### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **challôwn**, represented by `{{H2474}}`, is the primary term for **window**. It appears 31 times in 27 verses, referring to an opening or perforation in a wall. Its base definition is simply "a window," but its usage reveals a wide range of functions, from the mundane to the highly symbolic.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In biblical narratives, `{{H2474}}` often serves as a critical point of action. It is a means of escape, as when Michal let David down through a **window** to flee from Saul [[1 Samuel 19:12]], or when Rahab let the Israelite spies down from the city wall [[Joshua 2:15]]. It is also a place of observation, from which characters witness pivotal events. Michal looked out a **window** and despised David for dancing before the LORD [[2 Samuel 6:16]], and Jezebel looked out her **window** just before her death at Jehu's arrival [[2 Kings 9:30]]. In a foundational story, Noah opened the **window** of the ark after forty days to assess the floodwaters [[Genesis 8:6]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words provide further context for the function and structure of a window:
* `{{H8259}}` **shâqaph** (peep or gaze): This verb is frequently paired with `{{H2474}}`, describing the act of looking out from a window. It is used for Michal looking at David [[1 Chronicles 15:29]], Sisera's mother watching for her son's chariot [[Judges 5:28]], and God himself looking down from heaven [[Psalms 14:2]].
* `{{H3381}}` **yârad** (to descend; let down): This verb describes the action of lowering something or someone, and is used specifically for letting people escape through a **window**, as seen in the accounts of Rahab and Michal ([[Joshua 2:18]], [[1 Samuel 19:12]]).
* `{{H822}}` **'eshnâb** (casement, lattice): This term appears alongside `{{H2474}}` and seems to refer to a specific part of the window, the lattice or casement through which one would look ([[Judges 5:28]], [[Proverbs 7:6]]).
* `{{H361}}` **'êylâm** (arch): In Ezekiel's detailed vision of the temple, windows `{{H2474}}` are consistently described as being part of the architectural structure alongside **arches** and posts ([[Ezekiel 40:16]], [[Ezekiel 40:22]]).
### Theological Significance
The thematic weight of `{{H2474}}` is seen in its varied applications, highlighting the boundary between internal and external spaces.
* **Vulnerability and Access:** Windows represent a point of entry. This can be negative, as when Jeremiah speaks of death coming up into the **windows** [[Jeremiah 9:21]] or an invading army entering through them like a thief [[Joel 2:9]].
* **Deliverance and Hope:** Conversely, a window can be a portal for salvation. Rahab is instructed to bind a scarlet line in her **window** as a sign for her family's deliverance ([[Joshua 2:18]], [[Joshua 2:21]]). Elisha commands the king of Israel to open a **window** and shoot an "arrow of the LORD'S deliverance" [[2 Kings 13:17]].
* **Sacred Architecture:** The specific mention of "narrow windows" in Solomon's temple [[1 Kings 6:4]] and the repeated, detailed descriptions in Ezekiel's visionary temple [[Ezekiel 41:16]] establish that windows are an integral feature of holy places.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2474}}` is far more than a simple architectural term. While it denotes a physical opening, its use in Scripture gives it significance as a place of observation, a conduit for escape or invasion, and a site of prophetic action. From Noah's ark to Ezekiel's temple, the **challôwn** functions as a crucial element that connects the private, interior world with the larger events unfolding outside.
TRV