Palace

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

Royal residence
(1 Kings 7:1-121But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. 2He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. 3And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row. 4And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks. 5And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks. 6And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them. 7Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other. 8And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch. 9All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court. 10And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. 11And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars. 12And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the Lord, and for the porch of the house. (1 Kings 7:1‑12)); citadel (1 Kings 16:1818And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died, (1 Kings 16:18)); fortress (2 Kings 15:2525But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room. (2 Kings 15:25)); entire royal court (Dan. 1:44Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. (Daniel 1:4)); capital city (Esther 9:1212And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done. (Esther 9:12)). In N. T. any stately residence (Matt. 26:33Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, (Matthew 26:3); Luke 11:2121When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: (Luke 11:21)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

This term represents several Hebrew words, and may signify castle, fortress, the king’s residence, or any large building. Thus the expression occurs, “the palace of the king’s house” (2 Kings 15:2525But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room. (2 Kings 15:25)). Solomon built several for himself and for his wives (2 Chron. 36:1919And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. (2 Chronicles 36:19)). The temple built by Solomon is also called “the palace” (1 Chron. 29:1,191Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God. (1 Chronicles 29:1)
19And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. (1 Chronicles 29:19)). In the New Testament the palace of the high priest, αὐλἠ, signifies his court (Matt. 26:3,58,693Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, (Matthew 26:3)
58But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. (Matthew 26:58)
69Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. (Matthew 26:69)). In Philippians 1:1313So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; (Philippians 1:13) the word is πραιτὠριον, “the court of the praetor,” or governor, or perhaps “the praetorian guard,” from which Paul’s keepers were taken. Called PRAETORIUM in Mark 15:1616And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. (Mark 15:16).

From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

1. The expressions “winter-house” and “summer-house” do not of necessity imply two separate houses, but may mean separate suites of apartments in the same house. Thomson says: “Such language is easily understood by an Oriental. In common parlance, the lower apartments are simply el beit—the house; the upper is the alliyeh, which is the summer-house. Every respectable dwelling has both, and they are familiarly called beit sheiawy and heft seify—winter and summer house. If these are on the same story, then the external and airy apartment is the summer-house, and that for winter is the interior and more sheltered room. It is rare to meet a family that has an entirely separate dwelling for summer” (The Land and the Book, vol.1, p. 478). It may have been in the interior apartment that Jehoiakim sat when Jehudi read the roll in his presence. See Jeremiah 36:2222Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. (Jeremiah 36:22).
2. By “houses of ivory” we are not to understand houses built of that material, but houses richly ornamented with it. The ancients decorated the ceilings, doors, and panels of their rooms with ivory. It was in this way that Ahab is said to have built an “ivory house” (1 Kings 22:3939Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (1 Kings 22:39)). Such houses are the “ivory palaces” mentioned in Psalm 45:88All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Psalm 45:8).

Related Books and Articles:

604. Palaces
Narrator: Chris Genthree