Columns in ruined Persian city.

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pillars in the Bible

Hebrew: עַמּוּד —transliteration: ammud —meaning: a pillar, a column —occurrences: 111

Hebrew: מַצֵּבָה —transliteration: matstsebah —meaning: a pillar, or a stump —occurrences: 32

Greek: στῦλος —transliteration: stulos —occurrences: 4 (in Galatians, 1 Timothy, and Revelation)

Commerative pillars

The earliest mentioned pillars in the Bible refer to monumental stones set on their edge to mark or a heap of stones used to commerate a very special place and event.

…a ladder stood on the earth with its top touching heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, Yahweh stood above it and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your seed. …Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How fearsome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

…So Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. …Now this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house… —Genesis 28:18 LSB excerpt

Later God said to Jacob,

“I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me…” —Genesis 31:13 excerpt

Years later Jacob and Laban raised another commerative pillar, plus a heap of stones, in Mizpah in Mesopotamia.

Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children whom they have borne? So now come, let us cut a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”

Then Jacob took a stone and raised it up as a pillar. And Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Then Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed,

…And Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me for harm. —Genesis 31:43-52 excerpt

Later, in back in Bethel, God renamed Jacob as Israel and gave a promise (covenant). In memorial, another pillar was raised here.

Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel. —Genesis 35:13-15

The leader and prophet Moses erected 12 pillars at the mountain in Sinai where Yahweh cut a covenant with the children of Israel.

And Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh. Then he arose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. —Exodus 24:4

Pillars of acacia overlaid with gold

The making of these pillars for the Holy Tabernacle was commanded by Yahweh in Exodus 26:32, 37 and included golden hooks, and bases of silver and bronze.

Grave pillars

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. —Genesis 35:19-20

Pillar of personal pridefulness

King David’s son prince Absalom erected a pillar to himself.

Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day. —2 Samuel 18:18

Pillar of cloud and fire

This refers to a miraculous sign of God’s presence given to the Israelites during and after the Exodus as a continuing assurance of His protection, guidance and sovereignty.

And Yahweh was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to guide them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might go by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. —Exodus 13:21-22 LSB

At the crossing of the sea, God protected the Israelites with this pillar.

Then the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

…Then at the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the camp of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the camp of the Egyptians into confusion. —Exodus 14:19-24 LSB excerpt

And it happened whenever Moses entered the tent, that the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and Yahweh would speak with Moses. And all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent. And all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. —Exodus 33:9-10 LSB

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Sacred pillars of the idolaters

God commanded His chosen people to destroy all the idolatrous pillars in the Promised Land.

You shall not worship their gods, you shall not serve them, and you shall not do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly pull them down and shatter their sacred pillars in pieces. —Exodus 23:24

…you are to tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim —Exodus 34:13 excerpt

“You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves a graven image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a carved stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am Yahweh your God.” —Leviticus 26:1 LSB

Pillars in buildings

Pillars were used to support buildings (Judges 16:26, 29).

Samson was forced to be bound between two pillars in an idolatrous Philistine temple (Judges 16:23-30).

Various pillars are mentioned in connection with the Tabernacle and the later Temple in Jerusalem. Both the temple of Solomon and Herod’s temple featured numberous impressive pillars.

Pillars in New Testament symbolism

Apostles as pillars

…James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right [c]hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles… —Galatians 2:9 excerpt

The Church as a pillar

but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. —1 Timothy 3:15

Overcomers as pillars

The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. —Revelation 3:12

Angel’s feet like pillars of fire

I saw another strong angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was on his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; —Revelation 10:1

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Article Version: October 22, 2024