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occurs in the A.V. of the N.T. three times; twice (Mat_27:27; Mar_15:16) in reference to the ðñáßôùñéïí , praetorium, or residence of the Roman governor at Jerusalem, which was either the palace built by the elder Herod, or the tower of Antonia; his usual abode was at Csesarea (Act_23:23). Mark adds to the word áὐëή , as he is wont in other cases, an explanatory phrase, ὅ ἐóôé ðñáéôώñéïí (Vulg. atrium praetorii). In Luk_22:55, áýëή ) means the open court or quadrangle belonging to the high priest's house, such as was common to Oriental dwellings. It has the same meaning in Mat_26:69, and Mar_14:66, and in both passages is incorrectly rendered “palace” in the A.V., as the adverbs ἔîù and êÜôù plainly distinguish the áýëή from the ïῖêïò to which it was attached (Luk_22:54). So in Luk_11:21. In Joh_10:1; Joh_10:16, it means a “sheep-fold,” and in Rev_11:2, the outer “court” of the Temple. The áὐëή was entered from the street by a ðñïáýëéïí or vestibule (Mar_14:68), through a ðõëώí or portal (Mat_26:71), in which was a èýñá or wicket (Joh_18:16; Act_12:13). — Kitto. s.v. Áὐëή is the equivalent for çָöֵø , an enclosed or fortified space (Gesenius, Tesaur. p. 512), in many places in the O.T. where the Vulg. and A. Vers. have respectively villa or viculus, “village,” or atritum,” court,” chiefly of the tabernacle or Temple. See Coar. The hall or court of a house or palace would probably be an enclosed but uncovered space, implucium , on a lower level than the apartments of the lowest floor which looked into it. SEE HOUSE.