Stealing (Hastings' Dictionary)

See Crimes and Punishments, vol. i. p. 522'', s. ' Theft,' and Man-stealing. STEEL is a form of iron intermediate in com- position between cast iron and wrought iron, and combining the most useful properties of both (see Iron). The word occurs thrice in AV for nvin: (2S 22", Job -JO'^, Ps 18"), and once for nii'n; (Jer 15'-). In these eases the reference is not to steel but to brass (so RV) or bronze (see Brass). ' Steel ' appears in RV only in Nali 2', where it is the translation of mS?

(AV 'torches'). The word ni^^ occurs nowhere else, but its Arabic and Syriac cognates have the meaning of steel, or iron of fine quality. The ' fire ' or ' flashing ' of steel in this passage may be understood either of the appear- ance of the metal-plated chariots themselves or of the glitter of the 'scythes' attached to their wheels.

Against this latter supjiosition is the fact that such scythes are never represented on Assyrian chariots, but appear to have been introduced for the first lime by the Persians (see Chariot). James Patrick.