STOREHOUSE
A warehouse or building in which foodstuffs, wine, oil, even precious metals or stones and other articles are stored. A garner or granary is a structure used to store threshed grain. Barns, towers and other storage facilities were common in ancient times (1 Chron. 27:25; 2 Chron. 32:27, 28; Joel 1:17; Hag. 2:19), and certain cities served principally as storage centers.—Ex. 1:11.
Storehouses were needed in conjunction with the sanctuary to take care of the tithes and contributions from the fields, orchards and vineyards given by Israel to the Levites. (Mal. 3:10) Certain Levites were put in charge of the stores and distributed such provisions to their brothers.—1 Chron. 26:15, 17; Neh. 12:44; 13:12, 13.
In ancient Egypt granaries varied in structure, one type resembling the present-day silo. It had a door at the top for depositing grain (by ascending a ladder) and small sliding doors at ground level for its removal. Underground granaries have also long been used in the Middle East, these evidently being preferred in sparsely populated areas because they are concealed from marauders.
ILLUSTRATIVE USE
Jesus Christ, in urging his disciples not to be anxious about material needs, but to seek only their “bread for this day,” reminded them that God feeds the birds though they do not gather things into storehouses or barns. (Matt. 6:11, 25, 26; Luke 12:22, 24) To show that life does not result from the things one possesses, Jesus gave an illustration of a rich man who considered replacing his storehouses with bigger ones to hold his many goods, only to face death, his material riches therefore being of no benefit to him.—Luke 12:13-21.
Rather than looking to earthly goods and accordingly building up a great store of them, the wise writer of Proverbs says: “Honor Jehovah with your valuable things . . . Then your stores of supply will be filled with plenty.” (Prov. 3:9, 10) This was exemplified in the experience of the nation of Israel, which, when obediently serving Jehovah and bringing full tithes to the sanctuary, was blessed with abundance. (Deut. 28:1, 8; 1 Ki. 4:20; 2 Chron. 31:4-10; Mal. 3:10) Apparently King David uses contrast at Psalm 144:11-15 to show who are the really happy people. In view of the context (see verses 11, 12), it seems likely that he is depicting those who trust in their hoard of material things as boasting in their wealth by saying: “Our garners [are] full, furnishing products of one sort after another, . . . Happy is the people for whom it is just like that!” But David’s next words, that “Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!” apparently are intended to show the true Source of happiness in contrast with material wealth.
FIGURATIVE USE
John the Baptist warned the Pharisees and Sadducees of their dangerous situation, likening truly repentant ones to wheat to be gathered, but comparing those leaders to chaff. He said to them: “The one coming after me . . . will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with fire that cannot be put out.” (Matt. 3:7-12; Luke 3:16, 17) Jesus foretold a “harvest,” which he equated with “a conclusion of a system of things” and in which angelic “reapers” would gather symbolic “weeds” to be burned, whereas the “wheat” would be gathered into God’s “storehouse,” evidently a restored, congregated condition where they would have God’s favor and protection.—Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43.
Jehovah speaks of things around which he has put boundaries by means of created forces, or natural laws, also of things he has reserved under his control for special purposes, as being in “storehouses.” The sea is said to be ‘gathered like a dam, put in storehouses.’ (Ps. 33:7) Also of other natural phenomena that he has at times used against his enemies he asked Job: “Have you entered into the storehouses of the snow, or do you see even the storehouses of the hail, which I have kept back for the time of distress, for the day of fight and war?” (Job 38:22, 23; compare Joshua 10:8-11; Judges 5:20, 21; Psalm 105:32; 135:7.) Even the armies of the Medes and Persians under King Cyrus were included by Jehovah among the “weapons of his denunciation” brought out of his “storehouse” against Babylon.—Jer. 50:25, 26.