Hebrew word · H361

אֵילָם

ve'elamov

arches

A porch, vestibule or hall. It is closely related to (or a variant of) אוּלָם ʾûlām, the word for the porch of Solomon's temple (1 Kgs 6:3). In Ezekiel 40 it is the hall at the inner end of each gate.

Appears 15 times in 12 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

porch, vestibule, portico

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 40:16

Range of meaning

A porch, vestibule or hall. It is closely related to (or a variant of) אוּלָם ʾûlām, the word for the porch of Solomon's temple (1 Kgs 6:3). In Ezekiel 40 it is the hall at the inner end of each gate.

Against the English

KJV 'arches'; BSB 'porticos'; others 'vestibule' or 'porch'. 'Arches' is misleading: the word names a room or hall, not a curved structure.

How it drifted

KJV's 'arches' follows earlier guesses about this rare word. To a modern reader 'arch' means a curved span, which is not what the Hebrew word means.

Used elsewhere in the period

Found almost only in Ezekiel 40, often beside the more common ʾûlām (v. 15). The Septuagint simply transliterates it as 'ailam', which shows the translator was also unsure of its exact sense.

From the study of Ezekiel 40:22

Range of meaning

An architectural term for a porch, vestibule or entrance hall attached to a gate or building. Ezekiel uses it alongside the more common אוּלָם ('ulam), the word for the porch of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:3). Most lexicons (BDB, HALOT) treat the two as variants or close relatives. Ezekiel 40–41 is almost the only place it occurs.

Against the English

KJV and WEB say 'arches'. BSB and NIV say 'portico', ESV 'vestibule', NASB 'porches'. 'Arches' makes the reader picture curved masonry openings, which is not what the word describes.

How it drifted

Early interpreters were unsure of this rare word. Some linked it to אַיִל ('ayil, 'jamb-pillar', used in the neighbouring verses), and the KJV tradition settled on 'arches'. Comparing it with 'ulam and with the actual layout of the gate in 40:8–9 points to a porch-room instead.

Used elsewhere in the period

In 1 Kings 6–7 the 'ulam is the front hall of Solomon's temple and of his palace buildings. The Greek translators often just transliterated Ezekiel's word (ailam / ailammō), which suggests they did not know a Greek equivalent either.

Where it appears

Ezekiel · 15

  1. Ezekiel 40:16 לָאֵֽלַמּ֑וֹת to the porches

    The gate chambers and their side pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.

    Here: The vestibule or hall at the inner end of the gate. The plural is puzzling, since each gate has one porch, so this word may have been miscopied.

  2. Ezekiel 40:21 וְאֵֽלַמָּיו֙ and porches its

    Its three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same measurements as the first gate: fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

  3. Ezekiel 40:22 וְאֵֽלַמָּיו֙ וְאֵֽילַמָּ֖יו and porches its

    Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.

    Here: 'And its vestibule(s)': the entrance hall at the end of the gate passage. The plural probably treats the porch as a structure made of several parts. It does not mean curved 'arches'.

  4. Ezekiel 40:24 וְאֵ֣ילַמָּ֔יו and porches its

    Then he led me to the south side, and I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and portico, and they had the same measurements as the others.

  5. Ezekiel 40:25 וּלְאֵֽילַמָּיו֙ and to porches its

    Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

  6. Ezekiel 40:26 וְאֵֽלַמָּ֖יו and porches its

    Seven steps led up to it, and its portico was opposite them; it had palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side.

  7. Ezekiel 40:29 וְאֵֽלַמָּיו֙ וּלְאֵלַמָּ֖יו and porches its, and to porches its

    Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

  8. Ezekiel 40:30 וְאֵֽלַמּ֖וֹת and porches

    (The porticoes around the inner court were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits deep.)

  9. Ezekiel 40:31 וְאֵלַמָּ֗יו and porches its

    Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it.

  10. Ezekiel 40:33 וְאֵֽלַמָּיו֙ וּלְאֵלַמָּ֖יו and porches its, and to porches its

    Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

  11. Ezekiel 40:34 וְאֵלַמָּ֗יו and porches its

    Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.

  12. Ezekiel 40:36 וְאֵֽלַמָּ֔יו and porches its

    as did its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.