The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.

1 KINGS 6:8KJV
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1 Kings 6:8 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 6:8 mean?

1 Kings 6:8 describes how people entered and moved between the rooms in Solomon’s temple: the door to the middle room was on the right side of the temple, and a winding staircase led up from there to the middle and then the third story. This verse gives a specific detail about the temple’s internal structure and how it was accessed.

The verse is part of a larger section where the writer describes the building of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. The description is meant to give readers a clear mental picture of the temple’s layout, showing that it had multiple levels and a carefully planned entrance and staircase. These details help readers understand the craftsmanship and design that went into this important building.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 6:8

  • The word for "door" is פֶּתַח (petach), which means an entrance or opening. Its use here highlights the specific access point to the middle chamber, not just any door.
  • "Middle" is תָּיְכֹן (taykhon), which refers to the central or middle part. The repetition in the verse emphasizes the importance of the middle chamber in the temple’s design.
  • "Stairs" is מַעֲלוֹת (ma'alot), meaning steps or an ascent. The mention of "winding stairs" suggests a spiral or turning staircase, which was a notable architectural feature for that time.
  • "Right" is יָמִין (yamin), meaning the right side. This detail shows the careful orientation and planning of the temple’s rooms and entrances.

Why 1 Kings 6:8 matters

  • This verse clears up how the temple’s side rooms were accessed, showing that there was a specific, planned way to move between levels, not just random doorways.
  • The emphasis on the right side and the winding stairs reveals the thoughtfulness and skill in the temple’s construction, highlighting the care taken with God’s house.
  • Understanding these details helps readers picture the temple more accurately and appreciate the historical and architectural context of Solomon’s reign.

Where else these words appear

“middle” Hebrew H8484 · used in 9 verses

  • Exodus 26:28 And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.
  • Judges 7:19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
  • Ezekiel 41:7 And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.

“right” Hebrew H3233 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 29:20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
  • Leviticus 14:25 And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:
  • 2 Chronicles 3:17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

“chamber” 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.

“side” Hebrew H3802 · used in 58 verses

  • Exodus 27:14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
  • Joshua 18:13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.
  • Isaiah 49:22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.