Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] silver refining-cupellation?

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] silver refining-cupellation?
  • Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:07:17 +0000

On Mon 30 Oct 2006 (00:46:27 +0000), greifer AT hotmail.com wrote:
> In Psalm 12 and many other quotes in the Torah, the refining of silver
> is mentioned. Can anyone explain how silver was refined in Biblical times.
> I tried to look it up and every article mentions cupellation, but none of
> them explain what it means or how it was done. Thank you.

The root ZQQ is used in Ps 12:6; but the usual root for purify is CRP
(C=tsodhe). ZQQ in the Piel/Pual means to refine, purge, purify.

The method used was to build a conical furnace with a forced air draught
conduit underneath. The clay crucible (fining pot, Proverbs 17:3, 27:21)
containing the metal to be refined rested on a bed of coals or charcoal.
The smoke and flames issued from the chimney at the apex of the cone.
A copper smelting furnace of this type was found at Tell Qasileh, circa
1000 BC, about the time of David (Psalm 12, title). See JB Pritchard,
/The Ancient Near East in Pictures/, 1954, p40, figs 133-136.

Which "other quotes in the Torah"? Other references are in Judges 17:4;
1 Chronicles 28:18, 29:4; Isaiah 40:19, 41:7, 46:6; Jeremiah 10:8-9, 51:17;
Nehemiah 3:8, 31-32. Also Malachi 3:2-3 and other places where refining
is a metaphor for the purification of heart, mind and soul. The refiner
sat down with his crucible in front of him, skimming off the dross until
the pure metal reflected his face like a mirror: then the job was done.

Cupellation is a process whereby a mixture of base and precious metal
is heated in a porous ceramic cup ("cupel") until the base metals oxidise,
and their oxides absorbed into the clay of the cupel. The precious metal
does not oxidise, and remains as a free liquid in the cup, from whence
it can be poured off and cooled for the making of jewellery, etc.

Shalom
Ben
--
Revd Ben Crick, BA CF ZFC Ta
<ben.crick AT NOSPAM.argonet.co.uk>
232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
*Acorn RPC700, RO4.03+Kinetic Card, 126MB, 4.3GB HD, x32CDROM
*Castle Iyonix X100, RO5.06, 600MHz XScale processor, 512MB DDR RAM,
114GB HD, CD-RW, etc. *Ethernet networking.







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page