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כּוּר

𐤊𐤅𐤓

kûwr

H3564 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A fire-heated vessel, kiln, or furnace, typically used for smelting metal ores, refining metals, or firing pottery; by extension, a symbol of intense trial or purification. The term designates a structure for subjecting materials to intense heat, either for metallurgical or ceramic purposes. In figurative usage, represents conditions of severe testing or refining, especially of a collective community or group.

Semantic Range

furnace, smelting-pot, kiln, crucible, metaphor for refining or testing (especially of groups or nations)

Root / Etymology

Root: כּוּר. The root meaning is associated with heating, smelting, or refining by means of fire; hence "furnace" or "smelting-pot." The noun כּוּר denotes the physical vessel or structure for refining metals (especially silver and iron) through extreme heat. Some etymological uncertainty exists, but it is distinct from כִּיר (kir), 'cooking range or stove.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כּוּר is predominantly referenced in metallurgical or symbolic contexts, such as the "iron furnace" (כּוּר הַבַּרְזֶל) of Egypt (Deut 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Jer 11:4), signifying the Israelites' collective experience of oppression and purification. In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, the word likely referred to large-scale furnaces used for metal extraction and refinement, essential to early technological development. The metaphorical use of כּוּר as an instrument of testing or refining appears across the biblical record, emphasizing divine or collective transformation through suffering. In contrast, כִּיר (kir) is used for a domestic stove or cooking hearth and does not share the specialized metallurgical nuance of כּוּר. Standard English 'furnace' or 'smelting pot' approximates the sense, but does not always capture the symbolic use in passages of exile or communal testing. The semantic focus has remained stable from Iron Age usage through the late biblical period.

Translation Consistency

primary "furnace" 5 occurrences

“Furnace” is the most natural, widely understood noun that covers the semantic range (smelting-pot, kiln, crucible) and the common figurative sense of intense trial or refining. It is concise, idiomatic English and fits both literal and metaphorical uses in the SILEX definitions.

Alternatives (4 occurrences):
"smelting-furnace of" (2x) "smelting-furnace" (2x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning properly, to dig through; a pot or furnace (as if excavated); furnace. Compare כִּיר.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כור (k-w-r) — heating, smelting, refining by fire

Root כור to heat, to smelt, to refine by fire
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1615 גִּר burned lime
H3565 כּוֹר עָשָׁן in Furnace-of-Smoke
H3595 כִּיּוֹר the hollowed basin
H3600 כִּיר pair of cooking-stones
H3734 כֹּר the large dry-measure vessel

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3564-02 כּ֥וּר kur HNcmsc furnace refining furnace refining furnace 4
H3564-04 וְ/כ֣וּר vekhur HC/Ncmsa and furnace and smelting-furnace and smelting-furnace 2
H3564-03 מִ/כּ֥וּר mikur HR/Ncmsc from the furnace from smelting-furnace of from smelting-furnace of 2
H3564-01 בְּ/כ֥וּר bekhur HR/Ncmsc in the furnace in smelting-furnace of in furnace of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

9 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3564-03 Deuteronomy 4:20 מִ/כּ֥וּר mikur HR/Ncmsc from the furnace from smelting-furnace of from smelting-furnace of
H3564-02 1 Kings 8:51 כּ֥וּר kur HNcmsc furnace refining furnace refining furnace
H3564-01 Isaiah 48:10 בְּ/כ֥וּר bekhur HR/Ncmsc in the furnace in smelting-furnace of in furnace of
H3564-03 Jeremiah 11:4 מִ/כּ֨וּר mikur HR/Ncmsc from the furnace from smelting-furnace of from smelting-furnace of
H3564-02 Ezekiel 22:18 כּ֔וּר kur HNcmsa of the furnace refining furnace refining furnace
H3564-02 Ezekiel 22:20 כּ֔וּר kur HNcmsa of furnace refining furnace refining furnace
H3564-02 Ezekiel 22:22 כּ֔וּר kur HNcmsa furnace refining furnace refining furnace
H3564-04 Proverbs 17:3 וְ/כ֣וּר vekhur HC/Ncmsa and furnace and smelting-furnace and smelting-furnace
H3564-04 Proverbs 27:21 וְ/כ֣וּר vekhur HC/Ncmsa and furnace and smelting-furnace and smelting-furnace
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