In biblical times, fuel was an essential resource for daily life, used primarily for cooking, heating, and various industrial processes such as pottery and metalwork. The Bible provides several references to different types of fuel, reflecting the practices and resources available in ancient Israel and surrounding regions.

Types of Fuel

1. Wood: Wood was the most common form of fuel in biblical times. It was used for cooking, heating, and sacrificial offerings. The scarcity of wood in certain regions made it a valuable commodity. In Genesis 22:3, Abraham uses wood for the burnt offering of Isaac: "So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and set out for the place God had designated."

2. Charcoal: Charcoal, made by burning wood in a low-oxygen environment, was used for its higher heat output and longer burning time compared to raw wood. While the Bible does not explicitly mention charcoal, its use can be inferred from practices such as metalworking, which required intense heat.

3. Dried Animal Dung: In areas where wood was scarce, dried animal dung served as an alternative fuel source. Ezekiel 4:12-15 describes a symbolic act where Ezekiel is instructed to bake bread using human excrement as fuel, but God allows him to use cow dung instead, highlighting its use as a common fuel.

4. Oil: Olive oil was used in lamps for lighting, as seen in the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. The lamps required oil to keep burning, symbolizing preparedness and vigilance.

Symbolic Uses of Fuel

Fuel in the Bible often carries symbolic meanings, particularly in the context of divine judgment and purification. For example, fire, fueled by wood or other materials, is frequently associated with God's presence and judgment. In Isaiah 33:14, the sinners in Zion are terrified, asking, "Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting flames?" This imagery underscores the purifying and consuming nature of God's holiness.

Cultural and Economic Aspects

The availability and use of fuel had significant cultural and economic implications in biblical times. The gathering and trading of wood and other fuels were important activities, influencing daily life and commerce. The scarcity of fuel in certain regions could lead to economic hardship and social tension, as seen in the account of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17:10-16, who was gathering sticks to prepare a final meal during a time of drought.

Conclusion

Fuel, in its various forms, played a crucial role in the daily and religious life of biblical societies. Its practical uses and symbolic meanings provide insight into the cultural, economic, and spiritual dimensions of the ancient world as depicted in the Scriptures.Almost every kind of combustible matter was used for fuel, such as the withered stalks of herbs (Matthew 6:30), thorns (Psalm 58:9; Ecclesiastes 7:6), animal excrements (Ezek. 4:12-15; 15:4, 6; 21:32). Wood or charcoal is much used still in all the towns of Syria and Egypt. It is largely brought from the region of Hebron to Jerusalem. (see COAL.) 1. (n.) Any matter used to produce heat by burning; that which feeds fire; combustible matter used for fires, as wood, coal, peat, etc.

2. (n.) Anything that serves to feed or increase passion or excitement.

3. (v. t.) To feed with fuel.

4. (v. t.) To store or furnish with fuel or firing.

FUEL

fu'-el ('okhlah, or ma'akholeth, "food"): Is mentioned specifically only in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 9:5, 19 Ezekiel 15:4, 6; Ezekiel 21:32. Its general, literal meaning in these connections is "food for fire," and might include any sort of combustible material. The common forms of fuel were wood of various sorts (even including thorns, Psalm 58:9; Psalm 118:12 Ecclesiastes 7:6), and dried stalks of flowers or grass (Matthew 6:30), charred wood as charcoal (Leviticus 16:12 Isaiah 44:19, and frequently), and dried dung (Ezekiel 4:12, 15). There is no certain indication that our coal was known to the Hebrews as fuel, and their houses, being without chimneys, were not constructed for the extensive use of fuel for warmth.

Leonard W. Doolan

5208. hule -- wood, timber, forest
... wood, timber, forest. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: hule Phonetic
Spelling: (hoo-lay') Short Definition: wood, fuel Definition: wood, fuel. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5208.htm - 6k

3586. xulon -- wood
... From another form of the base of xestes; timber (as fuel or material); by implication,
a stick, club or tree or other wooden article or substance -- staff ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3586.htm - 6k

4443. pura -- a fire
... a fire. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: pura Phonetic Spelling:
(poo-rah') Short Definition: a fire Definition: a fire, pile of burning fuel. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4443.htm - 6k

3980. maakoleth -- fuel
... fuel. Transliteration: maakoleth Phonetic Spelling: (mah-ak-o'-leth) Short Definition:
fuel. Word Origin from akal Definition fuel NASB Word Usage fuel (2). fuel ...
/hebrew/3980.htm - 6k

402. oklah -- food, eating
... Word Origin fem. of okel Definition food, eating NASB Word Usage eat (1),
food (13), fuel (3). consume, devour, eat, food, meat. ...
/hebrew/402.htm - 6k

4168. moqed -- a burning mass
... burning, hearth. From yaqad; a fire or fuel; abstractly, a conflagration -- burning,
hearth. see HEBREW yaqad. 4167, 4168. moqed. 4169 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4168.htm - 6k

4169. moqedah -- hearth
... Word Origin fem. of moqed Definition hearth NASB Word Usage hearth (1). burning.
Feminine of mowqed; fuel -- burning. see HEBREW mowqed. 4168, 4169. ...
/hebrew/4169.htm - 6k

4071. medurah -- a pile (of wood)
... pile for fire. Or mdurah {med-oo-raw'}; from duwr in the sense of accumulation;
a pile of fuel -- pile (for fire). see HEBREW duwr. 4070, 4071. ...
/hebrew/4071.htm - 6k

Whether the Fire of Hell is of the Same Species as Ours?
... xv): "Bodily fire needs bodily fuel in order to become fire; neither can it
be except by being kindled, nor live unless it be renewed. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the fire of hell 2.htm

To Brother Raimondo of Capua of the Order of the Preachers
... So I wish, because there is mighty need, that you should never cease from throwing
fuel on the fire of holy desire"the fuel of the knowledge of yourselves. ...
/.../benincasa/letters of catherine benincasa/to brother raimondo of capua 3.htm

The Much-Talked-Of Fire of the Manich??ans; that Fire Matter ...
... And what substance of fire can be conceived without fuel, and how can what is moist
serve as fuel to it, unless what is rather physiologically said about this ...
/.../alexander/of the manichaeans/chapter xxvi the much-talked-of fire of.htm

The Burning Babe
... but newly born, in fiery heats I fry, Yet none approach to warm their hearts or
feel my fire but I! My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the burning babe.htm

God Still Sifting.
... Then there's the hard-coal enthusiasm that will burn steadily and faithfully by
the hour. Yet no kind, mark you, will run long without fresh fuel. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/god still sifting.htm

Our Opinion is Supported by Several Writers of the Middle Ages
... Evil is present with me with my reason; it is near to my inward man. I
see another law the fuel or flame, which reigns. Warring ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/our opinion is supported by.htm

As the World Serves You by Shewing the Greatness of God's Love to ...
... As the world serves you by shewing the greatness of God's love to you, so doth
it serve you as fuel to foment and increase your praises. ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/94 as the world serves.htm

The Burning Babe
... I! My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns,. ... scorns;
The fuel Justice layeth on, and Mercy blows the coals; ...
/.../palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/x the burning babe.htm

Dying Fires
... They huddle round its dying embers for a little warmth and company, and they hope
it will scare wolf and jackal, but their fuel is all burned, and they have to ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/dying fires.htm

Examples from Nature Proving that Bodies May Remain Unconsumed and ...
... burns, though itself bright; and which, though of the most beautiful colors, discolors
almost all it touches and feeds upon, and turns blazing fuel into grimy ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 4 examples from nature proving.htm

Fuel (13 Occurrences)
... Almost every kind of combustible matter was used for fuel, such as the withered
stalks of herbs (Matthew 6:30), thorns (Psalm 58:9; Ecclesiastes 7:6), animal ...
/f/fuel.htm - 12k

Dung (27 Occurrences)
... (2.) Used as fuel, a substitute for firewood, which was with difficulty procured
in Syria, Arabia, and Egypt (Ezek. ... Dung was also used as a fuel. ...
/d/dung.htm - 20k

Gate (248 Occurrences)
... and Isaiah 25:10. Dung was also used as a fuel. Ezekiel 4:12, 15 will be
understood when it is known that the dung of animals is ...
/g/gate.htm - 63k

Lime (4 Occurrences)
... The whole interior is filled with carefully packed fragments of limestone, and large
piles of thorny-burner and other shrubs to serve as fuel are gathered ...
/l/lime.htm - 11k

Bread (433 Occurrences)
... This bowl is placed inverted upon small stones and then heated with a fuel distinctly
oriental, consisting of dried dung heaped over and around it. ...
/b/bread.htm - 58k

Firing (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The act of discharging firearms. 2. (n.) The mode of introducing fuel
into the furnace and working it. ... 5. (n.) Fuel; firewood or coal. ...
/f/firing.htm - 7k

Coal (7 Occurrences)
... coal, although it is found in Syria. Their common fuel was dried dung of
animals and wood charcoal. Two different words are found in ...
/c/coal.htm - 14k

Fire (602 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Fuel in a state of combustion, as on a hearth, or in a stove or a furnace.
3. (n.) The burning of a house or town; a conflagration. ...
/f/fire.htm - 78k

Fugitive (12 Occurrences)

/f/fugitive.htm - 11k

Quartermaster (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) An officer whose duty is to provide quarters, provisions, storage, clothing,
fuel, stationery, and transportation for a regiment or other body of troops ...
/q/quartermaster.htm - 7k

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