“A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.” (Deuteronomy 8:9)
The original Hebrew word for ‘copper’ is ‘Nechoshet (נחושת).’ The copper or the bronze – which is the same Hebrew word ‘Nechoshet’ – can be found in abundance in the Land of Israel, mainly in the ‘Negev’ (the southern area of Israel).
One of the famous examples is “King Solomon’s Pillars” – a red natural sandstone cliff which is located in the “Timna Valley” in the “Arava” region in the southern part of Israel (near the city of Eilat). This area is rich in copper ore and was mined during King Solomon’s time and that is why this place is also known as “King Solomon’s Mines.”
The copper was considered to be one of the strongest metals in the ancient times and because of that correlation the Hebrew adjective for ‘decisiveness’ is named after this metal and is called ‘Nechishut (נחישות).’
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