Spindle

A short wooden stick with a weight on top used to spin fibers into thread.

Spindle
Spindle (Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, MMA) Spindle

About Spindle

After the fibers had been drawn out, one end of the fibers was attached to the spindle, which was a short, oblong stick with a weight on the top (the whorl). The spindle was suspended in the air and spun, thus spinning the attached fibers into a thread. As the thread grew longer, it was then wrapped around the middle of the spindle until all of the fiber had been drawn out and spun.

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Key References

Exodus 26:1

“You are to construct the tabernacle itself with ten curtains of finely spun linen, each with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and cherubim skillfully worked into them.

Exodus 36:8

All the skilled craftsmen among the workmen made the ten curtains for the tabernacle. They were made of finely spun linen, as well as blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with cherubim skillfully worked into them.

Exodus 39:29

and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Proverbs 31:19

She stretches out her hands to the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

All Scripture References (22)

Exodus (20)
Exodus 26:1

“You are to construct the tabernacle itself with ten curtains of finely spun linen, each with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and cherubim skillfully worked into them.

Exodus 26:31

Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.

Exodus 26:36

For the entrance to the tent, you are to make a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen.

Exodus 27:9

You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long on one side,

Exodus 27:16

The gate of the courtyard shall be twenty cubits long, with a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It shall have four posts and four bases.

Exodus 28:6

They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.

Exodus 28:8

And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.

Exodus 28:15

You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.

Exodus 36:8

All the skilled craftsmen among the workmen made the ten curtains for the tabernacle. They were made of finely spun linen, as well as blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with cherubim skillfully worked into them.

Exodus 36:35

Next, he made the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.

Exodus 36:37

For the entrance to the tent, he made a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen,

Exodus 38:9

Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely spun linen,

Exodus 38:16

All the curtains around the courtyard were made of finely spun linen.

Exodus 38:18

The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high,

Exodus 39:2

Bezalel made the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.

Exodus 39:5

And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Exodus 39:8

He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.

Exodus 39:24

They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe.

Exodus 39:28

as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen,

Exodus 39:29

and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

2 Samuel (1)
2 Samuel 3:29

May it whirl over the head of Joab and over the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”

Proverbs (1)
Proverbs 31:19

She stretches out her hands to the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.