In biblical literature, the term "firebrand" is used metaphorically to describe objects or individuals that incite conflict, destruction, or fervent passion. The imagery of a firebrand is potent, evoking the idea of something that can ignite or spread fire, symbolizing both physical and spiritual elements.

Old Testament References

1. Judges 15:4-5: One of the most vivid uses of firebrands in the Old Testament is found in the account of Samson. "Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the shocks and standing grain, along with the vineyards and olive groves" . Here, the firebrands are literal torches used by Samson to wreak havoc on the Philistines' crops, symbolizing divine retribution and the destructive power of God's chosen deliverer.

2. Isaiah 7:4: The prophet Isaiah uses the term metaphorically when he instructs King Ahaz: "Say to him: ‘Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah’" . In this context, the "smoldering stubs of firewood" refer to the waning power of Israel's enemies, suggesting that their threat is diminishing and not to be feared.

3. Amos 4:11: The prophet Amos uses the imagery of a firebrand to describe Israel's deliverance from destruction: "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a firebrand snatched from the blaze, yet you did not return to Me," declares the LORD" . Here, the firebrand represents a remnant saved from judgment, highlighting God's mercy and the call to repentance.

New Testament Implications

While the New Testament does not explicitly use the term "firebrand," the concept can be seen in the fervent zeal of early Christian figures who spread the Gospel with fiery passion. The Apostle Paul, for instance, is often seen as a spiritual firebrand, igniting the early church with his missionary journeys and epistles.

Symbolism and Interpretation

In a broader theological context, firebrands symbolize the dual nature of fire in Scripture: both as a purifying force and a destructive element. Firebrands can represent God's judgment, as seen in the destruction of the Philistines' crops, or His mercy, as in the remnant saved from the blaze. They also serve as a metaphor for individuals who are catalysts for change, whether for good or ill.

The imagery of firebrands challenges believers to consider their own role in the spiritual landscape: Are they igniting the flames of faith and righteousness, or are they contributing to discord and destruction? The biblical use of firebrands calls for reflection on the power of influence and the responsibility that comes with it.2131. ziqah -- a missile, spark
ziqah or zeq. 2130, 2131. ziqah or zeq. 2132 . a missile, spark. Transliteration:
ziqah or zeq Phonetic Spelling: (zee-kaw') Short Definition: firebrands. ...
/hebrew/2131.htm - 6k

181. ud -- a brand, firebrand
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition a brand, firebrand NASB Word
Usage brand (1), firebrand (1), firebrands (1). firebrand. ...
/hebrew/181.htm - 5k

Nineveh.
... where Pekah was shortly after murdered by his servant Hoshea; so that Isaiah's prophecy
of the ruin of "these two tails of smoking firebrands," Pekah and Rezin ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson ix nineveh.htm

Two Archbishops
... their claim to pity, monks who looked like goats or satyrs, and women more frightful
than Jezebels,' armed with sticks, stones, and firebrands, wrecked his ...
/.../chapter xiii two archbishops.htm

Samson the Strong.
... Afterwards when he found that his wife had been given to another he tied firebrands
to the tails of three hundred foxes, and sent them among the wheat fields ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xv samson the strong.htm

Strength Profaned and Lost
... We seem to hear his loud laughter as he ties the firebrands to the struggling
jackals, or swings the jaw-bone. A strange champion for Jehovah! ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/strength profaned and lost.htm

Dying Fires
... 'Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves about with firebrands:
walk ye in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that ye have kindled. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/dying fires.htm

Psalm 57
... and mercy forth shall send. ^4My soul among fierce lions is,. I firebrands
live among,. Men's sons, whose teeth are spears and darts,. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/psalm 57.htm

Samson's Wedding Feast
... And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned
tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails. ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/iv samsons wedding feast.htm

Then
... or a corruption of seed, or the rotting of wood, or out of the condensed mass of
fire transforms the cold vapour that issues from the firebrands, shut off in ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 3 then.htm

part ii.
... guide in addition to our natural advantages, thus tolerate the disturbances and
disorders raised by our enemies, who seem inflamed, as it were, with firebrands ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/part ii 2.htm

Ninth Commandment
... " Bishop Hall said that the tongues of busybodies are like the tails of Samson's
foxes"they carry firebrands and are enough to set the whole field of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/ninth commandment.htm

Firebrands (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Firebrands (4 Occurrences). ... Proverbs 26:18 As a mad man
who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, (KJV JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV). ...
/f/firebrands.htm - 7k

Tail (16 Occurrences)
... 4:4), of foxes, which Samson tied together in his cruel sport, in order to destroy
the grainfields of the Philistines by means of attached firebrands (Judges 15 ...
/t/tail.htm - 13k

Firewood (4 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 7:4 and say unto him: Keep calm, and be quiet; fear not, neither let thy
heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, for the ...
/f/firewood.htm - 7k

Fire-brands (3 Occurrences)
Fire-brands. Firebrands, Fire-brands. Fired . Multi-Version Concordance
Fire-brands (3 Occurrences). ... (WBS). Firebrands, Fire-brands. Fired . Reference
/f/fire-brands.htm - 7k

Firebrand (3 Occurrences)
... Judges 15:4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands,
and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. ...
/f/firebrand.htm - 9k

Fires (8 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 50:11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves with firebrands,
begone in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that ye have ...
/f/fires.htm - 9k

Fainthearted (7 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 7:4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted
for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of ...
/f/fainthearted.htm - 8k

Fire-brand (3 Occurrences)
Fire-brand. Firebrand, Fire-brand. Firebrands . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(WBS). Firebrand, Fire-brand. Firebrands . Reference Bible.
/f/fire-brand.htm - 7k

Rezin (11 Occurrences)
... spirits of the men of Judah, that Isaiah was commissioned by the Lord to assure
them that the schemes of "these two tails of smoking firebrands" (Isaiah 7:4 ...
/r/rezin.htm - 13k

Remali'ah (13 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 7:4 and say unto him: Keep calm, and be quiet; fear not, neither let thy
heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, for the ...
/r/remali'ah.htm - 10k

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