Lexical Summary sheqeph: Lattice, window Original Word: שֶׁקֶף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance window From shaqaph; a loophole (for looking out), to admit light and air -- window. see HEBREW shaqaph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition framework, casing (of doors) NASB Translation frames (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [שֶׁ֫קֶף] noun [masculine] frame-work, casing of doors (compare Late Hebrew שְׁקוּף lintel, Aramaic שְׁקוֺף, שַׁקְפָא threshold); — שָׁ֑קֶף 1 Kings 7:5. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Context שֶׁקֶף designates the visible framing or gallery sectioning the doorways in Solomon’s palace complex. It highlights the squared, ordered lines that crowned each portal and visually linked one opening to the next. Rather than a merely decorative flourish, it functioned as an architectural device that established symmetry, balance and unity across the structure. Architectural Background The palace described in 1 Kings 7 blends Phoenician craftsmanship with Israel’s covenant theology. Cedars from Lebanon, hewn stones, and bronze work from Hiram of Tyre created an edifice worthy of the king who built the temple. שֶׁקֶף lay at the points of transition—doorways—where one would pass from one chamber of royal administration to another. In ancient Near Eastern construction, galleries framed by horizontal beams offered both reinforcement and an aesthetic grid, guiding the eye along recurring patterns of threes or fives. Such proportion echoed wider biblical themes of order emerging from divine wisdom (Proverbs 3:19–20). Biblical Occurrence 1 Kings 7:5 records: “All the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other in sets of three”. The term appears only here, yet its placement within a chapter devoted to royal architecture invites comparison with the temple measurements (1 Kings 6). Both buildings employ precise ratios, suggesting that the palace, though secular in function, still carried covenant symbolism by mirroring the ordered sanctity of the house of the LORD. Theological and Ministry Reflections 1. Divine Order in Daily Realm Applications for Believers Today • Build with intentionality: Whether designing worship spaces or household rhythms, let every frame testify to the God of order (1 Corinthians 14:40). Related Concepts – Lintel (Deuteronomy 6:9) – Threshold (Ezekiel 46:2) – Doorposts and Mezuzah (Exodus 12:7) Each term underscores transition points where covenant identity is affirmed and preserved. שֶׁקֶף contributes the added notion of visible, ordered beauty accompanying that protection. Summary Though occurring only once, שֶׁקֶף offers a window into Solomon’s architectural theology: beauty anchored in precision, elegance joined to strength, and earthly governance shaped by heavenly design. The believer who frames life upon that same pattern discovers stability, clarity and a testimony that allows light to pass unhindered from one chamber of witness to the next. Forms and Transliterations שָׁ֑קֶף שקף šā·qep̄ šāqep̄ ShakefLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Kings 7:5 HEB: וְהַמְּזוּז֖וֹת רְבֻעִ֣ים שָׁ֑קֶף וּמ֧וּל מֶחֱזָ֛ה NAS: [had] squared [artistic] frames, and window KJV: [were] square, with the windows: and light INT: and doorposts squared frames against and window 1 Occurrence |
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