In biblical times, the term "plate" can refer to various objects, including items used in religious rituals, household utensils, or decorative elements. The concept of a plate in the Bible is often associated with sacred and practical uses, reflecting the cultural and religious practices of ancient Israel and surrounding regions.

1. Sacred Use:

One of the most significant uses of a plate in the Bible is found in the context of the high priest's garments. In Exodus 28:36-38, God commands Moses to make a "plate of pure gold" to be worn on the turban of the high priest. This plate, also known as a "holy crown," was engraved with the words "HOLY TO THE LORD." The Berean Standard Bible states:

"You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. And it will be on Aaron’s forehead, so that Aaron may bear the guilt of the holy things that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It will always be on his forehead, so that they may find favor before the LORD." (Exodus 28:36-38)

This golden plate symbolized the holiness required of the high priest as he represented the people before God, bearing their guilt and seeking divine favor.

2. Household Use:

In a more domestic context, plates were used as common household items for serving and eating food. While the Bible does not frequently mention plates explicitly in this context, the use of dishes and utensils is implied in various narratives. For example, in the account of the Last Supper, Jesus and His disciples would have used plates or similar items for the Passover meal, although the specific term "plate" is not used in the Gospel accounts.

3. Symbolic Use:

The Bible also uses the imagery of plates in a symbolic or metaphorical sense. In Proverbs 25:11, the value of a well-spoken word is compared to a beautiful and valuable object:

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)

Here, the "settings of silver" can be understood as a type of plate or decorative element, emphasizing the beauty and worth of wise and timely speech.

4. Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, plates and similar items were often made from materials such as clay, bronze, or precious metals, depending on the wealth and status of the owner. The use of gold and silver plates would have been reserved for the wealthy or for special occasions, reflecting the social and economic structures of the time.

5. New Testament References:

While the New Testament does not frequently mention plates, the concept of serving and sharing meals is central to many of its narratives. The communal meals of the early church, as described in Acts, would have involved the use of plates and other dining utensils, symbolizing fellowship and unity among believers.

In summary, the term "plate" in the Bible encompasses a range of uses, from sacred objects in religious rituals to everyday household items, each reflecting the cultural and spiritual life of the biblical world.1. (n.) A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.

2. (n.) Metallic armor composed of broad pieces.

3. (n.) Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver.

4. (n.) Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is genuine silver or gold.

5. (n.) A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.

6. (n.) A piece of money, usually silver money.

7. (n.) A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.

8. (n.) A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.

9. (n.) That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.

10. (n.) A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.

11. (n.) A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.

12. (n.) A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.

13. (n.) A prize giving to the winner in a contest.

14. (v. t.) To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.

15. (v. t.) To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense.

16. (v. t.) To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.

17. (v. t.) To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminate.

18. (v. t.) To calendar; as, to plate paper.

PLATE

plat: A term seemingly not used in the Bible for a dish as it is so commonly used at present, but always for a tablet or sheet of metal.

(1) tsits (Exodus 28:36; Exodus 39:30 Leviticus 8:9), a plate of gold on the front of the mitre of the high priest. The name seems to have been given because of the radiance of the object.

(2) pach (Exodus 39:3 Numbers 16:38), of plates or sheets of metal produced by hammering.

(3) luach, used for tablets or tables of stone (Exodus 24:12, etc.), but in 1 Kings 7:36 for the metal plates on the bases of the lavers in the temple. The word ceren, is rendered "plate" in 1 Kings 7:30 the King James Version, manifestly incorrectly, the Revised Version (British and American) "axle."

Walter R. Betteridge

2382. thorax -- a breastplate
... a breastplate. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: thorax Phonetic
Spelling: (tho'-rax) Short Definition: a breast-plate Definition: a breast-plate ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2382.htm - 7k

4094. pinax -- a board, dish
... a board, dish. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: pinax Phonetic Spelling:
(pin'-ax) Short Definition: a plate, platter Definition: a plate ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4094.htm - 6k

3953. paropsis -- a side dish of delicacies
... paropsis Phonetic Spelling: (par-op-sis') Short Definition: a bowl, dish, platter
Definition: prop: a dainty side-dish; meton: a plate, dish, platter. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3953.htm - 6k

4109. plax -- anything flat and broad, hence a flat stone
... table, tablet. From plasso; a moulding-board, ie Flat surface ("plate", or tablet,
literally or figuratively) -- table. see GREEK plasso. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4109.htm - 6k

3871. luach -- a tablet, board or plank, a plate
... a tablet, board or plank, a plate. Transliteration: luach or luach Phonetic Spelling:
(loo'-akh) Short Definition: tablets. ... board, plate, table. ...
/hebrew/3871.htm - 6k

4227. machabath -- a flat plate, pan, griddle
... 4226, 4227. machabath. 4228 . a flat plate, pan, griddle. Transliteration:
machabath Phonetic Spelling: (makh-ab-ath') Short Definition: griddle. ...
/hebrew/4227.htm - 6k

6341b. pach -- a plate (of metal)
... a plate (of metal). Transliteration: pach Short Definition: sheets. Word Origin
from the same as pach Definition a plate (of metal) NASB Word Usage sheets (2). ...
/hebrew/6341b.htm - 5k

6247. esheth -- plate
... plate. Transliteration: esheth Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-sheth) Short Definition:
carved. Word Origin from ashath Definition plate NASB Word Usage carved (1). ...
/hebrew/6247.htm - 6k

6731. tsiyts -- perhaps wings
... 6730, 6731. tsiyts. 6731a . perhaps wings. Transliteration: tsiyts Phonetic
Spelling: (tseets) Short Definition: blossom. blossom, flower, plate, wing ...
/hebrew/6731.htm - 5k

5633. ceren -- tyrant, lord
... lord, plate From an unused root of uncertain meaning; an axle; figuratively, a peer --
lord, plate. 5632, 5633. ceren. 5633a . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/5633.htm - 5k

6341. pach -- a bird trap
... gin, thin plate, snare From pachach; a (metallic) sheet (as pounded thin); also
a spring net (as spread out like a lamina) -- gin, (thin) plate, snare. ...
/hebrew/6341.htm - 5k

6731b. tsits -- a blossom, flower, shining thing
... Word Origin from tsuts Definition a blossom, flower, shining thing NASB Word Usage
flower (7), flowers (4), plate (3). 6731a, 6731b. tsits. 6732 . ...
/hebrew/6731b.htm - 5k

7555. riqqua -- expansion
... Word Origin from raqa Definition expansion NASB Word Usage hammered (1). broad.
From raqa'; beaten out, ie A (metallic) plate -- broad. see HEBREW raqa'. ...
/hebrew/7555.htm - 6k

2926. talal -- to cover over, roof
... cover. A primitive root; properly, to strew over, ie (by implication) to cover in
or plate (with beams) -- cover. 2925, 2926. talal. 2927 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/2926.htm - 5k

Illustrations
... THE OLD TESTAMENT. Moses and Zipporah at the well (color plate) . . . . ... The great
flood. Dove returns to ark with an olive leaf (color plate). The three strangers ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lathbury/childs story of the bible/illustrations.htm

Fac-Similes
... IV. No. (1). PLATE I. SINAI CODEX, Century IV. Heb.12:27-29. Notice the occasional
use of very small letters. ... No. (3). PLATE II. VATICAN CODEX, Century IV. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barrows/companion to the bible/fac-similes.htm

A Living Sacrifice.
... And she sat with a beautiful light in her tearful eyes, and a smile coming
to her lips, waiting for the plate to get to her pew. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/a living sacrifice.htm

Joy in the Holy Ghost.
... There is a great pane of plate glass before it, and the hungry little boys
stand there and look, and long, but they cannot reach it. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/the masters indwelling/x joy in the holy.htm

Meditation viii. Institution of the Holy Eucharist.
... An oval plate stood there, with three fine white azymous loaves, placed on a piece
of linen, by the side of the half loaf which Jesus had set aside during the ...
/.../meditation viii institution of the.htm

Three Inscriptions with one Meaning
... THE BOOK OF EXODUS THREE INSCRIPTIONS WITH ONE MEANING. 'Thou shalt make a plate
of pure gold, and grave upon it ... HOLINESS TO THE LORD.'"Exodus 28:36. ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture k/three inscriptions with one meaning.htm

Examples from Nature Proving that Bodies May Remain Unconsumed and ...
... He told me that Bathanarius, once count of Africa, when the bishop was dining with
him, produced a magnet, and held it under a silver plate on which he placed ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 4 examples from nature proving.htm

Entire Sanctification in Type.
... of Aaron and his sons to the priests' office, not only were they to be adorned with
holy garments for glory and for beauty, not only was the breast-plate to be ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter iv entire sanctification in.htm

Ninth Day. Holiness and Mediation.
... Ninth Day. Holiness and Mediation. 'And thou shalt make a plate of pure
gold, and grave upon it, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And it shall ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/ninth day holiness and mediation.htm

Meditation iv. The Chalice Used at the Last Supper
... The great chalice stood upon a plate, out of which a species of tablet could
also be drawn, and around it there were six little glasses. ...
/.../meditation iv the chalice used.htm

Plate (34 Occurrences)
... n.) A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in
comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate. ...
/p/plate.htm - 20k

Breast-plate (22 Occurrences)
Breast-plate. Breastplate, Breast-plate. Breastplates . Multi-Version
Concordance Breast-plate (22 Occurrences). Ephesians ...
/b/breast-plate.htm - 12k

Angle-plate (1 Occurrence)
Angle-plate. Angle, Angle-plate. Angle-plates . Multi-Version
Concordance Angle-plate (1 Occurrence). 1 Kings 7:31 The ...
/a/angle-plate.htm - 6k

Scale (38 Occurrences)
... The name is also given to the chaff on the stems of ferns. 9. (n.) The thin
metallic side plate of the handle of a pocketknife. 10. ...
/s/scale.htm - 22k

Ouches (8 Occurrences)
... In Exodus, where it occurs 8 times, it is clear that the gold settings of the engraved
stones forming the breast-plate of the high priest are intended; the ...
/o/ouches.htm - 10k

Engraving (7 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) That which is engraved; an engraved plate. 4. (n.) An impression from an
engraved plate, block of wood, or other material; a print. Int. ...
/e/engraving.htm - 9k

Mitre (10 Occurrences)
... in length, coiled into the form of a cap, and worn on official occasions (Leviticus
8:9; 16:4; Zechariah 3:5). On the front of it was a golden plate with the ...
/m/mitre.htm - 12k

Basin (37 Occurrences)
... Numbers 7:13 And his offering was one silver plate, a hundred and thirty shekels
in weight, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the scale of the holy place ...
/b/basin.htm - 26k

Gorget
... 1. (n.) A piece of armor, whether of chain mail or of plate, defending the throat
and upper part of the breast, and forming a part of the double breastplate of ...
/g/gorget.htm - 8k

Web (5 Occurrences)
... 6. (n.) A band of webbing used to regulate the extension of the hood. 7. (n.) A
thin metal sheet, plate, or strip, as of lead. 8. (n.) The blade of a sword. ...
/w/web.htm - 9k

How do the elements of the Passover Seder point to Christ? | GotQuestions.org

What was the significance of the priestly garments? | GotQuestions.org

What is an offertory? | GotQuestions.org

Plate: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus