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→Metal refining
== Metal refining ==
The first mention of metalwork in the Bible is quite early: [[Genesis 4:22]] describes Tubal-Cain as a forger of bronze and iron tools. Silver money is mentioned in [[Genesis 20:16]] and gold jewellery in [[Genesis 24:22]]. These references imply the existence and acceptance of mining, refining, furnaces, and weighing.
[[1 Kings 7:46]] indicates that bronze was fashioned into many ornate shapes by casting it in clay moulds.
The process of metal refining is applied metaphorically to the human condition in several places, including [[Proverbs 17:3]], [[Proverbs 25:5]] - [[Proverbs 25:6]], [[Proverbs 27:21]] and [[Jeremiah 6:27]] - [[Jeremiah 6:30]]. An important component of that process is the removal of dross ([[Jeremiah 6:29]]), which can only be done when the raw materials are heated to melting point. To achieve our purification, God is a refiner's fire ([[Malachi 3:2]]). Virtually the same point is made by another Biblical metaphor: that of winnowing to separate the grain from the chaff (e.g. [[Proverbs 20:26]], [[Isaiah 41:15]], [[Luke 3:17]]).
The Bible also points out that gold is less desirable than the law of the Lord ([[Psalm 19:10]]) and of less worth than faith ([[1 Peter 1:7]]).
== Craftsmen ==
