PILLAR — a word with several different meanings in the Bible:

1. The word pillar can refer to an architectural element that supports a roof. Use of pillars was common in the Near East long before the time of Abraham. Pillars were usually made of wood or stone. References to pillars as a part of a building occur throughout the Old Testament but not in the New Testament.

Wooden pillars were a prominent part of the tabernacle (Ex. 27:11; posts, NIV). But the only mention of pillars in the construction of Solomon's Temple were the two that flanked the main entrance (1 Kin. 7:15–22). Solomon built a “Hall of Pillars” as part of his palace complex (1 Kin. 7:6). A famous reference to pillars occurs in Judges 16:25–30, where Samson brought down the roof of a pagan temple by knocking out two key pillars. Excavators have found the remains of a Philistine temple that had two pillars close to each other, probably like the ones Samson pulled down.

2. Pillars, or upright standing stones with religious significance, were used by both the Canaanites and the Israelites. In Canaanite worship places, a stone pillar was used as a symbol for the male god, usually Baal (2 Kin. 17:10). Moses erected twelve pillars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, beside the altar he built to call upon the COVENANT (Ex. 24:4). Pillars could also serve as boundary markers (Gen. 31:45) or as tombstones (Gen. 35:20).

3. The Bible also contains many figurative references to pillars. For instance, the physical demonstration of God's presence during the Exodus was described as a “pillar of fire” and a “pillar of cloud” (Ex. 13:21). In other places, the importance of persons or things is emphasized by referring to them as pillars (Gal. 2:9). That which holds something up, either figuratively or literally, can also be called a pillar (1 Tim. 3:15).

Photo by Howard Vos

Sacred pillars located at a pagan high place at Gezer.