Discovering the Meaning of ‘Eben in Hebrew

אֶבֶן (eben) means “a stone.” In the passages cited here, it appears in scenes of weaponry, royal wealth, public rendezvous, and the planning and construction of the house of God.

Occurrences

“They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. They were of Saul’s relatives of the tribe of Benjamin.” (1 Chronicles 12:2)

Here “stone” is part of a paired description of ranged weapons: sling-stones and arrows. The verse highlights the unusual dexterity of these men (“both the right hand and the left”), and the stone functions as standard ammunition for a sling—portable, readily thrown, and effective in a military setting.

“David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it. It was set on David’s head, and he brought very much plunder out of the city.” (1 Chronicles 20:2)

In this account of royal spoil, stones appear not as building material or weapons but as ornamentation—“precious stones” set into a crown. The stone contributes to the portrayal of the crown’s value and splendor; it is part of what makes the captured regalia notable alongside its gold weight.

“David gave orders to gather together the foreigners who were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to cut dressed stones to build God’s house.” (1 Chronicles 22:2)

Here stone is explicitly construction material, shaped by skilled labor (“masons”) into “dressed stones.” The word participates in the planning for a major building project—“God’s house”—and emphasizes that the stones are not random rocks but prepared blocks intended for a sacred structure.

“Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for Yahweh’s house one hundred thousand talents of gold, one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron without weight; for it is in abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone; and you may add to them.” (1 Chronicles 22:14)

Stone appears in a list of prepared resources. Alongside metals “in abundance” and “timber,” stone is treated as a core supply needed for the house’s construction. The verse also frames the preparation personally (“in my affliction I have prepared”), so stone here represents tangible readiness—materials already gathered and available for the work ahead.

“There are also workmen with you in abundance, cutters and workers of stone and timber, and all kinds of men who are skillful in every kind of work;” (1 Chronicles 22:15)

In this inventory of labor, stone is paired with timber as a primary medium of skilled craftsmanship. The “cutters and workers of stone” indicate that stonework requires specialized expertise; the word helps define the scope of the workforce and the kind of tasks expected in the construction effort.

“Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; also onyx stones, stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.” (1 Chronicles 29:2)

This verse piles up categories of materials with careful differentiation. Stone is presented in multiple forms and intended uses: “onyx stones,” “stones to be set,” and “stones for inlaid work,” plus “precious stones” and “marble stones in abundance.” The word anchors a spectrum ranging from decorative setting and inlay (stones selected for appearance and placement) to plentiful quantities (marble in abundance). Stone thus operates both as aesthetic enrichment and as substantial supply for the house of God.

“People with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of Yahweh’s house, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.” (1 Chronicles 29:8)

Stone here appears in a context of contribution and stewardship. The “precious stones” are not merely described; they are transferred into “the treasure of Yahweh’s house” and placed under an administrator’s oversight (“under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite”). The stone functions as a high-value gift suitable for dedicated sacred use and careful custody.

“Adonijah killed sheep, cattle, and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants;” (1 Kings 1:9)

In this narrative scene, stone marks a location: “the stone of Zoheleth.” It serves as a named landmark “beside En Rogel,” giving the gathering a definite and public setting. The verse associates the stone with a significant event—slaughtering animals and summoning notable persons—so the stone functions as a fixed point around which action and assembly occur.

“The king commanded, and they cut out large stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone.” (1 Kings 5:17)

Stone is central to construction, particularly foundational stability. The verse distinguishes quality and preparation: “large stones,” “costly stones,” and “worked stone.” The stone contributes the sense that the foundation is not improvised; it is built from substantial and valuable material, intentionally quarried and shaped for the house.

“Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.” (1 Kings 5:18)

This verse portrays coordinated labor across multiple groups of builders. Stone appears as one of the two principal prepared materials (“timber and the stones”), and the work is described in terms of cutting and preparation. The word supports the picture of organized construction logistics: stone must be readied and supplied, not simply gathered.

“The house, when it was under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and no hammer or ax or any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was under construction.” (1 Kings 6:7)

Stone here is defined by where and how it is prepared: “at the quarry.” The verse stresses a striking feature of the building process: the house is assembled quietly, with no iron tools heard on site. Stone, already prepared, makes it possible for construction to proceed without the noise of shaping work at the building location, underscoring careful forethought and an orderly process.

“There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers. All was cedar. No stone was visible.” (1 Kings 6:18)

Stone appears by contrast: it is present structurally, yet it is concealed from view by interior cedar. The statement “No stone was visible” makes stone the unseen substrate behind the ornate woodwork. The word thus contributes to a layered portrayal of the house: stone as the underlying fabric, cedar as the visible surface of carved beauty.

Sense and Usage

Across these occurrences, “stone” moves between three main domains of use. First, it functions as a practical projectile in battle (1 Chronicles 12:2), a small, handheld object whose value lies in what it can do when hurled. Second, it serves as an item of wealth and decoration, whether embedded in a crown (1 Chronicles 20:2), gathered and donated as “precious stones” for the house’s treasury (1 Chronicles 29:8), or carefully categorized for setting, inlay, and abundance (1 Chronicles 29:2). Third, it operates as an essential building material and construction component: stones are dressed, cut, worked, and prepared at the quarry for the house (1 Chronicles 22:2; 1 Kings 5:17; 1 Kings 6:7), and they require specialized labor (“cutters and workers of stone,” 1 Chronicles 22:15). Even where stone is not the focus, it sets the frame: a named “stone of Zoheleth” functions as a stable landmark for a significant gathering (1 Kings 1:9), and “No stone was visible” highlights stone’s structural role beneath cedar paneling (1 Kings 6:18).

The passages also show how stone can be evaluated and described in terms of preparation and value. Some stones are “dressed,” “worked,” or “prepared,” language that focuses on human shaping for architectural purpose. Others are labeled “precious,” “costly,” or specified by type and intended placement (“stones to be set,” “stones for inlaid work”), language that frames stone as a carrier of beauty and worth. In both cases, stone is not treated as a vague natural substance; it is selected, handled, and assigned to a defined use within the larger project of the house and within the broader life of the kingdom.

Imagery

In these texts, stone can be both conspicuous and hidden. It is conspicuous when it flashes as a “precious” ornament in a crown or in temple donations (1 Chronicles 20:2; 1 Chronicles 29:8), and when its size and cost are emphasized in foundation work (1 Kings 5:17). It is hidden when the finished interior announces, “No stone was visible” (1 Kings 6:18), even though stone has been foundational from the quarry onward (1 Kings 6:7). Together these scenes present stone as a material that can mark a place, win a fight, display wealth, and quietly bear the weight of what is built.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon. Occurrence data from the Westminster Leningrad Codex with STEPBible reference data (CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).