Basic
Worldview:
314
End Times Prophecy (Eschatology) Premillennial
Temple Study
Premillennial Temple Study Part 1
Premillennial
Temple Study Part 2
Premillennial Temple Study
Part 3
Premillennial Temple Study Part 4
Premillennial Temple Study Part 5
Premillennial
Temple Study Part 6
Premillennial Temple Study
Part 7
Premillennial Temple Study Part 8
Premillennial Temple Study Part 9
Premillennial
Temple Study Part 10
Premillennial Temple Study
Part 11
Premillennial Temple Study Part 12
Premillennial Temple Study Part 13
Premillennial
Temple Study Part 14
Premillennial Temple Study
Part 15
The
Temple’s Water Systems Were South of the Moriah Platform
The
kings of Israel and Judah
constructed underground tunnels and channels which enabled water from the Gihon
Spring to be available in other areas of the city. Warren’s
shaft and Hezekiah’s tunnel (which diverted the water from the Gihon to the Pool
of Siloam) are examples of this subterranean water system of ancient Jerusalem. Biblical and historical
texts report that King Hezekiah had a tunnel cut through the bedrock under the
city of Jerusalem
during the Assyrian siege. This tunnel has been discovered today beneath the southern
portion of the Moriah ridge under the area of Davidic Jerusalem. (In the second
quote below titled, “Warren’s Shaft,” the “old
city” mentioned in connection with Warren’s Shaft
refers to the original city of David, as any map
of Warren’s Shaft
reveals.)
Hezekiah's
Tunnel – Hezekiah's Tunnel,
or the Siloam Tunnel is a tunnel that was dug
underneath the Ophel
in Jerusalem
about 701 BC
during the reign of Hezekiah. It was probably a widening of a pre-existing cave and
is mentioned in the Bible. The tunnel[1],
leading from[2]
the Gihon Spring
to[3]
the Pool of Siloam,
was designed to act as an aqueduct
to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib.
– wikipedia.org
Warren's Shaft – Warren's Shaft is an archaeological feature in Jerusalem
found by Charles Warren in the late 18th century. It runs from
within the old city to a spot near the Gihon Spring,
and after its 18th century discovery was thought to have been the centrepiece
of the city's early water supply system, since it would have enabled the city's
occupants to safely reach fresh water (which was otherwise unavailable within
the city) even if the city itself was besieged. – wikipedia.org
As
we have seen, both Aristeas and Tacitus stated that channels had been constructed
to bring the Gihon’s water to the Temple itself.
The
Temple faces the east and its back is toward
the west. The whole of the floor is paved with stones and slopes down to the appointed
places, that water may be conveyed to wash away the 89 blood from the sacrifices,
for many thousand beasts are sacrificed there on the feast days. And there is an inexhaustible supply of water,
because an abundant natural spring
gushes up from within the temple area. – Letter of Aristeas, ccel.org, http://www.ccel.org/...
Accordingly he pitched his camp, as I have
related, before the walls of Jerusalem, and displayed
his legions in order of battle….The temple
resembled a citadel, and had its own walls, which were more laboriously constructed than the others. Even the
colonnades with which it was surrounded formed an admirable outwork. It contained an inexhaustible spring;
there were subterranean excavations in the
hill, and tanks and cisterns for holding rain water. – Tacitus, the Histories,
Book 5
These subterranean
excavations which channelled water from the Gihon Spring to the Temple
courts have been discovered in the area of Davidic Jerusalem south of the Moriah
Platform. While many cisterns have been found in the northern portion of the Moriah
ridge within the Moriah Platform, all of the channels connected to the Gihon Spring
are south of the Moriah Platform. Warren’s Shaft,
Hezekiah’s tunnel, and the rest of the subterranean water system of ancient Jerusalem
and the Gihon Spring are all beneath the ground of the southern portion of the
Moriah ridge, south of the Moriah Platform.
We
must be clear, the Temple
had direct access to the natural spring water of the Gihon rather than a simple,
cistern-based water supply.
Cistern – A cistern (Middle English cisterne, from Latin cisterna, from cista,
box, from Greek
kistę, basket) [1]
is a receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Often cisterns are built to
catch and store rainwater. They range in capacity from a few litres to thousands of cubic metres (effectively
covered reservoirs). – wikipedia.org
The
prophet Jeremiah confirms this fact. In Jeremiah 2, God compares Himself to a
natural spring and contrasts Himself with a cistern.
Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed
two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain
of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that
can hold no water.
Other
biblical references also indicate that the Temple’s location was associated
with spring waters. Both Ezekiel 47 and Joel 3 prophecy that a spring will issue
forth from the Temple
itself.
Ezekiel 47:1 Afterward he brought me again
unto the door of the house; and, behold,
waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the
forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the
right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Joel
3:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall
drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of
Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain
shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
Now,
we must again be clear, Ezekiel and Joel do not mention the Gihon Spring by name.
These passages combined with the descriptions of 1 Kings 1, Psalm 46, Aristeas,
Tacitus, and the archeological evidence of a water system beneath the Jerusalem
of David’s time, all confirm that the Temple was located near the Gihon Spring
on the southern portion of the Moriah ridge. Other historical evidences and archeological
discoveries also demonstrate the close proximity of the Temple
to the Gihon Spring.
First,
in the times of the Temples, there was a ceremony
of “water drawing” in which water was drawn from the Gihon Spring for use in the
Temple rituals.
Indeed, even later in Herod’s Temple with the ceremony of the “Water Drawing” (the joyous
festivity in the Temple
at the Feast of Tabernacles), the waters were obtained from the Siloam water system,
413 and these waters came from the Gihon. This ritual was looked on as drawing “water
out of the wells of salvation.” 414, Footnote 413: Sukkah 21a, 48a,b., Footnote
414: Isaiah 12:3. – Ernest L. Martin, The Temples
that Jerusalem
Forgot, p. 311
Indeed, we are told in the Mishnah that the
symbolic waters of the “Water Drawing” were collected in a pitcher from Shiloah….418, Footnote 418: Middoth 2:6. This symbolic
ritual is also described in detail in Sukkah 4:9. In Sukkah 4:10 the Mishnah states that if the time for the rite occurs
on the Sabbath, then priests could collect the needed water from the laver. Why
from the laver? It was simply because even waters brought in great abundance into
the laver, were waters from the Siloam water system with its origin in the Gihon.
– Ernest L. Martin, The Temples that Jerusalem
Forgot, p. 311
Libation
Flask - This flask was designed for the water libation which takes places during
the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles)
in the Holy Temple. The Festival of the Water Libation,
the ceremony of drawing water from the Siloam Spring (in the City of David), is
concluded by carrying the water back to the Holy Temple in this vessel, where
it is poured on the altar. Activities on the Festival of Sukkot This is one of the more fabulous
sights in the Temple: the celebrations on the Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles). At the foot of the
outer altar, a tall willow bough is fixed in place so that the heads of its branches
bend over the top of the altar. In addition
to this, both water and wine libations are poured, and the trumpets are sounded
by the priests from atop a marble table. This is the grand finale of the nightlong
festivities which accompany the drawing of water from the Siloam Spring. Water Libation Flask - This flask is designed for pouring water upon the
altar, part of a ceremony which takes place during the Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) in the Holy Temple.
The Festival of the Water Libation, the joyous ceremony of drawing water from
the Siloam Spring (in the City of David), is concluded by carrying the water
back to the Holy Temple in this vessel, where it is poured out on the altar. –
templeinstitute.org
Simchat Beit HaShoeivah - In the days of the Temple
in Jerusalem,
a unique service was performed every morning throughout the Sukkot holiday:
the Nisuch HaMayim (lit. "pouring
of the water") or Water Libation
Ceremony. According to the Talmud, Sukkot is the time of year in which God judges the world for rainfall;
therefore this ceremony, like the taking of the Four Species, invokes God's blessing
for rain in its proper time. The water
for the libation ceremony was drawn from the Pool of Siloam (Hebrew: Breikhat
HaShiloah) in the City of David,
and the joy that accompanied this procedure was palpable. (This is the source
for the verse in Isaiah: "And you
shall draw waters with joy from the wells of salvation" (Isa. 12:3). Afterwards,
every night in the outer Temple
courtyard, tens of thousands of spectators would gather to watch the Simchat Beit
HaShoeivah (Rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing), as the most pious members
of the community danced and sang songs of praise to God. The dancers would carry
lighted torches, and were accompanied by the harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets
of the Levites. According to the Mishnah,
Tractate Sukkah, "He who has not seen the rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing
has never seen rejoicing in his life." Throughout Sukkot, the city of
Jerusalem teemed
with Jewish families who came on the holiday pilgrimage and joined together for
feasting and Torah study. – wikipedia.org
Second,
recent publications report to have discovered the mikvah of the high priest. A
mikvah is a bath or bathing pool. Mikvahs required a natural source of water (such
as spring water) for the purposes of ritual cleansing.
Mikvah – Mikvah (or mikveh) is a ritual bath designed for the purpose
of ritual immersion in Judaism. The word "mikvah",
as used in the Hebrew Bible,
literally means a "collection" - generally, a collection of water.[3]
Several biblical regulations specify that full immersion in water is required
to regain ritual purity after ritually impure incidents have
occurred. Most forms of impurity can be
nullified through immersion in any natural collection of water. Some, such as a Zav, however require "living
water,"[4]
such as springs or groundwater wells. Living water has the further advantage
of being able to purify even while flowing as opposed to rainwater which must
be stationary in order to purify. The mikvah is designed to simplify this requirement, by providing
a bathing facility that remains in ritual contact with a natural source of water.
Mikvahs were not always by immersion, as the
practice in pre second temple
Judaism could refer to
numerous sorts of washings for ritual purity.
– wikipedia.org
It
is significant to note that an important mikvah bath has been discovered in the
archeological site that is today called “The City of David” south of the Moriah
Platform. The water used in this mikvah bath was supplied by the Gihon Spring.
The use of this term “City of David” does not refer
to the Fortress of Zion, which in the Bible is called the City of David.
Instead, the archeological area is today called “the City of David”
in order to identify the area occupied by the Jerusalem in David’s time. Again, for reference,
we point out that this area is south of the Moriah Platform and nearly 1/5 mile
(approx. 1/3 km) south of the Dome of the Rock itself.
On
their website, templemountfaithful.org reports as follows regarding the discovery
of this mikvah bath.
Recently
taken photographs in Hezekiah's tunnel in the City of David
in Jerusalem prove that under the steps leading
to the tunnel through which the water from
the Gihon Spring runs to the City of David there are more underground spaces
which were not previously known. The researchers
believe that these spaces were used as a Mikvah for the special purification of
the High priest in the Second Temple
era. - http://www.templemountfaithful.org/...
These
new photographs reveal that the water actually
followed a long path from the spring to the tunnel. Inside,
these underground spaces were used as a Mikvah for the High Priest whose purification
needed to be perfect and in a separate place. David Be'eri, leader of the
Jewish citizens of the City of David,
shared that a diver went into the spaces with an underwater camera and that research
will continue to find the total route that
the water took from the Gihon Spring to the tunnel. - http://www.templemountfaithful.org/...
Videos
documenting this find are available online at:
http://www.truveo.com/City-of-David-Mikveh/...
In
his work Legends of Jerusalem, Zev Vilnay
explains that the mikvah bath of Ishmael, a high priest of the second Temple
era, was supplied by the Gihon Spring and that was in the courtyard of the Temple. This is just as Aristeas and Tacitus
recorded in their accounts.
To
the Jews of Jerusalem, the Fountain of
Gihon is known as the Bath
of Ishmael the High Priest. They relate that on the Day of Atonement, before entering
the Holy of Holies, the high priest used to dip his body and purify himself in
its waters. – Zev Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem, p. 277.
The ritual bath of the high priest was in the Temple courtyard; see legend VIII:2.
– Zev Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem, p. 277.
It
is said of the Fountain of Gihon: ‘It was the ritual bath of Rabbi Ishmael the
high priest,’ who was among the ‘ten martyrs of Israel.’
And a big fountain fills it with water
every day before the break of dawn; and the waters were sweet and pure from the
moment they gushed forth from the spring till sunrise. But after the sun shined
and flashed its rays over the surface, they became so salty that no man could
drink from them. – Zev Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem, p. 277.
In the Temple
courtyard there was a bathhouse for
the high priest. He used to immerse himself in water on the
eve of the Day of Atonement.” – Zev Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem, p. 88
Recent
archeological excavation has located a Jewish ritual bathing pool used by the
high priest for purification purposes. This mikvah was filled by waters from the
Gihon Spring using tunnels cut through the bedrock beneath the area of Davidic
Jerusalem south of the Moriah Platform. Rabbi Ishmael used a mikvah bath which
was within the courts of the Temple itself during
the second Temple
period. Some Jewish groups today have identified this mikvah as the mikvah of
Rabbi Ishmael. This archeological information fits very well with the idea presented
in the biblical texts and by Aristeas and Tacitus. The Temple did in fact have spring
water available in its courts supplied by the Gihon Spring. And this mikvah was
used by the high priest for the purposes of ritual purification before conducting
his ceremonial duties at the Temple.
If
this mikvah bath which has been found in the City of David archeological site
is the mikvah of Rabbi Ishmael the high priest, then it constitutes a decisive
piece of evidence that Temple was built very near the Gihon water-system on the
southern portion of the Moriah ridge. This data fits with other indications that
the Temple was
near the fortress on the summit of the hill of Zion which was also very near the
Gihon Spring (1 Kings 1). These facts all strongly support the view that the Temple
was south of the Moriah Platform and near the Gihon Spring area of the hill of
Zion which was the site of Davidic Jerusalem.
God’s
Dwelling Was in Zion
Further
evidence that the Temple was located very near
the fortress of Zion hill comes from biblical names
used to describe the Temple. For instance, God’s dwelling in the
Temple and His dwelling in the tabernacle in Zion Fortress are described in the
Old Testament using the same language. Biblically speaking, God dwelled on the
hill of Zion in the middle of Jerusalem both before
and after the Temple
was built. We know what the bible means when it says that God dwelled in Zion before the Temple
was built. It meant that God’s dwelling was located at a site on the area of the
hill of Zion which was Davidic Jerusalem. Ongoing biblical descriptions that God
continued to dwell in Zion even after the Temple was built would demand a similar
conclusion, God’s dwelling place was still somewhere on the hill of Zion on the
southern portion of the Moriah ridge south of the Moriah Platform that we see
today.
2 Samuel
7 tells us that it was David’s desired to build a house for God to dwell in at
Jerusalem. However,
God said that David would not be the one build His house. Instead, during David’s
lifetime the Ark of the Covenant was placed within a tabernacle (or tent) in the
Fortress of Zion (the City of David). In numerous ways, subsequent references
to “God’s dwelling” continue to locate it in the area of Zion, the original City of David. This continues to be the case even after
the Temple was
built by Solomon, In turn, this rules out a location on the Moriah Platform far
outside the city of that time.
In
this passage, God’s house (or Temple) is described as a place where God would
dwell.
2
Samuel 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet,
See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth (03427) within
curtains….5 Go and tell my servant
David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell (03427)
in?
This
concept of God’s “dwelling” (Strong’s number 03427) is presented throughout the
Old Testament texts. The idea is that God dwelled between the two cherubim on
the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant.
2 Samuel 6:2 And David arose, and went
with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose
name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth (03427) between
the cherubims.
1 Chronicles 13:6 And David went up, and
all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged
to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of
God the LORD, that dwelleth (03427) between the cherubims, whose name
is called on it.
Psalm 113:5 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth (03427) on
high,
So,
during David’s time, God’s presence dwelled above the Ark. And Ark was within the tabernacle inside the fortress at the
summit of the hill of Zion (the City of David).
This high peak was inside Davidic Jerusalem on the southern portion of the Moriah
ridge, south of where the Moriah Platform stands today. Biblical texts describe
this place on Zion
hill as God’s dwelling place and the “holy hill.” Psalms 76 and 15 even make reference
to the fact that in David’s time God dwelled in a tabernacle on Zion hill.
Psalm 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his
dwelling (04585) place in Zion.
Psalm 74:2 Remember thy congregation,
which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which
thou hast redeemed; this mount (02022)
Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
Psalm 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill (02022)?
Psalm 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon
my holy hill (02022) of Zion.
Because
Zion was the hill that was occupied by David’s
Jerusalem, biblical texts also speak of God’s dwelling
“within Jerusalem.” Notice the way Psalm 134 and 147
use Zion and Jerusalem interchangeably. Since Jerusalem was situated on the hill of Zion, it was accurate
to refer to the city itself as the city of Zion,
or simply Zion.
In other words, Jerusalem was the city that occupied
the hill called Zion.
Psalm 48:1. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our
God, in the mountain (02022) of his holiness.
Psalm 135:21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which
dwelleth at Jerusalem.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 147:12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy
God, O Zion.
Zechariah
8:3 and 2:10-11 provide additional examples of the interchangeable usage of the
terms “Zion” and “Jerusalem.” Zechariah was
written around 450 years after the Temple
was built by Solomon (circa 520 BC). He states that God would dwell in Zion and Jerusalem.
This clearly indicates that, even 450 years after the Temple was built, God still dwelled in the hill
of Zion on the southern portion of the Moriah ridge. This makes perfect sense
because Josephus and First Maccabees explained that the Temple adjoined the Fortress of Zion and was,
in fact, built on a small peak on the side of (over against) the hill of Zion.
Zechariah 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion,
and will dwell (07931) in the midst (08432) of Jerusalem:
and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and
the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
Zechariah 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter
of Zion:
for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst (08432) of thee, saith the LORD.
11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be
my people: and I will dwell in the midst
(08432) of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto
thee.
It would not
be possible for Zechariah to say that God dwelled on the hill of Zion unless the
Temple site was
located somewhere on the hill of Zion or within the area of this hill. If the
Temple was on another hill besides Zion, outside the area of Zion,
then it would not be accurate to say that God dwelled in Zion
after the Temple
was built. And yet this is what these texts from the time of the Temple do say.
Psalm
116 speaks of the courts of the Lord’s house. References to “courts” and “house”
indicate that this is discussing the Temple and not David’s temporary tabernacle for the Ark.
Psalm 116:19 In the courts of the LORD’S house, in the midst (08432) of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
The
Hebrew word translated as “midst” (“tavek,” Strong’s number 08432) in Psalm 116:19
is also used in the following passages. In each of them the word “midst” clearly
means “within” or “inside of.” More verses could have been added to this sample.
But the following are adequate to demonstrate this word’s meaning.
2 Samuel 6:17And they brought in the ark of
the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst (08432) of the tabernacle
that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings
before the LORD.
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire
out of the midst (08432) of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned
with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exodus 14:22 And the children of Israel
went into the midst (08432) of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters
were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Exodus 24:16 And the glory of the LORD
abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day
he called unto Moses out of the midst (08432)
of the cloud.
1 Samuel 9:14 And they went up into (08432) the city: and when they were
come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the
high place.
1 Kings 6:19 And the oracle he prepared
in (08432) the house within, to set there
the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
In
2 Samuel 6, the Ark of the Covenant is placed “within” or “inside” the tabernacle.
It is not “outside, and slightly away from” the tabernacle. Similarly, in Exodus
3:2 the Lord appears “within” the burning bush, not beside it. And in Exodus 14:22,
the Israelites miraculously went through the Red Sea not around it. In Exodus 24:16, the Lord was within
or inside the cloud that covered Mount Sinai.
He was not adjacent to and outside the cloud. In 1 Samuel 9:14, they go up into
the city. They do not remain 1/5 mile outside from the city. And in 1 Kings 6:19,
the Ark of the Covenant is placed within or inside the Temple that Solomon had built. It is not left
outside the Temple.
The
use of this Hebrew word “tavek” (Strong’s number 08432) in these passages clearly
indicates that according to Psalm 116:19 the Temple was within the area of ancient Jerusalem. And yet the same words are used in
Zechariah to say that the Lord’s dwelling place was on the hill of Zion and in
the middle of Jerusalem.
Zechariah 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion,
and will dwell (07931) in the midst (08432) of Jerusalem:
and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and
the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
Zechariah 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter
of Zion:
for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst (08432) of thee, saith the LORD.
11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be
my people: and I will dwell in the midst
(08432) of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto
thee.
Similarly,
Psalms 76:2, 2:6, 15:1, 24:3, 48:1, and 74:2 all place God’s dwelling place in
Zion and in Jerusalem.
Psalm 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his
dwelling (04585) place in Zion.
Psalm 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon
my holy hill (02022) of Zion.
Psalm 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill (02022)?
Psalm 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill (02022) of the LORD? or who shall
stand in his holy place?
Psalm 48:1. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our
God, in the mountain (02022) of his holiness.
Psalm
74:2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the
rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount (02022) Zion,
wherein thou hast dwelt.
These
passages from Psalms and Zechariah all describe God’s dwelling on a holy hill
in Zion in Jerusalem. The use of similar
phrases and language in these passages indicates that God’s dwelling was still
in the southern hill of Zion even after the Temple was built.
The
biblical passages below all warrant this same conclusion. Each of them confirms
that the Temple was located on the hill of Zion
and very near to the fortress at the summit of Zion. Without indications
from the authors to the contrary, the most reasonable approach is to understand
their words in light of earlier passages which speak similarly. It is decisively
less reasonable to instead interpret similar statements in completely different
ways. This kind of interpretive procedure is unfair to the historic context and
intentions of the authors. As such, it is likely only to produce a result that
corresponds to the reader’s interest rather than the author’s intent.
Isaiah
wrote several hundred years after Solomon built the Temple, (circa 700 BC). But he continues to
indicate that God still dwelled somewhere on the hill of Zion. He uses the terms
Zion and Jerusalem interchangeably. Again, this could
not have been the case unless the Temple
was located on an adjoining peak of the hill of Zion. If the Temple
was moved to an area outside the hill of Zion, then Isaiah could not state that
God still dwelled in the middle of Zion.
Isaiah 12:6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion:
for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst (08432) of thee.
Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and
say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain
of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah
8:18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for
signs and for wonders in Israel
from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount
(02022) Zion.
Isaiah
24:23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount (02022)
Zion, and in Jerusalem,
and before his ancients gloriously.
Isaiah
27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that
the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish
in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount
(02022) at Jerusalem.
Isaiah 66:20 And they shall bring all
your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses,
and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my
holy mountain (02022) Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel
bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
The
prophet Micah wrote at about the same time as Isaiah. He also says that God dwelled
in the hill of Zion, the southern portion of the Moriah Platform.
Micah 4:2 And many nations shall come,
and say, Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach
us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Micah 4:7 And I will make her that halted
a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount (02022)
Zion from
henceforth, even for ever.
Because
Jerusalem was located on the hill of Zion, 2 Chronicles
indicates that the Temple (the house of God) was
within Jerusalem.
2
Chronicles 33:15 And he took away the strange gods, and
the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in
the mount (02022) of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them
out of the city.
Daniel
wrote during the Babylonian exile (circa 586-516 BC). This was over 400 years
after the Temple
had been built by Solomon. And yet Daniel also clearly identifies the city of
Jerusalem with the holy hill
that it was situated on. As we have seen, this hill was Zion.
Daniel 9:16 O Lord, according to all thy
righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from
thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain (02022):
because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy
people are become a reproach to all that are about us. 17 Now therefore,
O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant,
and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that
is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open
thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name:
for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but
for thy great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear;
O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O
my God: for thy city and thy people are called
by thy name. 20 And whiles I was
speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,
and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain (02022) of my God;
Joel
calls this holy hill by its name, Zion. This verse was written centuries after
Solomon removed the Ark from the fortress of
Zion hill and placed it in the Temple. And yet according to Joel, the hill
of Zion was still God’s holy mountain. This can only be accurate if the Temple site was somewhere
on the hill of Zion.
Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion,
and sound an alarm in my holy mountain (02022): let all the inhabitants of
the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
As
we finish reading these biblical descriptions, we must keep in mind that after
the Temple was built, Solomon moved the Ark of
the Covenant (where God dwelled) from the fortress atop Zion
hill to the Temple
itself. And yet hundreds of years after this event, the Old Testament prophets
continued to indicate that God still dwelled in the hill of Zion. This biblical
survey clearly indicates that Solomon moved the Ark
from the fortress on the summit of Zion hill to
the site of the Temple, which was also located
on an elevated position on Zion
hill. Both sites were near to the Gihon Spring. And Zion hill was on the southern portion of the
Moriah ridge, south of the Moriah Platform. These biblical, historical, and archeological
facts require the conclusion that the Temple itself
was located on Zion
hill on the southern portion of the Moriah ridge near the Gihon Spring. The Temple was not located outside
of the hill of Zion. It was on Zion,
the hill where Davidic Jerusalem was located. Today, this area is south of the
Moriah Platform.
The
Hill of the Temple was a Daughter Hill
to the Hill of Zion
Earlier,
we noted Josephus’ statement that the Temple was adjoining the
fortress of the hill of Akra. He also stated that the Temple was located on a hill that was “over
against” the hill of Zion (Akra). Similarly, First Maccabees stated that the fortress
at the top of Zion (Akra) hill was very near to
the Temple. To
these facts we can add another. These historical descriptions inform us that the
peak where the Temple stood was lower than the
peak on which stood the fortress of Zion
hill.
In his writing,
Josephus states that originally the Temple was lower in elevation than the peak of Zion
hill. He then explains that the Hasmoneans demolished both the fortress and the
hill of Akra (Zion) so that it would be lower in
height than the Temple.
1.
But the other hill, which was called "Acra,"
and sustains the lower city, is of the shape of a moon when she is horned;
over against this there was a third hill,
but naturally lower than Acra, and parted formerly from the other by a broad
valley. However, in those times when the Asamoneans reigned, they filled up that
valley with earth, and had a mind to join the city to the temple. They then took
off part of the height of Acra, and reduced it to be of less elevation than it
was before, that the temple might be superior to it. – Josephus, Wars of the
Jews, Book 5, Chapter 4 – THE DESCRIPTION OF JERUSALEM., Paragraph 1
Isaiah
29 also mentions the demolition of the fortress of Zion atop the summit of Zion hill. Isaiah states that the City of David would be “brought down”
and “out of the ground.”
Isaiah 29:1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year
to year; let them kill sacrifices. 2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall
be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. 3 And I will camp against
thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise
forts against thee. 4 And thou shalt be
brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be
low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar
spirit, out of the ground, and thy
speech shall whisper out of the dust.
Elsewhere
in his writings, Josephus provides additional detail to this historic development
that was begun by Simon Maccabaeus. In the quote below, Josephus describes how
Simon cast down the stronghold (citadel) of Jerusalem
and demolished the hill on which it sat to the ground. This arduous task took
three years of hard labor, but the result was that Zion
hill was made into a low lying area and the Temple was superior to it in elevation.
7.
But Simon, who was made high priest by
the multitude, on the very first year of his high priesthood set his people
free from their slavery under the Macedonians, and permitted them to pay tribute
to them no longer; which liberty and freedom from tribute they obtained after
a hundred and seventy years (14)
of the kingdom of the Assyrians, which was after Seleucus, who was called Nicator,
got the dominion over Syria. Now the affection of the multitude towards Simon
was so great, that in their contracts one with another, and in their public records,
they wrote, "in the first year of Simon the benefactor and ethnarch of the
Jews;" for under him they were very happy, and overcame the enemies that
were round about them; for Simon overthrew the city Gazara, and Joppa, and Jamhis.
He also took the citadel of Jerusalem
by siege, and cast it down to the ground, that it might not be any more a
place of refuge to their enemies when they took it, to do them a mischief, as
it had been till now. And when he had done
this, he thought it their best way, and most for their advantage, to level the
very mountain itself upon which the citadel happened to stand, that so the temple
might be higher than it. And indeed, when he had called the multitude to an assembly,
he persuaded them to have it so demolished, and this by putting them in mind
what miseries they had suffered by its garrison and the Jewish deserters, and
what miseries they might hereafter suffer in case any foreigner should obtain
the kingdom, and put a garrison into that citadel. This speech induced the multitude
to a compliance, because he exhorted them to do nothing but what was for their
own good: so they all set themselves to
the work, and leveled the mountain, and in that work spent both day and night
without any intermission, which cost them three whole years before it was removed,
and brought to an entire level with the plain of the rest of the city. After which
the temple was the highest of all the buildings, now the citadel, as well as the
mountain whereon it stood, were demolished. And
these actions were thus performed under Simon. – Josephus, Antiquities, Book
13, Chapter 6
Acra – The Acra was a fortress or citadel
built in Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler of the Seleucid Empire,
after his conquest of the city in 168 BCE.
According to Josephus[1],
it stood on a hill higher than the Temple
and was garrisoned by Greek soldiers…The first stage of the liberation of Jerusalem
by the Maccabees in 164 BC was incomplete, as they gained possession
of the city and the temple but the Hellenistic garrison and local supporters of
the Seleucids held out in the Acra for a considerable time. It withstood the efforts
of both Judas and Jonathan Maccabeus to subjagate it, eventually
yielding to Simon Maccabeus
in 141 BC. After reduction of the fortress
the Maccabees demolished the Acra and leveled the hill on which it had stood –
wikipedia.org
So,
after the Hasmonean undertaking the hill called Akra (Zion) was lower than the site of the Temple. However, before this the hill called
Akra (Zion) was higher than the site of the Temple. This means that the
Temple site was lower in elevation than the former
fortress on the peak
of Zion (Akra) hill. Tuvia
Sagiv explains these facts in his presention.
One
of the problems of Jerusalem
for the archeologists, where is the Hakra [Akra] fortress? The Antonia was
from the Roman period. The Hakra was from
the Greek period. The second century before Christus. And according to Josephus
Flavius the Hakra was in the south. And in the period of Shimon the Hasmonean he decided to destroy this fortress.
Not only the fortress, but also the hill on which the fortress stood. It took
him three years to destroy this hill. Now let us see what happens. Let us try and see the area in the Hasmonean
period. We say that here is the Antonia fortress, one hill. Here is the Jewish
Temple. And here was another small hill,
the Hakra. The section of it will be like this. It means. Here is the Dome, the
rock of the Dome of the Rock, here is the Temple. Here is the Hakra,
which was cut in the period of Shimon Hasmonean. Which means that the Temple was between two shoulders.
I am going back to the Jewish sources and in one of them it’s written. At
first they had decided to put the Temple on the highest point and then they changed their mind and lowered
the level of the Temple so the Temple will be between two shoulders….Here we can
see the Temple according to Josephus Flavius in the period of the Hasmoneans.
Nobody paid attention to this text and therefore it caused them a lot of problems.
– Tuvia Sugiv, 1995, The Coming Temple, Presentation 2, Koinonia House,
1 hour, 1 minute, and 9 seconds, http://store.khouse.org/...
In
the following quote, Sagiv continues to discuss the historical fact that the Temple
hill was lower than the fortress of Akra hill and the Antonia Fortress. In the
quote above Sagiv explained that many scholars have not paid attention to these
historical facts. Below Sagiv notes that Dan Bahat is among those who have failed
to take these reports into account.
You
know one of the main problems Dan Bahat has spoken about was the place of the
Hakra, which was a fortress in the south. Here when we arrange the areas as I’ve
spoken with you now that this is the place of the Antonia, this is the place of
the Temple. And here, in the
south, was the Hakra. Which means,
against what Dan Bahat said in the morning, the Temple was not in the highest place. It was between two small mountains. In a higher
place according to David’s City. But in between two small hills. This hill was
destroyed by the Hasmoneans. And now we can see as it was before the Hasmoneans.
It means the Temple was in between. And
indeed, it’s very interesting that in our sources, in the Jewish sources, in the
Talmud, it’s written, and now I will translate it from Hebrew, “That at first
they thought to build the Temple
on the highest point. And they had decided to lower it in order that the Temple will be between two
shoulders.” Between the two shoulders is the Temple. And this is exactly what you see. Here
one, one here, this is the Hakra, this is the Dome of the Rock, the rock of the
Dome of the Rock. You see, in the Hasmonean times this hill was destroyed and
how it looks nowadays. It means the Temple is lower in between. – Tuvia Sagiv,
The Southern Location of the Temples,
32 minutes and 1 second, http://www.templemount.org/lectures.html
Here
is the quote from Dan Bahat to which Tuvia Sagiv is referring. Note that Bahat
claims that the Temple occupied the highest elevation despite
the fact that Josephus, First Maccabees, and the Talmud all state that it was
lower than the fortress of Akra and Antonia.
One
thing, which I think is also very important. We should say that according to the
Jewish tradition, the higher the holier. And it is unlike Christianity, for
example, where when you come to a church you sometimes can find that the holiest
place in the church will be the reliquary, which are venerated in the crypt of
a church. Or in the Greek world the holiest place was the cellar. And suddenly in Judaism, as in other Semitic
religions, the higher the holier, which again goes well with the story. –
Dan Bahat, The Traditional Location of the Temples, 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 37
seconds, http://www.templemount.org/lectures.html
The
elevation differences discussed in the sources above can be visualized using a
simple diagram. (See elevation_diagram.)
These
historical records explain the rationale for the Hasmonean demolition of Zion
hill. As we saw earlier, First Maccabees chronicled the actions of Seleucid forces
under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. These troops held out in the fortress at the summit
of Akra (Zion)
hill for a long time. The superior elevation of the fortress and its proximity
to the Temple itself enabled them to assault the
Temple and harrass
Jewish Temple activities. Eventually, the Hasmoneans were able to regained control
of the fortress. Once this was accomplished, they decided to prevent future use
of the stronghold to obstruct Temple
worship. Their distaste for the Seleucid conduct was so strong that they decided
to totally demolish both the fortress and the hill on which it stood. The result
was the utter destruction of the peak of Davidic Jerusalem
and all of the historic structures that had formerly stood on or near the site.
This Hasmonean demolition of Zion
hill explains why today’s low-lying slope is often described in the biblical and
historical texts as a lofty peak.
Because
the hill of the City of David was demolished by the Hasmoneans, we would
not expect to find a great peak on the southern portion of the Moriah ridge today.
On the contrary, today the area that was Davidic Jerusalem is much lower in elevation
compared to the higher peaks of the northern Moriah ridge, the western ridge,
and the Mount of Olives. But beyond this, the
demolition of this important peak makes it very unlikely that we will be able
to find any significant structural remains from the critical period of Jerusalem
when the Temple was first built. Any
structures that were built on or in the proximity of the Zion hill were surely destroyed in this great
Hasmonean undertaking.
Knowing
that prior to the Hasmoneans the peak of Zion
hill was higher than the site of the Temple
is significant. One reason it is significant is that it explains the bible phrase
“the daughter of Zion”
which, according to Isaiah, refers to a certain hill of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 10:32 As yet shall he remain at
Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against
the mount of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
The
Book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah after the destruction
of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC. In that
work, Jeremiah refers to “the daughter of Zion”
as God’s footstool.
Lamentations 2:1 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with
a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty
of Israel, and remembered not his footstool
in the day of his anger!
In
1 Chronicles 28, David identifies the Temple
itself as God’s footstool on earth.
1 Chronicles 28:2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my
brethren, and my people: As for me, I
had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant
of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the
building:
According
to these passages from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and David, “the daughter of Zion” was a hill within the city of Davidic
Jerusalem where God’s footstool, the Temple, was located. From this we can see that
the term “the daughter of Zion” is undoubtedly
a reference to the hill where the Temple was built. The name itself reflects the
idea of a smaller hill, a daughter, nearby to its mother, the larger hill of Zion.
Additionally,
while discussing the destruction of Jerusalem,
Isaiah remarks about the “daughter of Zion”
specifically. He states that this hill of Jerusalem would be left as a “cottage”
or “temporary shelter,” or “booth” and “as a besieged city.”
Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings
of Judah. 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken,
I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 3
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel
doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden
with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken
the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone
away backward. 5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more:
the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot
even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and
bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither
mollified with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire:
your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as
overthrown by strangers. 8 And the
daughter of Zion
is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a
besieged city. 9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant,
we should have been as Sodom, and we should
have been like unto Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom;
give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith
the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts;
and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12
When ye come to appear before me, who hath
required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an
abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity,
even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth:
they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 15 And when ye spread
forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers,
I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash you, make you clean; put
away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn
to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead
for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat
the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with
the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 21 How is the faithful
city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but
now murderers.
The
most important object that was destroyed by the Babylonians was the Temple itself. In the above
passage, Isaiah is discussing the coming destruction, the cessation of Temple activities (v.13), and the desolation of the Temple (v.12), which was the site of Israel’s feastly assemblies (v.13).
There can be no doubt that Isaiah is speaking of the Temple’s destruction at the hands of the Babylonians.
And in verse 8 he singles out the particular hill of Jerusalem, “the daughter
of Zion,” as being
left as a “temporary shelter” and a “field.” Clearly, Isaiah confirms that the
Temple hill was “the daughter” hill on the larger
hill “of Zion.”
This “daughter” hill was the location of God’s footstool, the Temple.
Likewise,
Jeremiah also describes the destruction of “the daughter of Zion” as with fire.
Lamentations 2:4 He hath bent his bow
like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that
were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle
of the daughter of Zion:
he poured out his fury like fire.
Just
a Jeremiah describes, Solomon’s Temple
was indeed destroyed by fire under the command of Nebuchadnezzar.
Solomon’s Temple – Raids and Destruction – King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon who pillaged it twice — once in 597 BCE,
and again in 586 BCE, after which he destroyed
it (2 Kings
24:13; 2 Chronicles
36:7). He burned the temple,
and carried all its treasures with him to Babylon
(2 Kings
25:9-17; 2 Chronicles
36:19; Isaiah 64:11).
– wikipedia.org
2 Kings 25:9 And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all
the houses of Jerusalem,
and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.
The
prophet Micah 4 is also explicit in identifying the “daughter of Zion” with the hill of the Temple. In verse 13, the “daughter of Zion” is told to “arise and
thresh.”
Micah 4:13 Arise and thresh (01758), O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and
I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I
will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of
the whole earth.
The
Hebrew word translated as “thresh” here in Micah 4:13 is the same word used in
1 Chronicles 21:20 to describe the future site of the Temple as the place of “threshing.”
1 Chronicles 21:20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid
themselves. Now Ornan was threshing (01758) wheat.
The
prophetic word of Micah telling “the daughter of Zion”
to “thresh” strongly indicates that “the daughter of Zion”
is a reference to a lower peak on Zion hill that
was the site of the Temple,
the former threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
And
as we have seen, Zechariah states that the “daughter of Zion”
was where God dwelled during Temple
times.
Zechariah 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the
midst of thee, saith the LORD.
Later
in the Book of Zechariah, Zechariah gives another prophecy concerning “the daughter
of Zion.”
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout,
O daughter of Jerusalem:
behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly,
and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
This
prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled in the gospels when Jesus enters into the city
of Jerusalem (Matthew
21:1-15). Matthew 21 records that Jesus approached Jerusalem from the east. He first passed Bethpage
and then the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto
the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go
into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied,
and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if
any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and
straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter
of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and
a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded
them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and
they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments
in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in
the way. 9 And the multitudes that went
before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Now,
the Temple was situated on the eastern side of Jerusalem above Kidron Valley and
across from the Mount of Olives where the priest would take the red heifer to
the altar located there for cleansing and consecration rituals.
…the
Eastern Gate on which was portrayed the Palace
of Shushan. Through this
the High Priest that burned the Heifer, and the heifer, and all that aided him
went forth to the Mount of Olives. – Middoth
1:3, quoted from Ernest L. Martin, Secrets of Golgatha, p.32
So,
Jesus entered the city from the east. Once he entered the city, he was immediately
in the Temple.
Verse 9 records that as Jesus entered the people cried out “Hosanna to the Son
of David” (v.9). Verse 15 indicates that this crying out “Hosanna to the Son of
David” took place in the Temple.
Matthew 21:10 And when he was come into Jerusalem,
all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This
is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that
sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers,
and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My
house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 15
And when the chief priests and scribes
saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and
saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, 16 And said
unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye
never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
These
descriptions from Matthew strongly indicate that Jesus entered into the Temple area from the Mount of Olives.
Regardless of whether Jesus entered the Temple
directly, it is clear that the place where he entered Jerusalem
was very near to the Temple.
And yet Zechariah refers to this event as the King coming to “the daughter of
Zion.” The fulfillment of
Zechariah’s prophecy by Jesus entering into the Temple
area indicates that the term “daughter of Zion”
refers to the site of the Temple.
These
historical, biblical, and geographical descriptions inform us that the Temple
was built on a lower peak of Zion hill within Davidic Jerusalem. Because
of this, biblical writers could refer to this hill where the Temple was located as “the daughter of Zion.” In other words, the hill of the Temple was a “daughter” hill, a lower hill to the greater
peak of Zion hill. Zion hill is the southern portion of the Moriah
ridge and it’s “daughter” was “over against” it. The Temple
and the fortress at the peak
of Zion hill were adjoining
one another. This means that the Temple hill was
not far away to the north and far away from the fortress on the summit of Zion
hill as the Moriah Platform Views would require. Instead, the Temple
site was very close to the fortress on the peak of Zion
hill and both were nearby the Gihon Spring.