Reference: Urim And Thummim
Fausets
(See HIGH PRIEST; EPHOD.) ("lights and perfections".) The article "the" before each shows their distinctness. In De 33:8 the order is reversed "thy Thummim and thy Urim." Urim is alone in Nu 27:21; 1Sa 28:6 Saul is answered neither by dreams nor by Urim. Thummim is never by itself. Inside the high priest's breast-plate were placed the Urim and Thummim when he went in before the Lord (Ex 28:15-30; Le 8:8). Mentioned as already familiar to Moses and the people. Joshua, when desiring counsel to guide Israel, was to "stand before Eleazar the priest, who should ask it for him after the judgment of Urim before Jehovah" (Nu 27:21). Levi's glory was "thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy Holy One," i.e. with Levi as representing, the whole priestly and Levitical stock sprung from him (De 33:8-9).
In Ezr 2:63 finally those who could not prove their priestly descent were excluded from the priesthood "till there should stand up a priest with Urim and Thummim." Theteraphim apparently were in Ho 3:4; Jg 17:5; 18:14,20,30, the unlawful substitute for Urim (compare 1Sa 15:23 "idolatry," Hebrew teraphim; and 2Ki 23:24, margin). Speaker's Commentary thinks that lots were the mode of consultation, as in Ac 1:26; Pr 16:33. More probably stones with Jehovah's name and attributes, "lights" and "perfections," engraven on them were folded within the ephod. By gazing at them the high priest with ephod on, before the Lord, was absorbed in heavenly ecstatic contemplation and by God was enabled to declare the divine will.
The Urim and Thummim were distinct from the 12 stones, and were placed within the folds of the double choshen. Philo says that the high priest's breast-plate was made strong in order that he might wear as an image the two virtues which his office needed. So the Egyptian judge used to wear the two figures of Thmei (corresponding to Thummim), truth and justice; over the heart of mummies of priests too was a symbol of light (answering to Urim). No image was tolerated on the Hebrew high priest; but in his choshen the white diamond or rock crystal engraven with "Jehovah," to which in Re 2:17 the "white stone" with the "new name written" corresponds, belonging to all believers, the New Testament king-priests. Compare Ge 44:5,15; Ps 43:5, "send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me."
Also 1Sa 14:19. Never after David are the ephod and its Urim and Thummim and breast-plate used in consulting Jehovah. Abiathar is the last priest who uses it (1Sa 23:6-9; 28:6; 2Sa 21:1). The higher revelation by prophets superseded the Urim and Thummim. Music then, instead of visions, became the help to the state of prayer and praise in which prophets revealed God's will (1Sa 9:9).
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Is not this that in which my lord drinketh, and whereby, he himself, doth divine? Ye have done evil in what ye have done.
And Joseph said to them, What is this deed which ye have done? Know ye not that such a man as I, can even divine?
And thou shalt make a breastpiece for giving sentence the work of a skilful weaver, like the work of the ephod, shalt thou make it, of gold, blue, and purple and crimson and fine-twined linen, shalt thou make it. Four-square, shall it be double, - a span the length thereof and a span the breadth thereof. read more. And thou shalt set therein a setting of stones, four rows of stones, - one row - a sardius, a topaz and an emerald, the first row; and the second row a carbuncle a sapphire and a diamond; and the third row an opal, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a Tarshish stone, a sardonyx, and a jasper, - enclosed with gold, shall they be when they are set. And the stones shall be after the names of the sons of Israel - twelve, after their names, - as the engravings of a seal-ring everyone after his name, shall they be, for the twelve tribes, And thou shalt make, upon the breastpiece, chains like cords of wreathen work, - of pure gold. And thou shalt make, upon the breastpiece, two rings of gold, - and thou shalt place the two rings, upon the two ends of the breastpiece. And thou shalt hang the two wreathen chains of gold upon the two rings, - upon the ends of the breastpiece; and the other two ends of the two wreathen chains, shalt thou fasten upon the two ouches, so shalt thou hang them upon the shoulderpieces of the ephod, in the forefront thereof. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastpiece upon the border thereof, which is on the side of the ephod inwards. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and place them upon the two shoulderpieces of the ephod beneath, on the front of the face thereof, over against its joining, above the curious band of the ephod: that they may bind the breastpiece by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue, so that it may remain upon the curious band of the ephod, and the breastpiece not be removed from of the ephod. So shall Aaron bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece for giving sentence upon his heart when he goeth into the holy place, - for a memorial before Yahweh continually. Thus shalt thou place, in the breastpiece for giving sentence, the lights and the perfections, so shall they be upon the heart of Aaron when he goeth in before Yahweh, - so shall Aaron bear the sentence of the sons of Israel, upon his heart before Yahweh continually.
and he put upon him the breastpiece, - and placed, in the breastpiece, the Lights and the Perfections;
And, before Eleazar the priest, shall he stand, and shall ask by him for the decision of the Lights, before Yahweh, - at the bidding thereof, shall they go out, and at the bidding thereof, shall they come in - he, and all the sons of Israel with him, even all the assembly.
And, before Eleazar the priest, shall he stand, and shall ask by him for the decision of the Lights, before Yahweh, - at the bidding thereof, shall they go out, and at the bidding thereof, shall they come in - he, and all the sons of Israel with him, even all the assembly.
And of Levi, he said: Let, thy perfections and thy lights, belong unto thy man of lovingkindness, - Whom thou didst put to the proof at Massah, With whom thou didst contend over the waters of Meribah;
And of Levi, he said: Let, thy perfections and thy lights, belong unto thy man of lovingkindness, - Whom thou didst put to the proof at Massah, With whom thou didst contend over the waters of Meribah; Who saith of his father and of his mother, I behold them not, And, his own brethren, regardeth he not, And, his own sons, observeth he not, - Because they watch thy speech, That, thy covenant, they may preserve,;
Now, the man Micah, had a house of gods, - and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.
Then responded the five men who had been to spy out the land of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Know ye that there are in these houses, an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image, - now, therefore, know what ye will do!
Then was the heart of the priest glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, - and came into the midst of the people.
And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image, - and, Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, he and his sons, became priests to the tribe of the Danites, until the day of the captivity of the land.
Beforetime, in Israel, thus, said a man when he went to enquire of God, Come and let us go as far as the seer, - for, the prophet of to-day, used to be called, beforetime, the seer.
And it came to pass, as soon as Saul had spoken unto the priest, that, the tumultuous noise that was in the camp of the Philistines, went on and on, increasing. Then said Saul unto the priest, - Withdraw thy hand.
For, as the sin of divination, is, rebelliousness, - and, as transgression with household gods, is, stubbornness, - Because thou hast rejected the word of Yahweh, therefore hath he rejected thee from being king.
Now it came to pass, when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled unto David to Keilah, that he came down with, an ephod, in his hand. And, when it was told Saul that David had entered Keilah, Saul said - God hath given him over into my hand, for he hath shut himself in by entering into a city with folding doors and bar. read more. So Saul summoned all the people to war, - to go down to Keilah, to besiege David, and his men. And David ascertained that, against him, Saul was contriving mischief, - so he said unto Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
Then Saul enquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh answered him not, - neither by Dreams, nor by the Lights, nor by prophets.
Moreover also, them who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the household gods, and the manufactured gods, and the abominations which were to be seen in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, did Josiah consume, - that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Yahweh.
and the governor told them, that they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.
Why shouldst thou be cast down, O my soul? And why shouldst thou moan over me, Wait thou for God, for yet shall I praise him, As the triumph of my presence, and my God.
Into the lap, is cast the lot, but, from Yahweh, is its every decision.
For, many days, shall the sons of Israel tarry, without king, and without ruler, and without sacrifice, and without pillar; and without ephod, or household gods.
And they gave lots for them; and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what, the Spirit, is saying unto the assemblies. Unto him that overcometh, I will give, unto him, of the hidden manna, and I will give unto him a white stone, and, upon the stone, a new name written, which, no one, knoweth, save he that receiveth it.
Hastings
These denote the two essential parts of the sacred oracle by which in early times the Hebrews sought to ascertain the will of God. Our OT Revisers give as their meaning 'the Lights and the Perfections' (Ex 28:36 Revised Version margin). This rendering
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Thus shalt thou place, in the breastpiece for giving sentence, the lights and the perfections, so shall they be upon the heart of Aaron when he goeth in before Yahweh, - so shall Aaron bear the sentence of the sons of Israel, upon his heart before Yahweh continually.
And thou shalt make a burnished plate, of pure gold, - and shalt engrave thereupon, like the engravings of a seal-ring, Holiness to Yahweh.
and he put upon him the breastpiece, - and placed, in the breastpiece, the Lights and the Perfections;
And, before Eleazar the priest, shall he stand, and shall ask by him for the decision of the Lights, before Yahweh, - at the bidding thereof, shall they go out, and at the bidding thereof, shall they come in - he, and all the sons of Israel with him, even all the assembly.
And of Levi, he said: Let, thy perfections and thy lights, belong unto thy man of lovingkindness, - Whom thou didst put to the proof at Massah, With whom thou didst contend over the waters of Meribah;
Then came out the lot, for the sons of Joseph, from the Jordan by Jericho, at the waters of Jericho, eastward, - the desert, going up from Jericho, through the hill country to Bethel;
And the second lot came out, for Simeon, for the tribe of the sons of Simeon, by their families, - and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.
And Saul said unto Yahweh - O God of Israel! now set forth the truth. Then were, Jonathan and Saul, taken, and, the people, escaped.
So David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Yahweh said unto David - Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. But the men of David said unto him, Lo! we, here, in Judah, are afraid, - how much more, then, if we go to Keilah, against the ranks of the Philistines? read more. So David yet again enquired if Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him, - and said - Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am about to deliver the Philistines into thy hand.
Then Saul enquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh answered him not, - neither by Dreams, nor by the Lights, nor by prophets.
Then said David to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, Do bring near me, I pray thee, the ephod. So Abiathar brought near the ephod, unto David. And David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake it? And he said unto him: Pursue, for thou shalt, overtake, and thou shalt, rescue.
and the governor told them, that they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.
and the governor told them, they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.
For the king of Babylon hath come tea stand At the parting of the way. At the head of the two ways To divine a divination:He hath shaken with arrows He hath asked of the household gods, He hath inspected the liver.
Morish
The signification of these Hebrew words is 'lights' and 'perfections.' They were distinct from the gems on the breastplate, for Moses put the breastplate upon Aaron, "also he put in or 'on' the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim." Le 8:8. It is clear that God answered questions by means of the Urim and Thummim. Nu 27:21; De 33:8; 1Sa 28:6. On the return of the Jews from Babylon some, who claimed to be priests but could not show their genealogy, were not allowed to eat of the holy things until there should stand up a priest with Urim and Thummim, and an answer be obtained from God. This great privilege has never yet been restored. Ezr 2:63; Ne 7:65.
It may be remarked that there is no record as to the construction of the Urim and Thummim, nor of their form. The first mention of them is in Ex 28:30; "Thou shalt put in or 'on' the breastplate of judgement the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord," as if God had given them to Moses, and had merely to tell him what to do with them
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Thus shalt thou place, in the breastpiece for giving sentence, the lights and the perfections, so shall they be upon the heart of Aaron when he goeth in before Yahweh, - so shall Aaron bear the sentence of the sons of Israel, upon his heart before Yahweh continually.
and he put upon him the breastpiece, - and placed, in the breastpiece, the Lights and the Perfections;
And, before Eleazar the priest, shall he stand, and shall ask by him for the decision of the Lights, before Yahweh, - at the bidding thereof, shall they go out, and at the bidding thereof, shall they come in - he, and all the sons of Israel with him, even all the assembly.
And of Levi, he said: Let, thy perfections and thy lights, belong unto thy man of lovingkindness, - Whom thou didst put to the proof at Massah, With whom thou didst contend over the waters of Meribah;
and the governor told them, that they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.
Smith
U'rim and Thum'mim
(light and perfection). When the Jewish exiles were met on their return from Babylon by a question which they had no data for answering, they agreed to postpone the settlement of the difficulty till there should rise up "a priest with Urim and Thummim."
The inquiry what those Urim and Thummim themselves were seems likely to wait as long for a final and satisfying answer. On every side we meet with confessions of ignorance. Urim means "light," and Thummim "perfection." Scriptural statements. --The mysterious words meet us for the first time, as if they needed no explanation, in the description of the high Priest's apparel. Over the ephod there is to be a "breastplate of judgment" of gold, scarlet, purple and fine linen, folded square and doubled, a "span" in length and width. In it are to be set four rows of precious stones, each stone with the name of a tribe of Israel engraved on it, that Aaron "may bear them on his heart." Then comes a further order. In side the breastplate, as the tables of the covenant were placed inside the ark,
are to be placed "the Urim and the Thummim," the light and the perfection; and they too are to be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before the Lord.
Not a word describes them. They are mentioned as things-already familiar both to Moses and the people, connected naturally with the functions of the high priest as mediating between Jehovah and his people. The command is fulfilled.
They pass from Aaron to Eleazar with the sacred ephod and other pontificalia.
When Joshua is solemnly appointed to succeed the great hero-law-giver he is bidden to stand before Eleazar, the priest, "who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim," and this counsel is to determine the movements of the host of Israel.
In the blessings of Moses they appear as the crowning glory of the tribe of Levi: "thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy Holy One."
De 33:8-9
In what way the Urim and Thummim were consulted is quite uncertain. Josephus and the rabbins supposed that the stones gave out the oracular answer by preternatural illumination; but it seems to be far simpler and more in agreement with the different accounts of inquiries made by Urim and Thummim,
4/3/type/emb'>1Sa 14:3,18-19; 23:2,4,9,11-12; 28:6; Jg 20:28; 2Sa 5:23
etc., to suppose that the answer was given simply by the word of the Lord to the high priest comp.
Joh 11:51
when, clothed with the ephod and the breastplate, he had inquired of the Lord. Such a view agrees with the true notion of the breastplate.
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And thou shalt make a breastpiece for giving sentence the work of a skilful weaver, like the work of the ephod, shalt thou make it, of gold, blue, and purple and crimson and fine-twined linen, shalt thou make it. Four-square, shall it be double, - a span the length thereof and a span the breadth thereof. read more. And thou shalt set therein a setting of stones, four rows of stones, - one row - a sardius, a topaz and an emerald, the first row; and the second row a carbuncle a sapphire and a diamond; and the third row an opal, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a Tarshish stone, a sardonyx, and a jasper, - enclosed with gold, shall they be when they are set. And the stones shall be after the names of the sons of Israel - twelve, after their names, - as the engravings of a seal-ring everyone after his name, shall they be, for the twelve tribes, And thou shalt make, upon the breastpiece, chains like cords of wreathen work, - of pure gold. And thou shalt make, upon the breastpiece, two rings of gold, - and thou shalt place the two rings, upon the two ends of the breastpiece. And thou shalt hang the two wreathen chains of gold upon the two rings, - upon the ends of the breastpiece; and the other two ends of the two wreathen chains, shalt thou fasten upon the two ouches, so shalt thou hang them upon the shoulderpieces of the ephod, in the forefront thereof. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastpiece upon the border thereof, which is on the side of the ephod inwards. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and place them upon the two shoulderpieces of the ephod beneath, on the front of the face thereof, over against its joining, above the curious band of the ephod: that they may bind the breastpiece by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue, so that it may remain upon the curious band of the ephod, and the breastpiece not be removed from of the ephod. So shall Aaron bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece for giving sentence upon his heart when he goeth into the holy place, - for a memorial before Yahweh continually. Thus shalt thou place, in the breastpiece for giving sentence, the lights and the perfections, so shall they be upon the heart of Aaron when he goeth in before Yahweh, - so shall Aaron bear the sentence of the sons of Israel, upon his heart before Yahweh continually.
Thus shalt thou place, in the breastpiece for giving sentence, the lights and the perfections, so shall they be upon the heart of Aaron when he goeth in before Yahweh, - so shall Aaron bear the sentence of the sons of Israel, upon his heart before Yahweh continually.
and he put upon him the breastpiece, - and placed, in the breastpiece, the Lights and the Perfections;
And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them upon Eleazar his son, and Aaron died there, in the top of the mount, - and Moses and Eleazar came down out of the mount.
And, before Eleazar the priest, shall he stand, and shall ask by him for the decision of the Lights, before Yahweh, - at the bidding thereof, shall they go out, and at the bidding thereof, shall they come in - he, and all the sons of Israel with him, even all the assembly.
And of Levi, he said: Let, thy perfections and thy lights, belong unto thy man of lovingkindness, - Whom thou didst put to the proof at Massah, With whom thou didst contend over the waters of Meribah; Who saith of his father and of his mother, I behold them not, And, his own brethren, regardeth he not, And, his own sons, observeth he not, - Because they watch thy speech, That, thy covenant, they may preserve,;
and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it in those days, saying: Shall I yet again go forth to battle, against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I forbear? And Yahweh said - Go up, for, to-morrow, will I deliver him into thy hand.
and, Ahijah, son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, was priest of Yahweh in Shiloh, wearing an ephod, - and, the people, knew not that Jonathan had departed.
Then said Saul unto Ahijah, Bring near the ark of God; for the ark of God was, on that day, in the midst of the sons of Israel. And it came to pass, as soon as Saul had spoken unto the priest, that, the tumultuous noise that was in the camp of the Philistines, went on and on, increasing. Then said Saul unto the priest, - Withdraw thy hand.
So David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Yahweh said unto David - Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.
So David yet again enquired if Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him, - and said - Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am about to deliver the Philistines into thy hand.
And David ascertained that, against him, Saul was contriving mischief, - so he said unto Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
Will the owners of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, I pray thee, tell thy servant. And Yahweh said - He will come down. Then said David, Will the owners of Keilah surrender me and my men, into the hand of Saul? And Yahweh said - They will surrender.
Then Saul enquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh answered him not, - neither by Dreams, nor by the Lights, nor by prophets.
and the governor told them, that they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.
and the governor told them, they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.
Watsons
URIM AND THUMMIM. The high priests of the Jews, we are told, consulted God in the most important affairs of their commonwealth, and received answers by the Urim and Thummim. What these were, is disputed among the critics. Josephus, and some others, imagine the answer was returned by the stones of the breastplate appearing with an unusual lustre when it was favourable, or in the contrary case dim. Others suppose, that the Urim and Thummim were something enclosed between the folding of the breastplate; this some will have to be the tetragrammaton, or the word ????, Jehovah. Christophorus de Castro, and after him Dr. Spencer, maintain them to be two little images shut up in the doubling of the breastplate, which gave the oracular answer from thence by an articulate voice. Accordingly, they derive them from the Egyptians, who consulted their lares, and had an oracle, or teraphim, which they called Truth. This opinion, however, has been sufficiently confuted by the learned Dr. Pococke and by Witsius. The more common opinion among Christians concerning the oracle by Urim and Thummim, and which Dr. Prideaux espouses, is, that when the high priest appeared before the veil, clothed with his ephod and breastplate, to ask counsel of God, the answer was given with an audible voice from the mercy seat, within the veil; but, it has been observed, that this account will by no means agree with the history of David's consulting the oracle by Abiathar, 1Sa 23:9,11; 30:7-8; because the ark, on which was the mercy seat, was then at Kirjathjearim; whereas David was in the one case at Ziklag, and in the other in the forest of Hareth. Braunius and Hottinger have adopted another opinion: they suppose, that, when Moses is commanded to put in the breastplate the Urim and Thummim, signifying lights and perfections in the plural number, it was meant that he should make choice of the most perfect set of stones, and have them so polished as to give the brightest lustre; and, on this hypothesis, the use of the Urim and Thummim, or of these exquisitely polished jewels, was only to be a symbol of the divine presence, and of the light and perfection of the prophetic inspiration; and, as such, constantly to be worn by the high priest in the exercise of his sacred function, especially in consulting the oracle.
Michaelis observes: That in making distributions of property, and in cases of disputes relative to meum [mine] and tuum, [thine,] recourse was had to the lot, in default of any other means of decision, will naturally be supposed. The whole land was partitioned by lot; and that, in after times, the lot continued to be used, even in courts of justice, we see from Pr 16:33; 18:18; where we are expressly taught to remember, that it is Providence which maketh the choice, and that therefore we ought to be satisfied with the decision of the lot, as the will of God. It was for judicial purposes, in a particular manner, that the sacred lot called Urim and Thummim was employed; and on this account the costly embroidered pouch, in which the priest carried this sacred lot on his breast, was called the judicial ornament. "But was this sacred lot used likewise in criminal trials?" Yes, says Michaelis, only to discover the guilty, to convict them; for in the only two instances of its use in such cases which occur in the whole Bible, namely, in Jos 7:14-18; 1Sa 14:37-45, we find the confessions of the two delinquents, Achan and Jonathan, annexed. It appears also to have been used only in the case of an oath being transgressed which the whole people had taken, or the leader of the host in their name, but not in the case of other crimes; for an unknown murder, for example, was not to be discovered by recourse to the sacred lot.
The inner sanctuary, within the veil of the tabernacle, observes Dr. Hales, or most holy place, was called the oracle, 1Ki 6:16, because there the Lord communed with Moses, face to face, and gave him instructions in cases of legal difficulty or sudden emergency, Ex 25:22; Nu 7:89; 9:8; Ex 33:11; a high privilege granted to none of his successors. After the death of Moses a different mode was appointed for consulting the oracle by the high priest, who put on "the breastplate of judgment," a principal part of the pontifical dress, on which were inscribed the words Urim and Thummim, emblematieal of divine illumination; as the inscription on his mitre, "Holiness to the Lord," was of sanctification, Ex 28:30-37; Le 8:8. Thus prepared, he presented himself before the Lord to ask counsel on public matters, not in the inner sanctuary, which he presumed not to enter, except on the great day of national atonement, but without the veil, with his face toward the ark of the covenant, inside; and behind him, at some distance, without the sanctuary, stood Joshua, the judge, or person who wanted the response, which seems to have been given with an audible voice from within the veil, Nu 27:21, as in the case of Jos 6:6-15; of the Israelites during the civil war with Benjamin, Jg 20:27-28; on the appointment of Saul to be king, when he hid himself, 1Sa 10:22-24; of David, 1Sa 22:10; 23:2-12; 30:8; 2Sa 5:23-24; of Saul, 1Sa 28:6. This mode of consultation subsisted under the tabernacle erected by Moses in the wilderness, and until the building of Solomon's temple; after which we find no instances of it. The oracles of the Lord were thenceforth delivered by the prophets; as by Ahijah to Jeroboam 1Ki 11:29; by Shemaiah to Rehoboam, 1Ki 12:22; by Elijah to Ahab, 1Ki 17:1; 21:17-29; by Michaiah to Ahab and Jehoshaphat, 1Ki 22:7; by Elisha to Jehoshaphat and Jehoram, 2Ki 3:11-14; by Isaiah to Hezekiah, 2Ki 19:6-34; 20:1-11; by Huldah to Josiah, 2Ki 22:13-20; by Jeremiah to Zedekiah, Jer 32:3-5, &c. After the Babylonish captivity, and the last of the prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the oracle ceased; but its revival was foretold by Ezr 2:63, and accomplished by Christ, who was himself the oracle, under the old and new covenants, Ge 15:1; Joh 1:1. See BREASTPLATE.
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After these things, came the word of Yahweh unto Abram, in a vision saying, - Do not fear Abram, am a shield to thee, thine exceeding great reward.
And I will meet with thee there, and will speak with thee from off the propitiatory, from between the two cherubim, which are upon the ark of the testimony, - whatsoever I may give thee in charge, for toe sons of Israel.
Thus shalt thou place, in the breastpiece for giving sentence, the lights and the perfections, so shall they be upon the heart of Aaron when he goeth in before Yahweh, - so shall Aaron bear the sentence of the sons of Israel, upon his heart before Yahweh continually. And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod wholly of blue; read more. and the opening for his head shall be in the midst thereof, - a border, shall there be to the opening thereof round about the work of a weaver, like the opening of a coat of mail, shall there be to it, it must not be rent. And thou shalt make upon the skirts thereof pomegranates of blue and purple and crimson, upon the skirts thereof round about - and bells of gold in the midst of them round about: a bell of gold and a pomegranate, a bell of gold, and a pomegranate, - upon the skirts of the robe, round about. And it shall be upon Aaron, for ministering, - so shall be heard the sound of him - when he goeth into the holy place, before Yahweh, and cometh out, and dieth not. And thou shalt make a burnished plate, of pure gold, - and shalt engrave thereupon, like the engravings of a seal-ring, Holiness to Yahweh. And thou shalt put it upon a cord of blue, so shall it be upon the turban, - upon the forefront of the turban, shall it be.
Thus Yahweh used to speak unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend, - and when he returned unto the camp, his attendant Joshua son of Nun, a young man, moved not from the midst of the tent.
and he put upon him the breastpiece, - and placed, in the breastpiece, the Lights and the Perfections;
And when Moses entered into the tent of meeting, that He might speak with him, then heard he the Voice speaking unto him from off the propitiatory that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, - so He spake unto him.
And Moses said unto them, - Stay, and let me hear, what Yahweh shall command concerning you!
And, before Eleazar the priest, shall he stand, and shall ask by him for the decision of the Lights, before Yahweh, - at the bidding thereof, shall they go out, and at the bidding thereof, shall they come in - he, and all the sons of Israel with him, even all the assembly.
Then called Joshua son of Nun unto the priests, and said unto them, Bear ye the ark of the covenant, - and let, seven priest, bear seven rams horns, before the ark of Yahweh. Then said he unto the people, Pass on and compass the city, - and let, the armed host, pass on before the ark of Yahweh. read more. And it was so, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that, the seven priests who were bearing the seven rams' horns before Yahweh, passed on and blew with the horns, - the ark of the covenant of Yahweh also coming after them. And, the armed host, went on before the priests who blew with the horns, - and, the rear-guard, came after the ark, going on and blowing with the horns. Now, unto the people, had Joshua given command, saying - Ye shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall there go out of your mouth, a word, - until the day when I say unto you Shout! then shall ye shout. So he caused the ark of Yahweh to compass the city, going round once, - and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morning, - and the priests bare the ark of Yahweh; and, the seven priests who bare the seven rams' horns before the ark of Yahweh, went on and on, and blew with the horns, - with, the armed host going on before them, and, the rear-guard, coming after the ark of Yahweh, going on and blowing with the horns. So they compassed the city on the second day once, and returned into the camp, - thus, did they, six days. And it came to pass, on the seventh day, that they rose early at the uprisings of the dawn, and compassed the city after this manner, seven times, - only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
Therefore shall ye be brought near in the morning by your tribes, - and it shall be that - the tribe which Yahweh shall seize, shall come near, by families, and the family which Yahweh shall seize, shall come near, by households, and the household which Yahweh shall seize, shall come near, man by man; and it shall be, that - He that is seized with the devoted thing, shall be burned with fire, he and all that he hath, - because he hath transgressed the covenant of Yahweh, and because he hath wrought impiety in Israel. read more. So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes, - and, the tribe of Judah, was seized; and he brought near the family of Judah, and, the family of the Zarhites, was seized, - and he brought near the family of the Zarhites, man by man, and, Zabdi, was seized; and he brought near his household, man by man, - and, Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was seized.
And the sons of Israel asked of Yahweh, - there, being the ark of the covenant of God, in those days; and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it in those days, saying: Shall I yet again go forth to battle, against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I forbear? And Yahweh said - Go up, for, to-morrow, will I deliver him into thy hand.
Then asked they again of Yahweh, Hath there yet to come in hither a man? And Yahweh said, Lo! he, hath hid himself among the stores. So they ran, and fetched him thence, and, when he presented himself in the midst of the people, then was he seen to be taller than any of the people, from his shoulders and upwards. read more. And Samuel said unto all the people - Have ye seen him whom Yahweh hath chosen, that there is none like him, among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said - Let the king live!
Then enquired he for him of Yahweh, Provisions also, gave he unto him, - and, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, gave he unto him.
So David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Yahweh said unto David - Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. But the men of David said unto him, Lo! we, here, in Judah, are afraid, - how much more, then, if we go to Keilah, against the ranks of the Philistines? read more. So David yet again enquired if Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him, - and said - Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am about to deliver the Philistines into thy hand. David therefore went, with his men, to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and drave forth their cattle, and smote them, with a great smiting, so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. Now it came to pass, when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled unto David to Keilah, that he came down with, an ephod, in his hand. And, when it was told Saul that David had entered Keilah, Saul said - God hath given him over into my hand, for he hath shut himself in by entering into a city with folding doors and bar. So Saul summoned all the people to war, - to go down to Keilah, to besiege David, and his men. And David ascertained that, against him, Saul was contriving mischief, - so he said unto Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
And David ascertained that, against him, Saul was contriving mischief, - so he said unto Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod. Then said David: O Yahweh, God of Israel, thy servant, hath heard, that Saul is seeking to come unto Keilah, - to destroy the city, for my sake: read more. Will the owners of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, I pray thee, tell thy servant. And Yahweh said - He will come down.
Will the owners of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, I pray thee, tell thy servant. And Yahweh said - He will come down. Then said David, Will the owners of Keilah surrender me and my men, into the hand of Saul? And Yahweh said - They will surrender.
Then Saul enquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh answered him not, - neither by Dreams, nor by the Lights, nor by prophets.
Then said David to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, Do bring near me, I pray thee, the ephod. So Abiathar brought near the ephod, unto David. And David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake it? And he said unto him: Pursue, for thou shalt, overtake, and thou shalt, rescue.
And David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake it? And he said unto him: Pursue, for thou shalt, overtake, and thou shalt, rescue.
And he built twenty cubits, at the hinder part of the house, with boards of cedar, from the floor as far as the cross-beams, - and he built it within, for a shrine, even for the holy of holies;
And it came to pass, at that time, when, Jeroboam, went forth out of Jerusalem, that there met him Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet, in the way, he having wrapped himself about with a new mantle; and, they two, were by themselves, in the field.
Then said Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, unto Ahab, By the life of Yahweh, God of Israel, before whom I stand, there shall not, these two years, be either dew or rain, - save at the bidding of my word.
Then came the word of Yahweh unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying: Arise! go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria, - lo! he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he hath gone down, to take possession thereof. read more. Then shalt thou speak unto him, saying - Thus, saith Yahweh, Hast thou committed murder, and also taken possession? Then shalt thou speak unto him, saying: Thus, saith Yahweh, In the place where the dogs have lapped up the blood of Naboth, shall the dogs lap up thy blood, even thine. Then said Ahab unto Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he said: I have found thee ! Because thou hast sold thyself to do the thing that is wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, Behold me! saith he bringing in upon thee, calamity, and I will consume after thee, - and cut off of Ahab, even the meanest, whether shut up or left at large in Israel; and will deliver up thy house - Like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, - for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked, and caused, Israel, to sin. Moreover also, concerning Jezebel, hath Yahweh spoken, saying, - The dogs, shall eat Jezebel, in the town-land of Jezreel: Him that dieth, of Ahab, in the city, shall, the dogs, eat, - and, him that dieth in the field, shall, the birds of heaven, eat. But indeed, there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to do the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, - whom Jezebel his wife goaded on; so that he did very abominably, in going after the manufactured gods, - according to all which the Amorites had done, whom Yahweh dispossessed from before the sons of Israel. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard these words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, - and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
Hast thou seen that Allah hath humbled himself, before me? Because he hath humbled himself before me, I will not bring in the calamity in his days, In the days of his son, will I bring in the calamity upon his house.
Then said Jehoshaphat, Is there not here a prophet of Yahweh, besides, - that we may seek, from him?
So Jehoshaphat said - Is there not, here, a prophet of Yahweh, that we may enquire of Yahweh, from him? Then answered one of the servants of the king of Israel, and said, Here, is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. Then said Jehoshaphat, The word of Yahweh, is with him. So the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, went down unto him. read more. And Elisha said unto the king of Israel - What have I and thou in common? get thee unto the prophets of thy father, and unto the prophets of thy mother. But the king of Israel said to him - Nay! for Yahweh hath called together these three kings, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. Then said Elisha - By the life of Yahweh of hosts, before whom I stand, were it not that, the countenance of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would lift up, I would neither look at thee, nor see thee.
And Isaiah said unto them, Thus, shall ye, say, unto your lord, - Thus, saith Yahweh - Be not thou afraid, because of the words which thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled, me: Behold me! about to let go against him, a blast, and, when he heareth the report, then will he return to his own country, - and I will cause him to fall by the sword, in his own land. read more. So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, - for he had heard that he had broken up from Lachish. And when he heard say of Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, saying, Lo! he hath come forth to fight with thee, - then he again sent messengers unto Hezekiah, saying - Thus, shall ye, speak, unto Hezekiah king of Judah, saying - Let not thy God in whom thou art trusting beguile thee, saying, - Jerusalem shall not be given over, into the hand of the king of Assyria. Lo! thou thyself, hast heard, what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, in devoting them to destruction, - and shalt, thou, be delivered? Did the gods of the nations, deliver them, whom my fathers destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, - and Rezeph, and the sons of Eden, who were in Telassar? Where are the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, - of Hena, and Ivvah? And, when Hezekiah had received the letter at the hand of the messengers, and had read it, then went he up to the house of Yahweh, and Hezekiah spread it out before Yahweh. And Hezekiah prayed before Yahweh, and said, O Yahweh, God of Israel, inhabiting the cherubim, thou thyself, art GOD, alone, for all the kingdoms of the earth, - thou, didst make the heavens and the earth. Bow down, O Yahweh, thine ear, and hear, Open, O Yahweh, thine eyes, and see, - yea hear thou the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent - To reproach a Living God! Of a truth, O Yahweh, - the kings of Assyria have devoted to destruction the nations and their lands; and have put their gods in the fire, - for, no-gods, were, they, but the work of the hands of men - wood and stone, and so they destroyed them. Now, therefore, O Yahweh our God, save us we pray thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that, thou, Yahweh, art God, alone! Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, - Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, What thou hast prayed unto me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard. This, is the word that Yahweh hath spoken concerning him, - The virgin daughter of Zion, laugheth thee to scorn, mocketh thee, The daughter of Jerusalem, after thee, doth wag her head. Whom, hast thou reproached, and insulted? and, against whom, hast thou lifted high thy voice? yea thou hast proudly raised thine eyes, against the Holy One of Israel. Through thy messengers, thou hast reproached My Lord, and hast said - With my multitude of chariots, have I ascended the height of the mountains, the recesses of Lebanon, - and have cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest firs, and have entered the shelter of its summit, its thick garden forests. I, have digged, and have drunk foreign waters, - and have dried up, with the soles of my feet, all the streams of besieged places. Hast thou not heard - that, long ago, that, is what I appointed, and, from days of old, devised it? Now, have I brought it to pass, that thou mightest serve to lay waste, in desolate ruins, fortified cities; And, their inhabitants, being powerless, were overthrown and put to shame, - they became grass of the field, and young herbage, grass on housetops, and seed withered before it came up. Howbeit, thine abode, and thy coming out and thy going in, I know, - and thy raging against me. Because, thy raging against me, and thy contempt, have come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my ring in thy nose, and my bit in thy lips, and will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. And, this unto thee, is the sign - Eating, this year, the growth of scattered seeds, and, in the second year, that which groweth after, - then, in the third year, sow ye and reap, plant ye vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof; Then shall the escaped of the house of Judah that remain, again - take root downward, and bear fruit upward; For, out of Jerusalem, shall go forth a remnant, and that which hath escaped - out of Mount Zion, - the jealousy of Yahweh of hosts, will perform this. Therefore - Thus, saith Yahweh, concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not enter this city, nor shoot there, an arrow, - nor attack it with shield, nor cast up against it, a mound; By the way that he cometh in, by the same, shall he return, - and, into this city, shall he not enter, declareth Yahweh! Thus will I throw a covering over this city, to save it, - for mine own sake, and for the sake of David my servant.
In those days, was Hezekiah sick, unto death, - and Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, came unto him, and said unto him - Thus, saith Yahweh Set in order thy house, for, about to die, thou, art, and shalt not recover. Then he turned his face unto the wall, - and prayed unto Yahweh, saying: read more. I beseech thee, O Yahweh, remember, I pray thee, how I have walked before thee, in truth, and with a whole heart, and, that which is good in thine eyes, have I done! And Hezekiah wept aloud. And it came to pass that Isaiah, had not gone out into the middle court, when the word of Yahweh came unto him, saying: Return, and thou shalt say unto Hezekiah the leader of my people - Thus, saith Yahweh, God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears, - Behold me! about to heal thee, On the third day, shalt thou go up unto the house of Yahweh; And I will add unto thy days, fifteen years, and, out of the hand of the king of Assyria, will I deliver thee, and this city, - and will throw a covering over this city, for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant. And Isaiah said - Take ye a cake of figs. So they took and laid it upon the boil, and he recovered, Now Hezekiah had said unto Isaiah, What sign is there, that Yahweh will heal me, - and that I shall go up on the third day, to the house of Yahweh? And Isaiah said, - This unto thee, is the sign from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing which he hath spoken, The shadow hath gone forward ten steps, shall it return ten steps? And Hezekiah said - It is, a light thing, for the shadow, to decline ten steps, - Nay, but let the shadow go back ten steps. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto Yahweh, and he caused the shadow on the steps by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz to go back, ten steps.
Go ye - enquire of Yahweh, for me and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book which hath been found, - for, great, is the wrath of Yahweh, in that it hath fired up against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according to all which is written concerning us. So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas keeper of the vestments, she having her dwelling in Jerusalem, in the new city, - and they spake unto her. read more. And she said unto them, Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, Say ye unto the man who hath sent you unto me: Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! about to bring calamity upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, - all the words of the book, which, the king of Judah, hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger, with all the workmanship of their hands; and so my wrath shall fire up against this place, and shall not be quenched: But, unto the king of Judah, who hath sent you to enquire of Yahweh, thus, shall ye say unto him, - Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard: Because, tender, was thy heart, and thou didst humble thyself before Yahweh when thou heardest what I had spoken against this place and against the inhabitants thereof - that they should become a desolation and a curse, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, therefore also, I, have hearkened - declareth Yahweh. For this cause, behold me! about to gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered unto thy graves, in peace, and so thine eyes shall not look upon all the misfortune which I am about to bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.
and the governor told them, that they must not eat of the most holy things, - until there should stand up a priest, with Lights and Perfections.
Into the lap, is cast the lot, but, from Yahweh, is its every decision.
whom Zedekiah king of Judah, had shut up, saying, - Why art thou prophesying, saying, - Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! giving up this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it; and, Zedekiah king of Judah! shall not be delivered out of the hand of the Chaldeans, - for he shall be wholly given up, into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak - the mouth of the one to the mouth of the other, and the eyes of the one into the eyes of the other, shall look; read more. and into Babylon, shall he lead Zedekiah and, there, shall he remain, until I visit him, Declareth Yahweh, - though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper?
Originally, was, the Word, and, the Word, was, with God; and, the Word, was, God.