Topical Bible: Jambs

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical architecture and symbolism, "jambs" refer to the side posts or vertical elements of a doorway or entrance. These structural components are significant in various scriptural contexts, often symbolizing strength, stability, and the threshold between different spaces or states of being.

Biblical References:

The term "jambs" is not frequently mentioned explicitly in the Bible, but the concept is integral to the construction and design of sacred spaces, particularly in the descriptions of the Tabernacle and the Temple. The jambs, along with lintels and thresholds, form the framework of entrances, which are often sites of significant spiritual and ritual activity.

Exodus and the Tabernacle:

In the construction of the Tabernacle, detailed instructions are given for the design of its entrances. While the term "jambs" is not specifically used, the posts and frames that support the curtains and veils can be understood as serving a similar function. These elements are crafted with precision and care, reflecting the holiness and sanctity of the space they enclose.

Solomon's Temple:

The Temple built by Solomon, as described in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, features elaborate doorways with posts and jambs made of precious materials. These architectural details underscore the grandeur and divine presence associated with the Temple. The jambs, as part of the entrance, signify the transition from the secular to the sacred, marking the boundary of God's dwelling place on earth.

Symbolic Significance:

Jambs, as part of a doorway, hold symbolic meaning in biblical literature. They represent the idea of passage and transition, both physically and spiritually. In a spiritual sense, passing through a doorway can symbolize entering into a covenant with God, moving from a state of sin to one of redemption, or transitioning from earthly life to eternal life.

Ritual and Covenant:

In the context of the Passover, the Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts and lintels of their homes with the blood of a lamb (Exodus 12:7). While the term "jambs" is not used, the doorposts serve a similar function. This act of marking the entrance with blood was a sign of covenant and protection, as the Lord passed over the homes of the Israelites during the final plague in Egypt.

Prophetic Imagery:

Prophets often use the imagery of doors and their components, including jambs, to convey messages of judgment or salvation. For example, in Ezekiel's vision of the new Temple (Ezekiel 40-48), the detailed measurements and descriptions of the doorways emphasize the order and holiness of God's future dwelling place.

Conclusion:

While the term "jambs" may not appear frequently in the biblical text, the concept is deeply embedded in the architectural and symbolic language of the Bible. Jambs, as part of doorways, serve as powerful symbols of transition, protection, and the sacred boundary between the divine and the human.

Strong's Hebrew

331. atam -- to shut, shut up
... narrow, shut, stop. A primitive root; to close (the lips or ears); by analology
to contract (a window by bevelled jambs) -- narrow, shut, stop. 330b, 331. ...
/hebrew/331.htm - 6k

Library

The Two Paths
... cannot go through the eye of a needle, not only because of its own bulk, but because
of the burdens which flap on either side of it, and catch against the jambs ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the two paths.htm

A Description of the Temple.
... 3. Now nine of these gates were on every side covered over with gold and silver,
as were the jambs of their doors and their lintels; but there was one gate ...
/.../chapter 5 a description of 2.htm

The Eighteenth Theban Dynasty --(Continued)
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 5. <. ...
/.../chapter ithe eighteenth theban dynastycontinued.htm

Thesaurus

Jambs (19 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Jambs (19 Occurrences). 1 Kings 6:31 For the entrance
of the oracle he made doors of olive wood: the lintel ...
/j/jambs.htm - 11k

Jambri

/j/jambri.htm - 6k

House (20110 Occurrences)
... to imagine the earliest wooden door as a simple movable boarded cover with back
bars, fixed vertically by a movable bar slipped into sockets in the stone jambs...
/h/house.htm - 39k

James (40 Occurrences)

/j/james.htm - 78k

Resources

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Concordance

Jambs (19 Occurrences)

1 Kings 6:31
For the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive wood: the lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall.
(See NIV)

1 Kings 6:33
So also made he for the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 40:7
And every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and the space between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed.
(See JPS)

Ezekiel 40:9
Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 40:10
The lodges of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 40:16
There were closed windows to the lodges, and to their posts within the gate all around, and likewise to the arches; and windows were around inward; and on each post were palm trees.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 40:21
The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side; and its posts and its arches were after the measure of the first gate: its length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 40:24
He led me toward the south; and behold, a gate toward the south: and he measured its posts and its arches according to these measures.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 40:26
There were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them; and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, on its posts.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 40:31
The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 40:33
and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 40:34
The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 40:36
its lodges, its posts, and its arches: and there were windows therein all around; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 40:37
The posts of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 40:48
Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 40:49
The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 41:1
He brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tent.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 41:3
Then went he inward, and measured each post of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the breadth of the entrance, seven cubits.
(See RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 41:21
As for the temple, the door-posts were squared; and as for the face of the sanctuary, the appearance thereof was as the appearance of the temple.
(See JPS)

Subtopics

Jambs

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