Where is Mt. Moriah? In this lesson we find that the actual Hebrew in the Bible implies that Moriah is not a proper name; it's a noun but not a name. It is like the word lake. One can say there are lakes close to where I live in Minnesota. However, there is one lake called WHITE BEAR LAKE that is the main lake in our town. So lake means a body of water surrounded by land. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 of them. But, there is on lake, LAKE SUPERIOR, that describes a very specific lake. The word MORIAH in Hebrew i...
Where is Mt. Moriah? In this lesson we find that the actual Hebrew in the Bible implies that Moriah is not a proper name; it's a noun but not a name. It is like the word lake. One can say there are lakes close to where I live in Minnesota. However, there is one lake called WHITE BEAR LAKE that is the main lake in our town. So lake means a body of water surrounded by land. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 of them. But, there is on lake, LAKE SUPERIOR, that describes a very specific lake. The word MORIAH in Hebrew is like the word lake. The word itself is ancient and disappeared from use as we get closer to the Second Temple period, 600 B.C. till 70 A.D. In the “JPS Torah Commentary – Genesis” the etymology of the word is unknown but the trusted scholar like Nahum Sarna suggest that Moriah (מֹרִיָּה) might come from the Hebrew word “to see” or râ'âh (רָאָה). So, this could then result in the two places in the Hebrew Scriptures where Moriah occurs to have an equivalent meaning. See below.
Gen. 22:2 (original) - He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
Gen. 22:2 (alternative) - He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land where it‘ll be seen, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
Then we go to 2 Chron. 3:1 where our translations say based upon rabbinic tradition that Solomon built the 1st Temple on the mountain called Moriah. That's how we read it in English. Let’s look at both the original and the alternative.
2 Chron. 3:1 (original) - Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah (the Hebrew actually says “on the mountain in the Moriah”), where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 Chron. 3:1 (alterntative) - Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in the place where it’ll be seen on the mountain where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
The Hebrew is precise. Moriah is not a proper name. Thus, there is no mountain that is named Moriah. On top of that it says it took Abraham 3 days to walk from the area of Beer Sheva to Jerusalem. That is over 50 miles on good trails and roads. It has been shown this is a 5 day trip at least. In other words, the mountain where we study the Binding of Isaac is likely not the Temple Mount.
In his JPS Genesis excursus 16, Nahum Sarna surveys several suggestions for the etymology of the word “moriah”:
- The Lofty Country – Septuagint
- The Land of Worship – Aramic Targum / Ramban
- The Land of Vision – Vulgate /Samaritan Targum
- The Land of the Amorites – Peshitta / Rashbam
- The Land that I will show you – Genesis Rabba 55:9
- The Place from which fear of the Lord emanates – R. Jannai in Tanchuma
- The Place from which teaching issued to the world – b. Taanit 16a / Rab. 55.9
These multiple creative suggestions highlight the difficulty of assuming that the land of Moriah was meant to reference a particular place. The simple fact of the matter is, we cannot be sure of the actual place meant when the Torah describes Abraham taking his son into the Land of Moriah. For a detailed study on this refer to the “JPS Torah Commentary – Genesis,” by Nahum Sarna.
I was thinking about this and I offer this idea – God seems to pick special unique places where His covenant and His agenda is seen. This relates to the possible meaning of Moriah (מֹרִיָּה) – a place of vision, a place where it’ll be seen, a place where God’s covenant is seen.
So, Abraham passes the test on a mountain Yahvay (the Lord) took him to. In Gen. 22:16+ God tells Abraham that all the promises he made to Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3 He will honor and they will happen since Abraham passed the test; Abraham showed is allegiance to God by being willing to sacrifice his own son that he loved. Matter at this place we read that Abraham says …
Abraham called the name of that place “The LORD Will Provide,” as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided." (Gen 22:14) Problem! It does not say that. The word used is “to see” or râ'âh (רָאָה). God took Abraham to a land where it’ll be seen, perhaps the root of Moriah. And, indeed, it was seen. God provided the ram as a substitute for Isaac and this is clearly a special mountain, a special place, for a special event, and a special man, Abraham.
There is another mountain someplace in the Sinai where one might say the Lord led His people to a mountain in the moriah, in the place where it’ll be seen, in the place of vision. There God established His NEW covenant with all Israel, at His mountain, with His handpicked leader and prophet, Moses. It was hear that the people SAW the evidence of God’s presence on the mountain. So, we have a different mountain for a special event involving a special man, Moses.
But, the mountain of God moved. The Temple Mount became the “Mountain of God.” This is easily seen in the book of Isaiah chapter 2 and many other places. And at this place of vision, at this place where it’ll be seen, we see the establishment of a New Covenant with Jew and Gentile, this happens at this special mountain, and involves a special man, the manifestation of God Himself in Messiah Jesus.
Amazing. Could this be what’s going on? Is this what God wants us to understand and know? I am not sure but it sure makes more sense than the unbiblical, non-historical, and non-geographic views of the rabbis.
Here’s a great Jewish scholarly website that has a fantastic article on this issue. The site is called "The Torah" and here’s the link to the article - https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-mysterious-land-of-moriah
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
Ferret somewhere near the ancient site of Bethel in Israel.
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
