2 Chronicles 4:13 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 4:13 mean?

2 Chronicles 4:13 describes part of the decoration on two pillars at Solomon’s temple. Four hundred carved pomegranates were arranged on two wreaths around the rounded tops of the pillars. The verse gives a count and describes how the decorations were placed.

The pomegranates are decorative representations of fruit, not fruit growing on the pillars. In the KJV, “chapiters” means the ornamental tops of the pillars, and “pommels” refers to their rounded parts. The wreaths and rows would have covered those rounded surfaces.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 4:13

• “wreaths” — שְׂבָכָה (sevakhah): This word can refer to a network or lattice. Here, the wreaths were decorative framework on which the pomegranates were arranged.
• “pommels” — גֻּלָּה (gullah): The word refers to a rounded or bowl-shaped form. The KJV’s unfamiliar “pommels” describes the rounded parts of the pillar tops.

Why 2 Chronicles 4:13 matters

• The count belongs to both wreaths together. The verse names “four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths,” rather than four hundred on each one.
• The rows were part of a planned arrangement, not scattered decorations. The verse specifies “two rows of pomegranates on each wreath.”
• The decorations belonged to the temple’s metalwork. The surrounding list identifies the work as bronze and connects it with Huram, the craftsman who made objects for King Solomon (2 Chronicles 4:11, 16).