![]() The Temple Menorah was quite large, and estimates place it at some three feet tall and two feet wide. Some have noted that the shape and stems of the Menorah bear a certain resemblance to a plant found in Israel called Salvia Palaestina. The base itself is not specifically described in scripture. The base is an artist’s conception taken from the arch of Titus in Rome where an engraving of the Menorah taken from the temple can be seen. The impression is that the menorah grows progressively out from these flowers. ![]() 13 For example, each of the six stems is to have three cups, bulbs and flowers as it ascends to the top, one being where the stem meets the trunk, the second halfway up the stem and the third at the top finished with a flat surface upon which a gold oil lamp would be placed. The illustration to the left has inaccuracies. It stands in the highest place in the picture representing the sovereignty and love of God over all time, creation and history. He also told His disciples that they were “the light of the world”. He uses the metaphor “light” and we need to think “oil lamp” or “Menorah” as the symbol of His “light” and all it represents. In essence, The Menorah can be seen as God’s holiness and the holiness of everything The olive oil that fuels each lamp is also symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and of the anointing of the and everyone else He touches (gives His light to).įurther, when Jesus said, “I Am the light of the world”, 11 He may well have been thinking of the Menorah as the analogy for His hearer’s understanding. It represents the Holy Essence of God God as the creator of all things in seven days the tree of life God’s “breath” which is also called The Holy Spirit in the New Testament and the menorah is seen in Revelation as the Seven Spirits of God 9 His truth (as light is a metaphor for truth throughout the Bible) thus His word, (“…A lamp to my feet and a light to my path”) His righteousness, law and judgment sometimes seen As representative of the burning bush as seen by Moses and is seen further in the Book of Revelation as representative of seven churches 10 and so forth. As with most things, the Menorah was to be a reminder to Israel of their God and all He meant to them. The Menorah holds multiple symbolic meanings. 8 These symbols carry on nicely into the New Testament. All the lampstands were equal in height with the central trunk and all had significant decorations described in scripture each symbolic of life, first fruits, and so on. The Menorah (Hebrew for “lampstand”) is called “The lamp of God” in I Samuel 3:3 7 and this may especially refer to the central lamp. In Hebrews, these structures and vessels are “shadows” of the heavenly reality. This is noted in Exodus 25:9 and 25:40 as well. 5 We are told in Hebrews 8:5 that the tabernacle and the temple and all their fixtures or “vessels” were made according to a “heavenly” pattern. 4 The center lamp may have been lit continually and used to light the other six in the evening. It was to be lit every evening and it remained lit until dawn the next day. ![]() ![]() Its construction is described in Exodus 25:31-39. There was in the “Holy Place” of the Tabernacle and of the Temple a Menorah of pure gold. Besides actual metal lampstands, images of the Menorah are found in pottery, tapestry, engravings, mosaic floors, buildings, literature, artwork and so on. ![]() 3 Such lampstands and images of the menorah were prolific in every form in ancient Israel. Today the Menorah is portrayed with seven candles rather than seven lamps. Each platform was able to hold a lamp bowl filled with olive oil with a wick spout. It originally had a central stand (trunk or shaft) with three other branches proceeding from each side 2 each with a small platform at the top. This seven branched lampstand has great significance and symbolism in both testaments.
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