The biblical origin of the site
The Temple Mount is a small hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that once contained the First and Second Temples, both of which have been destroyed for over two millennia. There is a tremendous amount of information in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament about these two Temples. But what is the first biblical mention of the site?
The Hebrew meaning of the name
The first time the Temple Mount is mentioned in the Bible is in the story of the Binding of Isaac. God tells Abraham: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:2). This was many centuries before the building of the First Temple by Solomon. Nevertheless, most scholars, quoting 2 Chronicles 3:1, agree that “Moriah” is a reference to “Jerusalem”. Both words are built on the same the Hebrew root: Y-R-H (ירה), which means “to show”. This mountain is the site where God choses to reveal or show his presence by establishing a permanent dwelling place.
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The Temple Mount is so important to the Jewish people, because we believe that this is the place where God shows us his divine favor. It is an exceptional contact point connecting heaven and earth. The letters Y-R-H are also the root of the Hebrew words moreh (“teacher”) and torah (“teaching”). All this demonstrates the amazing revelatory power of education and its connection to the sacred city of Jerusalem. Understanding the Hebrew of the Bible will not only make you a better reader of the Bible, but will give you unparalleled new insights into the news from the Holy Land. Enroll now in eTeacher’s Biblical Hebrew course now.
