bar.zel denotes a metal used for tools, weapons, construction, trade, and forceful imagery in the Bible.

The term most often identifies the material of implements, weapons, and constructed items; it also occurs among supplies and traded metals, in furnace and refining scenes, and in images of barriers, strength, and oppressive restraint.

1. Material of tools, weapons, and constructed objects · dominant

   The singular absolute noun occurs with implements and objects made for cutting, fighting, building, or writing. In 1 Samuel 17:7 the APB renders a spearhead's weight as being of "iron," while 2 Kings 6:5 describes the material falling into water as a man fells a beam; Genesis 4:22 and Jeremiah 17:1 likewise place it with tools and a stylus.

   1 Samuel 17:72 Kings 6:5Genesis 4:221 Kings 6:7Amos 1:3Jeremiah 17:1
2. Metal counted, supplied, and exchanged · common

   In lists alongside gold, silver, bronze, wood, or other commodities, the noun identifies a material being prepared, given, or traded. In 1 Chronicles 22:14 the APB renders it among abundant materials prepared for the house, and Ezekiel 27:12 includes it among goods given in trade; Job 28:2 places it in a statement about material taken from dust.

   1 Chronicles 22:141 Chronicles 29:7Ezekiel 27:12Ezekiel 27:19Job 28:2Deuteronomy 8:9
3. Images of resistance, confinement, and strength · occasional

   The noun is used in concrete comparison or symbolic objects that express firmness, obstruction, or imposed control. Deuteronomy 28:48 has an "iron yoke" placed on the neck, Jeremiah 1:18 calls the addressee an "iron pillar," and Ezekiel 4:3 uses an "iron griddle" set as a wall between the prophet and the city.

   Deuteronomy 28:48Jeremiah 1:18Ezekiel 4:3Isaiah 45:2Isaiah 48:4Jeremiah 28:14
4. Metal in furnace and melting scenes · rare

   The term occurs in the repeated expression "iron furnace" for Egypt and in a furnace scene where metals are gathered for melting. In Deuteronomy 4:20 the APB renders Israel as brought out of the "iron furnace," while Ezekiel 22:20 lists it among metals placed in a furnace and exposed to fire.

   Deuteronomy 4:201 Kings 8:51Jeremiah 11:4Ezekiel 22:18Ezekiel 22:20

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term explicitly as "iron" in material lists, tools, weapons, and figurative objects such as an "iron yoke" and "iron furnace." Its wording confirms the clauses' overall presentation without determining every syntactic contribution of the noun.