Holman Bible Dictionary

In English porch designates a covered entrance to a building, usually having a separate roof. English translations vary greatly in their use of porch for several Hebrew and Greek terms. KJV and NAS used porch freely (41,40 times, respectively); NIV and RSV used porch sparingly (2,3 times, respectively). The vast majority of Old Testament references concern the “porch” of the Jerusalem Temple as in 1Kings 6:3,1Kings 6:12,1 Kings 6:19 . This reflects a view of a two-room Temple with an attached porch. REB and NRSV translation, “vestibule,” reflects a view of a three-room Temple. The terms translated “porch” in Matthew 26:71 and Mark 14:68 can refer to a gateway or forecourt. The “porches” in John 5:2 and Acts 3:11 were likely freestanding porticoes or colonnades. See Arch .