The Temple

Was Herod's Temple the Third Temple? Herod completely rebuilt the Temple, but it was still regarded as the Second Temple.

In 2 Sam. 24:24 it says that David paid 50 shekels of silver for the Temple Mount, but in 1 Chron. 21:25 it says that he paid 600 shekels of gold. Which is correct? According to the Talmud (Zevachim 116b),…

Could gentiles enter the Temple? Could they bring sacrifices? Gentiles could enter only the outer part of the Temple Court. Stones have been found that marked the places beyond which they couldn’t go. Sacrifices were accepted from anyone, provided they…

What is the significance of “cherubs” (KERUVIM)? The “cherubs” in the Temple were exceptions to the usual rules against representational art. Some of the cherubs were embroidered (Ex.26:1,31; 36:8,35), but the ones on the cover of the Ark (Ex.25:18-20,37:7-9) were…

What were the dimensions of the Temple enclosure? The Temple enclosure on the Temple Mount was about 150 by 350 cubits. (A cubit is a little less than two feet.) The Women’s Court was 150 by 150. The Men’s Court…

When Moses was given instructions about building the Tabernacle, he didn’t use exactly the same words in transmitting these instructions to the people. Why did he change the wording? In particular, why did he add “vavs” to the list of…

What things were kept in the Ark of the Covenant? Several things were kept in (or next to) the Ark, including the Tablets of the Covenant, the broken tablets (Ex.Chs.32-34), an omer of manna (Ex.16:33), Aaron’s staff (Num.17:10), and a…

What do we do about sacrifices when there is no Temple? Since the Temple was built, it has not been permissible to offer sacrifices elsewhere; see Deut.12:13-14. When there was a Temple, people who lived far away from it used…

Does anyone still sacrifice animals today? The Samaritans (only a few hundred of them are left, nearly all in Nablus (Shechem)) still sacrifice a lamb on Mt.Gerizim every Passover.