Bible Dictionary
Chapiter
A chapiter is the ornamental capital or head of a pillar, especially in the tabernacle, temple, and royal architecture.
Definition
A chapiter is the ornamental upper part, or capital, of a pillar. Biblical terms translated this way can also mean a diadem, crown, head, or top. Chapiters formed part of the decorative architecture of the tabernacle, temple, and other structures.
Biblical Usage
Scripture mentions chapiters in descriptions of sacred furnishings and buildings, including the tabernacle, temple, and pillars associated with royal architecture.
Historical Background
The word represents several Hebrew terms rather than one uniform technical expression. These terms emphasize the chapiter’s position as the head or upper ornament of a pillar.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The ornamental head or capital of a pillar. Three Hebrew words are so rendered. (1.) Cothereth (1 Kings 7:16; 2 Kings 25:17; 2 Chr. 4:12), meaning a “diadem” or “crown.” (2.) Tzepheth (2 Chr. 3:15). (3.) Rosh (Ex. 36:38; 38:17, 19, 28), properly a “head” or “top.”
Smith's Bible Dictionary
the capital of a pillar; i.e. the upper part, as the term is used in modern architecture.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>chap'-i-ter.</p><p>See ARCHITECTURE; JACHIN AND BOAZ; TEMPLE, II, 4.</p>