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HALL.—‘Hall’ appears in the Authorized Version in a way to cause not a little confusion, as translation sometimes of áὐëÞ and sometimes of ðñáéôþñéïí . In Mat_27:27 Authorized Version has ‘the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall’ (a circumlocution for ðñáéôþñéïí ). In Mar_15:15 Authorized Version has ‘into the hall called Praetorium,’ as translation of law ἔóù ôῆò áὐëῆò ὅ ἐóôéí ðñáéôþñéïí . Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 has not entirely relieved this confusion. The English Revisers render ðñáéôþñéïí by ‘palace,’ following Rhem. [Note: Rhemish NT 1582.] ; while the American Revisers, more literally, give praetorium, the Latin word which was carried over, transliterated, into the Greek, and which denoted originally the praetor’s tent or abode, or the general’s headquarters. Tindale introduced ‘judgement-hall’ for ðñáéôþñéïí , and is followed by Authorized Version in Joh_18:28; Joh_18:33; Joh_19:9 etc. The Authorized Version renders áὐëÞ by ‘palace’ in Mat_26:3; Mat_26:58; Mat_26:69, Mar_14:54; Mar_14:66, Luk_11:21, Joh_18:15, when the reference is to the place where the governor dispensed justice; by ‘fold’ in Joh_10:1; Joh_10:16 of the place where the sheep were kept at night; and by ‘court’ in Rev_11:2, as designating the court of the temple. Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 more consistently renders áὐëÞ by ‘court’ instead of ‘palace,’ everywhere except in Joh_10:1 ἡ áὐëὴ ôῶí ðñïâÜôùí , where it has ‘the fold of the sheep’ (cf. Authorized Version ‘sheepfold’), and in Joh_10:16, where it has simply ‘fold.’ Cf. Mat_26:3; Mat_26:58; Mat_26:69, where the inner court of the high priest’s official residence seems to be meant; in Mat_26:69 ‘Peter sat without in the palace’ (Authorized Version ); ‘without’ stands in contrast with the audience-room in which Jesus was appearing before the authorities, i.e. Peter was not in the room of the official residence where the trial was going on, but out in the open court, around which the house was built; and this was ‘beneath,’ or on a lower level than the audience-room. See also Court, Praetorium.
Geo. B. Eager.