In biblical times, the concept of a "roof" held both practical and symbolic significance. Roofs in ancient Israelite architecture were typically flat and served multiple purposes, including living space, storage, and even religious observance. The construction and use of roofs are mentioned in various contexts throughout the Bible, providing insight into the daily life and spiritual practices of the people.

Construction and Materials

Roofs in ancient Israel were commonly constructed using wooden beams overlaid with branches, reeds, or mats, and then covered with a layer of clay or mud to provide insulation and protection from the elements. This type of construction is evident in the account of the paralytic man being lowered through the roof to reach Jesus, as described in Mark 2:4 : "Since they were unable to get to Jesus through the crowd, they uncovered the roof above Him, made an opening, and lowered the paralytic on his mat."

Cultural and Social Uses

The flat roofs of houses served as important social and functional spaces. They were often used for drying produce, such as figs and grains, and for other household activities. In 1 Samuel 9:25 , we see an example of social interaction on a roof: "After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof of his house."

Roofs also provided a place for rest and relaxation. In 2 Samuel 11:2 , King David is described as walking on the roof of his palace: "One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman."

Religious and Symbolic Significance

Roofs held religious significance as well. They were sometimes used for prayer and worship, as seen in Acts 10:9 , where Peter goes up to the roof to pray: "The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray."

The roof also served as a place of refuge and safety. In Deuteronomy 22:8 , the law commands the construction of parapets around roofs to prevent accidents: "When you build a new house, you are to construct a parapet around your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it."

Prophetic and Eschatological Imagery

In prophetic literature, roofs are sometimes used metaphorically to convey messages of judgment or warning. Isaiah 22:1 speaks of the "Valley of Vision" and the tumult on the rooftops: "What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the rooftops?"

In the New Testament, Jesus uses the imagery of rooftops to emphasize the urgency and public nature of the proclamation of the Gospel. In Matthew 10:27 , He instructs His disciples: "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops."

Overall, the concept of being "roofed" in biblical times encompasses a range of practical, social, and spiritual dimensions, reflecting the multifaceted role that roofs played in the lives of the ancient Israelites and early Christians.(imp. & p. p.) of Roof.

Appendix 1 Massecheth Middoth
... 5. The Court of the women was 135 cubits long by 135 cubits broad, and four chambers
were in the four angles, each 40 cubits square, and they were not roofed in ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/appendix 1 massecheth middoth.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... surface. Those of a better class rested in mean rectangular chambers, hastily
built of yellow bricks, and roofed with pointed vaulting. ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

Acts of the Holy Apostle Thomas, when He came into India, and ...
... And the king, having heard, sent him again gold and silver uncoined, and
wrote to him: Let the palace, if it be done, be roofed. ...
/.../unknown/acts of the holy apostle thomas/acts of the holy apostle 2.htm

A Traveler's Note-Book
... The high-roofed house, the brazen threshold, the polished chest, the silver-studded
sword, the purple robes,"the tawny oxen, the hollow ships, the tapering ...
/.../merriam/the chief end of man/iii a travelers note-book.htm

Shepherd Life in the Orient.
... The folds or sheep pens, it must be observed, into which the sheep are gathered
for rest or protection are not roofed over or walled in like a house. ...
/.../callan/the shepherd of my soul/ii shepherd life in the.htm

Abbot Sturm of Fulda.
... now Hirschfeld.) After calling on Christ to give his blessing, that this place might
become a dwelling for them, they erected little huts roofed with bark, and ...
/.../neander/light in the dark places/abbot sturm of fulda.htm

The Cleansing of the Temple.
... Round this outer court ran marble colonnades, richly ornamented and supported by
four rows of pillars, and roofed with cedar, affording ample shade to the ...
/.../the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol i/vi the cleansing of the.htm

Sells Out at Alexandria. Moves to Crittenden. Preaches There and ...
... the work of the church. We disposed of the old house in Williamstown, and
got the new house roofed in 1867. We also repaired the ...
/.../chapter xii sells out at.htm

"The Dust of the Actual"
... mud place where the family apparently sleep. This side and the two ends
are roofed by palmyra palm. It is dry and crackles at a ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter vii the dust of.htm

Chel. The Court of the Women.
... five cubits. And there were four chambers in the four corners of it, each
forty cubits, but not roofed." See Ezekiel 46:21,22. "At ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 29 chel the court.htm

Roofed (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Roofed (3 Occurrences). ... (BBE). Haggai 1:4 Is it a time
for you to be living in roofed houses while this house is a waste? (BBE). ...
/r/roofed.htm - 7k

Tiberias (3 Occurrences)
... There were in it a theatre for the performance of comedies, a forum, a stadium,
a palace roofed with gold in imitation of those in Italy, statues of the Roman ...
/t/tiberias.htm - 15k

Theatre (2 Occurrences)
... in which dramatic performances or spectacles are exhibited for the amusement of
spectators; anciently uncovered, except the stage, but in modern times roofed. ...
/t/theatre.htm - 8k

Roof-chamber
Roof-chamber. Roofchamber, Roof-chamber. Roofed . Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia ...
See HOUSE. Roofchamber, Roof-chamber. Roofed . Reference Bible.
/r/roof-chamber.htm - 6k

Roomy (2 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 22:14 Who says, I will make a wide house for myself, and rooms of great
size, and has windows cut out, and has it roofed with cedar and painted with ...
/r/roomy.htm - 7k

Roofing (2 Occurrences)

/r/roofing.htm - 7k

Plated (29 Occurrences)
... (BBE). 2 Chronicles 3:5 And the greater house was roofed with cypress-wood, plated
with the best gold and ornamented with designs of palm-trees and chains. ...
/p/plated.htm - 14k

Portico (37 Occurrences)
... approach to the entrance of a building; a "portico" is an ambulatory, consisting
of a roof supported by columns placed at regular intervals-a roofed colonnade. ...
/p/portico.htm - 19k

Porch (37 Occurrences)
... approach to the entrance of a building; a "portico" is an ambulatory, consisting
of a roof supported by columns placed at regular intervals-a roofed colonnade. ...
/p/porch.htm - 22k

Cypress (17 Occurrences)
... 2 Chronicles 3:5 And the greater house was roofed with cypress-wood, plated with
the best gold and ornamented with designs of palm-trees and chains. ...
/c/cypress.htm - 12k

What was Herod's temple? | GotQuestions.org

Roofed: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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