Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terminology, the term "socket" refers primarily to the structural components used in the construction of the Tabernacle, as described in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word often translated as "socket" is "אֵדֶן" (eden), which denotes a base or foundation upon which something is set or established. These sockets played a crucial role in the stability and portability of the Tabernacle, the sacred tent of meeting that served as the dwelling place of God among the Israelites during their wilderness journey.
Biblical References:1.
Exodus 26:19 : "Make forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames—two bases for each frame, one under each tenon." This verse describes the construction of the Tabernacle's framework, where silver sockets served as the foundation for the wooden frames. Each frame was fitted with tenons that were inserted into these sockets, providing stability and support.
2.
Exodus 38:27 : "The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the bases for the sanctuary and the bases for the curtain—one hundred bases from the hundred talents, one talent per base." This passage highlights the use of silver in crafting the sockets, emphasizing the preciousness and significance of the materials used in the Tabernacle's construction.
3.
Exodus 36:24 : "He made forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames—two bases for each frame." This reiteration underscores the meticulous attention to detail in the Tabernacle's design, ensuring that each component was crafted according to divine specifications.
Symbolic Significance:The sockets of the Tabernacle hold symbolic meaning within the broader narrative of Scripture. They represent the foundational truths and divine order upon which the community of faith is established. Just as the sockets provided stability to the Tabernacle, the foundational doctrines of faith provide stability to the believer's life. The use of silver, a metal often associated with redemption and purity, further underscores the sanctity and divine purpose of the Tabernacle as a place of meeting between God and His people.
Theological Implications:From a theological perspective, the sockets can be seen as a metaphor for the foundational role of Christ in the life of the believer. As the Apostle Paul writes in
1 Corinthians 3:11 , "For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." Just as the sockets were essential for the Tabernacle's structure, Christ is essential for the spiritual structure of the Church and the individual believer.
Practical Application:In practical terms, the concept of sockets as foundational elements can inspire believers to examine the foundations of their own faith. It encourages a reflection on the core beliefs and doctrines that support one's spiritual life and community. By ensuring that these foundations are strong and aligned with biblical truth, believers can withstand the challenges and trials of life, much like the Tabernacle withstood the rigors of the wilderness journey.
In summary, the sockets of the Tabernacle serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of a solid foundation in both the physical and spiritual realms. They highlight the meticulous care with which God instructed His people to construct His dwelling place and serve as a metaphor for the foundational truths that underpin the Christian faith.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) An opening into which anything is fitted; any hollow thing or place which receives and holds something else; as, the sockets of the teeth.
2. (n.) Especially, the hollow tube or place in which a candle is fixed in the candlestick.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
SOCKETsok'-et ('edhen): The tabernacle in the wilderness being constructed as a portable building without permanent foundation, its stability was attained by the use of "sockets" into which the pillars and boards forming its walls were sunk. The word therefore is used solely in relation to the tabernacle, except in one poetic passage (Songs 5:15), where the legs of the beloved are compared to "pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold." In all, the tabernacle with its court rested upon 165 bases or sockets, apportioned thus:
(1) silver sockets, each a talent (circa 95 lbs.) in weight (Exodus 38:27), namely, 96 to support the 48 boards of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:19); 4 for the pillars supporting the veil (Exodus 26:32) = 100;
(2) bronze sockets, weight not given, namely, 50 to support the 50 standards on which were hung the curtains of the tabernacle on North, South and West (Exodus 27:10), 10 to support 10 pillars on the E. (Exodus 27:13), and 5 to support the 5 pillars upholding the screen at the tabernacle entrance (Exodus 26:27) = 65. The site for the tabernacle being chosen and leveled, these sockets would be "laid" upon it (Exodus 40:18), and the tenons of the boards, or projecting base of the pillar, inserted into holes made for the purpose.
W. Shaw Caldecott
Strong's Hebrew
134. eden -- a base, pedestal... Word Origin from the same as adon Definition a base, pedestal NASB Word Usage bases
(1), pedestals (1),
socket (1), sockets (52). foundation,
socket.
...7926. shekem -- shoulder
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition shoulder NASB Word Usage back (2), portion
(1), shoulder (12), shoulders (7),socket (1). place of burdens....
4402. milleth -- perhaps setting or border, rim
... fitly. From male'; fulness, ie (concretely) a plumpsocket (of the eye) -- X fitly.
see HEBREW male'. 4401, 4402. milleth. 4403 . Strong's Numbers.
4388. maktesh -- mortar
... hollow place, mortar. From kathash; a mortar; by analogy, asocket (of a tooth) --
hollow place, mortar. see HEBREW kathash. 4387, 4388. maktesh. 4389 ....
2356. chor -- a hole
... cave, hole. Or (shortened) chor {khore}; the same as chuwr; a cavity,socket, den --
cave, hole. see HEBREW chuwr. 2355, 2356. chor. 2357 . Strong's Numbers
3709. kaph -- hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot)...
... 1), hands (69), hands* (1), hollow (1), hoof* (1), palm (8), palms (3), pan (12),
pans (9), paws (1), pledge (1), pledges* (1), power (1),socket (4), sole (11...
Library
Meeting a Brother who had Been Wronged
... When he saw that he did not win against Jacob, he struck thesocket of his hip,
and thesocket of Jacob's hip was strained, as he wrestled with him....
The Strife for Precedence.
... fire. When, with an honest purpose, we probe it and pluck at it, still
we may detect it in the lowestsocket of the heart. Often...
Passion.
... His voice flowed on until the candle which he held in his hand burned away and went
out in itssocket! The next morning he was not, for God had taken him."....
The Infallibility of God's Purpose
... upon the circle of the earth, before whom all its inhabitants are as grasshoppers,
we nestle in the Rock of ages, which from its eternalsocket never starts...
From the Fond Caresses which the Soul Has Has with God Beneath the...
... they not chosen to kill me with my only Love, that I yet might have embraced, with
the arms of my heart, in sorrow and desolation, the hard stonesocket of the...
His Legs are as Pillars of Marble, Set Upon Sockets of Fine Gold...
... For although for a few hours it yielded to death, yet being set upon asocket of
fine gold, that is, united to the Divinity, it did not see corruption (Acts 2...
Proposed Action on Clerical Celibacy.
... He was also celebrated for his miracles, and was held in so great respect by the
Emperor, that the latter often kissed the emptysocket of the lost eye....
Concerning the Tabernacle which Moses Built in the Wilderness for...
... they had each of them two tenons belonging to them, inserted into their bases, and
these were of silver, in each of which bases there was asocket to receive...
England's Strength
... In some of them the light of the Gospel has been quenched utterly, and in others
it lingers like a candle flickering down into thesocket....
The Meteor Shower (Preached at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, Nov....
... if" to quote the famous words of the German sage"'If, instead of the Divine Eye,
there must glare on us an empty, black, bottomless eye-socket;' and the...
Thesaurus
Socket (5 Occurrences)... candlestick. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
SOCKET. sok
... purpose. W. Shaw Caldecott.
Multi-Version Concordance
Socket (5 Occurrences). Genesis
...Shoe (13 Occurrences)
... 10. (n.) An ironsocket or plate to take the thrust of a strut or rafter. 11.
(n.) An ironsocket to protect the point of a wooden pile. 12....
Hollow (35 Occurrences)
... hol'-o (kaph, nabhabh): "Hollow" is the translation of kaph, "hollow" (Genesis
32:25, 32, "the hollow of his thigh," the hip-pan orsocket, over the sciatic...
Sockets (44 Occurrences)
... of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the
veil; one hundred sockets for the one hundred talents, a talent for asocket....
Oil (281 Occurrences)
... A flat stone is next placed on top, and then a heavy log is placed on the pile in
such a manner that one end can be fitted into asocket made in a wall or rock...
Society (4 Occurrences)
100 (8 Occurrences)
... of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the
veil; one hundred sockets for the one hundred talents, a talent for asocket....
Joint (12 Occurrences)
... or parts so as to admit of motion; an articulation, whether movable or not; a hinge;
as, the knee joint; a node or joint of a stem; a ball andsocket joint....
Ink (4 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The step, orsocket, in which the lower
end of a millstone spindle runs. 2. (n.) A fluid, or a...
Talents (36 Occurrences)
... of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the
veil; one hundred sockets for the one hundred talents, a talent for asocket....
Resources
Who was Jacob in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the significance of Peniel in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgSocket: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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