Original Word: פְנִימָה
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: pniymah
Pronunciation: peh-nee-mah'
Phonetic Spelling: (pen-ee'-maw)
KJV: (with-)in(-ner part, -ward)
NASB: within, inside, inner, inner part
Word Origin: [from H6440 (פָּנִים - before) with directive enclitic]

1. faceward, i.e. indoors

inner part,

From paniym with directive enclitic; faceward, i.e. Indoors -- (with-)in(-ner part, -ward).

see HEBREW paniym

Word Origin
from panah
Definition
toward the side or inside, within
NASB Translation
inner (2), inner part (1), inside (3), inside* (2), within (4).

לִפְנִים 1 Kings 6:29 see below מָּנִי֫מָה.

מְּנִ֫ימָה adverb (ה locative)

1 towards the (in-)side.

2 within (literally faceward, from point of view of one entering by opposite door); — of a building, usually temple:

1 after verb of motion Leviticus 10:18; 2Chronicles 29:18, and (after הִגִּיד) 2 Kings 7:11, also ׳לִפ Ezekiel 41:3; 2Chronicles 29:16.

2 ׳פ 1 Kings 6:18, also ׳לִפ 1 Kings 6:30, so read also 1 Kings 6:29 (for ᵑ0 מִלִּפְנִים, see Kmp^Kau Kit Benz), Ezekiel 40:16 (twice in verse), also Psalm 45:14 ᵑ0, i.e. within the house, but Krochm Gr Che and others (plausibly) מְּנִינִים, q. v.; ׳מִמּ 1 Kings 6:19,21.= 2Chronicles 3:4.

Overview

Used thirteen times, פְנִימָה draws attention to what lies “inside” or “inward,” whether the hidden recesses of sacred architecture, the private chambers of royalty, or the spiritual core of God’s people. Its distribution spans the Law, Historical Books, Wisdom literature, and Prophets, forming a thin but coherent thread that highlights the movement from outer courts to inner reality.

Occurrences and Contexts

• Leviticus 10:18 places פְנִימָה at the very heart of tabernacle procedure: “Since its blood was not taken inside the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded”.
• Five instances in 1 Kings 6 (verses 18, 19, 21, 30) showcase Solomon’s temple, where gold overlays and cedar carvings accentuate the holiness of everything “within.”
• 2 Kings 7:11 depicts urgent news carried “to the king’s household inside,” hinting that what is inward can be a refuge or stronghold.
• Two appearances in 2 Chronicles 29 emphasize priestly cleansing of the “inner part of the house of the Lord” after decades of neglect.
• Psalm 45:13 portrays a royal bride: “All glorious is the princess in her chamber; her gown is embroidered with gold.” The inner room mirrors her inner splendor.
• Ezekiel 40:16 (twice) and 41:3 furnish details of the future temple’s interior, tying prophetic hope to an ever-deeper approach toward the presence of God.

Cultic and Architectural Significance

Whether tabernacle, Solomonic temple, or Ezekiel’s visionary complex, פְנִימָה consistently marks the zone of greatest sanctity. The nearer one draws to the innermost place, the more precious the materials (gold, cedar, ornate carving), the more restricted the access (priests, then high priest alone), and the more intense the manifestation of God’s glory. Scripture therefore treats the “inside” not merely as spatial but as theological—holiness increases toward the center.

Royal and Domestic Imagery

Psalm 45 transfers the vocabulary of temple inwardness to the palace, portraying the bride’s beauty as hidden yet radiant. Likewise, 2 Kings 7 treats the royal house as an inner sphere that receives tidings affecting national destiny. In both cases the inner quarters symbolize preciousness, security, and covenantal promise.

Theological Overtones of Inwardness

By the time of the prophets, physical inwardness begins to point beyond architecture to the heart. Jeremiah 31 anticipates a law written “on their hearts,” and Ezekiel’s detailed measurements culminate in the declaration, “The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35). The trajectory moves from external courts to internal transformation.

Typological and Christological Applications

1. Christ as the true sanctuary: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19). פְנִימָה anticipates the Messiah who brings believers into the ultimate “inside,” the very presence of the Father.
2. The church as temple: “You also are being built together into a dwelling place for God” (Ephesians 2:22). The corporate body becomes the locus where inward holiness must correspond to outward confession.
3. The believer’s heart: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). As God once demanded purity in the penimah of stone, He now demands holiness within the regenerate heart.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Worship leaders should move congregations from outer forms to inner engagement, ensuring that liturgy reflects genuine heart devotion.
• Discipleship must prioritize inner transformation over external compliance, echoing temple cleansing in 2 Chronicles 29.
• Pastoral care can draw upon the image of safe inward chambers, offering the gospel as a refuge deeper than any external threat (2 Kings 7:11).

Conclusion

Across covenant epochs, פְנִימָה invites God’s people ever further inside—first through curtain, veil, and gilded panel, finally into the very life of God by union with Christ. What was once accessible to a high priest alone is now opened to all who believe, calling for inward purity that matches the holiness of the place we have entered.

לִפְנִ֔ימָה לִפְנִ֖ימָה לִפְנִ֣ימָה לִפְנִ֤ימָה לפנימה מִפְּנִ֖ימָה מפנימה פְּנִ֑ימָה פְּנִ֔ימָה פְּנִֽימָה׃ פְנִ֙ימָה֙ פנימה פנימה׃ feNimah lifNimah lip̄·nî·māh lip̄nîmāh mip·pə·nî·māh mippeNimah mippənîmāh pə·nî·māh p̄ə·nî·māh peNimah pənîmāh p̄ənîmāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts