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pillar, column
Definition:
The term "pillar" usually refers to a large vertical structure that is used to hold up a roof or other part of a building. Another word for "pillar" is "column."
- In Bible times, pillars used as support in buildings were normally carved from a single piece of stone.
- When Samson in the Old Testament was captured by the Philistines, he destroyed their pagan temple by pushing the supporting pillars and causing the temple to collapse.
- The word "pillar" sometimes refers to a large stone or boulder that is set up as a memorial to mark a grave or to mark the place where an important event happened.
- It can also refer to an idol that was made to worship a false god. It is another name for a "carved image" and could be translated as "statue."
- The term "pillar" is used to refer to something that is shaped like a pillar, such as the "pillar of fire" that led the Israelites at night through the desert or the "pillar of salt" that Lot's wife became after she looked back at the city.
- As a structure supporting a building, the term "pillar" or "column" could be translated as "upright stone support beam" or "supporting stone structure."
- Other uses of "pillar" could be translated as "statue" or "pile" or "mound" or "monument" or "tall mass," depending on the context.
(See also: foundation, idol, image)