1. The preparation of //■(-/; for use either in war, in agriculture, or for ilonustic i)'ii|iii>cs, was doubtless one of the earliest aiiplicatiuns of lalmr ; and, together with iron, working in brass, or, rather, cojiper alloyed, with tin, bronze (""linS, Gesenius, Thes. Ihb. p. 875), is men- tioned in the same passage as practiced in antediluvian times (Gen. iv, 22). The use of this last is usually con- sidered as an art of higher antiquity even than that of iron (Hesiod, iro?-Z:s and Batjs, p. IbO ; Wilkinson, ^ ?zc. £(/. ii, 152, abridgment), and there can be no doubt that metal, whether iron or bronze, must h?ve been largely used, either in material or in tools, for the construction of the ark (Gen. vi, 14, 16). Whether the weapons for ^var or chase used by the early warriors of Syria and AssjTia, or the arrow-heads of tlie archer Ishmael, were of bronze or iron, cannot be ascertained ; but we know that iron was used for warlike puqioses by the AssjTians (Layan], Xin. and B(dj. p. 194); and, on the other hand, that stone-tipped arrov.-s, as was the case also in IMexi- co, were used in the earlier times by the Egyptians, as well as the Persians and Greeks, and that stone or tlint knives continued to be used liy them, and by the inhab- itants of the desert, and also by the Jews, for rehgious purposes, after the introduction of iron into general use (Wilkinson, Anc. Eg. i, 353, 354; ii, 163; Prescott, Mexico, i, 118; Exod. iv, 25; Josh, v, 2; 1st Egji^t. room, Brit. !Mus. case 3G, 37). In the con- struction of the tabernacle, copper, but no iron, appears to have been used, though the utility of iron was at the same periotl well known to the Jews, both from their own use of it and from their Eg}-]itian education, while the Canaanitish inhabitants of Pales- '' tine and Sj-ria' were in full possession of its use both for warlike and domestic piu^^oses (Exod. XX, 25; XXV, 3; xxvii, 19; Numb, xxxv, 16; Deut. iii, 11 ; iv, 20; viii, 9; Josh, viii, 31 ; xvii, 16, 18). After the establishment of the Jews in Canaan, the occupa- tion of a smith ("d"iri) became recognised as a distinct employment (1 Sam. xiii, 19). The designer of a higher order appears to have been called specially S'i'H (Ge- senius, p. 531; Exod. xxxv, 30, 35; 2 Chron. xxvi, 15; SaaLschutz, A rch. Ilehr. c. 14, § 16). The smith's work- (including workers in the precious metals) and its re- sults are often mentioned in Scripture (2 Sam. xii, 31 ; 1 Kings vi, 7 ; 2 Chron. xxvi, 14 ; Isa. xliv, 12 ; liv, 16). -\mong the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchacl- Jiezzar were 1000 " craftsmen" and smiths, who were
probably of the superior kind (2 Kings xxiv, 16; Jet xxix, 2). See Ciiakashi.m.
The worker in gold and silver ("'^is ; upyvpoKtnroQ ; X^oviVTijc, argenfarins, anrifex) must have found em- ployment both among the Hebrews and the neighboring nations in ver^^ early times, as appears from the orna- ments sent by Abraham to Kebekah (Gen. xxiv, 22, 53; xxxv, 4; xxxviii, 18; Deut. vii, 25). But, whatever skill the Hebrews possessed, it is quite clear that they must have learned much from Egypt and its " iron-fur- naces," both in metal-work and in the arts of setting and polishing precious stones; arts which were turned to account both in the construction of the Tabernacle and the making of the priests' ornaments, and also in the casting of the golden calf as well as its destruction by jNIoses, probably, as suggested by Goguet, by a meth- od which he had leanat in Egj-pt"(Gen. xli, 42; Exod. ii|, 22; xii, 35; xxxi, 4, 5; xxxii, 2, 4, 20, 24 ; xxxvii, 1<,24; xxxviii, 4, 8, 24, 24, 25 ; xxxix,6, 39; Neh. iii, 8; Isa. xliv, 12). Various processes of the goldsmiths' work, including operations in the raw material, are illus- trated by Egvjitian monuments (Wilkinson, A nc. Eg. n, 136, 152, 162). See Golusmitu, etc.
After the conquest, frequent notices are found both of moulded and wrought metal, including soldering, which last had long been Icnown in Egypt; but the Phoeni- cians appear to have possessed greater skill than the Jews in these arts, at least in Solomon's time (Judg. viii, 24,27; xvii, 4; 1 Kings vii, 13, 45, 46; Isa. xli, 7; Wisd. XV, 4 ; Ecclus. xxxviii, 28 ; Bar. vi, 50, 55, 57 ; Wilkin- son, ii, 162). See Zarkpiiath. Even in the desert, mention is made of beating gold into plates, cutting it into wire, and also of setting precious stones in gold (Exod. xxxix, 3, 6, etc. ; Beckmami, Hist, oflnv. ii, 414 ; Gesenius, p. 1229). See Metal.
Among the tools of the smith are mentioned tongs (w''n|7bT3, Xa 13 ic, forceps, Gesenius, p. 761 : Isa. vi, 6), haniuier ("0"':iQ, ap>pd, malleus, Gtsen. p. 1101), anvil (CS'S, Gesenius, p. 1118), bellows (tlQ^, <pvat]T!ip, snjjla- toiium, Gesenius, p. 80G : Isa. xli, 7 ; Jer. vi, 29 ; Ecclus. xxxviii, 28; Williinson, ii, 316). See each wird.
In the N. T., Alexander " the coppersmith" (o xa\- Ktvc) of Ephesus is mentioned, where also was carried on that trade in "silver shrines" {vaoi ctpyvpoT) which was represented by Demetrius the silversmith (apyvpo- KoTToc) as being in danger from the spread of Christian- ity (Acts xix,24,28; 2 Tim.iv,14). See CorrEKSMiTH.