Goldsmith
King James Dictionary [1]
Goldsmith n. An artisan who manufactures vessels and ornaments of gold and silver.
1. A banker one who manages the pecuniary concerns of others. Goldsmiths were formerly bankers in England, but in America the practice does not exist, nor is the word used in this sense.
Easton's Bible Dictionary [2]
Nehemiah 3:8,32 Isaiah 40:19 41:7 46:6
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature [3]
צוֹרֵ Tsoreph', Nehemiah 3:8; Nehemiah 3:32; Isaiah 11:19; 12:7; 46:6; a Founder or Finer, as elsewhere rendered), a Melter Of Gold (i.q. מִצְרֵ , Matsreph', "refiner," Malachi 3:2-3). (See Gold). In Nehemiah 3:31, the word so rendered ( צֹרְפַי ) is rather a proper name, ZORPHI (See Zorphi) (q.v.). "The use of gold for jewelry and various articles of luxury dates from the most remote ages. Pharaoh having 'arrayed' Joseph 'in vestures of fine linen, put a gold chain about his neck;' and the jewels of silver and gold borrowed from the Egyptians by the Israelites at the time of their leaving Egypt (out of which the golden calf was afterwards mate), suffice to prove the great quantity of precious metals wrought at that time into female ornaments. It is not from the Scriptures alone that the skill of the Egyptian goldsmiths may be inferred; the sculptures of Thebes and Beni-Hassan afford their additional testimony, and the numerous gold and silver vases, inlaid work, and jewelry, represented in common use, show the great advancement they had made is this branch of art. At Beni-Hassan, the process of washing the ore, smelting or fusing the metal with the help of the blow-pipe, and fashioning it for ornamental purposes, weighing it, and taking an account of the quantity so made up, and other occupations of the goldsmith, are represented; but, as might be supposed, these subjects merely suffice, as they were intended to give a general indication of the goldsmith's trade, without attempting to describe the means employed" (Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians, abridgment, 2:138 sq.). (See Metallurgy).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [4]
gōld´smith ( צורף , cōrēph ): Goldsmiths are first mentioned in connection with the building of the tabernacle ( Exodus 31:4; Exodus 36:1 ). Later, goldsmiths' guilds are mentioned ( Nehemiah 3:8 , Nehemiah 3:32 ). The art of refining gold and shaping it into objects was probably introduced into Palestine from Phoenicia (see Crafts ). Examples of gold work from the earliest Egyptian periods are so numerous in the museums of the world that we do not have to draw on our imaginations to appreciate the wonderful skill of the ancient goldsmiths. Their designs and methods were those later used by the Jews. The goldsmiths' art was divided into (1) the refining of the impure gold ( Job 28:1; Proverbs 17:3; Proverbs 25:4; Proverbs 27:21; Isaiah 1:25; Malachi 3:3 ); (2) shaping of objects, (a) casting idols ( Numbers 33:52; Hosea 13:2 ), (b) making graven images ( 2 Chronicles 34:3 , 2 Chronicles 34:4; Jeremiah 10:14; Nahum 1:14 ), (c) the making of beaten or turned work ( Exodus 25:18 ), (d) plating or overlaying ( Exodus 25:11; 1 Kings 6:20 ), (e) soldering ( Isaiah 41:7 ), (f) making of wire ( Exodus 28:6; Exodus 39:3 ). Most of these processes are carried on in Bible lands today. In Damascus there is a goldsmiths' quarter where the refining, casting and beating of gold are still carried on, probably in much the same way as in Solomon's time. Jews are found among the goldsmiths. In Beirût, it is a Jew who is especially skilled in making refiners' pots. Daily, one can see the gold being refined, cast into lumps, beaten on an anvil, rolled between rollers into thin sheets, cut into narrow strips (wire), and wound on bobbins ready for the weaver. There are houses in Damascus and Aleppo still possessing beautiful gold overlaid work on wooden walls and ceilings, the work of goldsmiths of several centuries ago.
