Meaning of GOLD

Precious metal; In ancient times it was extracted:
from the country of Havilah (Gen. 2:11, 12),
of Sheba (1 Kings 10:2; Ps. 72:15),
of Ophir (1 Kings 22:49; 2 Chron. 8:18).

It was used in profusion to cover the accessories of the Tabernacle, as well as for the furniture and decoration of the Temple (Ex. 25:18; 38:24; 1 Kings 6:22, 28).
They were made of this metal:
idols (Ex. 20:23; 32:31; Is. 40:19; Acts 17:29),

crowns (Ps. 21:4),
necklaces (Gen. 41:42),
rings (Song 5:14),
pending (Judges 8:26).

Later, gold coins began to be minted (Ezra 2:69; cf. Acts 3:6; 20:33). Because of its brilliance, its malleability, ductility and inalterability, gold has been extremely appreciated since the beginning of History.

According to the stories that have come to us from ancient times, and from recent discoveries, it is evident that it has been used in the past in quantities unknown in our time. A large part of our reserves of this metal are preserved in the form of coins or ingots, so they escape their use in the applied arts.

On the other hand, gold was not widely used as a medium of exchange, and the gold standard for money is a relatively recent institution.

Since Genesis, allusions are made to great wealth consisting of gold objects or jewelry, such as:
of Abraham (Gen. 13:2; 24:22),
of the Egyptians (Ex. 12:35),
of the Israelites (Ex. 32:3-4; 35:22),

of the Midianites (Num. 31:50);
later, of David (1 Chr. 22:14-16),
of Solomon (2 Chr. 1:15),
of the queen of Sheba (2 Chron. 9:1),

without mentioning the large amounts that were used for the Tabernacle and the Temple (cf. above).
These biblical descriptions are in complete agreement with various sources of antiquity, in particular with the ancient accounts of lay historians, and with the astonishing profusion of gold in the decoration of certain temples, palaces and tombs (such as that of Pharaoh Tutankhamun).

The historian Athena relates that the funeral pyre of Sardanapalus was burning for fifteen days, consuming piles of sandalwood and gold in enormous quantities.

If archaeological excavations allow the constant discovery of treasures of this precious metal, they have to take into account all the quantities that have previously been looted by grave robbers, and destroyed or remelted over the centuries.

Gold is a symbol of integrity (Lam. 4:2) and of great value (Rev. 3:18). The refining of gold in the crucible serves as an image for the purification of God's people in the furnace of testing (Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:7).

In the typology of the Tabernacle (cf. Heb. 8:5), just as silver represents the ransom of each Israelite (Ex. 38:25-28), gold seems to symbolize the divine and unchangeable in the sanctuary.

The ark, which is the most complete type of Christ, was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, as were the table of shewbread and the altar of incense, while the seven-branched lampstand was of pure gold. (Ex. 37:1-2, 10-11, 25-26; v. 27).