Single crystals of bismuth oxoborate Bi₄B₂O ₉ have been grown by slowly cooling the melt of a stoichiometric Bi₂O₃ + H₃BO₃ mixture. The structure of the borate (monoclinic space group P2₁/c, a = 11.107 Å, b = 6.629 Å, c = 11.044 Å, β = 91.04°, Z = 4) has been studied at 20, 200, and 450°C. The structure is described not only in terms of full BiO₆ ^- and BiO₇ polyhedra but also in terms of truncated BiO₃ ^- and BiO₄ ^- polyhedra and BO₃ triangles, as well as oxo-centered OBi₃ triangles and OBi₄ tetrahedra. It is shown that both the B-O and Bi-O bond lengths are practically unaffected by temperature. Only the angles between polyhedra change with temperature, being responsible for the strong anisotropy of Bi₄B₂O₆ thermal expansion, which was measured by high-temperature powder X-ray diffraction: α₁₁ = 20, α₂₂ = 15, α₃₃ = 6 × 10^-6 °C^-1, and μ = (c, α₃₃) = -19°.