Description
The pinnacle was the tip or high point of a structure. The passages listed above refer to the pinnacle of the Temple.
Translation
The precise meaning of the Greek word pterugion is uncertain. Some scholars have proposed “lintel” or “superstructure of the gate [of the Temple].” The Greek word translated “temple” (hieron) in MAT 4:5 and LUK 4:9 refers to the whole area occupied by the sanctuary (see Jewish Temple), and the pinnacle (literally “small wing”) could designate a corner or extreme point. So some scholars have suggested that it refers to the southwest corner of the Herodian wall surrounding the Temple complex. It is less likely that the word refers to some top corner of the Temple building itself. Common-language translations often render it “very high point” or “highest part.”