Bible Dictionaries
Hammer

Holman Bible Dictionary

A striking tool. The earliest hammers were simply smooth or shaped stones. Beginning in the Bronze Age, stones were hallowed out to give a better grip or to receive a handle. Mallets of bone and wood were used (Judges 5:26 ), though these have not normally been preserved. Hammers with metal heads were rare in Palestine, possibly because metal was reserved for tools needing a cutting edge.

Hammers were used in cutting stone (1 Kings 6:7 ), working common and precious metals (Isaiah 41:7; Isaiah 44:12 ), and for woodworking (Jeremiah 10:4 ). A hammer-like weapon was also used in battle (Jeremiah 51:20 “shatterer” NAS margin; Ezekiel 9:2 “shattering weapon”). See Arms and Armor .

The hammer was a symbol of power. God's word is pictured as a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29 ). Babylon is mocked as a hammer whose strength has failed (Jeremiah 50:23 ). See Tools .