אֹמְנָה
a column
Definition
The Hebrew noun אֹמְנָה refers to a supporting column or pillar, specifically a structural element in architecture. It appears only in 2 Kings 18:16, where King Hezekiah strips the gold from the doors and doorposts (אֹמְנוֹת) of the temple to pay tribute to the Assyrian king Sennacherib. The word denotes the doorposts or jambs—the vertical supports flanking a doorway—rather than a freestanding pillar. This singular usage gives it a precise architectural meaning within the context of the Jerusalem temple's construction.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 18:16. The context is a historical narrative describing King Hezekiah's desperate measures during a military crisis. The usage is specific to the temple architecture, referring to the doorposts or supports of the temple doors, which were overlaid with gold. This highlights the word's association with sacred, monumental buildings rather than ordinary structures.
Etymology
אֹמְנָה is a feminine noun derived from the root אמן (ʼmn, H539), which carries the core meaning of 'to be firm, reliable, or supportive.' It is related to the noun אֹמֶן (ʼomen, H544), meaning 'faithfulness' or 'firmness.' The development from the abstract concept of 'firmness' to the concrete 'supporting column' is a natural semantic shift, seen also in the verb 'to support' (H556). The word essentially means 'a firm support.'
Semantic Range
While the word itself is an architectural term, its single biblical occurrence in 2 Kings 18:16 carries theological weight. Hezekiah's act of stripping the gold from the temple's אֹמְנָה to appease an enemy represents a moment of national crisis and the desecration of sacred space for political survival. It contrasts the tangible, plunderable wealth of the temple with the intangible faithfulness (from the same root) that God requires. Understanding this word enriches the reading by connecting the physical 'support' of the doorpost to the thematic need for divine support and faithfulness in a time of testing.
In ancient Near Eastern culture, especially in monumental architecture like temples and palaces, doorposts were not merely functional but often ornate and symbolic. They marked the transition into a significant or sacred space. Covering them with gold, as in Solomon's temple, displayed wealth, devotion, and honor for the deity. Hezekiah's removal of this gold would have been seen as a drastic and humiliating act, stripping the visible glory from the house of God to meet a temporal threat.
עַמּוּד (ʻammûd, H5982) — A more common general term for a pillar, column, or stand, used for both structural (Exodus 26:32) and metaphorical (Exodus 13:21) pillars. מְזוּזָה (mᵉzûzâh, H4201) — Specifically the doorpost of a house, often associated with the place for the law in Deuteronomy 6:9, whereas אֹמְנָה is used for a temple's grand doorposts.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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