What does bronze symbolize in the Bible?

Answer 1

You have to pick the right translation of The Bible to arrive at the word "bronze." The King James Version and others use "brass."

Also in the Bible, "symbols" are derived from "parables"... prophetic stories meant to "hide the meaning of what's being said from the general populace" while the symbols are explained and made clear to a select few [God's 'elect,' His 'saints,' or 'predestined,' or 'called-out-ones'].

"Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, He never spoke to them without using such parables." (Matt.13:34 NLT New Living Translation)

"Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the [His] house. His disciples said, 'Please explain the story of the weeds in the field.'" (verse 36)

Whereupon, Jesus would elaborate, in private to His elect, the meanings of the symbols of His parables [read the rest of Matthew 13].

The word "bronze" is found in the "NLT" in just such a "parable" that came in the form of a "dream" of a monstrous colossus, a metallic man, had by ancient Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar [although other translations use the word "brass"]:

"The head of the statue was made of fine GOLD, its chest and arms were of SILVER, its belly and thighs were of BRONZE [brass], its legs were of IRON, and its feet were a combination of IRON and CLAY." (Dan.2:32-33 NLT)

As with Jesus and the parable symbols He explained privately to His disciples... so did Daniel and Jesus [the Lord Creator WORD of God of the Old Testament - see John 1:3]interpret the symbols of Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream, privately, to him.

In other words... "THE BIBLE INTERPRETS ITSELF."

"While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. The Revealer of mysteries[Jesus Christ, the WORD of God] has shown you what is going to happen [which is what PROPHECIES are]. And it is not because I am wiser than any living person that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wanted you to understand what you were thinking about." (verses 29-30)

Christ [the God of the Old Testament] then reveals to Daniel the "symbolic meaning" of the various metals that compose the metallic man of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Each one of them is a WORLD-RULING GOVERNMENT SYSTEM! A kingdom or empire holding sway over mankind.

"...The God of heaven has given you sovereignty... He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world... YOU ARE THE HEAD OF GOLD." (Dan.2:37-38 NLT)

"...yet a third great kingdom, REPRESENTED BY THE BRONZE BELLY AND THIGHS, will rise to RULE THE WORLD." (verse 39)

This future look at world history, as dreamed by King Nebuchadnezzar... which is our past history, reveals that third world-ruling kingdom symbolized by "BRONZE" was the Greco-Macedonian Empire.

Yet, the "declining values" of the metals from the head down on the metallic man also represents a "spiritual decline" in each succeeding kingdom or empire... with King Nebuchadnezzar, being the GOLD, was the most "religious" or "spiritually awake" or "spiritually cognizant" of the succeeding kings of "Persia" [SILVER], "Greece" [BRONZE] or "Rome" [IRON... mixed with CLAY]... considering that God Himself stepped into the affairs of Nebuchadnezzar's reign [and his dreams; mind and heart] to reveal the GOSPEL [good news] OF THE COMING KINGDOM OF GOD to him!

"...the God of heaven [Jesus Christ, the WORD of God] will SET UP A KINGDOM THAT WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED... That is the meaning of the ROCK cut from the Mountain by supernatural means, crushing to dust the statue of IRON, BRONZE, SILVER, and GOLD. The Great God has shown Your Majesty WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. The Dream is True, and its meaning is certain." (verses 44-45)

In the "NLT" [New Living Translation] of the Bible, in this instance where the word "bronze" is used... these passages reveal the "symbolic meaning" in relation to the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar.

Elsewhere in the "NLT" we find "bronze" used again in another "spiritual" connection with "false religion" and "idolatry":

"They drank toasts... to honor their idols made of gold, silver, BRONZE, iron, wood, and stone." (Dan.5:4 NLT)

"...you have defiled the Lord of heaven... praising gods of silver, gold, BRONZE, iron, wood, and stone - gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!" (verse 23]

Zechariah 6 reveals an image of TWO BRONZE MOUNTAINS... which Matthew Henry attests:

"...This vision MAY REPRESENT the ways of Providence in the governments of this lower world. Whatever the providences of God about us are, as to public or private affairs, we should see them all as coming from between the MOUNTAINS OF BRASS [bronze], the IMMOVEABLE COUNSELS and DECREES OF GOD; and therefore reckon it as much our folly to quarrel with them, as it is our duty to submit to them..." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: Zech.6:1-)

Jesus refers to the BRONZE [brass] serpent in John 3:

"And as Moses lifted up the BRONZEsnake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole, so that everyone who believes in Me will have Eternal Life." (John 3:14-15 NLT)

Matthew Henry sees it "symbolized" this way:

"...We have here a notice of Christ's two distinct natures in one person, so that while He is the Son of Man, yet He is in heaven... Jesus came to save us by healing us, as the children of Israel, stung with fiery serpents, were cured and lived by looking up to the BRAZEN serpent, Numb. xxi. 6-9. In this observe the deadly and destructive nature of sin. Ask awakened consciences, ask damned sinners, they will tell you, that how charming soever the allurements of sin may be, at the last it bites like a serpent. See the powerful remedy against this fatal malady. Christ is plainly set forth to us in the gospel. He whom we offended is our Peace, and the way of applying for cure is by believing... Look and be saved, look and live; lift up the eyes of your faith to Christ crucified. And until we have grace to do this, we shall not be cured, but still are wounded by the stings of Satan, and in a dying state..." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: John 3:1-21).