Bible Dictionary
Ceiling
A ceiling was the inner covering of a building’s roof, often made from cedar boards and richly decorated in temples and royal houses.
Definition
A ceiling was the inner covering of a building’s roof, often formed by wooden planks laid across beams or joists. Biblical ceilings could be richly ornamented with stucco, gold, silver, gems, or ivory.
Biblical Usage
The ceilings of the temple and royal palaces are described in connection with cedar planks and elaborate construction. The prophets also mention houses with paneled or ceiled interiors.
Historical Background
Oriental buildings described in the sources commonly had wooden ceilings and plastered or tiled floors. Temple and palace ceilings were especially elaborate.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The covering (1 Kings 7:3, 7) of the inside roof and walls of a house with planks of wood (2 Chr. 3:5; Jer. 22:14). Ceilings were sometimes adorned with various ornaments in stucco, gold, silver, gems, and ivory. The ceilings of the temple and of Solomon’s palace are described 1 Kings 6:9, 15; 7:3; 2 Chr. 3:5, 9.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
The descriptions of Scripture, (1 Kings 6:9,15; 7:3; 2 Chronicles 3:5,9; Jeremiah 22:14; Haggai 1:4) and of Josephus, show that the ceilings of the temple and the palaces of the Jewish kings were formed of cedar planks applied to the beams or joists crossing from wall to wall. “Oriental houses seem to have been the reverse of ours, the ceiling being of wood, richly ornamented, and the floor of plaster or tiles.”