Lexical Summary
ulam: Porch, Vestibule, Hall
Original Word:אוּלָם
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:uwlam
Pronunciation:oo-lahm'
Phonetic Spelling:(oo-lawm')
KJV: porch
NASB:porch, hall, porches
Word Origin:[fromH481 (אָלַם - mute) (in the sense of tying)]
1. a vestibule (as bound to the building)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
porch
Or (shortened),ulam {oo-lawm'}; from'alam (in the sense of tying); a vestibule (as bound to the building) -- porch.
see HEBREW'alam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
ulDefinitiona porch
NASB Translationhall (5), porch (28), porches (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I.
1Kings 7:8 porch (compare ) — absolute
1 Kings 6:3 +;
Ezekiel 40:48,49; construct
1 Kings 7:6 +;
Ezekiel 40:7 + (margin
1 Kings 7:7,12,21); plural construct
Ezekiel 41:15 (Co singular with suffix; in Ezekiel Co reads everywhere see below) —
porch (only Kings Chronicles Ezekiel & Joel).
1 Kings 7:19; 2Chronicles 29:7,2 Chronicles 29:17; 2Chronicles 8:12 (altar in front of); 2Chronicles 15:8 (id.), compareEzekiel 8:16 &Joel 2:17;1 Kings 7:21;1 Kings 7:12;1 Chronicles 28:11.
1 Kings 7:8 (twice in verse);1 Kings 7:6 compare1 Kings 7:6;1 Kings 7:7 =1 Kings 7:7.
Ezekiel 40:7,8 (strike out Co see ):9.9.15.39.40;Ezekiel 44:3;Ezekiel 46:2,8;Ezekiel 40:48 compareEzekiel 40:48;Ezekiel 40:49;Ezekiel 41:25,26;Ezekiel 41:25 Co singular see . — (III. , adverb.)
I. & II. &
see below II. .
Topical Lexicon
Overview and DistributionThe Hebrew noun אוּלָם (’ûlām) designates the projecting porch or vestibule that fronts a larger structure, especially the Temple. Of its roughly thirty-four uses, the majority appear in the historical narratives describing Solomon’s building works (1 Kings, 2 Chronicles) and in Ezekiel’s visionary Temple (Ezekiel 40–41). A few additional references occur in the accounts of Judah’s reforms under Hezekiah and Josiah. The term never occurs outside architectural contexts, underscoring its technical nature.
Architectural Significance in Solomon’s Temple
1 Kings 6:3 gives the first description: “The portico in front of the main hall of the temple was twenty cubits long, across the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house”. The אוּלָם functioned as a transitional space between the outer court and the Hekal (holy place), providing shelter for priests and worshippers and visual grandeur for approaching pilgrims. Solomon added two specialized porches beside the Temple’s primary אוּלָם: the “Porch of Pillars” and the “Porch of the Throne” where the king sat in judgment (1 Kings 7:6-7). These ancillary halls reveal that royal administration and liturgical life were architecturally integrated, reflecting Israel’s ideal of covenantal kingship under Yahweh.
Cultic and Liturgical Use
2 Chronicles 29:7 records that apostate priests “shut the doors of the portico, put out the lamps, and did not burn incense” during Ahaz’s reign, indicating that closure of the אוּלָם effectively suspended Temple worship. When Hezekiah reopened the אוּלָם (2 Chronicles 29:17), Levitical cleansing began there and moved inward, mirroring the spiritual principle that repentance starts at the threshold of God’s house before progressing toward deeper communion. Josiah likewise stationed the priests “in the LORD’s Temple” and had them stand “in their offices within the portico” (2 Chronicles 34:9-10), reaffirming its role as the first station of sacred duty.
Ezekiel’s Visionary Temple
Ezekiel 40–41 employs אוּלָם fourteen times, presenting three-fold “porches” on each of the outer, inner, and sanctuary gateways. Each porch measures six cubits deep and six wide (Ezekiel 40:8-9). The repetitive design envisions a perfectly ordered approach to divine presence, every threshold guarded by symmetry and holiness.Ezekiel 44:3 further elevates the אוּלָם when the prince is granted the right to eat bread “in the portico of the gate before the LORD,” portraying restored fellowship that anticipates Messianic fulfillment.
Symbolic Theology: Threshold of Access
Because the אוּלָם bridges common ground and consecrated space, it becomes a living metaphor for mediated access to God. The breadth and height (often twenty cubits,2 Chronicles 3:4) testify to divine largess, while its gilded surfaces proclaim God’s glory. Priests performing sacrifices could look through the אוּלָם into the sanctuary, a visual sermon that atonement leads to worship. In Solomon’s dedication, the cloud of glory filled the “house of the LORD” (1 Kings 8:10), and the porch served as the vantage from which Israel beheld that manifestation.
Royal and Judicial Functions
The אוּלָם was also a place of public audience.1 Kings 7:7 notes that Solomon’s judgment hall contained a special אוּלָם, signifying that justice proceeded under the covering of God’s house. By situating civil authority in a porch attached to the Temple complex, Scripture affirms that righteous rulership derives legitimacy from covenant faithfulness.
Echoes in Second Temple Judaism and the New Testament
The rebuilt complex under Zerubbabel retained a porch (Ezra 3:1-3 implies its framework). In Herod’s enlargement, “Solomon’s Colonnade” functioned similarly (John 10:23;Acts 3:11;Acts 5:12). Though the Greek term differs, the concept of a sheltered threshold for teaching, healing, and proclamation stands in continuity with אוּלָם. The early church gathered in that space, underscoring that public ministry flows naturally from the house of God into the world.
Practical Ministry Lessons
1. Accessibility and Reverence: The אוּלָם reminds churches to create welcoming yet holy entry points where seekers can move toward deeper truth.
2. Cleansing Begins at the Door: Revival starts when spiritual leaders “open the doors of the porch” (2 Chronicles 29:3), confessing sin and restoring neglected disciplines.
3. Integration of Worship and Justice: Solomon’s judicial porch signals that truth and mercy must shade every societal decision.
4. Anticipation of Christ: Ezekiel’s measured porches prefigure the ordered access provided by the Messiah, “the new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20), whose sacrifice removes the final barrier between humanity and God.
Forms and Transliterations
אֻלָ֔ם אֻלָ֣ם אֻלָ֤ם אֻלָ֥ם אוּלָ֤ם אוּלָ֥ם אוּלָ֨ם אולם אלם בָּֽאוּלָ֑ם באולם הָֽאוּלָ֑ם הָֽאוּלָם֙ הָאֻלָ֞ם הָאוּלָ֖ם הָאוּלָ֗ם הָאוּלָֽם׃ הָאוּלָם֙ הָאוּלָם֩ האולם האולם׃ האלם וְאֻֽלַמֵּ֖י וְאֻלָ֥ם וְאוּלָ֤ם וְאוּלָם֙ וְהָאוּלָ֗ם וְהָאוּלָ֡ם וּבְאֻלָ֣ם וּלְאֻלָ֥ם ואולם ואלם ואלמי ובאלם והאולם ולאלם כָּאוּלָ֖ם כאולם לְאֻלָ֖ם לְאֻלָ֣ם לְאוּלָ֣ם לָֽאוּלָ֔ם לאולם לאלם ’u·lām ’ū·lām ’ulām ’ūlām bā’ūlām bā·’ū·lām bauLam hā’ulām hā’ūlām hā·’u·lām hā·’ū·lām hauLam kā’ūlām kā·’ū·lām kauLam lā’ūlām lā·’ū·lām lauLam lə’ulām lə’ūlām lə·’u·lām lə·’ū·lām leuLam ū·ḇə·’u·lām ū·lə·’u·lām ūḇə’ulām uLam ūlə’ulām uleuLam uveuLam vehauLam veuLam veulamMei wə’ulām wə’ūlām wə’ulammê wə·’u·lām wə·’ū·lām wə·’u·lam·mê wə·hā·’ū·lām wəhā’ūlām
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