Coal
Summary
Biblical references to coal primarily denote charcoal or burning embers rather than mineral coal, which was unknown in ancient Palestine.
☩Hebrew Terms
Two primary Hebrew words are translated 'coal.' Gacheleth means an ignited or live coal, a kindling, and appears frequently in Scripture. Pecham, meaning 'black,' properly signifies quenched charcoal or charcoal not yet burning, though it can also refer to ignited coal. The distinction appears in Proverbs 26:21: 'As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to inflame strife.' Other Hebrew terms rendered 'coal' include ritspah, actually meaning a hot stone used for baking, as in Isaiah 6:6.
☩No Mineral Coal
There is no reference to mineral coal in the Bible. Although coal of inferior quality has been found in thin beds in the sandstone formation of Lebanon, there is no evidence of its use in ancient times. The coal mentioned throughout Scripture is charcoal, manufactured by stacking wood in a dome-shaped structure covered with leaves and earth, then slowly burning it. Oak charcoal was particularly valued and fetched higher prices.
☩Metaphorical Uses
Coals of fire metaphorically express God's lightning and wrath in theophany passages such as 2 Samuel 22:9, 13 and Psalm 18:8, 12-13. In Psalm 120:4, the 'coals of juniper' (actually broom) to which the false tongue is compared illustrates the destructive power of slander. The expression 'burning coals on the head' in Proverbs 25:22 and Romans 12:20 signifies the burning shame and confusion an enemy feels when evil is requited with good, potentially leading to his repentance.
☩Symbolic Uses
In Isaiah 6:6, the live coal from the altar touched to the prophet's lips symbolized purification and the removal of sin. In 2 Samuel 14:7, the metaphor of quenching the 'coal that is left' refers to extinguishing the last surviving member of a family. In Habakkuk 3:5, 'burning coals' poetically express burning diseases accompanying pestilence as instruments of divine judgment.
Related Verses28 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Coal," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Coal," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Coal," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Coals," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 5.George Morrish, "Coal," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).