In biblical times, ovens were essential household and communal appliances used for baking bread and other food items. The construction and use of ovens in ancient Israel and surrounding regions are mentioned in several passages throughout the Bible, providing insight into daily life and cultural practices of the time.

Types and Construction:

Ovens in biblical times were typically made of clay or brick. They varied in size and design, ranging from small portable ovens to larger communal ones. The most common type was a simple earthenware structure, often shaped like a dome or a cylinder. These ovens were heated by burning wood or dried grass inside, and once the interior was sufficiently hot, the ashes were removed, and dough was placed inside to bake.

Biblical References:

1. Leviticus 2:4 : "Now if you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it must consist of fine flour, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil." This verse highlights the use of ovens in preparing offerings, indicating their role in religious and ceremonial practices.

2. Leviticus 7:9 : "And every grain offering baked in an oven, cooked in a pan, or prepared on a griddle belongs to the priest who presents it." Here, the oven is mentioned alongside other cooking methods, underscoring its importance in the preparation of offerings.

3. Hosea 7:4 : "They are all adulterers, burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir from the kneading of the dough until it rises." This metaphorical use of an oven illustrates the intensity of Israel's unfaithfulness, comparing it to the heat of an oven that requires no stirring.

4. Matthew 6:30 : "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" Jesus uses the imagery of an oven to convey the transient nature of life and God's provision.

Cultural and Social Context:

Ovens were central to the daily life of ancient Israelites. Bread was a staple food, and the process of baking was a regular activity. In many cases, ovens were shared among families or communities, fostering social interaction and cooperation. The communal aspect of baking is reflected in the biblical narrative, where bread often symbolizes fellowship and hospitality.

The use of ovens also had economic implications. The ability to bake bread efficiently was crucial for sustenance, and the skill of baking was highly valued. This is evident in the biblical emphasis on offerings and the specific instructions regarding their preparation.

Symbolism and Metaphor:

In addition to their practical use, ovens in the Bible often carry symbolic meaning. They are used metaphorically to describe passion, judgment, and transformation. The intense heat of an oven serves as a powerful image for the fervor of emotions or the refining process of divine judgment.

Overall, ovens in the Bible are more than mere cooking devices; they are integral to understanding the daily life, religious practices, and symbolic language of the biblical world.8574. tannur -- (portable) stove, firepot
... Word Origin from the same as tenuk Definition (portable) stove, firepot NASB Word
Usage furnace (2), Furnaces (2), oven (10), ovens (1). furnace, oven. ...
/hebrew/8574.htm - 6k

The Cost of Being Cruel and Stubborn
... go up and come into your house, into your sleeping chamber, upon your bed, into
the houses of your servants, upon your people, and into your ovens and kneading ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the cost of being cruel.htm

Of the Sacred Rites of the Roman Gods.
... rather than Blight or Fever, which ought not to be consecrated, but rather to be
execrated; than Fornax, together with her sacred ovens; than Stercutus, who ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xxi of the sacred rites.htm

The Emperor Purposed, on Account of the Heresy of Aetius and the ...
... And as happens in a prosperous and large city, there were fires in the brasiers
and extinguishers of every house, and in the ovens of the baths, and in the ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/chapter xvi the emperor purposed on.htm

'In this Mountain'
... religion out of their programme, would take thought and ask themselves whether there
is not something more in the hunger of humanity than their ovens can ever ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/in this mountain.htm

The Lord's Furnace
... In our great cities now there are 'disinfecting ovens,' where infected articles
are taken, and exposed to a high temperature which kills the germs of disease ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the lords furnace.htm

Sovereignty of God in Administration
... and these frogs entered the palace of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and,
contrary to their natural instincts, they entered the beds, the ovens and the ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter three sovereignty of god.htm

Essay v. Whose Powers Shed Round Him in the Common Strife...
... At the dire command of famine the Maltese troops did indeed once force their way
to the ovens in which the bread for the British soldiery was baked, and were ...
/.../coleridge/confessions of an inquiring spirit etc/essay v whose powers shed.htm

The American Experiments, 1734-1762.
... they sat up through the night and gorged themselves with swine's flesh; and, when
this mode of enchantment failed, they baked themselves in hot ovens till they ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter xiv the american experiments.htm

The Bible
... If you will take this book to your heart, you will find it bread such as kings'
ovens never baked, water more crystal than that which bursts from mountain ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/haldeman/christ christianity and the bible/the bible.htm

Ovens (3 Occurrences)
...Ovens (3 Occurrences). ... Nehemiah 3:11 Malchijah, the son of Harim, and Hasshub, the
son of Pahath-moab, were working on another part, and the tower of the ovens. ...
/o/ovens.htm - 7k

Oven (22 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Hebrews tannur, (Hosea 7:4). In towns there appear to
have been public ovens. ... These resemble the ovens in use among ourselves. ...
/o/oven.htm - 15k

Bread (433 Occurrences)
... The bread eaten at the Passover was always unleavened (Exodus 12:15-20; Deuteronomy
16:3). In the towns there were public ovens, which were much made use of ...
/b/bread.htm - 58k

Over (11971 Occurrences)

/o/over.htm - 9k

Thorn (30 Occurrences)
... they are consumed utterly as dry stubble"): The thorny burner, Poterium spinosum,
is today so extensively used for burning in ovens and lime-kilns in Palestine ...
/t/thorn.htm - 35k

Kneadingtroughs (2 Occurrences)
... and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the
house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into ...
/k/kneadingtroughs.htm - 7k

Kneading-troughs (2 Occurrences)
... up and come into thy house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into
the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into ...
/k/kneading-troughs.htm - 7k

Kneading (7 Occurrences)
... up and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and on your bed, and into
the house of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens, and into ...
/k/kneading.htm - 8k

Oven-fire (2 Occurrences)
Oven-fire. Oven, Oven-fire. Ovens . Multi-Version Concordance Oven-fire (2
Occurrences). ... (BBE). Oven, Oven-fire. Ovens . Reference Bible.
/o/oven-fire.htm - 6k

Onto (22 Occurrences)
... up and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and on your bed, and into
the house of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens, and into ...
/o/onto.htm - 12k

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