פִּנָּה28 H6438
Corner, cornerstone, or chief; the angle of a structure, a foundation stone, or a leader of the people
The Hebrew pinnah denotes the physical corner or angle of a building, altar, city wall, or street. From this concrete sense springs the powerful image of the cornerstone (even pinnah), the chief foundation stone that anchors an entire structure -- a metaphor Scripture applies both to God's creative work (Job 38:6) and to the Messiah whom the builders rejected (Psalm 118:22). In a further figurative leap, the 'corners of the people' (pinnot ha-am) designates chiefs or principal leaders, the human cornerstones holding a community together. Spanish piedra angular and English 'cornerstone' both capture this architectural-to-leadership trajectory.
Senses
1. corner or angle — The physical corner or angle of a building, altar, city wall, roof, or street. Used 22 times across Exodus, Kings, Chronicles, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, and Proverbs to denote the spatial turning-point of a constructed object or urban feature. The Spanish esquina and French coin consistently render this concrete architectural sense. 22×
AR["الزَّاوِيَةِ", "الزَّوَايَا", "الزّاويَة", "الْـ-زَاوِيَةِ", "زاوِيَةِ-", "زَاوِيَةٍ", "زَاوِيَتِهَا", "زَوايا", "زَواياهُ", "زَوَايَا", "زَوَايَاهُ", "زَوَايَاهُمْ", "ٱلزَّاوِيَةِ"]·ben["কোণগুলি", "কোণগুলিতে", "কোণগুলির", "কোণে", "কোণে-", "কোণের", "কোণের-সেই", "তাদের-কোণগুলি", "তার-কোণগুলিতে", "তার-কোণগুলো", "তার-কোণে"]·DE["[הפנה]", "[הפנות]", "[פנה]", "[פנות]", "[פנותם]", "[פנת]", "der-Corner", "der-Ecke", "sein-Ecken"]·EN["a-corner-of", "corner", "corner-of", "corners-of", "her-corner", "its-corners", "the-Corner", "the-angle", "the-corner", "the-corners", "their-corner-towers"]·FR["[הפנה]", "[הפנות]", "[פנה]", "angle", "coin", "le-Corner", "sa-angle-elle", "son-coins"]·heb["ה-פינה", "ה-פינות", "ה-פנה", "ה-פנות", "פינה", "פינות", "פינותיו", "פינותם", "פינת-", "פינתה", "פנה"]·HI["उनके-कोने।", "उसके-कोनों", "कोने", "कोने-", "कोने-उसके", "कोने-का", "कोने-की", "कोने-के", "कोनों", "मोड़", "हप्पिन्नाह-के"]·ID["Sudut", "menara-menara", "menara-sudut-mereka", "penjuru", "sudut", "sudut-sudut", "sudut-sudutnya", "sudutnya"]·IT["[פנה]", "angolo", "angolo-sua", "il-Corner", "suo-corners"]·jav["Pojok", "pojok", "pojok-ipun,", "pojok-pojok", "pojok-pojokipun", "pojok-saking", "pojokan", "pojoknipun", "sudut"]·KO["그-모서리들에", "그-모통이", "그-모통이-의", "그-모통이들", "그-모통이의", "그것의-모퉁이들", "그녀-의-모통이-의", "모서리들의", "모통이", "모통이-", "모통이-에서", "모통이-의", "모퉁이-의", "모퉁이-탑들-그들의", "모퉁이들"]·PT["a-Esquina", "a-esquina", "as-esquinas", "as-torres", "canto-de-", "cantos-de", "cantos-dele", "de-esquina", "esquina", "seus-cantos", "sua-esquina"]·RU["башен", "башни-их", "поворота", "угла", "угла-её,", "углах", "углах-его", "угловыми", "угловых", "углу", "углу-", "угольных"]·ES["esquina", "esquina-de-", "esquina-de-ella", "esquinas-de", "la-Esquina", "la-esquina", "las-esquinas", "sus-esquinas", "un-rincón-del-"]·SW["Kona", "kona", "kona-yake", "kona-zake", "ngome-zao", "pembe", "pembe-ya", "pembe-zake", "pembeni", "za-sehemu"]·TR["köselerinin", "köşede", "köşeleri", "köşelerin", "köşelerine", "köşelerinin", "köşenin", "köşenin-o", "köşesinde-", "köşesinin-onun", "pivotuna"]·urd["اُس-کے-کونوں", "اُن-کے-بُرج", "کونوں", "کونوں-سے", "کونوں-کے", "کونے-", "کونے-اُس-کے", "کونے-میں", "کونے-کا", "کونے-کے", "گوشے-کے"]
Exod 27:2, Exod 38:2, 2 Kgs 14:13, 2 Chr 26:9, 2 Chr 26:15, 2 Chr 28:24, Neh 3:24, Neh 3:31, Neh 3:32, Job 1:19, Ps 118:22, Prov 7:8 (+10 more)
2. cornerstone or foundation stone — The cornerstone or chief foundation stone (even pinnah), used both literally of architecture and metaphorically of God's creative and redemptive purposes. Job 38:6 asks who laid earth's cornerstone; Isaiah 28:16 promises a tested stone in Zion; Psalm 118:22 declares the rejected stone became the head corner -- a passage the New Testament applies directly to Christ. Spanish piedra angular captures this dual register. 4×
AR["حَجَرَ-زَاوِيَةٍ", "رُكْنٌ", "رُكْنُ", "زَاوِيَتِهَا؟"]·ben["কোণা", "কোণা-পাথর", "কোণাপ্রস্তর", "তার-কোণের"]·DE["[פנה]", "[פנת]", "[פנתה]"]·EN["a-cornerstone", "corner", "cornerstone-of", "stone"]·FR["[פנת]", "coin", "sa-angle-elle"]·heb["פינה", "פינת", "פינתה"]·HI["उसके-कोने-का", "कोना", "कोना-का-पत्थर", "कोने-के-पत्थर-ने"]·ID["batu-penjuru", "penjurunya"]·IT["angolo", "angolo-sua"]·jav["pojok", "pojok-ipun", "sudut", "watu-sudut"]·KO["그것-의-모통이의", "모통이", "모통이들이여", "모퉁이의"]·PT["a-pedra-angular-de", "angular", "pedra-angular", "seu-canto?"]·RU["краеугольный-камень", "угловой", "угловой-её", "угол"]·ES["angular-de", "piedra-angular", "piedra-angular-de", "su-esquina"]·SW["jiwe-kuu", "jiwe-la-pembeni", "la-pembe-yake"]·TR["kose", "kose-tasi", "köşe-taşı", "köşesinin"]·urd["اس کا کونے کا", "سنگِ-بنیاد", "کونے-کا", "کونے-کا-پتھر"]
3. chief or leader — A figurative extension where 'corners' denotes chiefs, leaders, or principal men of the community. In Judges 20:2 and 1 Samuel 14:38, pinnot ha-am ('corners of the people') identifies the ruling leaders around whom the nation is structured, much as cornerstones anchor a building. The Spanish jefes-de makes the metaphor explicit where English preserves the architectural image. 3×
AR["زَوَايَا"]·ben["কোণ", "কোণা", "কোণে"]·DE["Ecken-von"]·EN["corners-of"]·FR["coins-de"]·heb["פינות"]·HI["कोने", "कोनों"]·ID["pemimpin", "penjuru", "sudut-sudut"]·IT["angoli-di", "corners-di"]·jav["pojok", "pojok-pojok"]·KO["모서리들의", "모통이들이", "지도자들"]·PT["cantos-de", "chefes-de"]·RU["главы", "углах", "углы"]·ES["esquinas-de", "jefes-de"]·SW["kutoka-kitako", "nguzo", "viongozi"]·TR["köşeleri"]·urd["سرداروں", "کونوں", "کونے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
פִּנָּה28 n.f. corner;—abs. פ׳ 2 K 14:13 +, cstr. פִּנַּת Je 31:40 +; sf. פִּנָּתָהּ Jb 38:9, פִּנָּהּ Pr 7:8 (Ges§ 91 e); pl. פִּנּוֹת abs. Zp 1:16 2 Ch 26:15, פִּנִּים Zc 14:10; cstr. פִּנּוֹת 1 K 7:34 +, etc.;— 1. a. corner, of square objects 1 K 7:34 + v 30 (read פִּנּוֹתָיו for פַּעֲמֹתָיו, cf. Kit), Ex 27:2; 38:2; Ez 43:20; 45:19; of house Jb 1:19, roof Pr 7:12; 21:9 = 25:24; אֶבֶן לְפ׳ Je…