Bible Dictionary
SHAFT
A shaft is an upright stem or a slender part of an object. It may refer to an arrow, the central stem of the tabernacle lampstand, or, in another context, the base of that stand.
Definition
A shaft is an upright stem or slender supporting part of an object. In Scripture the word may refer to an arrow or to the upright stem of the tabernacle’s candlestick. In another context, the same object is understood as the candlestick’s base.
Biblical Usage
Isaiah uses the term for an arrow. Exodus describes the shaft of the tabernacle lampstand, while Numbers 8:4 has a context in which the Revised Version renders the corresponding part “base.”
Historical Background
The underlying Hebrew term can mean “thigh,” which accounts for the somewhat general English rendering. The context determines whether an upright stem or a base is intended.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>shaft: Isa 49:2 for chets, "an arrow"; also Ex 25:31; 37:17; Nu 8:4 the King James Version for a part of the candlestick of the tabernacle somewhat vaguely designated by the word yarekh, "thigh." The context in the first 2 verses shows that the upright stem or "shaft" is intended, but in Nu 8:4 a different context has caused the Revised Version (British and American) to substitute "base."</p><p>See also ARCHERY; ARMOR, ARMS.</p>