Topical Bible: Brazen

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Topical Encyclopedia

The term "brazen" in the Bible typically refers to objects made of brass or bronze, a metal alloy known for its durability and strength. In biblical times, bronze was a common material used for various items, including tools, weapons, and religious artifacts. The use of bronze in the Bible often carries symbolic significance, representing strength, judgment, and endurance.

Brazen Altar

One of the most notable uses of bronze in the Bible is the construction of the Brazen Altar, also known as the Altar of Burnt Offering. This altar was a central feature of the Tabernacle and later the Temple, where sacrifices were made to God. According to Exodus 27:1-2 , "You are to construct the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar is to be square, and three cubits high. Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns are of one piece with the altar, and overlay it with bronze." The bronze overlay signified the altar's role in enduring the heat of the sacrifices and symbolized the strength and permanence of God's covenant with Israel.

Brazen Laver

Another significant bronze item in the Tabernacle was the Brazen Laver, a large basin used by the priests for ceremonial washing. Exodus 30:18 instructs, "You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it." The laver's bronze construction symbolized purification and the cleansing necessary for approaching God.

Brazen Serpent

The Brazen Serpent is a notable biblical symbol found in Numbers 21:8-9 : "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.' So Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten and he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived." This bronze serpent was a means of divine healing for the Israelites and later became a symbol of Christ's redemptive work, as referenced in John 3:14-15 : "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life."

Brazen Sea

In Solomon's Temple, the Brazen Sea was a large bronze basin used for the ritual purification of the priests. According to 1 Kings 7:23-26 , "He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it. Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten per cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea." The Brazen Sea's immense size and intricate design underscored the importance of purity and preparation in worship.

Symbolism and Significance

Throughout the Bible, bronze is associated with judgment and strength. The durability of bronze made it an apt material for objects that symbolized God's enduring covenant and the need for purification and atonement. The use of bronze in sacred objects served as a constant reminder of God's holiness and the requirements for His people to approach Him with reverence and purity.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (a.) Pertaining to, made of, or resembling, brass.

2. (a.) Sounding harsh and loud, like resounding brass.

3. (a.) Impudent; immodest; shameless; having a front like brass; as, a brazen countenance.

4. (v. t.) To carry through impudently or shamelessly; as, to brazen the matter through.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

BRASS; BRAZEN

bras (nechosheth): The use of the word brass has always been more or less indefinite in its application. At the present time the term brass is applied to an alloy of copper and zinc or of copper, zinc and tin. The word translated "brass" in the King James Version would be more correctly rendered bronze, since the alloy used was copper and tin (Exodus 27:4). In some passages however copper is meant (Deuteronomy 8:9), as bronze is an artificial product. This alloy was known in Egypt in at least 1600 B.C. It was probably known in Europe still earlier (2000 B.C.), which helps to answer the question as to the source of the tin. Bronze was probably of European origin and was carried to Egypt. At a later period the Egyptians made the alloy themselves, bringing their copper from Sinai, Cyprus or northern Syria (see COPPER), and their tin from the Balkan regions or from Spain or the British Isles (see TIN). When the Children of Israel came into the promised land, they found the Canaanites already skilled in the making and use of bronze instruments. This period marked the transition from the bronze age to the iron age in Palestine Museums possessing antiquities from Bible lands have among their collections many and varied bronze objects. Among the most common are nails, lamps, hand mirrors, locks, cutting instruments, etc. Within comparatively recent times brass, meaning an alloy of copper and zinc, has been introduced into Syria. The alloy is made by the native workmen (see CRAFTS). Sheet brass is now being extensively imported for the making of bowls, vases, etc. Bronze is practically unknown in the modern native articles

Figurative: "Brass," naturally, is used in Scripture as the symbol of what is firm, strong, lasting; hence, "gates of brass" (Psalm 107:16), "hoofs of brass" (Micah 4:13), "walls of brass" (Jeremiah is made as a "brazen wall," Jeremiah 1:18; Jeremiah 15:20), "mountains of brass" (Daniel 2:35, the Macedonian empire; the arms of ancient times were mostly of bronze). It becomes a symbol, therefore, of hardness, obstinacy, insensibility, in sin, as "brow of brass" (Isaiah 48:4); "they are brass and iron" (Jeremiah 6:28, of the wicked); "all of them are brass" (Ezekiel 22:18, of Israel).

James A. Patch

SEA, THE MOLTEN; SEA, THE BRAZEN

mol'-t'n, or (yam mutsaq, yam hanechosheth): This was a large brazen (bronze) reservoir for water which stood in the court of Solomon's Temple between the altar and the temple porch, toward the South (1 Kings 7:23-26 2 Chronicles 4:2-5, 10). The bronze from which it was made is stated in 1 Chronicles 18:8 to have been taken by David from the cities Tibhath and Cun. It replaced the laver of the tabernacle, and, like that, was used for storing the water in which the priests washed their hands and their feet (compare Exodus 30:18; Exodus 38:8). It rested on 12 brazen (bronze) oxen, facing in four groups the four quarters of heaven. For particulars of shape, size and ornamentation, see TEMPLE. The "sea" served its purpose till the time of Ahaz, who took away the brazen oxen, and placed, the sea upon a pavement (2 Kings 16:17). It is recorded that the oxen were afterward taken to Babylon (Jeremiah 52:20). The sea itself shared the same fate, being first broken to pieces (2 Kings 25:13, 16).

W. Shaw Caldecott

BRAZEN

bra'-z'-n.

See BRASS.

BRAZEN SEA

See SEA, THE MOLTEN.

BRAZEN SERPENT

See NEHUSHTAN.

SEA, BRAZEN

bra'-z'n.

See SEA, THE MOLTEN.

SERPENT, BRAZEN

bra'-z'-n.

See NEHUSHTAN.

Greek

5473. chalkion -- a brazen (ie of copper, bronze, brass) vessel
... a brazen (ie of copper, bronze, brass) vessel. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: chalkion Phonetic Spelling: (khal-kee'-on) Short Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5473.htm - 6k

5470. chalkous -- brazen (ie of copper, bronze, brass)
... brazen (ie of copper, bronze, brass). Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration:
chalkous Phonetic Spelling: (khal'-keh-os) Short Definition: made of bronze ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5470.htm - 6k

5475. chalkos -- copper or bronze
... Transliteration: chalkos Phonetic Spelling: (khal-kos') Short Definition: copper,
brass, money Definition: copper, brass, money; a brazen musical instrument. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5475.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

5810. azaz -- to be strong
... root Definition to be strong NASB Word Usage became fixed (1), brazen (1), displays
a bold (1), mighty (1), prevail (2), prevailed (1), prevailed* (1), show ...
/hebrew/5810.htm - 6k

Library

The Brazen Serpent
... THE BRAZEN SERPENT. 'Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.'"John
3:14. This is the second of the instances in this Gospel ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/the brazen serpent.htm

The Brazen Serpent.
... THE BRAZEN SERPENT. Jesus Christ says that "As Moses lifted ... will live with
Him in glory forever. [Illustration: THE BRAZEN SERPENT.]. ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the old testament/the brazen serpent.htm

The Brazen Serpent.
... VIII. THE BRAZEN SERPENT. ... He was to be conspicuous, but it was as the Brazen Serpent
was conspicuous, hanging on a pole for the healing of the people. ...
/.../the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol i/viii the brazen serpent.htm

The Mysteries of the Brazen Serpent
... The Mysteries of the Brazen Serpent. A Sermon (No.153). ... Let me describe next,
the brazen serpent"the type of Jesus Christ crucified. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the mysteries of the brazen.htm

The Brazen Serpent; Or, Looking to Jesus, John 3 14 15 16
... Hymns. Book 1. Hymn 1:112. The brazen serpent; or, Looking to Jesus, John
3. 14 15 16. 1 So did the Hebrew prophet raise The brazen ...
/.../watts/hymns and spiritual songs/hymn 0 119444444 the brazen serpent.htm

The Brazen Serpent and the Golden Cherubim were not violations of ...
... God. Chapter XXII."The Brazen Serpent and the Golden Cherubim Were Not
Violations of the Second Commandment Their Meaning. Likewise ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xxii the brazen serpent and.htm

The Brazen Serpent; Or, Looking to Jesus. John 3:14-16.
... HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS IN THREE BOOKS. HYMN 112 The brazen serpent; or, Looking
to Jesus. John 3:14-16. CM The brazen serpent; or, Looking to Jesus. ...
/.../watts/the psalms and hymns of isaac watts/hymn 112 the brazen serpent.htm

Types of the Death of Christ Isaac; Joseph; Jacob against Simeon ...
... Types of the Death of Christ Isaac; Joseph; Jacob Against Simeon and Levi;
Moses Praying Against Amalek; The Brazen Serpent. [3343] ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter xviii name of the.htm

Now Suppose that While You were Writing This, as You Tell us You ...
... You will then say that the man whom you call your own Brazen-heart, and whose name
you are just about to write down as Adamantine because of the merit of his ...
/.../21 now suppose that while.htm

The Absurd Doctrine of Abaelard, who Attributes Properly and ...
... examples, asserting that the Power of discernment which the Son is, is a particular
kind of Power, just as a man is a kind of animal, and a brazen seal a ...
/.../chapter iii the absurd doctrine.htm

Thesaurus

Brazen (42 Occurrences)
... 3. (a.) Impudent; immodest; shameless; having a front like brass; as, a brazen
countenance. ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. BRASS; BRAZEN. ...
/b/brazen.htm - 25k

Brazen-faced (2 Occurrences)
Brazen-faced. Brazen, Brazen-faced. Brazier . Multi-Version
Concordance Brazen-faced (2 Occurrences). Ezekiel 2:4 And ...
/b/brazen-faced.htm - 7k

Nehushtan (1 Occurrence)
... Of copper; a brazen thing a name of contempt given to the serpent Moses had made
in the wilderness (Numbers 21:8), and which Hezekiah destroyed because the ...
/n/nehushtan.htm - 11k

Grate (6 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the
net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. ...
/g/grate.htm - 10k

Molten (41 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. SEA, THE MOLTEN; SEA, THE BRAZEN.
mol'-t'n, or (yam mutsaq, yam hanechosheth): This was a large ...
/m/molten.htm - 22k

Brass (168 Occurrences)
... The brazen serpent is alluded to by our Lord in John 3:14, 15. (see SERPENT.). ... 3.
(n.) Coin made of copper, brass, or bronze. 4. (n.) Impudence; a brazen face. ...
/b/brass.htm - 44k

Bindeth (25 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 25:7 And the sons of Zedekiah they have slaughtered before his eyes, and
the eyes of Zedekiah he hath blinded, and bindeth him with brazen fetters, and ...
/b/bindeth.htm - 13k

Laver (13 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A large brazen vessel placed in the court of the Jewish tabernacle
where the officiating priests washed their hands and feet. ...
/l/laver.htm - 17k

Ahaz (42 Occurrences)
... 9. The Lavers and Brazen Sea: Another act of the king was to remove from the elaborate
ornamental bases on which they had stood (compare 1 Kings 7:27-39), the ...
/a/ahaz.htm - 43k

Salim (1 Occurrence)
... See , further, MEDITERRANEAN SEA. W. Ewing. SEA, THE MOLTEN; SEA, THE BRAZEN.
mol'-t'n, or (yam mutsaq, yam hanechosheth): This was ...
/s/salim.htm - 15k

Resources

What was the brazen altar? | GotQuestions.org

Am I my brother's keeper? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Antiochus Epiphanes? | GotQuestions.org

Brazen: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Brazen (42 Occurrences)

Mark 7:4
and on coming from the market-place, unless they are washed, they do not eat; and there are many other things which they have received to hold, the washing of cups and vessels, and brazen utensils, and couches),
(DBY WBS YLT)

Revelation 9:20
And the rest of men who were not killed with these plagues repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the golden and silver and brazen and stone and wooden idols, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
(DBY)

Exodus 27:4
And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS)

Exodus 35:16
The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
(KJV WBS YLT)

Exodus 38:4
And he made for the altar a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.
(KJV WBS YLT)

Exodus 38:5
and he casteth four rings for the four ends of the brazen grate -- places for bars;
(YLT)

Exodus 38:10
Their pillars were twenty, and their brazen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.
(KJV WBS YLT)

Exodus 38:30
And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,
(KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)

Exodus 39:39
The brazen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
(KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)

Leviticus 6:28
But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brazen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS)

Numbers 16:39
And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:
(KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)

Judges 16:21
And the Philistines seize him, and pick out his eyes, and bring him down to Gaza, and bind him with two brazen fetters; and he is grinding in the prison-house.
(YLT)

1 Kings 4:13
The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars:
(KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)

1 Kings 7:30
And every base had four brazen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS)

1 Kings 8:64
The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brazen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

1 Kings 14:27
And king Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house.
(KJV DBY WBS)

2 Kings 16:14
And he brought also the brazen altar, which was before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

2 Kings 16:15
And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brazen altar shall be for me to enquire by.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

2 Kings 16:17
And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon the pavement of stones.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT)

2 Kings 18:4
He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)

2 Kings 25:7
And the sons of Zedekiah they have slaughtered before his eyes, and the eyes of Zedekiah he hath blinded, and bindeth him with brazen fetters, and they bring him to Babylon.
(YLT)

2 Kings 25:13
And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

1 Chronicles 18:8
Likewise from Tibhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT)

2 Chronicles 1:5
Moreover the brazen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

2 Chronicles 1:6
And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

2 Chronicles 4:1
And he made a brazen altar: its length was twenty cubits, and its breadth twenty cubits, and its height ten cubits.
(DBY)

2 Chronicles 6:13
For Solomon had made a brazen scaffold of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS)

2 Chronicles 7:7
Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

2 Chronicles 33:11
and Jehovah bringeth in against them the heads of the host that the king of Asshur hath, and they capture Manasseh among the thickets, and bind him with brazen fetters, and cause him to go to Babylon.
(YLT)

2 Chronicles 36:6
against him hath Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon come up, and bindeth him in brazen fetters to take him away to Babylon.
(YLT)

Job 6:12
Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh brazen?
(YLT)

Proverbs 7:13
So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him:
(See NAS NIV)

Isaiah 45:2
I will go before thee, and make the elevated places plain; I will break in pieces the brazen doors, and cut asunder the bars of iron;
(DBY)

Jeremiah 1:18
For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
(ASV DBY JPS WBS YLT)

Jeremiah 3:3
So the showers have been kept back, and there has been no spring rain; still your brow is the brow of a loose woman, you will not let yourself be shamed.
(See NIV)

Jeremiah 15:20
And I will make thee unto this people a fortified brazen wall; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith Jehovah.
(ASV DBY JPS WBS YLT)

Jeremiah 39:7
And the eyes of Zedekiah he hath blinded, and he bindeth him with brazen fetters, to bring him in to Babylon.
(YLT)

Jeremiah 52:11
and the eyes of Zedekiah he hath blinded, and he bindeth him in brazen fetters, and the king of Babylon bringeth him to Babylon, and putteth him in the house of inspection unto the day of his death.
(YLT)

Jeremiah 52:17
And the pillars of brass that were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases and the brazen sea that were in the house of Jehovah, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.
(ASV DBY JPS WBS)

Jeremiah 52:20
The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve brazen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made for the house of Jehovah-the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
(ASV DBY JPS WBS YLT)

Ezekiel 9:2
And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.
(ASV DBY JPS WBS YLT)

Ezekiel 16:30
How weak is your heart, says the Lord Yahweh, seeing you do all these things, the work of an impudent prostitute;
(See RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Brazen

Brazen Sea

Brazen Serpent

Brazen Serpent: A Symbol of Christ

Brazen Serpent: Made by Moses for the Healing of the Israelites

Brazen Serpent: Worshiped by Israelites

Related Terms

Brazen-faced (2 Occurrences)

Nehushtan (1 Occurrence)

Grate (6 Occurrences)