The menorah (/məˈnɔːrə/; Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה [mənoːˈɾaː]) is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp (six branches) ancient Hebrew lampstand made of pure gold and used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and 300 years later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned daily to light its lamps. The menorah has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and is the emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel.
The Hebrew Bible, or Torah, states that God revealed the design for the menorah to Moses and describes the construction of the menorah as follows (Exodus 25:31-40):
³¹Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. ³²Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. ³³Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. ³⁴And on the lampstand are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. ³⁵One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. ³⁶The buds and branches shall be all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
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Author: Wikipedia
Keywords: Menorah, Mennorah, Menorrah, Candlestick, Lampstand, candelabrum, Candelabra, light, tabernacle
Bible reference(s): Exodus 25:31, Exodus 25:32, Exodus 25:33, Exodus 25:34, Exodus 25:35, Exodus 26:35, Exodus 30:27, Exodus 31:8, Exodus 35:14, Exodus 37:17, Exodus 37:18, Exodus 37:19, Exodus 37:20, Exodus 39:37, Exodus 40:4, Exodus 40:24, Leviticus 24:4, Numbers 3:31, Numbers 4:9, Numbers 8:2, Numbers 8:3, Numbers 8:4, 1 Chronicles 28:15, 2 Chronicles 13:11, Daniel 5:5, Zechariah 4:2, Zechariah 4:11, Hebrews 9:2, Revelation 2:5, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 26:17, 1 Maccabees 1:21, 1 Maccabees 4:49, 1 Maccabees 4:50, 2 Esdras 10:22
Source: This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Menorah (Temple),” which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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