Topical Bible: Silver: Chains

◄ Silver: Chains ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, silver was a precious metal highly valued for its beauty and utility. It was often used in the creation of various objects, including chains. Chains made of silver are mentioned in several contexts throughout the Bible, symbolizing wealth, adornment, and sometimes bondage.

Adornment and Wealth

Silver chains were often used as ornaments, signifying wealth and status. In the Song of Solomon, the beloved is described with imagery that includes silver, highlighting beauty and value: "We will make you ornaments of gold, studded with silver" (Song of Solomon 1:11). This verse illustrates the use of silver in decorative items, emphasizing its role in enhancing beauty and signifying prosperity.

Symbol of Bondage

While silver chains could be symbols of wealth and beauty, they also represented bondage and captivity. In the book of Judges, the account of Samson provides an example of chains as instruments of restraint. Although the specific material of the chains is not mentioned, the use of chains in this context underscores their role in subjugation and control: "Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where they bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to grind grain in the prison" (Judges 16:21). The mention of bronze here, rather than silver, highlights the common use of metals in chains for imprisonment.

Symbolic and Spiritual Implications

In a spiritual sense, chains can symbolize the bondage of sin and the need for divine intervention for liberation. The New Testament speaks of spiritual freedom through Christ, contrasting the physical chains of bondage with the spiritual freedom offered by faith. The Apostle Paul, though often physically bound in chains, speaks of the freedom found in Christ: "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles" (Ephesians 3:1). Here, the metaphorical use of chains highlights the paradox of physical imprisonment and spiritual freedom.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, silver was a common medium of exchange and a measure of wealth. The use of silver in chains, whether for adornment or restraint, reflects the broader economic and social practices of the time. Silver's intrinsic value made it a suitable material for both decorative and practical purposes, illustrating the dual nature of chains as both symbols of beauty and instruments of captivity.

Conclusion

The biblical references to silver chains provide insight into the cultural, economic, and spiritual dimensions of ancient societies. Whether as symbols of wealth and beauty or as instruments of bondage, silver chains carry rich connotations that reflect the complexities of human experience and the enduring themes of freedom and captivity in the biblical narrative.

Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 40:19
The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold, and casts silver chains.
Nave's Topical Index

Strong's Hebrew

5178. nechosheth -- copper, bronze
... bronze NASB Word Usage brass (2), bronze (130), bronze chains (1), bronze ... Coin, a
fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver) -- brasen, brass ...
/hebrew/5178.htm - 6k

Library

We Will Make Thee Chains of Gold Inlaid with Silver.
... COMMENTARY. CHAPTER I. 10. We will make thee chains of gold inlaid with
silver. Although thou art already very beautiful in thy ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/10 we will make thee.htm

The Incense of Prayer
... ever see there the little boys that carry the censers, swinging them backwards and
forwards every now and then, and by means of the silver chains lifting the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/the incense of prayer.htm

Matt. xiv. 23, 24
... a roof to cover Him; and thou, neglecting to receive Him, deckest out a pavement,
and walls, and capitals of columns, and hangest up silver chains by means of ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily l matt xiv 23.htm

Epistle Lxxvi. Cyprian to Nemesianus and Other Martyrs in the ...
... the places which previously had been accustomed to yield gold and silver have begun ...
your blessed limbs, and the temples of God with disgraceful chains, as if ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle lxxvi cyprian to nemesianus.htm

Chapter i
... We will make thee chains of gold inlaid with silver.12. While the King sitteth
at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.11. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/chapter i.htm

The Close of the Theban Empire
... decorations. Examples of silver chains are known of some five feet in length,
while others do not exceed two to three inches. There ...
/.../chapter iiithe close of the.htm

Against Excessive Fondness for Jewels and Gold Ornaments.
... Modesty and chastity are collars and necklaces; such are the chains which God forges. ...
for it is better to buy her than treasures of gold and silver; and she is ...
/.../the instructor paedagogus/chapter xiiiagainst excessive fondness for.htm

Epistle xxx. To Constantina Augusta.
... when my predecessor, of blessed memory, was desirous of changing the silver which
was ... will make haste to transmit to you some portion of the chains which Saint ...
/.../the epistles of saint gregory the great/epistle xxx to constantina augusta.htm

Humbly Inscribed to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, one of his ...
... Our reason rouse, and lead it to that Power,. Whose love lets down these silver
chains of light; To draw up man's ambition to Himself, 690. ...
/.../young/youngs night thoughts/humbly inscribed to his grace.htm

Martyrdom of the Holy and Glorious Apostle Bartholomew.
... On this account we seek not after gold and silver, but rather despise them, because ...
in your temple, who makes responses to you, is kept in chains through the ...
/.../martyrdom of the holy and.htm