Palace
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Prov. 30:28)—a royal or official residence. The Old Testament mentions the palaces of Israelite, Judean, and foreign rulers, including Solomon’s extensive palace complex, built over thirteen years and incorporating the House of the Forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:1-12), and the palace at Susa described in Esther (Esth. 1:5-7). In the Passion narratives the Greek word praitorion refers to the Roman governor’s headquarters, where soldiers brought Jesus (Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33). The exact Jerusalem building meant by the term remains debated.