Lexical Summary
karuthah: Cut off, cutting
Original Word:כָּרֻתָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:karuthah
Pronunciation:kah-roo-THAH
Phonetic Spelling:(kaw-rooth-aw')
KJV: beam
Word Origin:[passive participle feminine ofH3772 (כָּרַת - cut off)]
1. something cut, i.e. a hewn timber
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beam
Passive participle feminine ofkarath; something cut, i.e. A hewn timber -- beam.
see HEBREWkarath
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originthe same as
karath, q.v.
Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and Immediate ContextStrong’s Hebrew 3773 appears only in three verses, all within the Solomonic building narratives (1 Kings 6:36; 7:2; 7:12). In each passage it describes “dressed” or “hewn” stone set in orderly courses that form key walls and courts of Solomon’s temple complex and the adjoining royal structures. Thus its entire biblical footprint is bound to the climactic moment when Israel receives a permanent, God-ordained house of worship in Jerusalem.
Architectural Significance
1. Quality craftsmanship
Hewn stones were painstakingly shaped off-site (compare1 Kings 6:7) so that “no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.” The word underlines deliberate preparation, precision, and reverent silence.
2. Structural strength
The text pairs three courses of hewn stone with a course of cedar beams. The stones provided weight-bearing stability, while the cedar added flexibility and beauty. The pattern indicates a harmonizing of permanence (stone) and vitality (cedar).
3. Visual order
The repeated rows (“courses”) create rhythm and symmetry, reflecting the ordered nature of the God who dwells there (1 Corinthians 14:33). The same pattern is imposed on the royal palace complex (1 Kings 7:2), showing that Solomon’s civil authority was to mirror the order of the sanctuary.
Historical Context
The temple’s construction—dating to the mid-tenth century BC—marked Israel’s transition from a migratory worship centered on the tabernacle to a centralized, settled identity. The choice to invest in finely cut stone rather than rough field-stones reflected the era’s economic prosperity and international alliances (notably with Hiram of Tyre), but its primary goal was theological: to raise a dwelling place “for the Name of the LORD” that was fitting for His glory (1 Kings 8:17–18).
Symbolic and Theological Themes
1. Covenant imagery
The act of “cutting” stones resonates with the Hebrew idiom of “cutting” a covenant (Genesis 15:18). The temple walls built of cut stones silently remind Israel that worship and covenant loyalty are inseparable.
2. Holiness through prior shaping
Stones shaped away from the site arrived ready for assembly. Likewise, God prepares His servants in hidden places so they may be set, without clamor, into His spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).
3. Permanence versus impermanence
The hewn stones contrast with the movable tabernacle boards and curtains of the wilderness generation. They declare that God has granted His people rest in the land (1 Kings 8:56) and that His promises stand firm.
Ministry Lessons and Application
• Excellence in service. The meticulous preparation of hewn stones commends diligence in any ministry task, large or small (Colossians 3:23).
• Quiet formation. The silent shaping of material off-site reminds believers that God often works in unseen seasons to fit them for public usefulness.
• Corporate unity. Individual stones become one structure only when set beside others according to the Master Builder’s plan, encouraging cooperation and mutual submission within the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:19–22).
Related New Testament Motifs
• Living stones (1 Peter 2:4–5). The church, like Solomon’s temple, is composed of carefully fashioned units that together form a dwelling for God’s Spirit.
• Foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). The careful course of hewn stones foreshadows the spiritual architecture founded on Christ’s finished work.
• Judgment of each believer’s work (1 Corinthians 3:12–14). Building with quality materials—gold, silver, costly stones—parallels Solomon’s choice of dressed stone over cheaper rubble.
Conclusion
Though used in only three verses, the term rendered “dressed stone” helps unveil the craftsmanship, reverence, and covenant consciousness embedded in Solomon’s temple project. By extension, it challenges modern readers to pursue ordered excellence, quiet preparation, and communal harmony as God continues to build His holy habitation among His people.
Forms and Transliterations
וּכְרֻת֥וֹת וכרתות כְּרֻתֹ֣ת כְּרֻתֹ֥ת כרתת kə·ru·ṯōṯ keruTot kəruṯōṯ ū·ḵə·ru·ṯō·wṯ ucheruTot ūḵəruṯōwṯ
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