The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.
The bellows are burned - so intense a heat is made that the very bellows are almost set on fire. Rosenmuller translates, not so well, from a Hebrew root, 'pant' or 'snort' referring to the sound of the bellows blown hard. Lead - employed to separate the baser metal from the silver, as quicksilver is now used. In other words, the utmost pains have been used to purify Israel in the furnace of affliction, but in vain (Jeremiah 5:3, Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction." The "faith" of the godly, on the contrary, is as pure "gold tried with fire").
Consumed of the fire. In the Chetib or Hebrew text, the "consumed" is supplied out of the previous "burned." If we were to translate as Rosenmuller, 'pant,' this will be inadmissible; and the Qeri' (Hebrew margin) division of the Hebrew words will have to be read, to get "is consumed of the, fire." This is an argument for the translation, 'are burned.'
Founder - the refiner.
The wicked are not plucked away - answering to the dross which has no good metal to be separated, the mass being all dross.