2 Timothy 4:14 - "Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will requite him for his deeds."

Metalworkers or smiths were probably the first full-time industrial specialists. The root meaning of the name Cain is probably that of "metalworker" or "smith," and the additional name Tubal-cain is meant to give ancestrial sanction to these ancient metalworkers. The tribal name Kenites means "smith;" an Egyptian impression of such a wandering band of smiths has survived since about 1890 B.C., on a wall painting that has been found at Beni-hasan. In Egypt itself, copper was widely used in making many things - everything possible from drain pipes to mirrors!

King Solomon not only mined copper in the Arabah and had it smelted at Ezion-geber, but he also enjoyed a very thriving trade in it. From the very earliest times, copper had been used in the manufacture of swords and axes. Of course, in this use it was in the form of an alloy. They did not have the knowledge required to temper copper, but they did know how to give it a reasonably hard cutting edge by cold hammering it, and thus vastly improved man’s situation on earth.

The coppersmiths had a particular way of smelting the copper and iron. Their smelters were located so as to face the wind currents, thus using the natural winds to fan their fires sufficiently for smelting.

Because its alloys are used in the production of so many of the weapons and tools essential to warfare, copper is sometimes regarded as the metal of war. But the peacetime uses of copper and its alloys far surpass the wartime uses. Copper ranks second to silver in electrical conductivity, and it is also an excellent conductor of heat. It can he hammered into thin sheets and drawn out into fine wires. It is soft, tough, resistant to corrosion and easily machined.

Truly one of the important servants of mankind, copper serves in the home, office, and factory. The jewelry we wear, the coins we use, the beautiful sterling silver flatware that adorns our tables are partly composed of copper. Copper serves in so many ways that it is difficult to conceive how our civilization could have reached its present level had not nature provided so much of this metal.

More than 1,100 alloys of copper are in use today. Among them are brass, bronze, German silver, sterling silver, and monel metal. Truly the copperworker of today is just as necessary a part of our lives as he was in the past.