Bible dictionary

Candle, Candlestick

The words candle and candlestick appear in older Bible versions like the King James Version. But these words are better translated as lamp and lampstand.

Candles made of wax with a wick like we use today did not exist in Bible times. People used small clay or metal lamps filled with oil. A piece of cloth served as the wick.

See Lamp, Lampstand.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)The classic article on this subject

Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary) from Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. About the sources