Lexical Summary
pinnah: Corner, cornerstone, chief
Original Word:פִנָּה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:pinnah
Pronunciation:pin-naw'
Phonetic Spelling:(pin-naw')
KJV: bulwark, chief, corner, stay, tower
NASB:corner, corners, cornerstone, chiefs, corner towers
Word Origin:[feminine ofH6434 (פֵּן - Lest)]
1. an angle
2. (by implication) a pinnacle
3. (figuratively) a chieftain
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bulwark, chief, corner, stay, tower
Feminine ofpen; an angle; by implication, a pinnacle; figuratively, a chieftain -- bulwark, chief, corner, stay, tower.
see HEBREWpen
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitiona corner
NASB Translationchiefs (2), corner (16), corner towers (2), corners (7), cornerstone (3), cornerstone* (1).
Topical Lexicon
Literal and Cultic ArchitectureThe earliest uses of פִנָּה describe the physical corners of sacred and domestic structures. The bronze altar prescribed for the tabernacle required “a horn on each of its four corners” (Exodus 27:2; 38:2), underscoring that every extremity of Israel’s worship-center was touched by atoning blood (Ezekiel 43:20). When Job recounts the sudden collapse of his firstborn’s house, the “four corners of the house” (Job 1:19) speak to the totality of the calamity. These texts show פִנָּה marking the outermost points where strength and vulnerability meet—places needing consecration, vigilance, and, at times, judgment.
Fortifications, Gates, and Towers
In the monarchy period the term becomes prominent in descriptions of Jerusalem’s defenses. Jehoash of Israel “demolished about four hundred cubits of the wall of Jerusalem, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate” (2 Chronicles 25:23;2 Kings 14:13). Uzziah and Jotham later rebuilt and fortified this sector, erecting “towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate” (2 Chronicles 26:9; 27:3). Nehemiah’s builders repaired from “the angle of the wall” (Nehemiah 3:24) all the way to “the sheep gate” (Nehemiah 3:32).Jeremiah 31:38 andZechariah 14:10 project the Corner Gate into eschatological hope, assuring that the city’s extremities will once more proclaim the Lord’s faithfulness. The motif teaches that God guards His people at the most exposed points and will restore every breach of the covenant community.
Cornerstone and Leadership Imagery
פִנָּה regularly refers to a cornerstone, the critical first stone that determines the alignment of an entire structure. The Lord asks Job, “Who laid its cornerstone?” (Job 38:6), highlighting divine sovereignty over creation.Psalm 118:22 celebrates the reversal of human rejection when “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Zechariah anchors Judah’s future leadership in the same term: “From Judah will come the cornerstone” (Zechariah 10:4). Isaiah laments Egypt’s failed rulers: “The princes of Zoan… the cornerstone of her tribes have led Egypt astray” (Isaiah 19:13). Jeremiah pronounces that Babylon will yield “no stone… for a cornerstone” (Jeremiah 51:26), symbolizing utter ruin.
Together these passages present the cornerstone as an emblem of dependable authority. Its removal or corruption spells collapse; its presence ensures integrity. The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ with this prophetic cornerstone (for example,Acts 4:11;1 Peter 2:7), but the Old Testament uses of פִנָּה already set the theological groundwork: ultimate stability rests on the leader God appoints.
Moral Corners in Wisdom Literature
Proverbs applies פִנָּה to personal conduct:
• “Passing through the street near her corner” (Proverbs 7:8) warns the naïve youth that impurity often hides at cultural edges.
• “At every corner she lies in wait” (Proverbs 7:12) describes persistent temptation.
• “Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife” (Proverbs 21:9; 25:24).
Corners in these texts depict places of marginal dwelling—either danger or retreat. The wise believer chooses isolation over moral compromise and guards life’s private edges with diligence.
Prophetic Promise and Eschatological Hope
Jeremiah’s and Zechariah’s visions of a rebuilt Jerusalem unite physical corners and redemptive future. The “Corner Gate” stands as a marker that the entire circumference of God’s city will be re-established.Zechariah 10:4 extends the metaphor: from the tribe of Judah will arise the cornerstone (authority), tent peg (stability), and battle bow (victory). All three images converge in the Messiah, assuring that every aspect of covenant life—civic, cultic, and military—finds coherence in Him.
Ministry Application
1. Wholeness of Worship: Like the four horns of the altar, every corner of a believer’s life must be touched by the blood of atonement (Hebrews 13:10-12).
2. Leadership Integrity: Churches and families rise or fall with their cornerstones. Faithful leaders align the entire structure to Christ (Ephesians 2:20).
3. Guarding Vulnerable Points: The Corner Gate narratives remind ministries to secure neglected “edges” of doctrine, morality, and community care (Acts 20:28-30).
4. Hope of Restoration: Even fallen walls have a future when God promises rebuilding; no ruined corner is beyond His power (Isaiah 58:12).
Summary
פִנָּה spans the Bible as the turning-point word—marking literal boundaries, symbolizing leadership, and carrying Messianic promise. Whether describing an altar’s edge, a city’s gate, or the chief cornerstone Himself, it proclaims that at every meeting of limits and possibilities, the Lord provides strength, alignment, and ultimate security.
Forms and Transliterations
הַפִּנָּ֔ה הַפִּנָּ֛ה הַפִּנָּֽה׃ הַפִּנָּה֙ הַפִּנּ֔וֹת הַפִּנּ֥וֹת הפנה הפנה׃ הפנות לְפִנָּ֔ה לפנה פִּנַּ֤ת פִּנַּ֥ת פִּנַּ֨ת פִּנַּת־ פִּנָּ֑הּ פִּנָּ֖ה פִּנָּ֣ה פִּנָּֽה׃ פִּנָּתָֽהּ׃ פִּנֹּתָ֔יו פִּנּ֔וֹת פִּנּ֣וֹת פִּנּ֥וֹת פִּנּוֹתָ֔ם פִנָּה֙ פנה פנה׃ פנות פנותם פנת פנת־ פנתה׃ פנתיו finNah hap·pin·nāh hap·pin·nō·wṯ happinNah happinnāh happinNot happinnōwṯ lə·p̄in·nāh lefinNah ləp̄innāh pin·nā·ṯāh pin·nāh p̄in·nāh pin·naṯ pin·naṯ- pin·nō·ṯāw pin·nō·w·ṯām pin·nō·wṯ pinNah pinnāh p̄innāh pinnat pinnaṯ pinnaṯ- pinnaTah pinnāṯāh pinNot pinnoTam pinnoTav pinnōṯāw pinnōwṯ pinnōwṯām
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