Biblical Lexicon

H1002 H1002

Art | N-fs | 16× in 2 senses

A fortified palace, citadel, or castle; used for the Persian royal fortress at Susa and the Jerusalem temple complex.

A late biblical Hebrew term, likely borrowed from Akkadian 'bīrtu' (fortress) via Persian, בִּירָה denotes a grand fortified structure. It appears almost exclusively in post-exilic literature — Esther, Nehemiah, Daniel, and Chronicles — reflecting the Persian imperial world these books inhabit. In Esther, 'Shushan the citadel' (שׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה) distinguishes the royal fortress-palace from the broader city of Susa (compare Esth 3:15 and 8:14-15, where both citadel and city are mentioned). In Chronicles, it designates the Jerusalem temple complex as a royal-sacred precinct (1 Chr 29:1, 19). The Greek Septuagint renders it βᾶρις, the same word Josephus uses for the fortress later known as the Antonia.

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Senses

1. sense 1 — The fortified citadel or royal fortress, used especially for the Persian acropolis at Susa: 'Shushan the citadel' (Neh 1:1; Esth 1:2). This is the dominant sense, appearing in Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel to designate the defended royal compound within a larger city. French 'la citadelle' and German 'die Burg' both capture the military-architectural grandeur. The distinction from the surrounding city is clear in passages like Esther 3:15, where decrees go out from the citadel into the city proper. Nehemiah 2:8 and 7:2 use it for the fortress guarding the Jerusalem temple. 14×

BUILDINGS › Constructions › Fortifications and Palaces

AR["الْقَصْرِ"]·ben["-দুর্গে", "-দুর্গের", "-রাজধানীতে", "-রাজপ্রাসাদে", "দুর্গের", "রাজপ্রাসাদে"]·DE["[הבירה]", "die-Burg"]·EN["the-citadel"]·FR["forteresse", "la-citadelle"]·heb["ה-בירה"]·HI["गढ़-का", "गढ़-के", "राजधानी", "राजधानी-में", "राजमहल"]·ID["-benteng", "benteng", "benteng-itu", "sang-benteng"]·IT["[הבירה]", "la-cittadella"]·jav["benteng-punika", "beteng", "ing-kraton", "karaton", "sang-beteng"]·KO["그-궁전", "그-성에", "그-성의", "그-성채-의", "그-왕궁", "그-왕궁의", "성-에"]·PT["a-cidadela", "a-fortaleza"]·RU["крепости", "крепость", "столице"]·ES["la-ciudadela"]·SW["ngome"]·TR["kalede", "kalede-", "kalenin", "kalesine-", "sarayda"]·urd["قلعہ", "قلعہ-کے", "قلعے-کے", "محل-میں", "محل-کے"]

Neh 1:1, Neh 2:8, Neh 7:2, Esth 1:2, Esth 1:5, Esth 2:3, Esth 2:5, Esth 2:8, Esth 3:15, Esth 8:14, Esth 9:6, Esth 9:11 (+2 more)

2. sense 2 — The temple complex in Jerusalem conceived as a palatial precinct. David tells Solomon, 'the palace is not for man but for the LORD God' (1 Chr 29:1), and prays that Solomon will build 'the palace for which I have made provision' (1 Chr 29:19). Here the word elevates the temple beyond mere sanctuary to a royal residence of God — Spanish 'la fortaleza' and English 'the palace' both reflect this majestic connotation. The choice of a Persian loanword for God's dwelling may itself be a theological statement in Chronicles. 2×

BUILDINGS › Constructions › Fortifications and Palaces

AR["الْقَصْرَ", "الْقَصْرُ"]·ben["প্রাসাদটি"]·DE["[הבירה]"]·EN["the-palace"]·FR["la-citadelle"]·heb["ה-בירה"]·HI["-के-महल"]·ID["-benteng"]·IT["la-cittadella"]·jav["kedhaton"]·KO["그-궁전을", "그-궁전이"]·PT["o-palácio"]·RU["дворец"]·ES["la-fortaleza"]·SW["jumba"]·TR["saray", "sarayı"]·urd["قلعہ"]

1 Chr 29:1, 1 Chr 29:19

BDB / Lexicon Reference

† בִּירָה n.f. castle, palace (late & prob. loan-word; cf. Assyrian bîrtu, fortress DlHA 22; Pers. bâru = Skr. bura, bari, v. Ry Ne 2:8)— 1. of temple at Jerusalem 1 Ch 29:1, 19 הַבִּירָה; of fortress near temple Ne 2:8; 7:2 (cf. βᾶρις 𝔊L Ne 1:1; 2:8; 7:2—B ἁβιρά, βειρά—and later βᾶρις JosAnt. xv, 11, 4). 2. בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה Ne 1:1 Est 1:2, 5; 2:3, 5, 8; 3:15; 8:14; 9:6, 11, 12 Dn 8:2; in…