And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about.

JEREMIAH 52:23KJV
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Jeremiah 52:23 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 52:23 mean?

Jeremiah 52:23 describes how ninety-six pomegranates were placed on each side of a decorative network, with a total of one hundred pomegranates encircling the entire structure. This verse gives a precise count of ornamental details on the temple’s pillars.

This verse is part of a detailed description of the temple furnishings as they were taken away by the Babylonians after Jerusalem’s fall. The writer is carefully recording the features of the temple’s bronze pillars, likely to emphasize both their beauty and the loss suffered when they were carried off into exile.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 52:23

  • "Pomegranates" (רִמּוֹן, rimmon): This word refers to the fruit-shaped decorations that adorned the temple pillars. Pomegranates were a common symbol of abundance and beauty in ancient Israel.
  • "Network" (שָׂבָכָה, sabakah): This word means a lattice or mesh, describing the intricate, net-like design that surrounded the top of the pillars. The detail highlights the craftsmanship involved in the temple’s construction.
  • "Side" (רוּחַ, ruach): While this word often means "spirit" or "wind," here it is used to mean "side" or "direction," specifying the arrangement of the pomegranates around the network.

Why Jeremiah 52:23 matters

  • The verse shows the care and precision with which the temple’s beauty was recorded, even as it was being dismantled, underlining the significance of what was lost.
  • The detailed count of pomegranates and their arrangement helps readers picture the temple’s grandeur and the skill of its builders.
  • By matching details found in earlier descriptions (such as in 1 Kings 7), this verse connects the destruction of the temple to its original splendor, deepening the sense of loss and historical continuity.

Where else these words appear

“network” Hebrew H7639 · used in 12 verses

  • 1 Kings 7:17 And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.
  • 1 Kings 7:41 The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;
  • 2 Chronicles 4:12 To wit, the two pillars, and the pommels, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars;

“ninety” Hebrew H8673 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 5:9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
  • 1 Samuel 4:15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
  • Nehemiah 7:21 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.

“pomegranates” Hebrew H7416 · used in 25 verses

  • Exodus 28:33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
  • 1 Samuel 14:2 And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;
  • Song of Solomon 4:13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,