּוּר noun [masculine] smelting-pot or furnace (Arabic  ; Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic id.,  ; Ethiopic  ) — pot or furnace for smelting metals, but always in metaphor or simile of human sufferings in punishment or discipline: iron (figurative of Egypt as place of bondage) הַבַּרְזֶל ׳מִכּ Deuteronomy 4:20; Jeremiah 11:4, ׳הַבּ ׳מִתּוֺךְ כ 1 Kings 8:51; gold לַזָּהָב ׳כ Proverbs 17:3 = Proverbs 27:21 ("" מַצְרֵף); various metals Ezekiel 22:18,20,22; once בְּכוּר עֹ֑נִי Isaiah 48:10 in a smelting-pot of affliction. Topical Lexicon Essential Imageryכּוּר depicts a smelting furnace—an enclosed, intensely heated structure where ores are separated from dross. The term evokes sights of glowing coals, rising slag, and the patient work of a refiner bent over molten metal. Scripture employs the word both literally (a physical furnace) and metaphorically (a crucible of trial), always stressing separation, purification, and value. Occurrences and Contexts 1. National Deliverance: Deuteronomy 4:20; 1 Kings 8:51; Jeremiah 11:4 Nine appearances cluster around three major themes—exodus, refinement, and judgment—all unified by the image of heat revealing what is genuine. Israel in the “Iron Furnace” “Yet the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance” (Deuteronomy 4:20). Egypt is likened to an iron-smelting furnace—oppressive conditions so intense that only divine intervention could extract the covenant people. The same metaphor re-appears in 1 Kings 8:51 and Jeremiah 11:4, tying Israel’s identity and obedience to the memory of being rescued from unbearable heat. The furnace therefore stands as a historical marker: God’s redeemed community was forged in suffering, not comfort. Refinement of Character “A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts” (Proverbs 17:3). The proverb links metallurgical practice with spiritual reality. As fire removes impurities from precious metal, so the Lord probes motivations, refining integrity. Proverbs 27:21 extends the lesson: public praise functions like heat—exposing whether a person’s substance is genuine or alloyed with pride. The Furnace of Affliction “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). Here furnace imagery shifts from Egypt’s external oppression to God’s internal work among His own. Affliction is purposeful, not punitive: Israel’s exile is heat calibrated to remove idolatrous dross, preparing the nation for renewed fellowship. Prophetic Warning and Hope Ezekiel’s oracle intensifies the metaphor: “All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver” (Ezekiel 22:18). The prophet envisions Jerusalem as the furnace itself, its citizens the impure metal to be melted. The terrifying picture of divine wrath (“so will I gather you in My anger and wrath; I will deposit you and melt you,” 22:20) underscores holiness that cannot overlook corruption. Yet even judgment aims at purification; God’s purpose is not annihilation but refinement, anticipating a remnant that will “know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath” (22:22) and turn in repentance. Ministry Implications 1. Theology of Suffering: Believers should interpret trials as God’s refining fire rather than random misfortune, trusting His sovereign love. Christological Fulfillment Jesus entered the ultimate furnace—Gethsemane’s agony, the cross’s fiery judgment, and the grave’s smelting heat. His resurrection reveals a perfected, indestructible humanity, guaranteeing that all who are united to Him will emerge from their own crucibles as polished trophies of grace. Thus every כּוּר scene foreshadows the gospel: what is impossible for the metal alone is achieved by the Refiner who subjects Himself to the flame. Summary כּוּר gathers Scripture’s testimony that heat is never wasted in God’s economy. Whether delivering from bondage, exposing motives, or purging collective sin, the Lord uses the furnace to display His covenant faithfulness, forge holy character, and preview the ultimate redemption accomplished in Christ. Forms and Transliterations בְּכ֥וּר בכור וְכ֣וּר וכור כּ֔וּר כּ֥וּר כור מִכּ֥וּר מִכּ֨וּר מכור bə·ḵūr beChur bəḵūr kur kūr mik·kūr mikKur mikkūr veChur wə·ḵūr wəḵūrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 4:20 HEB: וַיּוֹצִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִכּ֥וּר הַבַּרְזֶ֖ל מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם NAS: you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, KJV: out of the iron furnace, [even] out of Egypt, INT: the LORD and brought furnace of the iron Egypt 1 Kings 8:51 Proverbs 17:3 Proverbs 27:21 Isaiah 48:10 Jeremiah 11:4 Ezekiel 22:18 Ezekiel 22:20 Ezekiel 22:22 9 Occurrences |
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