Bible Dictionary
SHAMBLES
Shambles means a slaughterhouse, butcher’s stall, or meat market. In the New Testament it refers to the public market where meat was sold.
Definition
A shambles is a slaughterhouse, butcher’s stall, or meat market. The term describes a place where meat was slaughtered or sold.
Biblical Usage
The word occurs once in the New Testament, in the instruction concerning meat purchased in the public market.
Historical Background
The term translates the Greek makellon and includes both the slaughterhouse and the butcher’s market.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>sham'-b'-lz (makellon): A slaughter-house; then a butcher's stall, meat-market. The word is once used in the New Testament in 1Co 10:25.</p>