Lead
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Exod. 15:10; Num. 31:22; Ezek. 27:12; Amos 7:7)—a bluish-gray metal with a strong metallic luster, known from the earliest times. Moses names it in his song of victory. Thin plates of lead have been found upon Egyptian mummies. Inscriptions cut in rock could be filled with lead or tin to make them more legible (Job 19:24). Before the discovery of mercury, lead was used in refining silver, though bellows were required for the process (Jer. 6:29). Because of its weight, plumb-line weights were and are made from it. It was imported from Tarshish with other metals (Ezek. 27:12). Ezekiel 22:18 compares unrepentant Israelites to the dross of lead and other metals.