1 Kings 6:4 — Word Study
WLCוַיַּ֣עַשׂ לַבָּ֔יִת חַלּוֹנֵ֖י שְׁקֻפִ֥ים אֲטֻמִֽים׃
BSAHe also hadʻâsâh▸ narrowʼâṭam [with fixed lattice-work] windowschallôwn [holes in the wall, or oblique openings] framed highshâquph [structured with a casing, or shuttered, in an elevated position] in the templebayith [dwelling place, or temple]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֣עַשׂ | and he made | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| לַבָּ֔יִת | for the house | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| חַלּוֹנֵ֖י | windows of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| שְׁקֻפִ֥ים | frames | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| אֲטֻמִֽים׃ | shut | Verb, Qal, participle (passive) masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | He also had narrow windows framed high in the temple. |
| KJV | And for the house he made windows of narrow lights. |
| ASV | And for the house he made windows of fixed lattice-work. |
| YLT | and he maketh for the house windows of narrow lights. |
| WEB | He made windows of fixed lattice work for the house. |
| BBE | And for the house he made windows, with network across. |
The translations agree on the depiction of the windows without notable differences.
The sentence is structured around a main action with descriptive phrases that provide clarity on the windows' purpose and characteristics.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbעָשָׂה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Kings 6:4
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Construction of Solomon's Templegenerated
1 Kings 6:4 describes the architectural details of Solomon's temple, emphasizing the design elements that reflect its sacred purpose. This verse highlights the narrow windows that were framed high, suggesting both functionality and a sense of elevation in the temple's structure. The context includes descriptions of the temple's portico and surrounding chambers, illustrating Solomon's careful planning in constructing a dwelling place for God.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Kings 6:4 | He also had narrow windows framed high in the temple. |
| 2 | Song of Solomon 2:9 | |
| 3 | Ezekiel 40:16 | The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees. |
| 4 | Ezekiel 41:26 | There were beveled windows and palm trees on the sidewalls of the portico. The side rooms of the temple also had canopies. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חַלּוֹנֵ֖י, cha.lo.Neigenerated
The Hebrew word חַלּוֹן (challown) refers to a window, specifically an opening in a wall that allows light and air to enter. In ancient architecture, windows were often simple holes, and this term captures that basic function. The plural form indicates multiple windows, which would have been crucial for illuminating the temple's interior.
In this verse, the windows are described as being framed, suggesting they were constructed with care, likely to enhance their structural integrity and aesthetic appeal. The use of narrow windows may also imply a design choice that balances light with privacy and security within the sacred space.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree on the rendering of חַלּוֹנֵ֖י as windows, maintaining consistency across versions like the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb in the verse is וַיַּ֣עַשׂ, and he made, which governs the entire clause. The structure includes a prepositional phrase indicating the purpose of the action, followed by a noun phrase describing the windows and their attributes.
The sentence's construction emphasizes the action of making, with the details of the windows framed high in the temple providing additional context to Solomon's architectural choices.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וַיַּ֣עַשׂ as ἐποίησεν, meaning he made, which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning. This choice reflects a straightforward rendering of the action without additional interpretive layers.
The Greek term for windows in the Septuagint is θυρίδας, which emphasizes the functional aspect of the windows as openings, similar to the Hebrew understanding.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Kings 6:4 tells us that Solomon made narrow windows that were framed high in the temple. These windows were designed to let in light while maintaining the temple's sacred atmosphere. The details of the construction reflect Solomon's careful planning for the dwelling place of God.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The windows symbolize the light of God's presence and the openness of the temple to divine revelation.
Framing the windows high may have been intended to enhance the temple's majesty and to allow light while maintaining a sense of privacy.
The windows are part of the architectural design that reflects the temple's purpose as a holy place for worship and the dwelling of God among His people.
While the text does not specify, it is likely that wood or stone would have been used for the frames, consistent with the materials used in ancient construction.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the design of the temple windows tell us about the importance of light in worship?
- How can we reflect the sacredness of spaces in our own lives?
- In what ways can we create environments that invite divine presence?
- What can we learn from Solomon's attention to detail in building the temple?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
An early commentary from Bede interprets the temple's windows as representing holy teachers who reveal divine mysteries.
The windows of the temple are the holy teachers and all the spiritual people in the church to whom when in divine ecstasy it is granted more specially than to the others to see the hidden mysteries of heaven.Early Church Fathers on 1 Kings 6 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Kings 6:4 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd for the house he made windows of narrow lights. Or "open, shut" (o), which could be both, having shutters to them, to open or shut at pleasure; windows which they could open, and look through at
Read John Gill on 1 Kings 6 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd for the house he made windows of narrow lights. Windows of narrow lights , [ chalowneey (H2474) shªqupiym (H8261)] - apertures with fixed bars, or closed lattices; i:e., the bars or lattices
Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Kings 6 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleNarrow outward, to prevent the inconveniences of the weather; widening by degrees inward, that so the house might better receive and more disperse the light. Or, for prospect, i.e. to give light; yet shut, i.e. so far closed as to keep out weather, and let in light.
Read Matthew Poole on 1 Kings 6 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments1 Kings 6:4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.Ver. 4. And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.] Or, Broad within and narrow without. Or, Skewed and closed, that is, glazed, as R. Jehudah interpreteth it. Bright the temple was, as being full of windows so Christ came "a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on him should not abide in darkness." The first thing the Spirit doth in a sanctified soul, is to beat out new windows there, and to diffuse a marvellous light. Prospectui accommodas clausus. - Jun.
Read John Trapp on 1 Kings 6 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4) Windows of narrow lights.—The marginal reading, “windows broad within and narrow without”—splayed as in ordinary Gothic architecture—is supported by very good authorities; but the most probable meaning is “windows with fixed beams”—that is, with fixed lattices, like jalousies, useful for ventilation, but immovable, so that no one could look out or in.
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Kings 6 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 4. Windows of narrow lights.] The Vulgate says, fenestras obliquas, oblique windows; but what sort of windows could such be? The Hebrew is חלוני שקפים אטמים challoney shekuphim atumim, windows to look through, which shut. Probably latticed windows: windows through which a person within could see well; but a person without, nothing. Windows, says the Targum, which were open within and shut without. Does he mean windows with shutters; or, are we to understand, with the Arabic, windows opening wide within, and narrow on the outside; such as we still see in ancient castles? This sense our margin expresses. We hear nothing of glass or any other diaphanous substance. Windows, perhaps…
Read AdamClarke on 1 Kings 6 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges4. windows of narrow lights] It is not easy to explain the nature of these windows from the words used to describe them. They were apparently windows made by overlaid woodwork, either in the fashion of sloping louvre boards or fashioned like latticework crosswise. Then the last word indicates that they were closed in some way or other. Hence the margins of the A.V. ‘windows broad within and narrow without’ or ‘skewed and closed.’ The former of these margins the R.V. has preserved, but gives in the text windows of fixed latticework, taking the word ‘closed’ to imply the permanent nature of the woodwork in the apertures. These windows were in the wall, above the roof of the chambers which are…
Read Cambridge on 1 Kings 6 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleWindows of narrow lights - Either (as in the margin) windows, externally mere slits in the wall, but opening wide within, like the windows of old castles: or, more probably, “windows with fixed
Read Albert Barnes on 1 Kings 6 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
He also had narrow windows framed high in the temple.
He made windows of fixed lattice work for the house.
He also had narrow windows framed high in the temple.
He made framed windows for the temple.
Tyndale line
And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
And for the house he made windows of fixed lattice-work.
And for the house he made windows of fixed lattice-work.
And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
And in the house he made windowes, broad without, and narrowe within.
Strictly literal
And for the house he made closed windows with fixed lattices.
and he maketh for the house windows of narrow lights.
and he makes frames of narrowing windows for the house.
And he made for the house windows wide without and narrow within.
For the house he made windows with frames that made them more narrow at the outside than on the inside.
From the Latin
And he made in the temple oblique windows.
Simplified
He had latticed windows made to be placed high up in the Temple.
And for the house he made windows, with network across.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all five words in the Hebrew matched in the Greek translation. This indicates a consistent understanding of the text across these ancient witnesses.
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ לַבָּ֔יִת חַלּוֹנֵ֖י שְׁקֻפִ֥ים אֲטֻמִֽים׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Kings 6:4
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עָשָׂה (asah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to do or make, encompassing a wide range of actions such as producing, preparing, and observing. It can refer to both concrete and abstract activities, including making offerings and attending to tasks. The verb also has forms indicating passive meanings, such as being made or offered. Notably, the Piel form refers to pressing or squeezing.
עָשָׂה 2622 vb. do, make
Qal 2524
do (1560 t.)
deal with
oft. in phr. do kindness with
abs. act, act with effect
make (670 t.)
produce, yield
prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food
make offering
attend to, put in order
observe, celebrate, religious festival
acquire property of various kinds
appoint priests
bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance
use
spend, pass, days of life
Niph.
97be done
be made, of concr. things
be produced from vine
be prepared, of food
be offered
be observed, passover
be used
Pu. I was made
base
[עָשָׂה] vb. Pi. press, squeeze
base
H6213a עָשָׂה do, make .. . do (1560 + t.)
. deal with
. oft. in phr. do kindness with
. abs. act, act with effect
. . make (670 + t.)
. produce, yield
. prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food
. make offering
. attend to, put in order
. observe, celebrate, religious festival
. acquire property of various kinds
. appoint priests
. bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance
. use
. spend, pass, days of life
. . be done
. . be made, of concr. things
. be produced from vine
. be prepared, of food
. be offered
. be observed, passover
. be used
. I was made
H6213b עָשָׂה Pi. press, squeeze
6213 `asah aw-saw'
a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and
widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance,
appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth,
bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal
(with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in)
execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, +
finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go
about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X
indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain,
make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare,
bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure,
provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin,
spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be
(warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.
עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make: do.
: do/perform
1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to do, work, make, produce
1a1a) to do
1a1b) to work
1a1c) to deal (with)
1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect
1a2) to make
1a2a) to make
1a2b) to produce
1a2c) to prepare
1a2d) to make (an offering)
1a2e) to attend to, put in order
1a2f) to observe, celebrate
1a2g) to acquire (property)
1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute
1a2i) to bring about
1a2j) to use
1a2k) to spend, pass
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be done
1b2) to be made
1b3) to be produced
1b4) to be offered
1b5) to be observed
1b6) to be used
1c) (Pual) to be made
עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to press.
(Piel) to press, squeeze
עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make.
: make(OBJECT)
1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to do, work, make, produce
1a1a) to do
1a1b) to work
1a1c) to deal (with)
1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect
1a2) to make
1a2a) to make
1a2b) to produce
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
The Hebrew word בַּיִת (*bayith*) means 'house' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including dwelling, family, and place. It can refer to physical structures, such as homes and temples, as well as metaphorical uses like the body or household affairs. The word is built from the root related to 'between' and appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between
base
בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house
house
place
receptacle
of house as containing a family
household, family (592 t.)
house, including household affairs
lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards
מִבַּיִת
adv. on the inside
prep. within
base
H1004a בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between H1004b בַּ֫יִת house
1004 bayith bah'-yith
probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest
variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court,
daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as
would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold),
inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet,
temple, web, + within(-out).
see HEBREW for 01129
בֵּית (bet) — place.
nm
place, origin, between
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — house: home.
: home/temple/building
nm
1) house
1a) house, dwelling habitation
1b) shelter or abode of animals
1c) human bodies (fig.)
1d) of Sheol
1e) of abode of light and darkness
1f) of land of Ephraim
2) place
3) receptacle
4) home, house as containing a family
5) household, family
5a) those belonging to the same household
5b) family of descendants, descendants as organized body
6) household affairs
7) inwards (metaph.)
8) (TWOT) temple
adv
9) on the inside
prep
10) within
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(ashbea).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with ash.be.a (אַשְׁבֵּעַ "Ashbea" H0791)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth (Haggan).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with hag (גַּן "Haggan" H1588)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(togarmah).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
hous (bayith; oikos, in classical Greek generally "an estate," oikia, oikema (literally, "habitation"), in Ac 12:1, "prison"):
I. CAVE DWELLINGS
II. STONE-BUILT AND MUD/BRICK-BUILT HOUSES
1. Details of Plan and Construction
(1) Corner-Stone
(2) Floor
(3) Gutter
(4) Door
(5) Hinge
(6) Lock and Key
(7) Threshold
(8) Hearth
(9) Window
(10) Roof
2. Houses of More than One Story
(1) Upper Chambers and Stairs
(2) Palaces and Castles
3. Internal Appearance
III. OTHER MEANINGS
LITERATURE
I. Cave Dwellings.
The earliest permanent habitations of the prehistoric inhabitants of Palestine were the natural caves which abound throughout the country. As the people increased and grouped themselves into communities, these abodes were supplemented by systems of artificial caves which, in some cases, developed into extensive burrowings of many adjoining compartments, having…
House
Till their sojourn in Egypt the Hebrews dwelt in tents. They then for the first time inhabited cities (Gen. 47:3; Ex. 12:7; Heb. 11:9). From the earliest times the Assyrians and the Canaanites were builders of cities. The Hebrews after the Conquest took possession of the captured cities, and seem to have followed the methods of building that had been pursued by the Canaanites. Reference is made to the stone (1 Kings 7:9; Isa. 9:10) and marble (1 Chr. 29:2) used in building, and to the internal wood-work of the houses (
The houses of the rural poor in Egypt, as well as in most parts of Syria, Arabia and Persia, are generally mere huts of mud or sunburnt bricks. In some parts of Palestine and Arabia stone is used, and in certain districts caves in the rocks are used as dwellings. (Amos 5:11) The houses are usually of one story only, viz., the ground floor, and often contain only one apartment. Sometimes a small court for the cattle is attached; and in some cases the cattle are housed in the same building, or the live in a raised platform, and, the cattle round them on the ground. (1 Samuel 28:24) The windows are small apertures high up in the walls, sometimes grated with wood. The roofs are commonly but not always flat, and are usually formed of plaster of mud and straw laid upon boughs or…
Is often put for dwelling, residence; and hence the temple, and even the tabernacle, are called the house of God.
The universal mode of building houses in the East, is in the form of a hollow square, with an open court or yard in the center; which is thus entirely shut in by the walls of the house around it. Into this court all the windows open, there being usually no windows towards the street. Some houses of large size require several courts, and these usually communicate with each other. These courts are commonly paved; and in many large houses parts of them are planted with shrubs and trees, Ps 84:3 128:3; they have also, when possible, a fountain in them, often with a jet d’ eau, 2Sa 17:18. It is customary in many houses to extend an awning over the whole court in hot…
חַלּוֹן (challown) means 'window' in Hebrew, referring to an opening or perforation in a wall. The term is noted as both masculine and feminine in gender. It emphasizes the concept of a window as a means of light and air entering a space.
חַלּוֹן n.m. and f. window
base
H2474 חַלּוֹן window
2474 challown khal-lone'
a window (as perforated):--window.
חַלּוֹן (chal.lon) — window.
window (piercing of the wall)
N-cp — Noun common · masculine plural constructHNcmpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
שָׁקוּף (shaquph) refers to a frame or casing, particularly of windows. It is derived from the passive participle of a related root, indicating an opening or embrasure. The term encompasses concepts like light and window frames, as noted in the lexicons.
[שָׁקוּף, שְׁקוּף] n.m. frame, casing of windows
base
H8261 שָׁקוּף, שְׁקוּף, שָׁקֻף
8261 shaquph shaw-koof'
passive participle of 8259; an embrasure or opening (compare
8260) with bevelled jam:--light, window.
see HEBREW for 08259
see HEBREW for 08260
שָׁקוּף (sha.quph) — frame.
frame, casing (of windows), beams laid over, window frames
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
אטם (atam) is a Hebrew verb meaning to shut or close. It can refer to shutting lips or ears, and in a figurative sense, it describes the wicked stopping their ears. The root conveys a sense of narrowing or stopping, with various usages in the Old Testament.
[אטם] vb. shut, shut up
Qal shut, stop
Hiph. of adder, stopping ears, sim. of wicked.
base
H331 אטם shut, shut up
331 'atam aw-tam'
a primitive root; to close (the lips or ears); by analology
to contract (a window by bevelled jambs):--narrow, shut,
stop.
אָטַם (a.tam) — to shutter.
1) to shut, shut up, close
1a) (Qal) to shut, stop (of lips)
1b) (Hiphil) of the wicked stopping their ears (fig.)
V-Qal-Inf-c — Verb · Qal · participle (passive) masculine pluralHVqsmpa