And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:

1 KINGS 6:5KJV
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1 Kings 6:5 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 6:5 mean?

1 Kings 6:5 describes how Solomon built a series of rooms, called chambers, all around the outside walls of the temple, including both the main sanctuary and the inner sanctuary (the oracle). These chambers surrounded the temple structure on all sides, forming a kind of outer ring of rooms attached to the main building.

In this verse, the writer is giving specific details about the construction of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. The “house” refers to the temple itself, and the “oracle” is the Most Holy Place inside. The chambers were likely used for storage, priestly duties, or temple supplies, showing the careful planning and complexity of the temple’s design.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 6:5

  • The word for “chambers” is יָצִיעַ (yatsia‘), which refers to side rooms or annexes built onto the main structure. This word highlights that these were not part of the main worship area but were attached for practical purposes.
  • The word for “oracle” is דְּבִיר (devir), which means the innermost sanctuary or Most Holy Place. This clarifies that the chambers were built even around this most sacred inner room, not just the outer parts.
  • The word for “temple” is הֵיכָל (heikal), which refers to the main sanctuary area. This distinction shows the chambers surrounded both the central and most sacred spaces.

Why 1 Kings 6:5 matters

  • This verse helps clear up that the temple was not a simple, single-room building but a complex structure with multiple layers and functions.
  • By mentioning both the temple and the oracle, the verse shows that the design included practical spaces even around the holiest areas, suggesting the importance of order and preparation in worship.
  • Understanding the layout described here helps readers picture the temple as it was in Solomon’s time and appreciate the care taken in its construction, which is a key theme in the surrounding chapters.

Where else these words appear

“chambers” Hebrew H3326 · used in 8 verses

  • Genesis 49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
  • 1 Kings 6:10 And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
  • Job 17:13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.

“oracle” Hebrew H1687 · used in 16 verses

  • 1 Kings 6:16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
  • 1 Kings 6:23 And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
  • 2 Chronicles 3:16 And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

“chambers” Hebrew H6763 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
  • Exodus 36:25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,
  • 1 Kings 6:34 And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

“wall” Hebrew H7023 · used in 64 verses

  • Exodus 30:3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.
  • 1 Kings 14:10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.
  • Ezekiel 8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.