THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And the Lord spoke to me, saying, "Son of man, the house of Israel has become worthless in my sight. All of them, made of copper, tin, iron, and lead, in the refining process, have turned to the ashes of silver. Thus says the Sovereign Lord, since you have all turned to ashes, behold, I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem, as silver, brass, tin, and lead are brought together in the furnace, and I will ignite a fire within it to melt you. I will gather you in my fury and my anger, and I will calm and refine you with the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in its midst; just as silver is melted in the crucible, so it shall be with you, and you will know that I, the Lord, have unleashed my wrath upon you.
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The Hebrew term used, sig, is translated by Simmachus as "outgas," while Aquila's first edition refers to it as στέμφυλον and γίγαρτον, both indicating grape pomace. In his second edition and in the Septuagint, the term is understood as mingling. The terms sordes et rurgamentum signify the impure remnants from the purification of metals, illustrating how fire is symbolically used to represent the impending captivity or the threatened destruction of the city. This is intended, through the metaphor of melting, to imply that pure silver will remain, which has been tainted by a mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead—each of which consists of molten matter and is purged by fire. Iron, conversely, is softened and refined through the anvil and hammer, yielding various forms according to the craftsman’s intent. Likewise, as impure silver is cast into the crucible to remove the dross and foreign impurities for the sake of purity, so says He, I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem and surround you with the siege of Babylon, inflaming you with a fire for refining.
Just as the extreme heat of the flame does in the furnace, famine and pestilence will do here. After I have ignited you with the fire of my wrath, I will calm and constrain the grief stemming from your neglect of Me by rectifying you through discipline. This is all done so that when My anger is directed at you, the culmination of your punishment may lead you to recognize Me, that you may understand that I am the Lord, the sovereign judge, and the rewarder.
We read in several other passages about His power as a refiner, especially in Malachi and Isaiah, where it is said: "Behold, the Lord will come as a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap, and He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi" (Malachi 3:2-3). The other declares: "The Lord will wash away the filth of the daughters and sons of Zion, and will cleanse the blood from their midst by the spirit of justice and the spirit of burning" (Isaiah 4:4). This is also encapsulated in the words of the Psalms: "Test me, O Lord, and try me; you will refine my heart and my mind" (Psalms 26:2).
What has been described in relation to Jerusalem can similarly apply to the condition of souls that God fashioned in purity: gold symbolizes intelligence and wisdom, while silver reflects eloquence and the ability to articulate that which is perceived by the mind. We read of silver, "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace" (Psalms 12:6). Likewise, gold and silver are mentioned in the sixty-seventh Psalm: "If you sleep in the midst of the limit, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her feathers with the shimmer of gold" (Psalms 67:14). All glory is due to the king's daughter within, as it is noted in the Song of Songs, "The king has brought me into his chamber" (Song of Solomon 1:4).
He who rests between the two Covenants will receive the silvered wings of the dove and will radiate with the splendor of gold in the treasury of the heart. From this perspective, it is to be understood that for sinners and those who deserve God's wrath, there will be a heaven of brass, and an earth of iron, particularly the land of Egypt, from which the Lord will call His people as from an iron furnace. In Zechariah’s prophecy, it is said that wickedness rests on a talent of lead (Zechariah 5), and in the song of the Exodus, it states, "They sank like lead in the mighty waters" (Exodus 15:10). They became overwhelmed by the weight of their sins, exclaiming, "A heavy burden is laid upon me" (Psalms 38:4). Just as counterfeit brass resembles gold, so too does tin mimic silver, which the untrained eye may struggle to differentiate.
Often, the impurity found in the heretical deceit of gold and silver is refined by the fire of the Holy Spirit and through the Lord’s judgment, allowing pure gold and silver to emerge. As the prophet states, "I gave them silver and gold, and they made Baal from it" (Hosea 2:8), and similarly, "I went out with silver and gold, and there was no pain among their tribes" (Psalms 104:37). Ultimately, the goal of all chastening is that of recognizing that He is the Lord. It is also noted about a certain piece of tin in Zechariah, which we have explained elsewhere.