H3564 H3564
A smelting furnace or refining pot, used almost exclusively as a metaphor for affliction, testing, and divine purification.
The noun kur (כּוּר) refers to a smelting furnace or crucible used for refining metals, but in biblical usage it functions almost entirely as a metaphor. Egypt is called 'the iron furnace' from which God brought Israel out (Deut 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Jer 11:4), evoking the intense suffering of bondage. Proverbs pairs it with the refiner's crucible: 'The furnace for gold, the crucible for silver, and the LORD tests hearts' (Prov 17:3; 27:21). Ezekiel portrays Israel as dross metals thrown into God's kur (Ezek 22:18–22), while Isaiah speaks of being refined 'in the furnace of affliction' (Isa 48:10). The Arabic cognate كُور confirms the basic metallurgical sense.
Senses
1. furnace, smelting pot — A masculine noun designating a smelting furnace or refining pot for metals, consistently deployed in metaphorical and simile contexts for divine testing, punishment, or purification. Three major image clusters emerge: (a) Egypt as 'the iron furnace' of bondage (Deut 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Jer 11:4); (b) the refiner's crucible that tests character as fire tests gold (Prov 17:3; 27:21); (c) Israel as impure metals cast into God's furnace (Ezek 22:18, 20, 22). Isaiah 48:10 combines both strands: 'I have refined you in the furnace of affliction.' Spanish horno de and German equivalents preserve the metallurgical imagery. Cognate with Arabic كُور and Aramaic כּוּר. 9×
AR["فِي-كُورِ","كُورٍ","كُورِ","مِنْ-كُورِ","وَ-كورٌ","وَ-كُورٌ"]·ben["-উনুনে-","-চুল্লি-থেকে-","এবং-উনুন","এবং-স্বর্ণের-চুল্লি","চুল্লি","চুল্লি-থেকে","চুল্লির"]·DE["[בכור]","[וכור]","[כור]","[מכור]","furnace-von","von-furnace-von"]·EN["and-a-furnace","and-furnace","from-furnace-of","from-the-furnace-of","furnace","furnace-of","in-the-furnace-of"]·FR["[בכור]","[כור]","[מכור]","de-furnace-de","et-וכור","furnace-de"]·heb["ב-כור","ו-כור","כור","מ-כור"]·HI["-भट्ठी-से","और-भट्टी","और-भट्ठी","भट्टी","भट्ठी","भट्ठी-में","भट्ठी-से"]·ID["dalam-dapur-pelebur","dan-dapur-pelebur","dapur","dapur-peleburan","dari-dapur","dari-dapur-peleburan"]·IT["[בכור]","[כור]","[מכור]","da-furnace-di","e-e-furnace","e-e-un-furnace","furnace-di"]·jav["ing-pawon","lan-prapen","pawon","pawon-panyuran","saking-pawon","saking-prapen"]·KO["그리고-풀무가","에서-용광로","용광로","용광로-에서","용광로의","풀무-속에서-","풀무는"]·PT["de-cadinho-de","de-fornalha-de","e-fornalha","fornalha-de","forno","no-forno-de"]·RU["в-горниле","и-горн","и-горнило","из-печи","печи","чтобы-раздуть"]·ES["de-horno-de","del-horno-de","en-horno-de","horno","horno-de","y-horno"]·SW["katika-tanuru-ya","kutoka-tanuru","kutoka-tanuru-ya","na-tanuru","tanuru"]·TR["firininda-","fırından-","fırının","fırınından-","ve-fırın"]·urd["-بھٹی-سے","اور-بھٹی","بھٹی","بھٹی-سے","بھٹی-میں","بھٹی-کے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כּוּר n.[m.] smelting-pot or furnace (Arabic كُور; NH id.; Aramaic id., ܟܽܘܪ; Ethiopic ከውር: )—pot or furnace for smelting metals, but alw. in metaph. or sim. of human sufferings in punishment or discipline: iron (fig. of Egypt as place of bondage) מִכּ׳ הַבַּרְזֶל Dt 4:20 Je 11:4, מִתּוֹךְ כ׳ הַבּ׳ 1 K 8:51; gold כ׳ לַזָּהָב Pr 17:3 = 27:21 (‖ מַצְרֵף); various metals Ez 22:18, 20, 22; once בְּכוּר עֹ֑נִי Is 48:10 in a smelting-pot of a affliction.