In biblical times, furnaces were significant both in practical and symbolic contexts. They were primarily used for smelting metals, baking pottery, and other industrial purposes. The Bible references furnaces in various passages, illustrating their importance in ancient Near Eastern culture and their metaphorical use in Scripture.

1. Practical Uses of Furnaces:

Furnaces in the ancient world were essential for metalworking, particularly in the smelting of iron and other metals. The process involved heating ore to high temperatures to extract the metal. This is alluded to in passages such as Proverbs 17:3, "A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts." Here, the furnace is used metaphorically to describe the process of refining and testing, akin to how God refines and tests the hearts of His people.

2. Symbolic and Metaphorical Uses:

Furnaces are often used symbolically in the Bible to represent trials, judgment, and purification. One of the most notable examples is found in the Book of Daniel, where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's golden image (Daniel 3:19-27). The furnace, in this case, symbolizes the severe trial of faith, yet it also demonstrates God's deliverance and protection, as the three men emerge unharmed.

In the prophetic literature, furnaces are used to depict God's judgment. Malachi 4:1 states, "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the LORD of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." Here, the furnace represents the consuming fire of God's judgment against the wicked.

3. Cultural and Historical Context:

The use of furnaces in ancient Israel and surrounding regions was influenced by the technological advancements of the time. Archaeological findings have uncovered various types of furnaces, including those used for pottery and metallurgy. These furnaces were typically constructed from clay or stone and designed to reach the high temperatures necessary for their specific purposes.

4. Spiritual Lessons:

The imagery of the furnace in Scripture serves as a powerful reminder of the refining process that believers undergo. Just as metals are purified through fire, so too are individuals refined through trials and tribulations. This process is intended to strengthen faith and character, as seen in 1 Peter 1:7, "so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

In summary, furnaces in the Bible are multifaceted symbols that convey themes of testing, purification, and divine judgment. They reflect both the practical realities of ancient life and the deeper spiritual truths that continue to resonate with believers today.Furnaces

Often portable, Genesis 15:17. They were used for melting the precious metals, Proverbs 17:3. The furnace into which Daniel's three friends were cast was large, and remained open after they were cast in, Daniel 3:1-30. The fearful punishment spoken of in Jeremiah 29:22 is still used in the East. The word furnace is used to illustrate a state of oppression, De 4:20, and of affliction, Isaiah 48:10.

FURNACES, TOWER OF THE

(Nehemiah 3:11).

See JERUSALEM.

TOWER OF THE FURNACES

See FURNACES, TOWER OF THE.

8574. tannur -- (portable) stove, firepot
... Word Origin from the same as tenuk Definition (portable) stove, firepot NASB Word
Usage furnace (2), Furnaces (2), oven (10), ovens (1). furnace, oven. ...
/hebrew/8574.htm - 6k

Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists
... of Spurn lighthouse, the dull glow of Hull on the north, the duller glow of
Gainsborough on the west, and between them the flaring furnaces of Scunthorpe. ...
/.../manning/the hymns of wesley and watts five papers/hymns for the use of.htm

Slavery
... Vincent's master was an enthusiast in his profession and kept ten or fifteen
furnaces always burning in which to conduct his experiments. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/forbes/life of st vincent de paul/chapter 2 slavery.htm

The Adventures of Saint Andrew of Scotland.
... fought his way out from among them, he found himself in a dismal vale, the air still
dark as Erebus, where he heard the blowing of unseen furnaces, the boiling ...
/.../kingston/the seven champions of christendom/chapter eight the adventures of.htm

Cape York
... visited, when they descended into the engine-room. The large furnaces and
machinery astonished them. The latter, on being put in motion ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/kalli the esquimaux christian /cape york.htm

Keeping the Commandments.
... Will not heaven be well worth a life of obedience to the Word of God, though obedience
calls us through storms of persecutions, furnaces of trials, oceans of ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/orr/how to live a holy life/keeping the commandments.htm

I Will Take one Case that Will Serve Both as Symbol and Example...
... Celtic twilight about it. As a matter of fact, a London gutter-boy walks
unscathed among furnaces of color. Watch him walk along ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 35 i will take.htm

The Security of the Church
... Tyrants have heated their furnaces, have prepared their racks, have erected their
stakes, the martyrs of Christ have been dragged by thousands to a terrible ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the security of the church.htm

The Life of Mr. James Renwick.
... was so assaulted with temptations of atheism, that being in the fields and looking
to the mountains, he said, "If these were all devouring furnaces of burning ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr james 6.htm

Rom. I. 18
... then the punishment from God shall be manifest, when the Judge, sitting upon the
fearful tribunal, shall command some to be dragged to the furnaces, and some ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily iii rom i 18.htm

The Lord's Furnace
... coldness at its blaze. Then, if so, how comes it that so many Christian
Churches are ice- houses instead of furnaces? How comes it ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the lords furnace.htm

Furnaces (2 Occurrences)
... Standard Bible Encyclopedia FURNACES, TOWER OF THE. ... TOWER OF THE FURNACES. See FURNACES,
TOWER OF THE. Multi-Version Concordance Furnaces (2 Occurrences). ...
/f/furnaces.htm - 7k

Threshing (57 Occurrences)
... See SILOAM. TOWER OF SYENE. si-e'-ne. See SEVENEH. TOWER OF THE FURNACES. See FURNACES,
TOWER OF THE. Multi-Version Concordance Threshing (57 Occurrences). ...
/t/threshing.htm - 28k

Malchijah (15 Occurrences)
... 31). "Melchias" in 1 Esdras 9:32. (6) One of the "repairers" who helped
with the "tower of the furnaces" (Nehemiah 3:11). (7) Son ...
/m/malchijah.htm - 14k

Pahathmoab (6 Occurrences)
... part came back with Ezra (Ezra 8:4). Hashub, a "son of Pahath-moab," is named among
the repairers of both the wall and the "tower of the furnaces" at Jerusalem ...
/p/pahathmoab.htm - 9k

Pahath-moab (6 Occurrences)
... part came back with Ezra (Ezra 8:4). Hashub, a "son of Pahath-moab," is named among
the repairers of both the wall and the "tower of the furnaces" at Jerusalem ...
/p/pahath-moab.htm - 9k

Iron (104 Occurrences)
... Lebanon in past centuries. As a boy he had watched his father, who was
a smelter, operate one of the last furnaces to be fired. ...
/i/iron.htm - 50k

Furnace (35 Occurrences)
... A fact which modern travelers speak of, that furnaces for punishment have been found
in Persia as elsewhere in the East, sheds some light upon this use of the ...
/f/furnace.htm - 22k

Furnish (8 Occurrences)

/f/furnish.htm - 11k

Tower (74 Occurrences)
... Tower of the furnaces. (Nehemiah 3:11; 12:38), a tower at the north-western angle
of the second wall of Jerusalem. ... TG Pinches. FURNACES, TOWER OF THE. ...
/t/tower.htm - 52k

Untoward (1 Occurrence)
... Hence, "not-toward," or "untoward.". VALLEY GATE. (sha`ar ha-gay', "Gate of the
Gai"): Is placed (Nehemiah 3:13) between the "tower of the furnaces" and the ...
/u/untoward.htm - 9k

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