In biblical times, spikes were often used in various contexts, both practical and symbolic. The term "spike" can refer to a pointed piece of metal or wood used for fastening or as a weapon. In the Bible, spikes are mentioned in several passages, often in relation to construction, warfare, and crucifixion.

Construction and Warfare

Spikes were commonly used in construction and fortification. In the building of the Tabernacle and later the Temple, metalwork was essential, though specific references to spikes are not detailed in the construction accounts. However, the use of metal fasteners would have been necessary for securing structures and furnishings.

In warfare, spikes were used as weapons or defensive tools. For example, in Judges 4:21, Jael uses a tent peg, which can be considered a type of spike, to kill Sisera: "But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died" . This account illustrates the use of a spike as a lethal weapon in a time of conflict.

Crucifixion

One of the most significant uses of spikes in the Bible is in the context of crucifixion. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is central to Christian theology, and spikes were used to nail Jesus to the cross. While the Gospels do not explicitly mention the word "spikes," they describe the act of nailing. In John 20:25, Thomas refers to the marks left by the nails: "So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord.' But he replied, 'Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe'" . This passage highlights the physical reality of the crucifixion and the use of spikes in the process.

Symbolism

Spikes also carry symbolic meaning in the Bible. They can represent strength, security, and permanence. In Isaiah 22:23, the prophet speaks of a peg driven into a firm place: "I will drive him like a peg into a firm place, and he will become a throne of glory for the house of his father" . This imagery conveys stability and honor, using the metaphor of a spike or peg to illustrate the idea.

In a broader spiritual sense, the spikes of the crucifixion symbolize the sacrifice of Jesus and the atonement for sin. The physical act of nailing Jesus to the cross is a powerful representation of His suffering and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah.

Conclusion

Spikes in the Bible serve both practical and symbolic purposes. They are tools of construction and warfare, instruments of crucifixion, and symbols of strength and sacrifice. Through these various uses, spikes contribute to the rich tapestry of biblical narrative and theology.

That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken ...
... [18] Reland I think here judges well, when he interprets these spikes [of those
that stood on the top of the holy house] with sharp points; they were fixed ...
/.../chapter 10 that whereas the.htm

Sowing and Reaping
... They fixed spikes in the ground and tipped them with the most deadly poison,
and then covered them. Into these ditches and on these ...
/.../moody/sowing and reaping/chapter i sowing and reaping.htm

section 2
... went before. Look at a clover head; do you know why some of the spikes
are upright and others turned downwards and fading? It is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/trotter/parables of the christ-life/section 2.htm

Betrayed by a Kiss.
... The watch consisted of twenty men in armor, two of whom carried long clubs set with
spikes, two bore braziers of burning coals, while the rest carried spears. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/stead/king of the jews/chapter iv betrayed by a.htm

There is a Definite Moment at which the Seed is Ripe...
... All prepared too are the hooks, or spikes, or gummy secretions, needed to anchor
it to the ground, and so to give a purchase to the embryo shoot when the time ...
/.../trotter/parables of the christ-life/section 6 there is a.htm

The Adventures of Saint James of Spain.
... The eyes of the brute sparkled like a furnace; his tusks were sharper than spikes
of steel; and the breath, as it issued from his nostrils, seemed like a ...
/.../kingston/the seven champions of christendom/chapter six the adventures of.htm

The Wonderful Constancy of the Martyrs.
... And, in like manner, those who were condemned to the wild beasts endured dreadful
tortures, being stretched out upon beds full of spikes, and subjected to ...
/.../the martyrdom of the holy polycarp/chapter ii the wonderful constancy of.htm

The Fulfilment
... that one man or a body of men could wield; torches and kettles of tar; chains and
ropes; knotted whips, and bundles of fagots; iron spikes, instruments of ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter xxiii the fulfilment.htm

The Next Morning, Diamond's Mother Said to his Father...
... Out of the sky as I came through. What makes the light in them sparkle and spin?
Some of the starry spikes left in. Where did you get that little tear? ...
/.../macdonald/at the back of the north wind/chapter 33 the next morning.htm

As in a Race Saw I the Disputers, the Children of Strife, [Trying] ...
... for Him by silent men speechless thorns that cry out, thorns from the mind has he
plaited [now] by the voice, as hymns; and concealed the spikes amid melodies ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn vii as in a.htm

Spikes (1 Occurrence)
...Spikes (1 Occurrence). Ezekiel 26:9 and he shall set his engines of attack against
thy walls, and with his spikes he shall break down thy towers. (DBY). ...
/s/spikes.htm - 6k

Spikenard (4 Occurrences)
... growing on the Himalaya mountains. It is distinguished by its having many
hairy spikes shooting out from one root. It is called by ...
/s/spikenard.htm - 10k

Willow (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) A machine in which cotton or wool is opened and cleansed by the action of
long spikes projecting from a drum which revolves within a box studded with ...
/w/willow.htm - 7k

Tamarisk (5 Occurrences)
... It is a "very graceful tree, with long feathery branches and tufts closely clad
with the minutest of leaves, and surmounted in spring with spikes of beautiful ...
/t/tamarisk.htm - 10k

Spike (1 Occurrence)
... 5. (vt) To fasten with spikes, or long, large nails; as, to spike down planks. 6.
(vt) To set or furnish with spikes. 7. (vt) To fix on a spike. ...
/s/spike.htm - 7k

Spilled (6 Occurrences)

/s/spilled.htm - 8k

Flail (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) An ancient military weapon, like the common flail, often having the striking
part armed with rows of spikes, or loaded. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/f/flail.htm - 7k

Brier (10 Occurrences)
... Hebrews 6:8 the Greek word (tribolos) so rendered means "three-pronged," and denotes
the land caltrop, a low throny shrub resembling in its spikes the military ...
/b/brier.htm - 11k

Hazeroth (5 Occurrences)
... enclosures consisting of "a low wall of stones in which thick bundles of thorny
acacia are inserted, the tangled branches and long needle-like spikes forming a ...
/h/hazeroth.htm - 9k

Hyacinth (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, bearing
beautiful spikes of fragrant flowers. H. orientalis is a common variety. ...
/h/hyacinth.htm - 7k

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