---
title: הֵיכָל — palace · The Tanakh dictionary
description: הֵיכָל (1964), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 80 times: palace. BDB 1906: n.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# הֵיכָל

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«הֵיכָל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **palace** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 80 times · **Key:** 1964 · **BDB:** הֵיכָל

### Glosses

the.temple (34); temple (22); of.the.temple (4)

### Meaning (OSHB)

palace [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1964/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1964/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Na 2:7 (on Is 44:28 cf. Che Di) palace, temple (v. also NH id. temple, Aramaic הֵיכָלָא, הֵיכְלָא, ܗܰܝܟܰܠ, palace, temple, Palm. הכלא temple Vog 16; cf. Arabic هَيْكَلٌ (prob. Aramaic loan-wd. according to Frä 274), Ethiopic ሀይከል temple; Assyrian ekallu, palace, temple;—prob. loan-wd. from Sum. e-gal, great house, cf. SchrHI 148 COT 2 K 20:18 HptE-vowel 11 f. LehmannŠamaššumukîn 126, and on usage Dl 338; \> from יכל (וכל) = כול contain Ew§ 162 b ThesAdd. 84; cf. Ol§ 191 b HoffmAGG xxxvi. Mai 1889, 25 DlW; from an orig. יכל LagBN 121, but cf. HomZMG 1890, 547) abs. ה׳ Am 8:3 + 27 times (הַה׳ 1 K 6:17 +); cstr. הֵיכַל Mi 1:2 + 35 times; sf. הֵיכָלֶ֑ךָ ψ 48:10 + 2 times; הֵיכָלוֹ Je 50:28 + 7 times; pl. הֵיכָלוֹת Ho 8:14; cstr. הֵיכְלֵי Is 13:22 + 2 times; sf. הֵיכְלֵיכֶם Jo 4:5;—never in Hex, rarely in S \& pre-exile prophets; especially freq. in Ki Ez \& late proph., also Chr; occasionally in ψ;— rather seld. (royal) palace (so alm. always in Assyrian); of Ahab 1 K 21:1, of king of Babylon 2 K 20:18 = Is 39:7, 2 Ch 36:7, cf. Dn 1:4, and pl. הֵיכְלֵי עֹנֶג Is 13:22 luxurious palaces; at Nineveh וְהַה׳ נָמוֹג Na 2:7; not clearly defined are הֵיכַל מֶלֶךְ ψ 45:16 and הֵיכְלֵי שֵׁן v 9; הֵיכָלוֹת Ho 8:14 (in N. Israel); vid. also וְהֵילִילוּ שִׁירוֹת הֵיכָל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא Am 8:3 and palace-songs shall be howlings in that day; cf. also (prob.) of Phœnician palaces Jo 4:5; quite general הֵיכְלֵי מֶלֶךְ Pr 30:28, \& תַּבְנִית הֵיכָל ψ 144:12 (sim. of well-proportioned daughters);—usual term for royal palace in Heb. is בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ, v. בית. of palace of God considered as king, = house of God or of י׳, temple (cf. הַה׳ Is 6:1 e infr. where proph. sees אדני ישֵׁב עַל־כִּסֵּא): of early, pre-Solomonic house at Shiloh הֵיכַל י׳ 1 S 1:9; 3:3 (= בֵּית י׳ 1:7; 3:15; פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד 2:22 om. 𝔊 We Klo Dr) with doors (דלתות, 3:15) \& a doorpost (מזוזה 1:9) (cf. 2 S 22:7 = ψ 18:7 e infr.). of Solomon’s temple: specif. the hall or nave of the temple (the holy place, distinguished from the דְּבִיר the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, and with this included in the more general term בֵּית י׳ or הַבַּיִת, 1 K 6:1, 2 + often) 1 K 6:17 (cf. v 19, 20 \& v 2) also v 5, 33 1 K 7:50 = 2 Ch 4:22; further 2 Ch 4:7, 8; Ez 8:16(×2) הָאוּלָם עַל־פְּנֵי הֵיכַל הַבַּיִת 1 K 6:3; אֻלָם הַהֵיכָל 1 K 7:21 ‖ עַל־פְּנֵי הַהֵיכָל 2 Ch 3:17; הֵיכַל י׳ 2 K 18:16; also in wide sense (appar. = בֵּית י׳), הֵיכַל י׳ 2 K 23:4; 24:13 (‖ בֵּית י׳), Je 7:4(×3) (‖ בֵּית י׳ v 2), 24:1 v. also נִקְמַת הֵיכָלוֹ Je 50:28; 51:11 (both ‖ נִקְמַת י׳); 2 Ch 26:16; 27:2, cf. 29:16 (‖ פְּנִ֫ימָה בֵית י׳; opp. חֲצַר ב׳ י׳), in all three הֵיכַל י׳. hall or nave of Ezek.’s temple, the holy place (v. supr.) (included in הַבַּיִת, the general term embracing the whole group of buildings) Ez 41:1, 4, 15, 21, 23, 25 (cf. v 20) 42:8. general designation of 2nd temple, הַהֵיכָל Zc 8:9 (‖ בֵּית י׳ צְבָאוֹת); oftener הֵיכַל י׳ Hg 2:15, 18; Zc 6:12, 13, 14, 15; Ezr 3:6, 10, הֵיכָלוֹ Mal 3:1 ψ 27:4; בּוֹנִים הֵיכָל ליהוה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל Ezr 4:1; (הַ)הֵיכָל Ne 6:10(×2) (‖ בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים), v 11; Is 44:28, cf. also 66:6.—הֵיכָל occurs occasionally in ψ, without conclusive evidence, in all cases, to what temple ref. is had; appar. distinguished from בֵּית י׳ (as sub b) ψ 5:8b (הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ; v. בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ v 8a); perhaps also ψ 68:30 (disting. from Holy of Holies by De Che; yet verse obscure); but no distinction evident ψ 79:1; 138:2; Jon 2:5, 8 (all הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ); cf. קְדֹשׁ הֵיכָלֶ֑ךָ ψ 65:5 (‖ בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ); as containing the worshipping assembly ψ 48:10. of the heavenly temple where י׳ sits enthroned Is 6:1; his abode in the heavens 2 S 22:7 = ψ 18:7, ψ 11:4 (‖ שָׁמַיִם; cf. זְבֻל קָדְשׁוֹ Is 63:15, ‖ id.), 29:9; אֲדֹנָי מֵהֵיכַל קָדְשׁוֹ Mi 1:2, cf. Hb 2:20 ויהוה בְּהֵיכַל קָדְשׁוֹ.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 75 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «הֵיכָל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1964/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 48:10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.48.10/)

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דִּמִּ֣ינוּ אֱלֹהִ֣ים חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ בְּ֝קֶ֗רֶב הֵיכָלֶֽךָ׃

*Word for word:* we.have.reflected.on O.God loyalty your.covenant in the.midst your.temple your

*JPS 1917:* We have thought on Thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of Thy temple.

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[Nahum 2:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/NAM.2.7/)

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שַׁעֲרֵ֥י הַנְּהָר֖וֹת נִפְתָּ֑חוּ וְהַֽהֵיכָ֖ל נָמֽוֹג׃

*Word for word:* the.gates of the.rivers they.have.been.opened and the palace it.has.melted.away

*JPS 1917:* The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved.

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