Barn

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

BARN. —The same word (ἀποθήκη) is rendered ‘barn’ in  Matthew 6:26;  Matthew 13:30,  Luke 12:18;  Luke 12:24, and ‘garner’ in  Matthew 3:12,  Luke 3:17. In Graeco-Roman times, buildings above ground were probably in use. καθαιρέω, ‘to pull down’ ( Luke 12:18) could apply only to such. But from ancient times until now Palestinian farmers have stored their grain in cistern-like pits. These are dug in dry places, often out of the solid rock, carefully cemented to keep out damp, with a circular opening at the top, through which a man may pass. When the mouth is plastered over and made air-tight, the corn will keep sound for several years. For security in a lawless country, the ‘barn’ is sometimes under the floor of the inmost part of the house, that of the women (cf.  2 Samuel 4:6). To escape the tax-gatherer, again, it is frequently made in a secluded spot, and so skilfully turfed over that discovery is almost impossible (cf.  Jeremiah 41:8). Pits found near ruined sites, in districts that have lain desolate for ages, prove the antiquity of this method. Natural caves in the limestone rock, improved by art, with heavy stone doors blocking the entrance, have also served as ‘barns,’ and may be seen in use at Gadara to-day.

W. Ewing.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ἀποθήκη (Strong'S #596 — Noun Feminine — apotheke — ap-oth-ay'-kay )

lit., "a place where anything is stored" (Eng., "apothecary"), hence denoted a garner, granary, barn,  Matthew 3:12;  6:26;  13:30;  Luke 3:17;  12:18,24 . See also under Garner.

 Matthew 6:6 24:26 Luke 12:3,24Chamber.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Proverbs 3:10 (b) These barns represent the blessings that accumulate to GOD's people both for time and for eternity if they walk with GOD and give to Him all that He should have. It is the same truth as "lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven."

 Joel 1:17 (c) We believe that this word indicates that GOD's curse will be upon His people for their disobedience, and no blessings will accumulate to their credit. Too many of GOD's dear people have empty barns.

 Matthew 13:30 (c) This is symbolical of Heaven where the Lord takes His own saved ones who are here described as wheat.

 Luke 12:18 (c) These barns represent selfish interests and activities for personal gain. This man thought that the barns were his barns and the grain was his grain, and that the increase belonged to him. He said, "Thou hast much goods laid up for many years." He was a fool in GOD's sight. So is everyone who lays up treasures for himself and is not rich toward GOD.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) A child. [Obs.] See Bairn.

(2): (v. t.) To lay up in a barn.

(3): (n.) A covered building used chiefly for storing grain, hay, and other productions of a farm. In the United States a part of the barn is often used for stables.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Haggai 2:19 Matthew 13:30 Deuteronomy 28:8 Proverbs 3:10 Luke 12:18 Joel 1:17

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Deuteronomy 28:8 Job 39:12 Haggai 2:19 Luke 12:18

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

BARN . See Agriculture, 3, and Garner.

King James Dictionary

BARN, n.Eng.born. A child. Little used in English.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( אָסִם , Asam',  Proverbs 3:10; "store-house,"  Deuteronomy 28:8; Ἀποθήκη , "barn" or "garner"), a magazine or place of deposit for grain, which, among the Orientals, was frequently under-ground. (See Cave). The phraseology in  Luke 12:18, shows that the Jews at that time had granaries above-ground, but it does not follow that they had altogether relinquished the older and still common custom of depositing grain in subterranean store-houses, in which it was more secure, and, as some think, preserved in better condition, than in the other. Those who are exposed to danger and alarm would naturally prefer the subterraneous granary, which may, on occasions of emergency, be abandoned by the proprietor with tolerable confidence that when he is enabled to return he shall find his treasured grain untouched, the entrance being so carefully concealed that it is sometimes discovered with difficulty even by the owner himself. This plan may in general be said to be resorted to by the peasantry throughout the East, granaries above-ground being confined to towns and their vicinities, a distinction which may also have prevailed among the Jews. (See Granary).

The Heb. word גֹּרֶן , Go'Ren, rendered "barn" in  Job 39:12;  2 Kings 6:27, signifies rather a threshing-floor, as it is elsewhere translated. In  Haggai 2:19;  Joel 1:17, the original terms are מְגוּרָה , Megurah', and, מִמּגֻרָה , mammegurah', a granary. (See Agriculture).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

barn ( מגוּרה , meghūrāh , "a granary," "fear,"  Haggai 2:19; אסם , 'āṣām , "a storehouse,"  Proverbs 3:10; ממּגוּרה , mammeghūrāh , "a repository,"  Joel 1:17; ἀποθήκη , apothḗkē ,  Matthew 6:26;  Matthew 13:30;  Luke 12:18 ,  Luke 12:24 ): A place for the storing of grain, usually a dry cistern in the ground, covered over with a thick layer of earth. "Grain is not stored in the East until it is threshed and winnowed. The apothēkē in Roman times was probably a building of some kind. But the immemorial usage of the East has been to conceal the grain, in carefully prepared pits or caves, which, being perfectly dry, will preserve it for years. It Thus escaped, as far as possible, the attentions of the tax-gatherer as well as of the robber - not always easily distinguished in the East; compare  Jeremiah 41:8 " ( Temple Dictionary , 215).

Figurative of heaven (  Matthew 13:30 ). See Agriculture; Garner .