Lexical Summary
eden: Delight, Pleasure
Original Word:אֶדֶן
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:eden
Pronunciation:AY-den
Phonetic Spelling:(eh'-den)
KJV: foundation, socket
NASB:sockets, bases, pedestals, socket
Word Origin:[from the same asH113 (אָדוֹן אָדוֹן - lord) (in the sense of strength)]
1. a basis (of a building, a column, etc.)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
foundation, socket
From the same as'adown (in the sense of strength); a basis (of a building, a column, etc.) -- foundation, socket.
see HEBREW'adown
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
adonDefinitiona base, pedestal
NASB Translationbases (1), pedestals (1), socket (1), sockets (52).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[]
57Exodus 26:19 base, pedestal —
Exodus 38:7; plural
Exodus 26:19 +; construct
Songs 5:15 +, etc.
pedestals of fine gold, on which pillars of marble were setSongs 5:15.
pedestals of the earth on which its pillars were placedJob 38:6 ("" corner-stone).
(metal)pedestals, bases, orsockets in which tenons of planks & pillars of tabernacle were set up; two for each plank & one for each pillarExodus 26:19 (3 t. in verse) + 52 t. inExodus 26, 27, 35-40Numbers 3, 4 (all P); compare Sm Co forEzekiel 41:22, of altar.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scopeאֶדֶן designates the physical support placed under something that must stand upright and secure. It appears about fifty-seven times, almost entirely in technical descriptions of the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the later Temple of Solomon. The word thereby speaks to the principle of stability that God builds into His dwelling among His people.
The Wilderness Tabernacle
1. Bases for the Framework (Exodus 26:19–25; 36:24–30)
Forty silver bases carried the twenty acacia-wood frames along the south side, forty more supported the twenty frames on the north, and sixteen upheld the six frames at the rear. “You are also to make forty silver bases under the twenty frames… two bases under each frame for its two tenons” (Exodus 26:19). The silver came from the half-shekel atonement money (Exodus 30:11–16; 38:25–28), tying the very stability of God’s house to the price of redemption.
2. Bases for the Veil and Curtain Entrances (Exodus 26:32, 37; 36:36–38)
Four pillars held the inner veil on “four silver bases,” while five pillars at the east end stood on “five bronze bases.” The contrast—silver inside, bronze outside—highlights the holiness within and the judgment borne without.
3. Bases for the Courtyard Posts (Exodus 27:10–17; 38:10–20)
Sixty bronze bases anchored the linen fence surrounding the court. Bronze, the metal of endurance under fire, reminded Israel that God’s righteousness guards the perimeter of worship.
Symbolic Significance in the Tabernacle
• Redemption provides the footing. Every board of the sanctuary rested on silver funded by ransom money (Exodus 30:16). Thus the dwelling of God relies entirely on a price paid on behalf of sinners.
• Holiness and judgment converge. Wherever God meets humanity there must be both purification (silver) and righteous judgment (bronze).
Bases in Solomon’s Temple
The word reappears in the elaborate bronze work of Hiram of Tyre.
1. Laver Stands (1 Kings 7:27–39;2 Chronicles 4:14–15)
Ten mobile bases, four cubits square and three cubits high, carried ten bronze lavers. Each had panels of lions, oxen, and cherubim, rested on four wheels, and was crowned by a circular pedestal for the basin. “He made the ten stands of bronze… According to this pattern he made all ten stands” (1 Kings 7:27, 37). The water for priestly cleansing thus stood on striking reminders of strength, service, and guardianship.
2. The Molten Sea’s Foundation (implicit in1 Kings 7:23-26)
Though אֶדֶן is not used for the twelve oxen under the Sea, the earlier Tabernacle imagery helps explain why the great basin also required a stable footing: cleansing must be immovable.
Historical Development
From the desert tent to the stone Temple, the word traces God’s continuing commitment to dwell among His covenant people. The technical repetition in Exodus underlines precision in worship. The artistry in Kings shows that stability can coexist with beauty.
Theological Reflections
1. God establishes His house. The bases were crafted before the boards were erected (Exodus 26:19–22), teaching that foundation precedes superstructure in the divine order (cf.Psalm 11:3).
2. Christ the ultimate foundation. The New Testament affirms, “No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Tabernacle bases foreshadow the finished work of Christ upon which the Church is built.
3. The believer’s calling.Isaiah 54:11–12 promises that God will lay foundations with sapphires;Revelation 21:19 shows that promise fulfilled in the New Jerusalem. Personal and corporate lives must therefore be anchored in truths that do not shift (Matthew 7:24–25).
Ministry Applications
• Teaching on stewardship: as Israel’s ransom silver became literal footing for worship, so present-day giving underwrites gospel ministry that upholds truth.
• Discipleship foundations: leaders must ensure that converts are settled in the basic doctrines of grace, just as every board had its exact two sockets.
• Worship environment: physical spaces for worship ought to signal stability and holiness without overshadowing the message they serve.
Key References for Further Study
Exodus 26:19–32;Exodus 27:10–17;Exodus 36:24–38;Exodus 38:10–28;1 Kings 7:27–39;2 Kings 16:17;2 Chronicles 4:14–15; Song of Songs 5:15;Ezekiel 40:6;Ezekiel 40:49.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲדָנִ֑ים אֲדָנִ֔ים אֲדָנִ֗ים אֲדָנִ֛ים אֲדָנִ֜ים אֲדָנִים֙ אֲדָנֶ֑יהָ אֲדָנֶ֗יהָ אֲדָנֶ֣יהָ אֲדָנָ֔יו אֲדָנָֽיו׃ אַדְנֵ֖י אַדְנֵ֣י אַדְנֵ֤י אַדְנֵ֥י אַדְנֵי֙ אַדְנֵי־ אַדְנֵיהֶ֖ם אדני אדני־ אדניה אדניהם אדניו אדניו׃ אדנים וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֑ם וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖ם וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֗ם וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֣ם וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֤ם וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֥ם וְהָאֲדָנִ֣ים וַאֲדָנָ֑יו וַאֲדָנָֽיו׃ ואדניהם ואדניו ואדניו׃ והאדנים לָאָֽדֶן׃ לאדן׃ ’ă·ḏā·nāw ’ă·ḏā·ne·hā ’ă·ḏā·nîm ’aḏ·nê ’aḏ·nê- ’aḏ·nê·hem ’ăḏānāw ’ăḏānehā ’ăḏānîm ’aḏnê ’aḏnê- ’aḏnêhem adaNav adaNeiha adaNim adnei adneiHem lā’āḏen lā·’ā·ḏen laAden vaadaNav veadneiHem vehaadaNim wa’ăḏānāw wa·’ă·ḏā·nāw wə’aḏnêhem wə·’aḏ·nê·hem wə·hā·’ă·ḏā·nîm wəhā’ăḏānîm
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