About…
metal lead in the Bible times
Hebrew: עוֹפֶרֶת —transliteration: ophereth or ʿoferet
Latin: plumbum
Occurrences in Scripture
The Hebrew word for lead appears 9 times in Scripture (Exodus 15:10; Numbers 31:22; Job 19:24; Jeremiah 6:29; Ezekiel 22:18, 20; 27:12; Zechariah 5:8).
Uses for lead in Biblical times include
- weights for various uses, including fishing net sinkers, sounding lines (Acts 27:28), fish lines
- heavy cover for a tub (Zechariah 5:7-8)
- plumblines (plummet) (Amos 7:7-8)
- sheets of lead used as easily engraved writing tablets using an iron pen (see Mount Ebal curse tablet)
- inlayed inscriptions in rock (Job 19:24)
- fastening and binding stones or other masonry together
- sewage and aqueduct system lining / Even part of the Jordan River bed was lined with lead.
- plumbing (lead pipes) — King Herod’s palace had lead water pipes, as did many Roman communities.
- used for marking using a writing implements as graphite is today in pencils
- silver refining and smelting (Jeremiah 6:27-30; Ezekiel 22:20–22)
- also used in purifying gold (Jeremiah 6:29; 22:18-22; Malachi 3:2-3)
- cosmetics
- dyes
- pharmaceuticals
- glazes
- enamels
- lead paints / The lead ore minium has a wine red color.
- cast-lead sarcophagi and lead-sheet coffins
- serving dishes
- lead pots
- lining for copper kettles
- cooking utensils
- lining of wine pots by the Romans
- lead coins
- also, some higher value coins contained a percentage of lead
- statues
- ornaments
- lead sheets for building construction
- lead knuckles (cestus) used by some gladiators
- used by Romans as an ingredient in many recipes
- lead ingots (called “pigs”) made by pouring molten lead into clay moulds
- lead balls used as sling ammunition (“effective at a distance of between 100 and 150 meters”)
- used on weighing scales
Sources of lead in Biblical times
- Mount Hermon — lead ore (galena, a bluish gray mineral) is still found at the foot of this mountain today
- Sinai
- Syria
- Egypt
- mines of Laurion (Lavrion) south of Athens, Greece
- Aegean islands
- Asia Minor
- Tarshish (Spain) (Ezekiel 27:12) and other parts of the Iberian peninsula (Hispania)
- British Isles
- Central Europe
- the Balkans
- Anatolia
Also see
- refiner
- brass
- bronze
- copper
- gold
- iron
- silver
- steel
- tin
- zinc —Pure zinc is too reactive to be produced by ancient metalworking techniques, but is commonly present in copper deposits and so forms a copper alloy (brass or bronze) when smelted.
- Weapons of the Bible
Article Version: April 27, 2022