A chisel is a hand tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of blade on its end, used for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal. In biblical times, chisels were essential tools for craftsmen, particularly those involved in construction and artistic endeavors. The use of chisels is mentioned in the context of both practical and symbolic applications within the Scriptures.

Biblical References:

1. Construction and Craftsmanship:
Chisels were integral to the work of artisans and builders in ancient Israel. The construction of the Tabernacle and the Temple involved skilled craftsmanship, where chisels would have been used to shape wood and stone. Although the Bible does not explicitly mention chisels in the construction of these sacred spaces, the detailed work described implies their use. For instance, the intricate carvings and designs in Solomon's Temple would have required such tools (1 Kings 6:18, 29).

2. Idolatry and False Worship:
The Bible often uses the imagery of chisels in the context of idolatry. In Isaiah 44:12-13, the prophet describes the process of crafting an idol, highlighting the futility and foolishness of worshiping man-made objects. The passage illustrates a blacksmith and a carpenter using tools, including chisels, to fashion idols, emphasizing the human effort involved in creating something that is ultimately powerless: "The craftsman stretches out a line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the form of a man, like a man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine" (Isaiah 44:13).

3. Symbolic Use:
The chisel can also be seen as a metaphor for God's work in shaping and refining His people. Just as a craftsman uses a chisel to create something beautiful and purposeful, God uses trials and His Word to mold believers into the image of Christ. This process of sanctification is likened to the careful and deliberate work of a skilled artisan.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, chisels were typically made of bronze or iron, materials that were durable enough to work with stone and wood. The skill of the craftsman was highly valued, and the ability to use a chisel effectively was a mark of expertise. The use of chisels in idol-making, as described in the Bible, underscores the contrast between the living God and lifeless idols, crafted by human hands.

Theological Implications:

The biblical references to chisels serve as a reminder of the distinction between the Creator and the created. While humans can shape and form materials into objects of beauty or utility, only God can create life and imbue it with purpose. The use of chisels in idol-making highlights the folly of worshiping anything other than the one true God, who is not fashioned by human hands but is the ultimate craftsman of the universe.

In summary, the chisel in biblical times was a tool of both practical and symbolic significance, representing human creativity and the divine process of spiritual formation.1. (n.) A tool with a cutting edge on one end of a metal blade, used in dressing, shaping, or working in timber, stone, metal, etc.; -- usually driven by a mallet or hammer.

2. (v. t.) To cut, pare, gouge, or engrave with a chisel; as, to chisel a block of marble into a statue.

3. (v. t.) To cut close, as in a bargain; to cheat.

4741. maqtsuah -- a scraping tool
... Word Origin from qatsa Definition a scraping tool NASB Word Usage planes (1). plane.
From qatsa'; a scraper, ie A carving chisel -- plane. see HEBREW qatsa'. ...
/hebrew/4741.htm - 6k

2747. cheret -- engraving tool, stylus
... graving tool, pen. From a primitive root meaning to engrave; a chisel or graver;
also a style for writing -- graving tool, pen. 2746, 2747. cheret. 2748 . ...
/hebrew/2747.htm - 6k

The Sculptor's Work
... Standing by it was a man with a large chisel in one hand and a heavy mallet
in the other. As I looked he walked up to the stone ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk fifty the sculptors work.htm

The Duty of the Present Moment the Only Rule.
... Each blow of the hammer on the chisel can only produce one cruel mark at a time,
and the stone struck by repeated blows cannot know, nor see the form produced ...
/.../de caussade/abandonment to divine providence/section vi the duty of the.htm

Meanwhile Cardinal Bonpre had once More Reached his Own Apartments ...
... the door, Eccellenza?" he asked anxiously, "I know the trick of those old
locks"if the Eccellenza will permit I can push back the catch with a strong chisel ...
/.../corelli/the master-christian/xxx meanwhile cardinal bonpre had.htm

The Treasure Cave
... dried reeds and flag blades. This he fired after many failures by striking
together his chisel and a stone. Rachel hid the blaze ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xx the treasure cave.htm

Under Ban of the Ritual
... And after the festivities in celebration of her prowess, she laid down pike and
falchion, bull-hide shield and helmet, and took up the chisel and brush, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter ii under ban of.htm

How to Become Like Christ.
... Suppose you enter a studio where a sculptor is working, will he hand you his hammer
and chisel to finish the most difficult piece of his work or to do any part ...
/.../dods/how to become like christ/how to become like christ.htm

The Patient Workman
... The chisel is sharp that strikes off the superfluous pieces of marble, and when
the chisel cuts, not into marble, but into a heart, there is a pang. ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/the patient workman.htm

The Realization of Selfless Love
... Even so, within each there reposes the Divine Image awaiting the master-hand of
Faith and the chisel of Patience to bring it into manifestation. ...
/.../allen/the way of peace/the realization of selfless love.htm

Early Days
... too, the clearness with which, notwithstanding that indifference, the living men
are set before us"the image cut with half a dozen strokes of the chisel. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/the life of david/ii early days.htm

The Absurdity and Shamefulness of the Images by which the Gods are ...
... of Polias at Athens, were executed of gold and ivory by Phidias, is known by everybody;
and that the image of Here in Samos was formed by the chisel of Euclides ...
/.../exhortation to the heathen/chapter iv the absurdity and shamefulness.htm

Chisel (5 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To cut, pare, gouge, or engrave with a chisel; as, to chisel a block of
marble into a statue. ... Multi-Version Concordance Chisel (5 Occurrences). ...
/c/chisel.htm - 8k

Tools (3 Occurrences)
... In Exodus 20:25, however, the knife ("sword," English Versions of the Bible "tool")
appears as a stone-cutter's implement and is without doubt a chisel. ...
/t/tools.htm - 14k

Drove (89 Occurrences)
... 8. (n.) A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface; --
called also drove chisel. 9. (n.) The grooved surface ...
/d/drove.htm - 34k

Quarrel (22 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) A square or lozenge-shaped paving tile. 6. (n.) A glazier's diamond. 7.
(n.) A four-sided cutting tool or chisel having a diamond-shaped end. ...
/q/quarrel.htm - 15k

Quarries (4 Occurrences)
... Zerubbabel, and Herod. Huge blocks of stone are still found in these caves
bearing the Marks of pick and chisel. The general appearance ...
/q/quarries.htm - 11k

Gouge (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A chisel, with a hollow or semi cylindrical blade, for scooping or cutting
holes, channels, or grooves, in wood, stone, etc.; a similar instrument ...
/g/gouge.htm - 8k

Grave (128 Occurrences)
... substance; to engrave. 9. (n.) To carve out or give shape to, by cutting with
a chisel; to sculpture; as, to grave an image. 10. (n.) To ...
/g/grave.htm - 37k

Goad (2 Occurrences)
... branch of oak or other strong wood from which the bark has been stripped, and which
has at one end a pointed spike and at the other a flat chisel-shaped iron. ...
/g/goad.htm - 9k

Iron-smith (1 Occurrence)
... Isaiah 44:12 The iron-smith hath a chisel, and he worketh in the coals, and he
fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm; but he is hungry ...
/i/iron-smith.htm - 6k

File (1 Occurrence)
... 11. (n.) A steel instrument, having cutting ridges or teeth, made by indentation
with a chisel, used for abrading or smoothing other substances, as metals, wood ...
/f/file.htm - 9k

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