Looking for Isaiah

[JLG]

60) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 3:8

For כִּ֤י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

Jerusalem יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (yə·rū·šā·lim) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel

has stumbled כָשְׁלָה֙ (ḵā·šə·lāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 3782: To totter, waver, to falter, stumble, faint, fall

and Judah וִיהוּדָ֖ה (wî·hū·ḏāh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites

has fallen נָפָ֑ל (nā·p̄āl) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

because כִּֽי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they spoke לְשׁוֹנָ֤ם (lə·šō·w·nām) Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 3956: The tongue

and acted וּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶם֙ (ū·ma·‘al·lê·hem) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 4611: A deed, practice

against אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the LORD, יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

defying לַמְר֖וֹת (lam·rō·wṯ) Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct Strong's 4784: To be contentious or rebellious

His glorious כְבוֹדֽוֹ׃ (ḵə·ḇō·w·ḏōw) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness

presence. עֵנֵ֥י (‘ê·nê) Noun - cdc Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

• They spoke and acted against God!
• And they defied his glorious presence!
• In a word, rebellion against God!
• Nothing to do with Abraham's attitude!
• It's not because your father has a good reputation that you will have the same reputation!
• You need to show who you are or not!
• It's up to you to show what you want to be or not!
• And Israel and Judah didn't follow Abraham!
• On the contrary!
• Abraham was called God's friend!
• They acted as God's enemies!
• And he made them pay the price!

 

[JLG]

61) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 3:9

The expression הַכָּרַ֤ת (hak·kā·raṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 1971: Respect, partiality

on their faces פְּנֵיהֶם֙ (pə·nê·hem) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 6440: The face

testifies against them, עָ֣נְתָה (‘ā·nə·ṯāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

and like Sodom כִּסְדֹ֥ם (kis·ḏōm) Preposition-k | Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 5467: Sodom -- a Canaanite city near the Dead Sea

they flaunt הִגִּ֖ידוּ (hig·gî·ḏū) Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

their sin; וְחַטָּאתָ֛ם (wə·ḥaṭ·ṭā·ṯām) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 2403: An offense, its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, expiation, an offender

they do not לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no

conceal it; כִחֵ֑דוּ (ḵi·ḥê·ḏū) Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 3582: To secrete, by act, word, to destroy

woe א֣וֹי (’ō·w) Interjection Strong's 188: Lamentation, Oh!

to them, לְנַפְשָׁ֔ם (lə·nap̄·šām) Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

for כִּֽי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they have brought גָמְל֥וּ (ḡā·mə·lū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 1580: To deal fully or adequately with, deal out to, wean, ripen

disaster רָעָֽה׃ (rā·‘āh) Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 7451: Bad, evil upon themselves. לָהֶ֖ם (lā·hem) Preposition-l | Pronoun - third person masculine plural Strong's 1992: They Yes, they have brought disaster

upon themselves! לָהֶ֖ם (lā·hem)

Preposition-l | Pronoun - third person masculine plural

Strong's 1992: They

• Yes, they are responsible!
• It was the case for Israel!
• It was the case for Judah!
• It is the case for mankind!
• What about us?
• Will we bring disaster upon us?
• Or will we avoid it?
• It depends on us!
• If we make the right choices!

 

[JLG]

62) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 3:10

Tell אִמְר֥וּ (’im·rū) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say

the righteous צַדִּ֖יק (ṣad·dîq) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 6662: Just, righteous

it will be well ט֑וֹב (ṭō·wḇ) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

for them, כִּֽי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

for they will enjoy יֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ (yō·ḵê·lū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 398: To eat

the fruit פְרִ֥י (p̄ə·rî) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 6529: Fruit

of their labor. מַעַלְלֵיהֶ֖ם (ma·‘al·lê·hem) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 4611: A deed, practice

- The righteous won't get into trouble!

- But who is the righteous one?

- It is connected to the fruit of his labor!

- That is his deed or his practice!

- Once again action!

- If we don't do anything for God it is not possible to be righteous!

- And all the faithful servants of God tell us the same message!

 

[JLG]

63) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 3:12

Youths מְעוֹלֵ֔ל (mə·‘ō·w·lêl) Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5768: A suckling

oppress נֹגְשָׂ֣יו (nō·ḡə·śāw) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 5065: To drive, to tax, harass, tyrannize

My people, עַמִּי֙ (‘am·mî) Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

and women וְנָשִׁ֖ים (wə·nā·šîm) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

rule מָ֣שְׁלוּ (mā·šə·lū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 4910: To rule, have dominion, reign

over them. ב֑וֹ (ḇōw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew

O My people, עַמִּי֙ (‘am·mî) Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

your guides מְאַשְּׁרֶ֣יךָ (mə·’aš·šə·re·ḵā) Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 833: To be straight, to go forward, be honest, proper

mislead you; מַתְעִ֔ים (maṯ·‘îm) Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 8582: To vacillate, reel, stray

they turn you בִּלֵּֽעוּ׃ (bil·lê·‘ū) Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 1104: To swallow down, swallow up, engulf

from your paths. אֹֽרְחֹתֶ֖יךָ (’ō·rə·ḥō·ṯe·ḵā) Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 734: A well-trodden road, a caravan

• We are told about leaders who mislead the people!
• Does it sound unusual to you?
• I don't think so!
• It has always been so!
• And it will always be so in this human society!

- And if you count on them you can forget it!

-The door will always stay closed!

- If you want to open it you have to do it yourself!

 

[JLG]

64) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 3:13

The LORD יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

arises נִצָּ֥ב (niṣ·ṣāḇ) Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5324: To take one's stand, stand

to contend; לָרִ֖יב (lā·rîḇ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 7378: To toss, grapple, to wrangle, controversy, to defend

He stands וְעֹמֵ֖ד (wə·‘ō·mêḏ) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

to judge לָדִ֥ין (lā·ḏîn) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 1777: A straight course, sail direct

the people. עַמִּֽים׃ (‘am·mîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

- Here we see God as a judge!

- There is a time for patience!

- And there is a time for action!

- And when the time for action starts it is not possible to stop God!

- That's why it is necessary to act daily!

- And have a good routine in front of God!

- As all his faithful servants have done!

- To develop a strong relationship with him!

- And to do it time is required!

- And efforts too!

 

[JLG]

65) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 3:16-26

- In these verses we are told about the daughters of Zion!

- Haughty!

- Walking with heads held high!

- Wanton eyes!

- Prancing and skipping as they go!

- Jingling the bracelets on their ankles!

- Sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion!

- Make their foreheads bare!

- Take away the finery of their anklets and headband crescents!

- Their pendants, bracelets, and veils!

- Their headdresses, ankle chains, and sashes!

- Their perfume bottles and charms!

- Their signet rings and nose rings!

- Their festive robes, capes, cloaks, and purses!

- And their mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and shawls!

- But they will lose everything!

- And their men will die in battle!

- And they will lament and mourn!

- All that for pride and spiritual prostitution!

- Impressive!

- Can you feel the different consequences of cold and hot anger?

- When God strikes the Israelites all at once!

- When God strikes the Israelites in the long term for instance when they spent 40 years and died in the desert instead of getting into the promised land!

- When they went into exile after the destruction of Jerusalem!

- What do you think will happen when God's kingdom comes and puts an end to this miserable human society?

 

[JLG]

66) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 4:1

On that הַהוּא֙ (ha·hū) Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day בַּיּ֤וֹם (bay·yō·wm) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3117: A day

seven שֶׁ֨בַע (še·ḇa‘) Number - feminine singular Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

women נָשִׁ֜ים (nā·šîm) Noun - feminine plural Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

will take hold וְהֶחֱזִיקוּ֩ (wə·he·ḥĕ·zî·qū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 2388: To fasten upon, to seize, be strong, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer

of one אֶחָ֗ד (’e·ḥāḏ) Number - masculine singular Strong's 259: United, one, first

man בְּאִ֣ישׁ (bə·’îš) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

and say, לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 559: To utter, say

“We will eat נֹאכֵ֔ל (nō·ḵêl) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural Strong's 398: To eat

our own bread לַחְמֵ֣נוּ (laḥ·mê·nū) Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

and provide נִלְבָּ֑שׁ (nil·bāš) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural Strong's 3847: Wrap around, to put on a, garment, clothe

our own clothes. וְשִׂמְלָתֵ֖נוּ (wə·śim·lā·ṯê·nū) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural Strong's 8071: A dress, a mantle

Just רַ֗ק (raq) Adverb Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

let us be called יִקָּרֵ֤א (yiq·qā·rê) Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

by your name. שִׁמְךָ֙ (šim·ḵā) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 8034: A name

Take away אֱסֹ֖ף (’ĕ·sōp̄) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

our disgrace!” חֶרְפָּתֵֽנוּ׃ (ḥer·pā·ṯê·nū) Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural Strong's 2781: Contumely, disgrace, the pudenda

• And God's anger will end!
• And Israel will be able to have a new start!
• But there is a balance!
• If God gives them a new chance it means they have to repent!
• They have to go back to God!
• If not or when they commit again spiritual prostitution they will pay the price!
• But the price will be higher each time!
• And it is the same for mankind!

 

[JLG]

67) Looking for Isaiah

Isaiah 4:2

On that הַה֗וּא (ha·hū) Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day בַּיּ֣וֹם (bay·yō·wm) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3117: A day

the Branch צֶ֣מַח (ṣe·maḥ) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 6780: A sprout, growth

of the LORD יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will be יִֽהְיֶה֙ (yih·yeh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

beautiful לִצְבִ֖י (liṣ·ḇî) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 6643: Splendor, a gazelle

and glorious, וּלְכָב֑וֹד (ū·lə·ḵā·ḇō·wḏ) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness

and the fruit וּפְרִ֤י (ū·p̄ə·rî) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 6529: Fruit

of the land הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ (hā·’ā·reṣ) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 776: Earth, land

will be the pride לְגָא֣וֹן (lə·ḡā·’ō·wn) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1347: Arrogance, majesty, ornament

and glory וּלְתִפְאֶ֔רֶת (ū·lə·ṯip̄·’e·reṯ) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 8597: Beauty, glory

of Israel’s יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

survivors. לִפְלֵיטַ֖ת (lip̄·lê·ṭaṯ) Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 6413: Deliverance, an escaped portion

• Beautiful and glorious!
• This verse indicates the possibility of being forgiven by God!
• He can forget everything when people are ready to really change!
• And follow him without condition!
• But if not he won't forget!
• And you can't play a game with God!
• There is always a time to pay the right price!

 

[JLG]

68) Three temples?

https://rsc.byu.edu/new-testament-history-culture-society/temple-herod The Temple of Herod David Rolph Seely The First Temple/Solomon’s Temple

After King David conquered Jerusalem, Solomon built his splendid temple in ca. 966 BC (1 Kings 5–9 and 2 Chronicles 2–4) on the top of a hill that was traditionally considered to be the site of Mount Moriah, where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac (2 Chronicles 3:1; Genesis 22:2). When Solomon dedicated his temple he declared, “I have surely built thee an house to dwell in” (1 Kings 8:13). In Hebrew the temple is referred to as the beth Yahweh “house of the Lord,” har habayit “mountain of the house [of the Lord],” or hekhal “palace,” indicating that the primary function and symbolism of the ancient Israelite temple was to represent where God dwelt in the midst of his people. The ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies represented the throne of the Lord who was described as dwelling “between the cherubim” (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2). In addition to representing the presence of God, the temple represented the covenant that bound the Lord to his people (Leviticus 26:11–12), since the ark of the covenant contained the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets (Exodus 25:16).[1] According to Deuteronomy 12, after the temple was built all sacrifices were to be done only at the Jerusalem temple. Thus, the temple was a central religious, political, social, cultural, and economic institution in ancient Israel, and beginning in the days of Hezekiah and Josiah it was the only place where the ancient Israelites, under the authorization of the priests and Levites, worshiped the Lord God through sacrifices and offerings and for pilgrimage. It was also a central place for fasting, prayer, and singing hymns. The sacrifices, offerings, and furnishing of the Israelite temples such as altars, basins, veils, candlesticks, incense altars, tables for shewbread offerings, and the priestly clothing were familiar to the gentile cultures surrounding Israel.[2] The Israelite temples were unique in that they had no image of their deity.

 

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Solomon’s temple is known as the First Temple, and it was the temple familiar to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Lehi—prophets who warned the people that unless they repented and kept the covenant, the Lord would allow their enemies to destroy Jerusalem and scatter the people. After many generations of apostasy the Lord allowed the Assyrians to conquer and deport the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722. Judah, in spite of the reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah, also continued to disobey the covenant, and in ca. 586 BC the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to capture Jerusalem and destroy the temple and take many of the people into exile.[3]

 

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The Second Temple/Zerubbabel’s Temple In ca. 539 BC Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon and granted permission to the Jews along with other exiled peoples living in Babylon to return to their homes. Cyrus granted the Jews permission to take back to Jerusalem the temple vessels that had been captured by the Babylonians and rebuild their temple (2 Chronicles 36:22; Ezra 1). Led by Zerubbabel, the Jews eventually rebuilt the temple (called Zerubbabel’s temple) and rededicated it in ca. 515 BC (Ezra 5–6);

 

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71)

that temple would stand until ca. 20 BC when Herod dismantled it and built a new temple in its place. The phrase “Second Temple” is a designation used for both Zerubbabel’s and Herod’s temples.[4] The people returning from exile sought to restore temple worship by erecting a replica of Solomon’s temple on the Temple Mount. However, because of poverty they were unable to adorn it with the wealth and splendor of the First Temple. The book of Ezra records that at the dedication of Zerubbabel’s temple, those who had seen the First Temple wept (Ezra 3:12). Nevertheless, the temple and the Temple Mount were enhanced by wealthy donations and by additional building projects through the Persian and Hellenistic periods. Zerubbabel’s temple enjoyed a long period of relative tranquility from ca. 515 to 198 BC under the Persians and the Ptolemies based in Egypt. This period would end in 198 BC when the Seleucids, based in Syria, defeated the Ptolemies and took control of Yehud/Judea. Eventually, by order of the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes IV (reigned 175–164 BC), Judaism was deemed illicit and Antiochus desecrated the temple by offering sacrifices to foreign gods and to himself on its altar (1 Maccabees 1:20–63). While some of the Jews acquiesced, most were outraged. In 168 BC the Jews, led by members of the family known as the Maccabees, revolted, and against overwhelming odds defeated the Seleucids (1 Maccabees 1:64–4:35). Upon taking back the Temple Mount, Judas and his men set about cleansing the temple in preparation for restoring the sacrifices. In ca. 165 BC the Maccabees rededicated the temple, an event commemorated by the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah (1 Maccabees 4:36–59; John 10:22). The Maccabees (a Hebrew nickname meaning “hammer”), also known as the Hasmoneans (family name), established an independent Jewish nation led by a Hasmonean king that enjoyed its independence until 63 BC when the Romans captured Jerusalem. Josephus, a first-century AD Jewish writer, recounted that Pompey, the conquering general, made it a point to enter into the Holy of Holies of the temple and was amazed to see that the rumors of there being no image to the god of Israel were true. Pompey arranged for the cleansing of the temple and the resumption of temple service under Roman rule (Antiquities 14.70–73; see also Tacitus, Histories 5.11–12).[5]

 

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72)

Herod’s Temple (ca. 20 BC–AD 70) Herod (reigned from ca. 40–4 BC) was one of the great builders of antiquity; his goal in rebuilding the temple was to create one of the most magnificent buildings in his day and in the process to try to please his subjects, the Jews. Herod began to build his temple in ca. 20 BC—although the temple was not completed until ca. AD 63. According to Josephus, Herod believed that building the temple would be a task great enough “to assure his eternal remembrance” (Antiquities 15.380). Herod’s temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world—a beautiful building and a marvel of engineering. Josephus, who was an eyewitness of the temple, reported, “The exterior of the building lacked nothing that could astound either mind or eye. . . . To approaching strangers it appeared from a distance like a snow-clad mountain; for all that was not over laid with gold was of purest white” (Jewish War 5.222–23). Ancient sources pertaining to Herod’s temple include the writings of Josephus (ca. AD 37–100)[6] and Philo (ca. 20 BC–AD 50)[7]—both eyewitnesses of the temple, and tractates in the Mishnah: Middoth (“measurements”), Tamid (“the permanent sacrifice”), Yoma (“the Day of Atonement”), and Shekalim (“the shekel dues”).[8] While there is no archaeological evidence of the temple proper, there are many architectural and archaeological evidences of the Temple Mount, including several important inscriptions.[9] Josephus records that Herod, in the eighteenth year of his reign (20–19 BC), gave a speech to the people in which he proposed to rebuild Zerubbabel’s temple in gratitude for the fact that he had, “by the will of God, brought the Jewish nation to such a state of prosperity as it has never known before” (Antiquities 15.383). His envisioned rebuilding project was a delicate operation since it would involve the complete demolition of Zerubbabel’s temple and the expeditious building of the new temple.[10] In order to assuage the fears of the people that he would not build the new temple after demolishing the old one, in consultation with religious leaders Herod first prepared all the necessary materials for his temple. Next, he allegedly appointed ten thousand men to rebuild the temple and specifically trained a thousand priests as builders and stonemasons so they would be able to carry out the construction in the inner courts of the temple where nonpriests would not be allowed to enter (Antiquities 15.390–91). For the erection of the altar, Herod followed the biblical prescription (Exodus 20:22) and used stones quarried nearby not touched by iron (Jewish War 5.225). The temple proper was built in a year and a half and the surrounding porticos and courtyards in eight years (Antiquities 15.420–21). However, construction on the whole complex continued for more than eighty years from the time it was begun and was only completed in AD 63 (Antiquities 20.219; compare John 2:19). From the descriptions preserved in Josephus and the Mishnah, correlated with the remains and the excavations around the Temple Mount, it is possible to reconstruct what the mount and the temple looked like with some degree of confidence.[11] The dimensions of Herod’s temple are given in cubits and/or stadia in the ancient sources; while the length of a cubit probably varied through time, most believe that the cubit used in the building of the temple was the long cubit. For the sake of convenience this study will describe the measurements of the temple in terms of feet and meters, usually based on the long cubit of about 21 inches.[12] Herod’s temple mount Solomon’s temple and Zerubbabel’s temple, including the Hasmonean additions, were confined to the top of the hill called Mount Moriah, bounded on the east and south by the Kidron Valley and to the west by the Tyropoean Valley. The temple faced east toward the Mount of Olives. To the north of the mount was the Roman Antonia Fortress, and to the west and south was the city of Jerusalem. In order to enlarge the sacred platform, Herod expanded the area of the Temple Mount to the south and west by filling and erecting a series of arched vaults. He thus doubled the size of Solomon’s temple mount.[13]

 

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According to the Mishnah, Solomon’s temple mount was a square of 500 cubits on each side (861 feet/262.5 meters) or about seventeen acres (Middot 2.1). When completed, Herod’s temple mount was a trapezoid-shaped walled platform 1,550 feet [472 meters] long north to south, and about 1,000 feet [304 meters] wide east to west.[14] It measured about 144,000 meters square, or thirty-six acres. Scholars have noted that this was one of the largest sacred precincts in the ancient world. It was twice as large as Trajan’s Forum in Rome and three-and-a-half times more extensive than the combined temples of Jupiter and Astarte-Venus at Baalbek. In fact, it was about the same size as the Neo-Babylonian Marduk temple complex in Babylon.[15] Herod’s temple precinct was demarcated by fences and gates into concentric rings of successive holiness. The outer courtyard was called the Court of the Gentiles—here all nations were invited to come and worship the Lord. This space was open to Jews and Gentiles. Around the perimeter of the Court of the Gentiles was a portico where people could gather and teach or be taught. Along the south wall (some believe along the east wall) of this court was a long colonnaded porch forming a basilica-like room running east and west with rows of 162 beautiful columns with Corinthian capitals. Called the Royal Stoa, it is probably Solomon’s porch of the New Testament (John 10:23). The Court of the Gentiles was separated by a wall from the court where only Israelite men and women were permitted to go. Gentiles were forbidden from entering this inner court. Posted around this barrier were signs warning Gentiles not to pass on pain of death. Two of these signs have been found—one contained the entire inscription reading: “No Gentile shall enter inward of the partition and barrier around the Temple, and whoever is caught shall be responsible to himself for his subsequent death.”[16]

 

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Apparently temple officials were given the right to enforce this ban on foreigners in this sacred space. The seriousness of the offense of Gentiles crossing the barrier is dramatized by the story in Acts where Paul was falsely accused of bringing non-Jews past this enclosure and the mob attempted to kill him (Acts 21:27–32). The temple proper was approached from the east by passing through the Court of Women—where men and women could go to observe the sacrifices through the gate. A long narrow court stood between the Court of the Women and the altar called the Court of the Israelites; there only Jewish men could go. Beyond that court only the priests and Levites could serve in the area around the altar; only the priests could enter the temple, and only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year. Archaeological evidence has determined that there were eight gates to Herod’s temple mount from the surrounding city: one in the east, two in the south, four in the west, and one in the north. Archaeological remains of ritual baths or mikvahs have been excavated near several of these gates, indicating that the Jews would ritually purify themselves before coming onto the Temple Mount. The most common entrance for pilgrims coming to the temple were the two splendid gates in the south, called the Double Gate and the Triple Gate, that were approached by a monumental stairway. The temple and temple worship Herod’s temple represented the house of the Lord and was the center of Israelite worship as legislated in the Old Testament and enhanced by centuries of Jewish tradition.[17]

 

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Temple worship consisted of a complex series of sacrifices and offerings that could only be offered at the temple. Additionally, the temple was the focal point of the Jewish festivals, including the three pilgrimage festivals that all Jews throughout the world were required to celebrate at the temple in Jerusalem. The temple proper was situated near the middle of the inner courtyard, facing east, and surrounded by a wall. Jewish men and women could pass from the east through the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:2) to enter a square courtyard in front of the temple called the Court of the Women, where, Josephus records, “[we] who were ritually clean used to pass with our wives” (Antiquities 15.418). Just inside this gate, chests were placed for the collection of monetary offerings where the widow offered her mite (Luke 21:1–4). Four large lampstands were erected in this court, each with four bowls, to light the temple—especially at the Feast of Tabernacles. Men and women congregated in the Court of the Women to observe through the gate the priests offering the sacrifices at the altar and to receive the priestly benediction. Here Jewish men and women could participate in temple worship through prayer, fasting, and hymns. Proceeding to the west, Israelite men climbed fifteen curved stairs and entered into the narrow Court of the Israelites separated from the Court of the Priests by a line in the pavement. Standing in the Court of the Israelites, one could see the large stone altar 40 feet [12 meters] square and 15 feet [4.5 meters] high[18] upon which the priests offered the sacrifices. A ramp led to the top of the altar that had horns at the four corners. The priests offered regular daily offerings at the temple on behalf of all Israel and also assisted in the many offerings brought by individuals to the temple. Under the law of Moses there were five major sacrifices (Leviticus 1–7). The burnt offering was the sacrifice of an animal that was completely burned on the altar—the smoke symbolized the offering ascending into heaven. In addition to the burnt offering, the sin offering and trespass offering were connected with the offering of blood for atonement from sin and ritual impurity (Leviticus 17:11). The meal offering was offered for thanksgiving. The peace offering represented a communal meal—divided into three portions: one given to the Lord, one given to the priests, and one taken home and eaten by the offerer. To the north of the altar was the Place of Slaughtering where the sacrificial animals were butchered and skinned. Between the altar and the temple was a large bronze laver providing water for washing. Each of the priests ritually washed their hands and feet before and after officiating at the temple (Exodus 30:20–21). According to the Mishnah Herod’s temple was 100 cubits (172 feet/52.5 meters) long, wide, and high (Middot 4.6), and was divided like Solomon’s temple into three rooms: the porch, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies.[19]

 

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The gold-covered facade of the temple was imposing. On the east wall of the Holy Place, visible through the portal of the temple, was an elaborate gate to the Holy Place. Josephus says there were pillars on either side of the gate but does not specify how many. Early depictions on coins and in synagogues depict four columns with two on each side. Josephus further describes “a golden vine with grape-clusters hanging from it,” that was placed above the door and wound itself around the pillars (Antiquities 15.395). This vine was decorated with the costly gifts brought to the temple and was described in the Mishnah: “A golden vine stood over the entrance to the sanctuary, trained over the posts; and whosoever gave a leaf, or a berry, or a cluster as a freewill-offering, he brought it and the priests hung it thereon” (Middot 3.8). On the stairs leading up to the doors of the temple the priests would daily gather to recite the priestly benediction on the people (Numbers 6:23–27). A large veil of several colors hung in front of the doors at the entrance to the Holy Place. Passing through the veil, one entered the Holy Place. The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies together comprised one large rectangular room completely covered with plates of gold separated only by the veil of the temple. In the Holy Place there were three furnishings: the table for the bread of the presence (shewbread), the seven-branched lampstand or menorah, and the incense altar. Each week the tribes of Israel offered twelve loaves of bread to the Lord on the table, and at the end of the week the priests ate them on the Sabbath. This symbolized a sacred meal shared by the offerer, the Lord, and the priest. The menorah is described as being shaped like a tree consisting of a central axis and three branches on each side, making seven branches in all. At the top of each branch was a cup filled with olive oil that functioned as a lamp. Because of its form, the menorah is often associated with the tree of life.[20]

 

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The lamp was the only source of light in the temple. Each day the priests entered the Holy Place to light and trim the lamps and to light the incense. The golden altar of incense stood next to the veil of the temple. Incense was expensive and was thus seen as a sacrifice, and the sweet odor helped to counteract the smells of sacrifice at the temple. It also effectively created an otherworldly environment suggesting the presence of God. In the scriptures the burning of incense symbolized prayer (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:4). In the New Testament Zecharias was officiating at the incense altar, with a prayer in his heart, when Gabriel appeared to him to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5–23). Separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was another veil. The veil of the temple consisted of two curtains hung about 18 inches apart. The outer curtain was looped up on the south side, and the inner one on the north side provided a corridor for the high priest to walk through on the day that he entered the Holy of Holies so that no one else could see into the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was a square-shaped room 20 cubits (34.4 feet, 10.50 meters) in width and length with a height of 40 cubits (69 feet, 21 meters) (Middot 4.7). The interior was covered with plates of beaten gold. In the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple the original focal point of the worship of Israel was the ark of the covenant covered by the mercy seat with two cherubim representing the throne of God and designating his presence. In the Second Temple the Holy of Holies was empty since the ark of the covenant and the cherubim had disappeared in the course of the destruction of Solomon’s temple in 586 BC.[21] Rabbinic tradition identified a stone on the floor of the Holy of Holies, rising to a height of three-finger breadths, as the “foundation stone” (eben shetiyyah)—the very stone with which the creation of the world began (Mishnah Yoma 5:1). On the Day of Atonement in Old Testament times, the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat of the ark in order to make atonement. In Herod’s temple the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on this stone. The Mishnaic tractate Middot relates that in the upper story of the Holy of Holies were openings through which they could let down workmen in boxes to assist in the maintenance of this space (Middot 4.5). The festivals The most important holy day in ancient Israel was the Sabbath (Saturday) and this day was celebrated by changing the twelve loaves of the bread of the presence, with the priests eating the week-old bread, and by offering a double sacrifice at the temple. According to biblical law (Exodus 23, 34, and Deuteronomy 16), three times a year all Jewish males were required to appear “before the Lord” (i.e., at the temple). The three festivals are Passover, Shavuot (Weeks/Pentecost), and Tabernacles (Booths). At these festivals the Jews celebrated and renewed their covenantal relationship with the Lord and expressed thanksgiving by prayer, feasting, sacrifices, and offerings. Philo of Alexandria (ca. 20 BC–AD 50) described the significance of these annual pilgrimages: Countless multitudes from countless cities come, some over land, others over sea, from east and west and north and south at every feast. They take the temple for their port as a general haven and safe refuge from the bustle of the great turmoil of life, and there they seek to find calm weather, and released from the cares whose yoke has been heavy upon them from their earliest years, to enjoy a brief breathing-space in scenes of genial cheerfulness.[22] The temple had a function for each of these festivals. At Passover, which celebrated the exodus from Egypt, the Passover lambs were sacrificed at the temple and then taken to the homes, where the festival was celebrated by families. Fifty days later at the Festival of Weeks, or Pentecost (compare Acts 2), which celebrated the first harvest, individuals brought firstfruit offerings to the temple to be offered on the altar. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated the wanderings in the wilderness, and the people were commanded to live for seven days in booths and to eat each day the bounty of the harvest with thanksgiving. In addition, a procession was held with the waving of palm branches, ethrog, and lulav. Based on descriptions in extrabiblical Jewish traditions (Mishnah, Sukkah “The Feast of Tabernacles” 4–5), an elaborate procession of water was held in conjunction with Tabernacles in which the priests drew water from the Siloam pool and brought it up in a happy procession to pour on the altar of the temple (compare John 7). At this festival the four great menorahs in the Court of the Women were lit, illuminating the whole of Jerusalem. The most solemn yearly festival celebrated at the temple was the Day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16. This festival was held on the tenth day of the seventh month, which began with Rosh Hashanah initiating the fall new year, four days before the Feast of Tabernacles. On this day the high priest led Israel in a series of sacrifices that would atone for sin and ritual impurity through the ritual of the two goats. One goat would be sacrificed, and upon the head of the other goat the sins of the people would be pronounced. This goat, known as the “scapegoat,” would be sent into the wilderness. Then the high priest, as the climax of this ritual, was able to enter into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the floor, thus effecting the forgiveness of sin and ritual impurity and resulting in reconciliation or at-one-ment between God and humans.

 

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Clothing of the high priest While serving in the temple

The priests wore special clothing consisting of pantaloons, a white robe, an embroidered belt, and a round hat. In addition, the high priest wore four additional vestments (Exodus 28:3–43). First, he wore a long blue robe with embroidered pomegranates and golden bells hanging from the bottom. Next, he wore an apron encircling the body called an ephod held in place by two shoulder straps, each bearing an onyx stone inscribed with the names of six tribes of Israel (Exodus 28:6–10). Connected to the ephod was a breastplate containing twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel (Exodus 28:15–28). Thus, when the high priest officiated at the temple he did so bearing the tribes of Israel symbolically before the Lord. An embroidered flap of the breastplate folded behind forming a pouch wherein the high priest kept the divinatory instruments (the Urim and Thummim), representing the means of inquiring and receiving the will of the Lord. Finally, he wore a hat (called a turban) and a pure gold plate inscribed “Holiness to the Lord” (Exodus 28:36–38).

 

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The New Testament and the Temple The temple is a central feature in the Gospel narratives of the life and ministry of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke opens in the temple with the appearance of the angel Gabriel to the priest Zacharias as he was officiating at the incense altar in the Holy Place (Luke 1:5–24), and the Gospel of Luke ends with a note that the disciples of Jesus, after his ascension “were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53). Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple to offer the burnt and sin offerings as prescribed by the law of Moses (Leviticus 12:6–8), and there they met Anna and Simeon, who both proclaimed Jesus’s messiahship (Luke 2:28–38). The only story of the youth of Jesus in the Gospels recounts how as a twelve-year-old, after being left behind in Jerusalem following the Passover feast, he was found by his parents conversing with the elders at the temple (Luke 2:41–52). And as part of the temptations Jesus was transported by the Spirit (JST) to “a pinnacle of the temple” where Satan tempted him to throw himself off so that the angels would come and save him (Luke 4:9–11; Matthew 4:5). The Gospel of John records that Jesus cleansed the temple at the outset of his ministry as a symbol that he came in power and with authority, and Jesus used this occasion to teach of his eventual death and resurrection from the dead (John 2:13–25). Following this cleansing of the temple, the Jews asked Jesus for a sign of his authority. According to the Gospel of John: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body” (John 2:19–22). Throughout his ministry Jesus came to Jerusalem each year to celebrate Passover. He regularly taught and healed at the temple (Matthew 21:14–15). In the temple precincts he observed the widow offering her alms and taught the lesson of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41–44). During the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) John records that Jesus taught in the porch of Solomon (John 10:22). According to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus cleansed the temple at the end of his ministry. During the passion week Jesus went to the temple, whose precincts were crowded with tens of thousands of pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. There he made a whip and drove out those “that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves” (Matthew 21:12; Luke 19:45–47). Jesus explained his act by quoting Jeremiah 7:11: “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 20:13). More than six hundred years earlier, Jeremiah had come to the temple and had warned Israel that their unrepentant hypocrisy and sin would bring the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians. Jesus’s reference to Jeremiah was thus an ominous foreshadowing of the future destruction of the temple by the Romans if the people did not repent. And finally at the moment when Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the Holy of Holies in the temple was rent in two (Luke 23:45), symbolizing that through his atonement all would be able to enter into the presence of God. The Gospel of John specifically portrays Jesus as a fulfillment of some of the symbols of the temple and its festivals. A passage at the beginning of John describes Jesus as the tabernacle when it says, “and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The English word dwelt is derived from the Greek verb skēnoō used in reference to the Old Testament tabernacle that literally means “he tabernacled” or “pitched his tent” among us. Thus, through Jesus, God came to dwell among his people just as God had made his presence known among his people anciently in the tabernacle, in which he could “dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). When John the Baptist first saw Jesus he announced him as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), an allusion to the sacrifice of the lambs at the temple. And in the Gospel of John Jesus is crucified on the cross on the day of Passover when the paschal lambs were being sacrificed at the temple (John 19:31–37).[23]