Hebrew word · H6982

קוֹרָה

korah

beam

A beam or rafter, the main timber of a roof (2 Kgs 6:2, 5; Song 1:17, 'the beams of our house are cedar'; 2 Chr 3:7).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

rafter, beam

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 Genesis 19:8

Range of meaning

A beam or rafter, the main timber of a roof (2 Kgs 6:2, 5; Song 1:17, 'the beams of our house are cedar'; 2 Chr 3:7).

Against the English

All the major English versions say 'roof', which is a reasonable way of conveying that the part stands for the whole house.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint, as usually printed, has 'under the shelter of my beams' (hypo tēn skepēn tōn dokōn mou), keeping the timber image.

From the study of 2 Kings 6:5

Range of meaning

A beam or rafter, a roof timber. By extension a log meant for building, and even the roof itself ("the shadow of my roof-beam").

Against the English

BSB, WEB and NLT turn it into "tree." That is natural English, but it loses the link to v. 2. KJV and NASB keep "beam," and ESV has "log."

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Kings 6:2, "let us take from there each man one beam"; Genesis 19:8, "the shadow of my roof" (beam); Song of Songs 1:17, "the beams of our house are cedar"; 2 Chronicles 3:7, the beams of the temple.

From the study of Song of Songs 1:17

Range of meaning

A beam or log of timber, especially a roof-beam. By extension, a roof itself.

Against the English

'Beams' (BSB, KJV, WEB, YLT and most modern versions) is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Genesis 19:8 Lot shelters his guests 'under the shadow of my roof' (literally 'my beam'). In 2 Kings 6:2, 5 the prophets' disciples cut a beam each at the Jordan. In 2 Chronicles 3:7 Solomon overlays the temple's beams with gold. Later Hebrew and Aramaic keep the sense 'beam, rafter'.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 19:8 קֹרָתִֽי׃ roof my

    Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them as you please. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

    Here: 'My beam', the roof timber, standing for the whole house. Being 'under my beam' means being under my roof and so under my protection as host.

2 Kings · 2

  1. 2 Kings 6:2 קוֹרָ֣ה a beam

    Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha.

  2. 2 Kings 6:5 הַקּוֹרָ֔ה the beam

    As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”

    Here: "The beam." In v. 2 the disciples planned to take "each man one beam" (qorah). So this is his beam: the trunk he was felling to become a roof timber for the new meeting place. The definite article ties it back to that plan.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 3:7 הַקֹּר֧וֹת the beams

    He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 1:17 קֹר֤וֹת [the] beams of

    The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.

    Here: The main load-bearing beams that hold up a roof. The poem opens on the structure overhead, as if the lovers are looking up from where they lie (1:16).

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