8261. shaquph

Lexical Summary

shaquph: Overhanging, latticed

Original Word: שָׁקֻף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shaquph
Pronunciation: shah-KOOPH
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-koof')
KJV: light, window
NASB: frames
Word Origin: [passive participle of H8259 (שָׁקַף - looked down)]

1. an embrasure or opening with bevelled jam

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

light, window

Passive participle of shaqaph; an embrasure or opening (compare sheqeph) with bevelled jam -- light, window.

see HEBREW shaqaph

see HEBREW sheqeph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as sheqeph
Definition
frame, casing
NASB Translation
frames (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[שָׁקוּף, שְׁקוּף] noun masculine^{1Kings 6:4} frame, casing of windows; — plural חַלּוֺנֵי שְׁקֻפִים 1 Kings 6:4 windows of narrowing frames, so read also, inserting ׳שׁ, Ezekiel 41:16 (Co Toy; > Krae Berthol read ׳שׁ for שְׂחִיף v^b); ׳שׁ alone 1 Kings 7:4.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

The term שָׁקֻף (shaquph) appears twice in the Old Testament and pertains to the unique, beveled-framed windows fashioned for Solomon’s temple complex. Although the word itself describes a specific architectural element, its placement within the temple narrative intertwines physical craftsmanship with enduring spiritual lessons regarding light, holiness, and ordered beauty in worship.

Occurrences in Scripture

• 1 Kings 6:4 – “He framed the temple with windows of beveled frames.”
• 1 Kings 7:4 – “There were three rows of framed windows, facing each other in three tiers.”

Architectural Context in Solomon’s Temple

1. Location and Function
• In 1 Kings 6 the שָׁקֻף windows are mentioned while detailing the main house of the Lord. Their narrow, recessed design both admitted light and guarded the sanctity within, minimizing direct view from the outside while brightening the interior court.
• In 1 Kings 7 they reappear in the description of the House of the Forest of Lebanon, Solomon’s adjacent royal hall. This parallel usage suggests a continuity of design language between sacred and royal spaces, emphasizing the covenant unity of throne and temple in Israel’s theocratic ideal.

2. Craftsmanship
• The text links the windows to the broader building narrative that highlights cedar, gold overlay, and precise measurements. The beveled frames would have required specialized artisanship—another testimony to the devotion of Israel’s resources and skill for the glory of God.
• The triple-row arrangement (1 Kings 7:4) illustrates a symmetrical order consonant with other tripartite temple motifs (e.g., outer court, Holy Place, Most Holy Place).

Symbolic and Theological Themes

1. Light and Revelation
• Though modest in dimension, the שָׁקֻף windows allowed controlled shafts of daylight to penetrate the sanctuary. Light in Scripture regularly symbolizes revelation (Psalm 119:105; John 8:12). The windows therefore serve as concrete reminders that divine illumination enters by God’s design and measure, not human presumption.

2. Separation unto Holiness
• Their narrowness preserved privacy, maintaining the distinction between sacred interior worship and secular exterior life. This supports the biblical motif of holy separation (Leviticus 20:26; 2 Corinthians 6:17), yet without excluding the world from the testimony of God’s presence—light still shone outward in muted form.

3. Order and Beauty as Worship
• Repeated emphasis on frames, tiers, and alignment underscores that worship embraced aesthetic order, mirroring the Creator’s harmony. When believers employ creativity and excellence in service, they echo Solomon’s builders who fashioned windows that were both functional and artistically refined (cf. Exodus 31:3-5).

Ministry Applications

• Worship Spaces: Churches today may draw principle from the שָׁקֻף motif by designing environments that invite divine light—both physical and spiritual—while safeguarding reverence.
• Discipleship: The balanced flow of light suggests cultivating disciplined openness to God’s Word, filtering out distractions yet letting truth illuminate every corner of life (Ephesians 5:13-14).
• Stewardship of Skill: As artisans devoted themselves to perfecting window frames, believers are called to consecrate their abilities—technical, artistic, or administrative—for gospel purposes (Colossians 3:23-24).

Related Biblical Imagery

• “Windows of heaven” in Genesis 7:11 and Malachi 3:10 convey God’s sovereign outpouring, contrasting the controlled human windows of the temple with His limitless provision.
• The Bridegroom’s call “through the lattice” (Song of Solomon 2:9) uses similar architectural language to picture intimate invitation, hinting that the sanctuary’s latticed windows point forward to covenant fellowship fulfilled in Christ.

Legacy in Redemptive History

Though small architectural details, the שָׁקֻף windows participate in the comprehensive pattern whereby God employed material forms to foreshadow spiritual realities. They highlight light entering a sanctified house, anticipating the day when the true Light would tabernacle among humanity (John 1:14). By respecting Scripture’s notice of such particulars, the church gains fuller appreciation of God’s integrated design in revelation, worship, and redemption.

Forms and Transliterations

וּשְׁקֻפִ֖ים ושקפים שְׁקֻפִ֥ים שקפים šə·qu·p̄îm šəqup̄îm shekuFim ū·šə·qu·p̄îm ūšəqup̄îm ushekuFim

Englishman's Concordance

1 Kings 6:4
HEB: לַבָּ֔יִת חַלּוֹנֵ֖י שְׁקֻפִ֥ים אֲטֻמִֽים׃
NAS: windows with [artistic] frames.
KJV: windows of narrow lights.
INT: the house windows with frames of narrow

1 Kings 7:4
HEB: וּשְׁקֻפִ֖ים שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה טוּרִ֑ים
NAS: [There were artistic window] frames in three
KJV: And [there were] windows [in] three
INT: frames three rows

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8261
2 Occurrences

šə·qu·p̄îm — 1 Occ.
ū·šə·qu·p̄îm — 1 Occ.