Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ian Goldsmith <iangoldsmith1969 AT yahoo.co.uk>]

Good Morning All (Shabbat Shalom).

I've been looking at the Gen 4:22 passage that
mentions Tubal-cain "...also bore Tubal-cain, the
forger of every cutting instrument of brass and
iron.."

I can't seem to find any other meaning for "barzel"
other than that of iron.

And again in Job, which I'm lead (forgive the pun) to
believe is an old text, we have "barzel". 

Job 19:24 "that with an iron pen (could mean chisel?)
and lead (a soft metal such as lead is often used to
strike iron implements even today) they were graven in
the rock for ever".

Bronze doesn't get a mention until Ex 23:3, iron not
again until Lev 26:19.

Now if the writer/s were familiar with the new
innovation of iron against the older bronze, why
mention iron in antiquity before bronze? If this text
is indeed written later than Kings etc (not that I
hold this view personally), why mention iron at all?

If I were to write a story about my ancestors I
wouldn't put in their hands items that didn't exist in
their day, it'd be pointless. So why is Tubal-cain
mentioned as the first iron worker?

I look forward to your views.

Yours.
Ian.





=====
Ian Goldsmith.
England.

Dibrah Torah kilshone bnei-adam
'The Torah spoke in the language of ordinary men.'
Berakot 31b

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