Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar. Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall.The pillars referred to here are part of the two bronze pillars named Jachin and Boaz, which stood at the entrance of Solomon's Temple ( 1 Kings 7:15-22). A cubit is generally considered to be about 18 inches, making each pillar approximately 27 feet tall. These pillars were not only architectural features but also held symbolic significance, representing strength and stability. Their destruction by the Babylonians marked the end of an era for Judah and the fulfillment of prophetic warnings about the consequences of the nation's disobedience ( Jeremiah 52:21). The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high,
The capital, or top part of the pillar, was intricately designed and added an additional 4.5 feet to the height of the pillar. The use of bronze, a durable and valuable metal, signifies the wealth and craftsmanship of Solomon's era. The height and grandeur of these capitals emphasized the glory and majesty of the temple, which was a central place of worship and the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. with a network of bronze pomegranates all around.
Pomegranates are often associated with abundance and fertility in the Bible. The network of bronze pomegranates served both decorative and symbolic purposes, possibly representing the fruitfulness and prosperity that comes from obedience to God. This imagery is consistent with the detailed and ornate design of the temple, which was meant to reflect the beauty and holiness of God (Exodus 28:33-34). The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
The repetition of the design in the second pillar underscores the symmetry and order that characterized the temple's construction. This reflects the biblical theme of God's creation being orderly and harmonious. The similarity between the two pillars also highlights the consistency of God's promises and the uniformity of His covenant with Israel. The destruction of these pillars by the Babylonians symbolizes the breaking of that covenant due to the people's unfaithfulness, as foretold by the prophets (2 Chronicles 36:15-19). Persons / Places / Events 1. JerusalemThe city where the events of 2 Kings 25 take place, specifically during the Babylonian siege and destruction. 2. Babylonian SiegeThe event where Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem, leading to its fall and the destruction of the temple. 3. Pillars of the TempleThe two bronze pillars, Jachin and Boaz, that stood at the entrance of Solomon's Temple, symbolizing strength and stability. 4. NebuchadnezzarThe Babylonian king responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. 5. Solomon's TempleThe temple built by King Solomon, which was the center of Jewish worship and the dwelling place of God's presence. Teaching Points Symbolism of Strength and StabilityThe pillars, Jachin and Boaz, symbolize God's strength and stability. In times of personal or communal destruction, believers can find strength in God's unchanging nature. Consequences of DisobedienceThe destruction of the temple serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. It calls believers to examine their own lives for areas of disobedience. God's Sovereignty in JudgmentThe fall of Jerusalem and the temple illustrates God's sovereignty in executing judgment. Believers are reminded of the importance of aligning with God's will. Hope Beyond DestructionDespite the physical destruction, God's promises endure. Believers can find hope in God's faithfulness and the promise of spiritual restoration. The Temple as a ForeshadowingThe physical temple foreshadows the spiritual temple, the body of Christ. Believers are called to be living stones, building up the spiritual house of God. Bible Study Questions 1. How do the descriptions of the pillars in 2 Kings 25:17 and 1 Kings 7:15-22 enhance our understanding of their significance in Solomon's Temple? 2. In what ways does the destruction of the temple in 2 Kings 25 serve as a warning for believers today regarding obedience to God? 3. How can the symbolism of the pillars as strength and stability be applied to our personal faith journey? 4. What lessons can we learn from the fall of Jerusalem about God's sovereignty and the consequences of national disobedience? 5. How does the concept of believers as spiritual pillars in Revelation 3:12 encourage us to live out our faith in the present day? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Kings 7:15-22Describes the construction of the two bronze pillars, Jachin and Boaz, by Hiram for Solomon's Temple, providing context for their significance. Jeremiah 52:21-23Offers a parallel account of the destruction of the temple and the details of the bronze pillars, reinforcing the historical event. Lamentations 2:7Expresses the sorrow and lament over the destruction of the temple, highlighting the spiritual and emotional impact on the Israelites. Revelation 3:12Symbolically refers to believers as pillars in the temple of God, drawing a spiritual parallel to the physical pillars of Solomon's Temple. People Ahikam, Babylonians, Careah, Elishama, Evilmerodach, Gedaliah, Ishmael, Jaazaniah, Jehoiachin, Johanan, Kareah, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, Nethaniah, Seraiah, Shaphan, Solomon, Tanhumeth, Zedekiah, ZephaniahPlaces Arabah, Babylon, Egypt, Hamath, Jericho, Jerusalem, Mizpah, RiblahTopics Apples, Brass, Bronze, Capital, Chapiter, Circled, Crown, Cubits, Decorated, Eighteen, Half, Height, Hight, Net, Network, Pillar, Pillars, Pomegranates, Round, Similar, Similarly, Twenty-seven, Wreathed, WreathenDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 25:1-21 4215 Babylon
7217 exile, in Babylon 2 Kings 25:13-17 4312 bronze 2 Kings 25:16-17 4450 fruit Library The End
'1. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4. And the city was broken up, and all the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Last Agony
'In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. 2. And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. 3. And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarse-chim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture 'As Sodom'
'Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2. And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3. For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4. And it came to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica How those who Use Food Intemperately and those who Use it Sparingly are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 20.) Differently to be admonished are the gluttonous and the abstinent. For superfluity of speech, levity of conduct, and lechery accompany the former; but the latter often the sin of impatience, and often that of pride. For were it not the case that immoderate loquacity carries away the gluttonous, that rich man who is said to have fared sumptuously every day would not burn more sorely than elsewhere in his tongue, saying, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Historical Books.
1. In the Pentateuch we have the establishment of the Theocracy, with the preparatory and accompanying history pertaining to it. The province of the historical books is to unfold its practiced working, and to show how, under the divine superintendence and guidance, it accomplished the end for which it was given. They contain, therefore, primarily, a history of God's dealings with the covenant people under the economy which he had imposed upon them. They look at the course of human events on the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Backsliding.
"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away."--Hosea xiv. 4. There are two kinds of backsliders. Some have never been converted: they have gone through the form of joining a Christian community and claim to be backsliders; but they never have, if I may use the expression, "slid forward." They may talk of backsliding; but they have never really been born again. They need to be treated differently from real back-sliders--those who have been born of the incorruptible …
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It The Iranian Conquest
Drawn by Boudier, from the engraving in Coste and Flandin. The vignette, drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a statuette in terra-cotta, found in Southern Russia, represents a young Scythian. The Iranian religions--Cyrus in Lydia and at Babylon: Cambyses in Egypt --Darius and the organisation of the empire. The Median empire is the least known of all those which held sway for a time over the destinies of a portion of Western Asia. The reason of this is not to be ascribed to the shortness of its duration: …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 Formation and History of the Hebrew Canon.
1. The Greek word canon (originally a straight rod or pole, measuring-rod, then rule) denotes that collection of books which the churches receive as given by inspiration of God, and therefore as constituting for them a divine rule of faith and practice. To the books included in it the term canonical is applied. The Canon of the Old Testament, considered in reference to its constituent parts, was formed gradually; formed under divine superintendence by a process of growth extending through …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Kings 25:17 NIV2 Kings 25:17 NLT2 Kings 25:17 ESV2 Kings 25:17 NASB2 Kings 25:17 KJV
2 Kings 25:17 Commentaries
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