Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

MENORAH*

Lamp or lampstand in the tabernacle. It refers to the seven-branched lamp (candelabrum) that was to lighten the tabernacle: these seven lamps gave light in front of the lampstand (Nm 8:2). In Solomon’s temple there were ten such lampstands, five on each side before the inner sanctuary (1 Kgs 7:49). The design of the original lamp was conceived by Bezalel, the son of Uri and the grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, a man filled with the Spirit of God who was an excellent craftsmen (Ex 31:1-4). Bezalel was also responsible for designing the other utensils for the tabernacle.

Exodus 25:31-40 and 37:17-24 provide us with details regarding the lamp and its decorations. Made of a single piece of pure gold and ornamented with almond flowers and knobs in the shape of apples, it consisted of a central shaft branching out into three arms on either side. Each branch was surmounted with a cup narrowed into a lip to hold the wick and the special olive oil.

Archaeologists have dug up clay bowls with seven spouts, which date back to the middle Bronze Period. According to Josephus, the central shaft was fixed to a base, and from it extended slender branches placed like prongs of a trident—with the end of each one forged into a lamp. Josephus’s account of the temple lamp tallies well with that of Zechariah in his vision of the restored temple after the exile (Zec 4:2-3). Several facsimiles have come down to us from archaeological finds, as well as the famous sculpture of the menorah with some of the other temple vessels on the Arch of Titus in Rome. The menorah on the panel in Rome differs from Josephus’s description, being a massive object with thick arms carried by five men on either side.

According to Exodus 37:24, the weight of the menorah was one kikar in pure gold. This equals a Babylonian talent, which is computed to weigh 34 kilograms (or 75 pounds). But from Exodus 25:39 it would appear that this weight included accessories, such as snuffers, trays, etc. (cf. 2 Chr 4:22). There is also another discrepancy regarding the base of the lamp. On the panel of Titus’s Arch the pedestal consists of two tiers and is rectangular, whereas archaeologists have uncovered ancient designs of the lamp that end in a tripod. Scholars are undecided which is the more original, and there are several theories to explain the difference. In Jewish mystical lore the menorah symbolizes the tree of life, the seven planets, and the seven days of creation.

In the NT the lampstand in the book of Revelation is a carryover of the temple tradition, with special reference to Zechariah 4:2, 11. By an association of ideas it refers to the witness of the seven churches, to Christ who is the Light of the World, and to God, who is the source of all light (Rv 1:12-13, 20; 2:1; 11:4).