Tin is a metal mentioned in the Bible, primarily in the context of metallurgy and the refining process. It is one of the metals that ancient peoples were familiar with and used in various applications, including the creation of alloys such as bronze. The biblical references to tin highlight its role in the purification and refining processes, often symbolizing the removal of impurities.

Biblical References:

1. Ezekiel 22:18-20 :
"Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are the dross of silver. Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem. Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, put you inside, and melt you.’"

In this passage, tin is mentioned alongside other metals in a metaphorical context. The prophet Ezekiel uses the imagery of a refining furnace to describe God's judgment upon Israel. The inclusion of tin among the metals signifies the presence of impurities that need to be purged, illustrating the process of divine purification.

2. Numbers 31:22 :
"Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—"

This verse is part of the instructions given to the Israelites regarding the spoils of war. Tin is listed among the metals that can withstand fire and are to be purified through fire. This highlights the practical use of tin in ancient metallurgy and its ability to endure the refining process.

Symbolism and Usage:

In biblical times, tin was a valuable metal used in the creation of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. The process of refining metals, including tin, serves as a powerful metaphor in Scripture for spiritual purification and the removal of sin. The imagery of a refiner's fire is used to convey the idea of God purifying His people, removing impurities, and restoring them to righteousness.

The references to tin in the Bible, though few, underscore its significance in the ancient world as a component of alloys and its symbolic representation of purification. The process of refining metals, including tin, is a vivid illustration of God's work in the lives of His people, emphasizing the need for holiness and the removal of spiritual dross.Numbers 31:22
Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 22:18,20
Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the middle of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 27:12
Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in your fairs.
Nave's Topical Index

The Seventh Book
... of the judgment of God, than that the general who boasted of ... So the words of the
Holy Scriptures concerning Saul and David ... me of brass and iron and tin and lead ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the seventh book.htm

The Strait Gate;
... the Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the general assembly and ... be able." I read
in the Scriptures of two ... those men will enter in thither, concerning whom the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the strait gate.htm

It is a Ground for Thanksgiving that During the Last Three or Four ...
... gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the ... book of Daniel is
to give us, a general outline of ... Such scriptures as Psa.2:6-8; Isa.11:10; 42:6 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/it is a ground for.htm

Covenanting a Duty.
... The exercise is acknowledged in the Scriptures as a ... and a testimony in its most general
acceptation must ... ought to renounce its dross and tin, and endeavouring ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iii covenanting a duty.htm

Chapter I Beginning and Early Days of the Orphan Work.
... one blanket, two pewter salt cellars, six tin cups, and ... he has not only learned from
the Scriptures what a ... on His own word, will lead us, in general at least ...
/.../muller/answers to prayer/chapter i beginning and early.htm

Dialogue ii. --The Unconfounded.
... Yes; for it is not the part of a general to expose ... 1241] like the solder made of
lead and tin? ... Eran."So we have learnt to believe from the divine Scriptures. ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/dialogue ii the unconfounded.htm

The Resurrection of the Dead, and Eternal Judgment:
... (2.) By the faith he gave Joseph concerning his bones ... give an account of all things,
in general, that they ... is evident from divers places of the holy Scriptures: ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the resurrection of the dead.htm

Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
... my sons [and concerning my daughters] and concerning the work ... us and of our souls
in the general, but that ... is divers ways taken in the scriptures; as, sometimes ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/seasonable counsel or advice to.htm

The Rise of the Assyrian Empire
... article"for example, bronze, or the tin necessary for ... is mentioned twice in the
Scriptures (1 Kings ... nothing in common with the general catastrophe occasioned ...
/.../chapter iithe rise of the.htm

part ii
... heart, and often renew your prayer concerning this ... spirit of magazines, newspapers,
and in general of worldly ... Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

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