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COAL
Translation of several Hebrew or Greek words in the Bible referring primarily to charcoal (mineral coal is not found in Palestine). The glowing embers from a wood fire were used for heating (Is 47:14; Jn 18:18), cooking (Is 44:19; Jn 21:9), and by blacksmiths (Is 54:16). Coals from the altar were used in religious ritual (Lv 16:12; Is 6:6-7).
Figuratively, the term is used in descriptions of God’s infinite brightness and glory (2 Sm 22:9, 13), of his revelation (Ps 18:8), of divine judgment (140:10) and of creatures associated with God’s throne (Ez 1:13; 10:2). In other metaphorical passages, glowing coals stand for life (2 Sm 14:7, rsv), the breath of a huge beast (“leviathan,” Jb 41:21), and the risk of being “burned” by sexual sin (Prv 6:28).