Topical Bible: Pillar: As a Boundary

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In biblical times, pillars often served as significant markers or boundaries, both physically and symbolically. These structures, typically made of stone, were erected to demarcate territories, commemorate divine encounters, or signify covenants between individuals or groups. The use of pillars as boundaries is deeply rooted in the cultural and religious practices of the ancient Near East, and the Bible provides several instances where pillars functioned in this capacity.

One of the earliest examples of a pillar serving as a boundary is found in the account of Jacob and Laban in Genesis. After a tense encounter, Jacob and Laban made a covenant to ensure peace between them. As a testament to this agreement, they erected a pillar. Genesis 31:45-52 describes this event: "So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar, and he said to his relatives, 'Gather some stones.' So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. Then Laban declared, 'This mound is a witness between you and me this day.' Therefore it was named Galeed, and also Mizpah, because he said, 'May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other.'"

In this narrative, the pillar and the accompanying mound of stones served as a physical and symbolic boundary, representing the mutual agreement and the divine witness to their covenant. The pillar was not merely a territorial marker but also a reminder of the solemn promise made before God.

Another significant instance is found in the account of Joshua and the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land. In Joshua 4, after crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites set up twelve stones as a memorial. While not explicitly called a "pillar," these stones served a similar purpose as a boundary marker, commemorating the miraculous crossing and marking the beginning of their new life in the land God had promised them. Joshua 4:20-24 states: "And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, 'In the future, when your children ask their fathers, "What is the meaning of these stones?" you are to tell them, "Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground." For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.'"

The use of pillars as boundaries is also evident in the broader context of ancient Israelite society, where they often marked tribal territories or city limits. These pillars were not only practical markers but also carried religious significance, reminding the people of God's promises and their covenantal responsibilities.

In summary, pillars as boundaries in the Bible serve multiple purposes: they are physical markers of territory, memorials of divine intervention, and symbols of covenants between individuals and before God. These structures remind the faithful of God's presence and the importance of maintaining peace and fidelity to His commands.

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Joshua 15:6
And the border went up to Bethhogla, and passed along by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:
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Joshua 18:17
And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,
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Library

Description of Pilate's Palace and the Adjacent Buildings.
... line traced on the pavement of the court indicating the precise boundary beyond
which ... The pillar upon which our Lord was scourged was placed on the forum itself ...
/.../chapter xvi description of pilates.htm

Now There were Few Barriers Between the Emperor and the People. .. ...
... That elation of the young lover now had its boundary of thoughtfulness. ... in the Forum,
he could see the golden mile-stone of Augustus, now like a pillar of fire ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bacheller/vergilius/chapter 6 now there were.htm

A Clearing-Up Storm in the Realm
... Yet East and West have always overlapped at the middle boundary line ... be the same
visible evidence of the presence of God at Jerusalem as when the pillar of fire ...
/.../vi a clearing-up storm in the.htm

Exhortation to Abandon the Impious Mysteries of Idolatry for the ...
... been in a state of commotion, it has established, and fixed the sea as its boundary. ...
awed men by the fire when He made flame to burst from the pillar of cloud ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter i exhortation to abandon the.htm

Be Diligent
... As we pass the conventional boundary of another year, most of us, I suppose, cast ...
outgrown and left behind; the longer, the far-off glories, a pillar of light ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/be diligent.htm

The Wilderness.
... how they should live in this desert place, forgetting that the Pillar of cloud ... to
take these as their inheritance, though beyond the proper boundary, the Jordan ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson iv the wilderness.htm

And ii.
... the expectation, [Pg 432] that the judgment would either stop at the boundary of
Judah, or ... together, and then, the Lord went before them,"in a pillar of cloud ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/chap i and ii.htm

Preface
... But if the exact boundary cannot be marked with certainty, he thinks it both desirable ...
For here, he is immovable as an iron pillar, nor can either the fear, or ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/preface.htm

Isaiah
... as the Palestinian, or we may even suppose that the "pillar" has here nothing to
do with worship, but stands, for some other purpose, on the boundary line. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/isaiah.htm

Farewell
... Forum, traversed Italy, ran through the provinces, and were terminated only by the
boundary of the empire. As a starting point a gilt pillar (Milliarium Aureum ...
/.../conversion of a high priest into a christian worker/chapter i farewell.htm