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H4011 ยท Hebrew ยท Old Testament
ืžึดื‘ึฐื ึถื”
mivneh
Noun (masculine)
Structure / building form / architectural plan

Definition

Mivneh (ืžึดื‘ึฐื ึถื”) means the structure, form, or architectural design of a building. It appears in Ezekiel 40:2 in the extraordinary vision of the Temple, where Ezekiel is brought to a very high mountain to see the mivneh โ€” the structural form of a city-like Temple complex.

Usage & Theological Significance

In Ezekiel's vision, mivneh introduces the most detailed architectural description in the Bible โ€” the restored Temple of Ezekiel 40-48. Whether interpreted as a literal future Temple, an idealized vision of restored worship, or a typological prefiguring of the New Jerusalem, the vision communicates a fundamental truth: God has a design (mivneh) for His dwelling with His people.

The NT picks up this language in Hebrews 8:5 (Moses built the tabernacle "according to the pattern shown you on the mountain") and in Revelation 21 (the New Jerusalem measured and described in meticulous detail). The divine mivneh โ€” God's architectural intention for communion with humanity โ€” finds its ultimate expression in the incarnation: "The Word became flesh and tabernacled (eskฤ“nลsen) among us" (John 1:14).

Key Bible Verses

Ezekiel 40:2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain, on the south side of which was a structure (mivneh) like a city.
Hebrews 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Revelation 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?

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