8372. ta

Lexical Summary

ta: Chamber, room, cell

Original Word: תָּא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ta'
Pronunciation: tah
Phonetic Spelling: (taw)
KJV: (little) chamber
NASB: guardrooms, guardroom, room
Word Origin: [from (the base of) H8376 (תָּאָה - draw a line)]

1. a room (as circumscribed)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

little chamber

And (feminine) ta ah (Ezek. 40:12) {taw-aw'}; from (the base of) ta'ah; a room (as circumscribed) -- (little) chamber.

see HEBREW ta'ah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a chamber
NASB Translation
guardroom (2), guardrooms (9), room (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

תָּא noun masculine^{Ezekiel 40:21} chamber (Late Hebrew id., perhaps Aramaism, compare Arabic dwell, abode (? akin to turn aside to lodge, אַוְונָא, lodging-place), Aramaic תָּוָן (in Ezekiel 40 תְּוָא, תָּוַיָּא), room, chamber); — ׳ת absolute Ezekiel 40:7 +, construct 1 Kings 4:28; suffix תאו Ezekiel 40:21 Kt (Qr תָּאָיו), so Ezekiel 40:29; Ezekiel 40:33; Ezekiel 40:36; plural תָּאִים Ezekiel 40:7 +; תָּאוֺת Ezekiel 40:12; construct תָּאֵי Ezekiel 40:10; — chamber: תָּא הָרָצִים 1 Kings 4:28 chamber of the guards = 2 Chronicles 12:11; in Ezekiel's temple: Ezekiel 40:7 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 40:10,12 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 40:13,16,21,29,33,36.

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Scope

The word תָּא appears thirteen times in the Old Testament and describes small, enclosed spaces used for guarding, storing, or housing attendants within royal or sacred precincts. Its two primary settings are the palace–temple complex of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:28; 2 Chronicles 12:11) and the visionary temple shown to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40).

Old Testament Distribution

• 1 Kings 14:28
• 2 Chronicles 12:11
• Ezekiel 40:7 (twice), 40:10, 40:12 (twice), 40:13, 40:16, 40:21, 40:29, 40:33, 40:36

Historical Setting in the Monarchy

After the division of the kingdom, King Rehoboam replaced Solomon’s golden shields with bronze ones. The text notes that, “the guards would bear them, and afterward they would return them to the guardroom” (1 Kings 14:28). These guardrooms functioned as secured storage adjacent to the temple entrance, underscoring the diminished glory of Judah yet preserving the ordered worship of the LORD. Even in an era of decline, the chambers safeguarded the symbols of royal duty and covenant identity.

Guardrooms in Ezekiel’s Temple Vision

Ezekiel’s ninefold mention of תָּא clusters around the east, north, and south gates of the visionary temple (Ezekiel 40:7–37). Each gate features three identical guardrooms measuring six cubits square, separated by five-cubits-wide thresholds. Their repetition emphasizes symmetry and holiness, conveying that access to the inner courts is regulated and sanctified. The chambers host priests or Levites who supervise entry, maintain order, and ensure ritual purity.

Selected passages:
• “Each guardroom was six cubits square, and the thresholds adjoining the gate alcoves were five cubits wide” (Ezekiel 40:7).
• “There were guardrooms, a doorway, and vestibules facing the court at every gate” (Ezekiel 40:21).

Architectural Role

1. Security: Positioned beside gateways, the chambers allow watchmen to monitor traffic, a practical safeguard for offerings, treasuries, and the inner sanctuary.
2. Service: They provide ready stations for priests preparing sacrifices or courts’ attendants organizing worshipers.
3. Storage: Implements such as shields, trumpets, or utensils could be stored here for swift, orderly use.

Symbolic and Theological Insights

• Holiness is guarded. The physical barrier of the guardroom illustrates that approach to the Holy One is neither casual nor indiscriminate (cf. Psalm 24:3–4).
• Order reflects divine character. Precise measurements in Ezekiel’s vision reveal a God of structure and beauty, mirroring Paul’s admonition that “all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
• Decline and hope. Rehoboam’s bronze shields testify to lost splendor, yet Ezekiel’s future temple anticipates restoration—a pattern of judgment and grace consistent throughout Scripture.

Ministerial Applications

• Spiritual watchfulness: Just as guardrooms protect sacred spaces, believers are called to “watch over your heart with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23).
• Stewardship of resources: The chambers storing shields encourage churches to preserve and rightly deploy their God-given gifts.
• Training and readiness: Ministry teams, like Levites in their alcoves, benefit from designated spaces for preparation, fostering reverence and excellence in worship.

Christological and Eschatological Connections

In Christ, the temple’s protective chambers find fulfillment. He is both the Gate (John 10:9) and the perfect Guardian of God’s presence (Hebrews 7:25). The ordered guardrooms foreshadow the secure access believers now enjoy through His atoning work, while Ezekiel’s vision points ahead to the consummated kingdom where holiness and peace are permanently safeguarded (Revelation 21:27).

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 8372 depicts small yet crucial spaces that secure, regulate, and dignify worship in both historical and prophetic contexts. Whether housing bronze shields in Jerusalem or standing sentinel in Ezekiel’s ideal temple, these chambers remind the church to guard what is holy, serve with order, and anticipate the restored glory of God’s dwelling among His people.

Forms and Transliterations

הַתָּא֙ הַתָּאִ֖ים הַתָּאִ֡ים הַתָּאוֹת֙ התא התאות התאים וְהַתָּ֕א וְהַתָּ֗א וְתָאֵ֨י וְתָאָ֗יו וְתָאָ֞יו והתא ותאי ותאיו תָּ֥א תָּאָיו֙ תא תאיו hat·tā hat·tā·’îm hat·tā·’ō·wṯ hatTa hattā hattā’îm hattā’ōwṯ hattaIm hattaOt ta tā tā’āw tā·’āw taAv vehatTa vetaAv vetaEi wə·hat·tā wə·ṯā·’āw wə·ṯā·’ê wəhattā wəṯā’āw wəṯā’ê

Englishman's Concordance

1 Kings 14:28
HEB: וֶהֱשִׁיב֖וּם אֶל־ תָּ֥א הָרָצִֽים׃
NAS: into the guards' room.
KJV: into the guard chamber.
INT: bring about room the guards'

2 Chronicles 12:11
HEB: וֶהֱשִׁב֖וּם אֶל־ תָּ֥א הָרָצִֽים׃
NAS: into the guards' room.
KJV: into the guard chamber.
INT: and brought about room the guards'

Ezekiel 40:7
HEB: וְהַתָּ֗א קָנֶ֨ה אֶחָ֥ד
NAS: The guardroom [was] one rod
KJV: And [every] little chamber [was] one
INT: the guardroom rod one

Ezekiel 40:7
HEB: רֹ֔חַב וּבֵ֥ין הַתָּאִ֖ים חָמֵ֣שׁ אַמּ֑וֹת
NAS: between the guardrooms. And the threshold
KJV: broad; and between the little chambers [were] five
INT: wide between the guardrooms five cubits

Ezekiel 40:10
HEB: וְתָאֵ֨י הַשַּׁ֜עַר דֶּ֣רֶךְ
NAS: The guardrooms of the gate toward
KJV: And the little chambers of the gate
INT: the guardrooms of the gate toward

Ezekiel 40:12
HEB: וּגְב֞וּל לִפְנֵ֤י הַתָּאוֹת֙ אַמָּ֣ה אֶחָ֔ת
NAS: [wide] in front of the guardrooms on each
KJV: also before the little chambers [was] one
INT: a barrier front of the guardrooms cubit one

Ezekiel 40:12
HEB: גְּב֖וּל מִפֹּ֑ה וְהַתָּ֕א שֵׁשׁ־ אַמּ֣וֹת
NAS: side; and the guardrooms [were] six
KJV: [was] one cubit on that side: and the little chambers [were] six
INT: a barrier each and the guardrooms six cubits

Ezekiel 40:13
HEB: הַשַּׁ֗עַר מִגַּ֤ג הַתָּא֙ לְגַגּ֔וֹ רֹ֕חַב
NAS: from the roof of the one guardroom to the roof
KJV: from the roof of [one] little chamber to the roof
INT: the gate the roof guardroom to the roof A width

Ezekiel 40:16
HEB: אֲטֻמ֣וֹת אֶֽל־ הַתָּאִ֡ים וְאֶל֩ אֵלֵיהֵ֨מָה
NAS: [looking] toward the guardrooms, and toward
KJV: windows to the little chambers, and to their posts
INT: shuttered toward the guardrooms and toward their side

Ezekiel 40:21
HEB: [וְתָאֹו כ] (וְתָאָ֗יו ק) שְׁלוֹשָׁ֤ה
NAS: It had three guardrooms on each side;
KJV: And the little chambers thereof [were] three
INT: chamber had three each

Ezekiel 40:29
HEB: [וְתָאֹו כ] (וְתָאָ֞יו ק) [וְאֵילֹו
NAS: Its guardrooms also, its side pillars
KJV: And the little chambers thereof, and the posts
INT: chamber mighty arch

Ezekiel 40:33
HEB: [וְתָאֹו כ] (וְתָאָ֞יו ק) [וְאֵלֹו
NAS: Its guardrooms also, its side pillars
KJV: And the little chambers thereof, and the posts
INT: chamber mighty arch

Ezekiel 40:36
HEB: [תָּאֹו כ] (תָּאָיו֙ ק) [אֵלֹו
NAS: [with] its guardrooms, its side pillars
KJV: The little chambers thereof, the posts
INT: chamber mighty arch

13 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8372
13 Occurrences

hat·tā — 1 Occ.
hat·tā·’îm — 2 Occ.
hat·tā·’ō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
tā — 2 Occ.
tā·’āw — 1 Occ.
wə·hat·tā — 2 Occ.
wə·ṯā·’āw — 3 Occ.
wə·ṯā·’ê — 1 Occ.