Reference: Coal
American
Usually in Scripture, charcoal, or the embers of fire. Mineral coal is now procured in mount Lebanon, eight hours from Beirut; but we have no certainty that it was known and used by the Jews. The following passages are those which most strongly suggest this substance, 2Sa 22:9,13; Job 41:21.
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There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled.
His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth.
Easton
It is by no means certain that the Hebrews were acquainted with mineral coal, although it is found in Syria. Their common fuel was dried dung of animals and wood charcoal. Two different words are found in Hebrew to denote coal, both occurring in Pr 26:21, "As coal [Heb. peham; i.e., "black coal"] is to burning coal [Heb. gehalim]." The latter of these words is used in Job 41:21; Pr 6:28; Isa 44:19. The words "live coal" in Isa 6:6 are more correctly "glowing stone." In La 4:8 the expression "blacker than a coal" is literally rendered in the margin of the Revised Version "darker than blackness." "Coals of fire" (2Sa 22:9,13; Ps 18:8,12-13, etc.) is an expression used metaphorically for lightnings proceeding from God. A false tongue is compared to "coals of juniper" (Ps 120:4; Jas 3:6). "Heaping coals of fire on the head" symbolizes overcoming evil with good. The words of Paul (Ro 12:20) are equivalent to saying, "By charity and kindness thou shalt soften down his enmity as surely as heaping coals on the fire fuses the metal in the crucible."
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There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled.
His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
Or can a man walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
[As] coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to inflame strife.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
And none calls to mind, nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire. Yea, I have also baked bread upon the coals of it. I have roasted flesh and eaten it. And shall I make the residue of it
Their visage is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones. It is withered. It has become like a stick.
Therefore if thine enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him to drink. For by doing this thou will heap coals of fire upon his head.
And the tongue is a fire, the world of unrighteousness. Thus, the tongue is made to lead among our body-parts, defiling the whole body, and setting the cycle of nature on fire, and being set on fire by hell.
Fausets
pecham, "a black coal," and gachelath, "burning coals." Pr 26:21; "as coals (fuel) are to burning coals," etc.; so we speak of quarrelsome men "adding fuel to the flame." "Coals of fire" in 2Sa 22:9,13, represent the lightning of God's wrath. In Pr 25:22, "heap coals of fire upon thine enemy's head" (Ro 12:20), the meaning is, melt him into burning shame at his own unworthy hatred, and love for thee who hast overcome his evil with thy good. Either he shall be like metals melted by fire or like clay hardened by it. In Ps 120:4 "coals of juniper" rather burning brands of broom, retamim. The Arabs regard the retem (broom) the best firewood.
As their slanders burnt like coals on fire, so, by righteous retribution in kind, God will give them hot coals. Ps 140:10; 18:12-13; compare the same image of the tongue, Jas 3:6. In 2Sa 14:7 "they shall quench my coal that is left," i.e., extinguish the only surviving light of my home, my only son. In Isa 6:6 and 1Ki 19:6 the "coals" are in the Hebrew (rezeph) hot stones, on which cakes were baked and flesh cooked. In Hab 3:5 (resheph) "burning coals" poetically and figuratively express "burning diseases," as the parallel "pestilence" shows; also compare De 32:24; Ps 91:6. In La 4:8 translate as margin darker than blackness." Mineral coal protrudes through the strata to the surface of parts of Lebanon, at Cornale, eight miles from Beirut, the coal seams are three feet thick; but it seems not to have been anciently known as fuel. Charcoal is what is meant by "coal."
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[to be] wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction. And I will send upon them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of crawling things of the dust.
[to be] wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction. And I will send upon them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of crawling things of the dust.
And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him who smote his brother that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also. Thus they will quench my co
And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him who smote his brother that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also. Thus they will quench my co
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled.
At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled.
And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and laid him down again.
And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and laid him down again.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
for the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.
for the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
Let burning coals fall upon them. Let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, from where they shall not rise.
Let burning coals fall upon them. Let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, from where they shall not rise.
For thou will heap coals of fire upon his head, and LORD will reward thee.
For thou will heap coals of fire upon his head, and LORD will reward thee.
[As] coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to inflame strife.
[As] coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to inflame strife.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
Their visage is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones. It is withered. It has become like a stick.
Their visage is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones. It is withered. It has become like a stick.
Before him went the pestilence. And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.
Before him went the pestilence. And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.
Therefore if thine enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him to drink. For by doing this thou will heap coals of fire upon his head.
Therefore if thine enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him to drink. For by doing this thou will heap coals of fire upon his head.
And the tongue is a fire, the world of unrighteousness. Thus, the tongue is made to lead among our body-parts, defiling the whole body, and setting the cycle of nature on fire, and being set on fire by hell.
And the tongue is a fire, the world of unrighteousness. Thus, the tongue is made to lead among our body-parts, defiling the whole body, and setting the cycle of nature on fire, and being set on fire by hell.
Hastings
Mineral coal was unknown in Bible times. Wherever 'coal' (or 'coals') is mentioned, therefore, we must in the great majority of cases understand wood or charcoal. Several species of wood used for heating purposes are named in Isa 44:14-16, to which Ps 120:4 adds 'coals of broom' (Revised Version margin). In two cases, however, the 'live coal' of Isaiah's vision (Isa 6:6) and the 'coals' on which was 'a cake haken' for Elijah (1Ki 19:6), the Heb. word denotes a hot stone (so Revised Version margin
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And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him who smote his brother that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also. Thus they will quench my co
And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and laid him down again.
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
He hews down cedars for him, and takes the holm tree and the oak, and strengthens for himself one among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir tree, and the rain nourishes it. Then it shall be for a man to burn. And he takes of it, and warms himself. Yea, he kindles it, and bakes bread. Yea, he makes a god, and worships it. He makes it a graven image, and falls down to it. read more. He burns part of it in the fire. With part of it he eats flesh. He roasts roast, and is satisfied. Yea, he warms himself, and says, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire.
Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month, and the brazier [was] burning before him.
In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left, and Jerusalem shall yet ag
Morish
Mineral coal is now known to exist in the Lebanon range, but was unknown in Biblical times. Fires were seldom needed for warmth, and were as a rule used only for the cooking of food: the fire named in Joh 18:18 was in the night; food was cooked by charcoal or by warming the ovens with any vegetable refuse. The coal generally referred to in the O.T. was charcoal; but other words are used which imply the hot or glowing stones on which cakes were cooked. 1Ki 19:6; Cant. 8:6; Isa 6:6; Hab 3:5.
Heaping coals of fire on an enemy's head by kindness (Pr 25:21-22; Ro 12:20) becomes a test to him (as metal is tested by the fire), the kindness shown him will either bring about contrition and friendship, or harden him yet the more.
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And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and laid him down again.
If thine enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For thou will heap coals of fire upon his head, and LORD will reward thee.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
Before him went the pestilence. And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.
Now the bondmen and the subordinates had stood, having made a fire of coals because it was cold, and they were warming themselves. And Peter was also standing with them warming himself.
Therefore if thine enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him to drink. For by doing this thou will heap coals of fire upon his head.
Smith
Coal.
The first and most frequent use of the word rendered coal is a live ember, burning fuel.
In
coals of fire are put metaphorically for the lightnings proceeding from God.
In
fuel not yet lighted is clearly signified. The fuel meant in the above passage is probably charcoal, and not coal in our sense of the word.
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There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
Let burning coals fall upon them. Let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, from where they shall not rise.
[As] coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to inflame strife.