1140. binyah

Lexical Summary

binyah: Building, structure

Original Word: בִּנְיָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: binyah
Pronunciation: bin-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (bin-yaw')
KJV: building
NASB: building
Word Origin: [feminine from H1129 (בָּנָה - built)]

1. a structure

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

building

Feminine from banah; a structure -- building.

see HEBREW banah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from banah
Definition
a structure, building
NASB Translation
building (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בִּנְיָה noun feminine structure, building Ezekiel 41:13, compare also בִּנְיָן.

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Scope

The term בִּנְיָה points to a completed edifice, a built structure. Rather than emphasizing the act of construction, it highlights the finished product—what has been raised, set in place, and now stands as a testimony to the builder’s intent.

Old Testament Usage

The word appears once, in Ezekiel 41:13, where the prophet is guided through a visionary tour of a future sanctuary. The measuring angel records its dimensions, underscoring that every part of the temple is deliberate, proportioned, and secure. Though brief, the occurrence is strategic, anchoring the entire vision to a tangible, measurable “building” that embodies divine order.

Context within Ezekiel’s Temple Vision

1. Restoration Hope. Ezekiel prophesied to exiles who had seen Solomon’s temple reduced to ash. In the vision, a new “building” stands at the heart of a reordered land, assuring the people that worship will rise again.
2. Holiness of the Structure. Every measurement is presented as exact, communicating God’s meticulous holiness (compare Ezekiel 43:12). The term בִּנְיָה describes more than walls; it conveys sacred space set apart for God’s glory.
3. Eschatological Expectation. Because the vision follows prophecies of return and renewal (Ezekiel 36–37), the “building” becomes a prophetic pledge of ultimate restoration—fulfilled in part after the exile, and set on course toward the consummate dwelling of God with His people.

Theological Significance of God’s Building

• Divine Initiative. Scripture repeatedly shows God as the chief Builder (see Psalm 127:1). Ezekiel 41 places a literal structure at the center of restored worship, but the larger narrative stresses that only the Lord can raise such a dwelling.
• Covenant Presence. The “building” is the place where glory returns (Ezekiel 43:5). Covenant blessing is inseparable from His chosen dwelling.
• Pattern and Revelation. As Moses received a pattern for the tabernacle, Ezekiel receives precise measurements. The temple “building” is a visual theology lesson: salvation history moves according to revealed pattern, not human improvisation.

Intertextual Echoes and Canonical Connections

Genesis 11:4 contrasts Babel’s self-exalting tower with God’s appointed “building.” 1 Kings 6:1–38 recounts Solomon’s temple as a precedent. Yet the fullest resonance emerges in New Testament writings:
• “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5).
• “In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21).

What Ezekiel saw foreshadows the assembly of believers, joined by the Spirit into a sanctuary that transcends stone and timber, yet remains concrete in the purposes of God. Revelation 21:3 culminates the trajectory: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.”

Ministry and Practical Applications

1. Building with Precision. Ministers, elders, and every believer are called to labor after the divine pattern, not human agendas. Sound doctrine and disciplined worship mirror Ezekiel’s measured walls.
2. Pursuit of Holiness. Just as the vision’s “building” is set apart, so the church must guard its purity (2 Corinthians 6:16–18).
3. Hope for Restoration. Congregations facing ruin—whether moral, numerical, or structural—find in Ezekiel 41:13 a pledge that God restores. No devastation is final when the Master Builder decrees a new edifice.
4. Corporate Identity. The single occurrence of בִּנְיָה nonetheless urges collective, not merely individual, faithfulness. The building stands only because each stone holds its appointed place (Ephesians 4:15–16).

Summary

בִּנְיָה, though mentioned only once, anchors a vision of measured holiness, covenant presence, and eschatological hope. From Ezekiel’s restored sanctuary to the New Testament’s living temple, Scripture testifies that God Himself builds, fills, and safeguards His dwelling—first in a physical structure, finally in a redeemed people who bear His glory forever.

Forms and Transliterations

וְהַבִּנְיָה֙ והבניה vehabbinYah wə·hab·bin·yāh wəhabbinyāh

Englishman's Concordance

Ezekiel 41:13
HEB: אַמָּ֑ה וְהַגִּזְרָ֤ה וְהַבִּנְיָה֙ וְקִ֣ירוֹתֶ֔יהָ אֹ֖רֶךְ
NAS: the separate area with the building and its walls
KJV: and the separate place, and the building, with the walls
INT: cubits the separate the building walls long

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 1140
1 Occurrence

wə·hab·bin·yāh — 1 Occ.