'Foundation' in the Bible

Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates.”

The king gave orders, and they quarried great stones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house (temple) with cut stones.

In the fourth year [of King Solomon’s reign] the foundation of the Lord’s house was laid, in the [second] month, Ziv (April-May).

All these were of expensive stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great courtyard.

The foundation was of expensive stones, large stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits.

Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out from the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

a [second] third shall be at the king’s house (palace), and a [final] third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord.

In the third month [at the end of wheat harvest] they began to make the heaps, and they finished them in the seventh month.

From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid.

Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with their cymbals, to praise the Lord in accordance with the directions of David king of Israel.

They sang [responsively], praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness (mercy) toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house (temple), wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy,

Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction and is not yet completed.’

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?Tell Me, if you know and have understanding.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

Clouds and thick darkness surround Him [as at Sinai];Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built,And by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],

When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.

Therefore the Lord God says this,“Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone,A precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed.He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic].

“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd (ruler),And he will carry out all that I desire—’Saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be built,’And of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall [again] be laid.’”

“Rain down, O heavens, from above,Let the clouds pour down righteousness [all the blessings of God];Let the earth open up, let salvation bear fruit,And righteousness spring up with it;I, the Lord, have created it.

“My hand founded and established the earth,And My right hand spread out the heavens;When I call to them, they stand together [in obedience to carry out My decrees].

I also saw that the temple (house) had a raised platform all around it; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full rod of six long cubits in height.

The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. But the free space between the side chambers belonging to the temple

and the outer chambers was a width of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side.

The doorways of the side chambers toward the free space were one doorway toward the north and another doorway toward the south; and the width of the free space was five cubits all around.

You went forth for the salvation of Your people,For the salvation and rescue of Your anointed [people Israel].You struck the head from the house of the wickedTo lay him open from the thigh to the neck. Selah (pause, and calmly think of that).

‘Do consider from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded, consider:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Let your hands be strong, you who in these days hear these words from the mouths of the prophets who, on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, foretold that the temple might be rebuilt.

The oracle (a burdensome message) of the word of the Lord concerning Israel.Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him: