An installation for containing fire, whether for domestic or industrial purposes. The word is used in the Bible for various installations employed in daily life, and metaphorically for God’s presence (Gen 15:17), for the judgment or redemption of his people (Deut 4:20; 1Kgs 8:51; Isa 48:10; Jer 11:4; Ps 102:3; Isa 33:14), for the refining of God’s word as silver is worked in a crucible (Ps 12:6), and in the NT for the fires of hell (Matt 13:42; Matt 13:50; Rev 9:2) and the appearance of Christ’s feet (Rev 1:15). Six words in Hebrew and one in Greek lie behind the word “furnace.” The most common OT term for “furnace” refers to an oven, often of the kind used for baking bread (Ps 21:9; Dan 3:6). Other terms refer to a pottery or lime kiln (Gen 19:28; Exod 9:8; Exod 18:18) or a smelter or refining installation for metals (Prov 17:3; Prov 27:21; Ezek 22:20).
