Lexical Summary binyah: Building, structure Original Word: בִּנְיָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance building Feminine from banah; a structure -- building. see HEBREW banah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom 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. 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. 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: 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. 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 wəhabbinyāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman'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 |