cornerstones and corners in the Bible

Cornerstones

Hebrew: פִנָּה —transliteration: pinnah —meaning: cornerstone or a corner

A cornerstone (Job 38:6; Isaiah 28:16) is a block of great importance in binding together the sides of a building.

The “head of the corner” (Psalm 118:22-23) denotes the coping, the “coign of vantage”, i.e., the topstone of a building.

Cornerstone person

The word “cornerstone” is sometimes used in Scripture to denote some key person of rank and importance (Isaiah 28:16).

Our Lord Jesus Christ is called the Cornerstone who was set in highest honor (Matthew 21:42). He is also called “the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6-8).

When the prophet Zechariah (Zec. 10:4), speaking of Judah, says, “Out of him came forth the corner,” he is probably to be understood as ultimately referring to the Messiah as the “cornerstone.”

ALSO SEE

• What and who is CHRIST?
• What and who is Messiah?
• How do we know that Jesus was the Messiah? Answer
• List of Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ
• temple
• Solomon’s Temple
• Names of God
• Stone in the Bible

Corners in the Bible

• Angle of a house (Job 1:19)

• Angle of a street (Proverbs 7:8)

• The “street corners” mentioned in Matthew 6:5 means the angles where streets meet so as to form a square or place of public congregation or rest.

• “Corners” in Neh. 9:22 KJV denotes the various districts of the promised land allotted to the Israelites.

• “The corners of Moab” in Numbers 24:17 KJV is better translated “the foreheads of Moab” or “the brow of Moab” modern translations: Num. 24:17 NIV; Numbers 24:17 NASB; Num. 24:17 NKJV.

• The “corners of a field” (Leviticus 19:9 KJV; Lev. 23:22 KJV) are its extreme parts, which were not to be reaped.

• The Israelites were prohibited from cutting the “corners” (i.e., the extremities) of their hair and beard running round the ears (Leviticus 19:27 KJV; Lev. 21:5 KJV).

• The “four corners of the Earth” in Isaiah 11:12 and “four corners of land” in Ezek. 7:2 denotes the whole land.

• The Corner Gate of Jerusalem (2 Kings 14:13 NKJV; 2 Chr. 26:9 NKJV) was on the northwest side of the city.

Hebrew words translated as “corner”

• Hebrew: פֵאָה —transliteration: peah —meaning: corner, side
• פֵאָה —transliteration: peah —meaning: corner, side
• פָנָה —transliteration: panah —meaning: to turn or corner
• זָוִית —transliteration: zavith —meaning: a corner
• כָּנָף —transliteration: kanaph —meaning: wing, extremity, edge, fold or corner
• פַעַם —transliteration: paam —meaning: a beat, foot, anvil, occurrence or corner
• פִנָּה —transliteration: pinnah —meaning: a corner or cornerstone

• Greek: γωνία —transliteration; gónia —meaning: an angle, a corner

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• temple
• Solomon’s Temple
• Stone in the Bible