H3730 H3730
Knob or ornamental bud on the golden lampstand (menorah); also the capital or top-piece of a pillar.
A term for rounded ornamental protuberances, used in two distinct architectural contexts. In Exodus 25 and 37 it appears sixteen times describing the bulb-shaped knobs that punctuate the branches of the Tabernacle's golden lampstand, paired with cups and blossoms in a stylized almond-flower motif. Spanish renders these as 'cáliz' (calyx), German as 'Knospe' (bud), and French as 'bourgeon' (bud) — all capturing the botanical shape of the ornament. In its second sense, Amos 9:1 commands striking 'the capital' of the temple pillars, and Zephaniah 2:14 pictures desolate capitals atop ruined columns. The shared idea is a rounded shape crowning a vertical structure.
2. capital (of a pillar) — The capital or crowning piece of a pillar, an architectural term. In Amos 9:1 God commands striking the capitals so the thresholds shake — a vision of catastrophic temple destruction. Zephaniah 2:14 pictures desolate Nineveh with animals lodging among ruined capitals. The semantic link to sense 1 is the idea of a rounded protuberance atop a vertical structure, but the referent shifts from cultic furniture to monumental architecture. 2×
AR["التَّاجَ","فِي-تِيجَانِهَا"]·ben["-শীর্ষকে","তার-শীর্ষদণ্ডে"]·DE["[בכפתריה]","[הכפתור]"]·EN["on-her-capitals","the-capital"]·FR["knop"]·heb["ב-כפתוריה","ה-כפתוֹר"]·HI["उसके-खंभों-पर","शीर्ष"]·ID["di-kepala-tiangnya"]·IT["[בכפתריה]","[הכפתור]"]·jav["ing-wuwunganipun","sirah-cagak"]·KO["그-기둥머리를","에-기둥머리들-그것의"]·PT["em-seus-capitéis","o-capitel"]·RU["на-капителях-её","по-капители"]·ES["el-capitel","en-sus-capiteles"]·SW["katika-vichwa-vya-nguzo-zake","vichwa-vya-nguzo"]·TR["başlıklarında","başlığı"]·urd["-کنگرے-کو","اُس-کے-ستونوں-پر"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. knob, bud (of lampstand) — An ornamental bulb or bud-shaped knob on the golden lampstand (menorah), part of the almond-blossom decorative scheme described in the Tabernacle construction narratives (Exod 25:31-36, 37:17-22). Each branch has three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its knob and flower. The Septuagint renders it as 'spheroter' (sphere), Josephus as 'small pomegranate,' and the Vulgate as 'sphaerula.' Spanish 'cáliz' and German 'Knospe' emphasize the botanical character of the ornament. 16×
AR["أَكمامُها","عُقدَةٌ","عُقَدُها","كُمُّ","وَ-عُقدَةٌ","وَ-كُمُّ"]·ben["এবং-কুঁড়ি","এবং-গোলক","কুঁড়ি","গোলক","গোলকগুলি-তাদের","গোলকগুলি-তার","তাদের-কুঁড়িগুলি","তার-কুঁড়িগুলি"]·DE["Knospe","eine-Knospe","ihr-Knospen","sein-Knospen","und-Knospe","und-eine-Knospe"]·EN["a-bud","and-a-bud","and-bud","bud","its-buds","their-buds"]·FR["bud","et-bud","et-un-bourgeon","leur-buds","son-buds","un-bourgeon"]·heb["ו-כפתור","כפתור","כפתוריה","כפתוריהם"]·HI["उनकी-गाँठें","उसकी-गाँठें","और-गाँठ","गाँठ"]·ID["Dan-kuncup","Dan-tombol","Kuncup-kuncupnya","Tombol-tombol mereka","dan-kuncup","dan-tombol","kuncup","kuncup-kuncupnya","tombol","tombol-tombolnya"]·IT["bocciolo","e-bocciolo","e-un-bocciolo","loro-boccioli","suo-boccioli","un-bocciolo"]·jav["Kuncup-kuncup-ipun","Lan-kuncup","Lan-tombol","Tombol-tombolipun","kuncup","kuncup-kuncup-ipun","lan-kuncup","lan-tombol","tombol","tombolipun"]·KO["그-꼽봉오리들과","그것들의-꽃받침들","그것의-꽃받침들","그들의-꼽봉오리들과","그리고-꼽봉오리가","그리고-꽃받침","꼽봉오리와","꽃받침"]·PT["E-botão","botão","botões-dele","botões-deles","e-botão","seus-botões"]·RU["Завязи-их","И-завязь","завязи-его","завязь","и-завязь","и-шарик","шарик","шарики-её","шарики-их"]·ES["Sus-cálices","Y-cáliz","cáliz","sus-cálices","y-cáliz"]·SW["matunda-yake","na-tunda","tunda"]·TR["Ve-tomurcuk","tomurcuk","tomurcukları","tomurcuklarını","ve-tomurcuk"]·urd["اور-گولہ","اُس-کے-گولے","اُن-کے-گولے","گولہ"]
Exod 25:31, Exod 25:33, Exod 25:33, Exod 25:34, Exod 25:35, Exod 25:35, Exod 25:35, Exod 25:36, Exod 37:17, Exod 37:19, Exod 37:19, Exod 37:20 (+4 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. כַּפְתּוֹר, כַּפְתֹּר n.m. 1. capital, 2. knob, bulb (2. perhaps earlier meaning; HoffmZAW iii. (1883), 124, comp. Syriac ܟܡܬܪܐ pear (LöwNo. 153), from shape);— 1. כַּפְתּוֹר Am 9:1 capital of pillar; so pl. sf. כַּפְתֹּרֶיהָ Zp 2:14. 2. כַּפְתֹּר, knob or bulb, ornament on the golden lamp-stand in tabernacle; 𝔊 σφαιρωτήρ, Jos Archaeology iii. 6, 7 ῥοΐσκος, small pomegranate; 𝔙…