THE TEMPLE BODY
by Jeremy Chance Springfield
In the writings of the New Covenant, most prominently in the letters of Paul, one will find scattered passages where the human body and the spiritual assembly of believers are likened to the Temple. Such discussions are brief forays into a deeply spiritual topic. The idea that the human body could be even remotely paralleled to the Temple wherein the Presence of the Holy One dwelt manifestly upon the earth is an astounding concept in and of itself. In fact, it is so shocking of a proposal that it is never explicitly mentioned in such a manner in the Hebrew Scriptures. Rather, it took the very Word made flesh, the Messiah, to put into words such an intimate thought. He is the first recorded to actually teach such a unique idea, as we see in the book of John 2:19-21, where it says:
Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Do tear down this Temple, and in three days I shall raise it up!” The Jews said to Him, “Forty and six years it took to build this Temple, and you, in three days, shall raise it up?!” But He spoke concerning the Temple of His body.
It is important to note that although Messiah referred to His own body as the Temple, He did not explain to His listeners that He was speaking in this veiled manner; His students were the ones who finally understood the cryptic statement after His resurrection. Once He rose from the grave, the parallel would have been striking. Paul dares to speak of it, as does Peter. One passage that makes the link from individual to the Temple, as Messiah did, is in the book of 1st Corinthians 6:19, which reads:
Or do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Spirit of Holiness who dwells among you, that you have received from Alaha, and your soul is not yours?
Paul also mentions the assembly of believers corporately as being the Temple in 3:16-17 of the same book:
Do you not recognize that you are the Temple of Alaha, and the Spirit of Alaha inhabits among you? And he who destroys the Temple of Alaha, him shall Alaha destroy, for the Temple of Alaha is holy, of which you are.
In 2nd Corinthians 6:16 Paul makes a very similar statement in regards to the assembly being equated with the Temple. The concept was a beautiful one from which much application could be derived, and he turned to it in several letters to elucidate various points to his audience, who would themselves have likely known and appreciated the relevance due to their faith in Messiah and proximity to the Temple that stood in their lifetime in Jerusalem. To this day, these passages shine with hope and application even to us, who are so far removed from the impact of a physical, imposing Temple structure which was the center for earthly worship. The idea is so powerful that it can capture our imagination and contemplation as we seek to understand the import of the Spirit’s words in these letters.
It is in 1st Peter 2:5 that we see this idea being further developed with revelation from the Spirit, where it tells us:
And also you, as living stones, are built, and have become a spiritual Temple, and holy priests, to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are received before Alaha by the hand of Yeshua the Messiah.
Or do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Spirit of Holiness who dwells among you, that you have received from Alaha, and your soul is not yours?
Paul also mentions the assembly of believers corporately as being the Temple in 3:16-17 of the same book:
Do you not recognize that you are the Temple of Alaha, and the Spirit of Alaha inhabits among you? And he who destroys the Temple of Alaha, him shall Alaha destroy, for the Temple of Alaha is holy, of which you are.
In 2nd Corinthians 6:16 Paul makes a very similar statement in regards to the assembly being equated with the Temple. The concept was a beautiful one from which much application could be derived, and he turned to it in several letters to elucidate various points to his audience, who would themselves have likely known and appreciated the relevance due to their faith in Messiah and proximity to the Temple that stood in their lifetime in Jerusalem. To this day, these passages shine with hope and application even to us, who are so far removed from the impact of a physical, imposing Temple structure which was the center for earthly worship. The idea is so powerful that it can capture our imagination and contemplation as we seek to understand the import of the Spirit’s words in these letters.
It is in 1st Peter 2:5 that we see this idea being further developed with revelation from the Spirit, where it tells us:
And also you, as living stones, are built, and have become a spiritual Temple, and holy priests, to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are received before Alaha by the hand of Yeshua the Messiah.
Notice well that the idea of the body of believers also being a Temple is well-stated by the phrase KEEPHE’ KHAYATHA = “living stones.” A stone is a non-living form of matter, and yet, here we have Peter, whose added-name is actually Keepha (Stone), saying that in Messiah we can become living stones, just as he, too, was a human and yet a “stone” in name as well as a part of the assembly of believers. Messiah has the power to make an inanimate object animate, and not only that, but worth so much to the Holy One that He would allow us to be integral pieces to His dwelling on earth. What a concept is being brought forth by the writers of Scripture!
Paul takes the idea of a living Temple first proposed by the Messiah and runs with it in Ephesians 2:19-22, where we read this amazingly beautiful passage on what Messiah has done for us:
Therefore, you are not strangers, and you are not sojourners, but rather, you are sons of the city of holy ones, and sons of the House of Alaha, and you are built upon the foundation of the missionaries and the prophets, and the head corner of the building is Yeshua the Messiah, and in Him is the construction of the entire building, and it is growing unto the holy Temple in the Master Yah, while also you, in Him, are being built for the dwelling of Alaha in the Spirit.
Paul takes the idea of a living Temple first proposed by the Messiah and runs with it in Ephesians 2:19-22, where we read this amazingly beautiful passage on what Messiah has done for us:
Therefore, you are not strangers, and you are not sojourners, but rather, you are sons of the city of holy ones, and sons of the House of Alaha, and you are built upon the foundation of the missionaries and the prophets, and the head corner of the building is Yeshua the Messiah, and in Him is the construction of the entire building, and it is growing unto the holy Temple in the Master Yah, while also you, in Him, are being built for the dwelling of Alaha in the Spirit.
What Paul says here is very true. And yet, he says it in such a way in the Aramaic that makes it mean so much more. Through the use of Semitic wordplays, Paul draws out deeper meanings of the organic structural entity we exist as spiritually in the Messiah. By bringing up the idea of the "House" of the Most High, he turns the discussion towards Temple thoughts, and does so in an awesome manner. The play involves the ideas of “sons” and “building.” Verse 19 contains: B’NA = “sons,” and also WABNA = “and sons.” The dual usage of the word for “sons” is intentional, and is setting us up for what is to come. Verse 20 contains: WE’THB’NEETUN = “and you are built,” and D’BENYANA = “of the building.” Verse 21 contains: BENYANA = “building.” Verse 22 contains: METHB’NEYN = “being built.” In the Aramaic language, one word for “son” is the Hebraic cognate form BEN, while the typical term for “build / building” comes from the Aramaic term BANA. Thus, the idea of “sons” is introduced, but then the same-sounding term is also used four more times for “building,” altered for inflection and grammatical necessity. This switch causes the reader of the Aramaic to do a double-take and look back upon the initial two appearances of “sons” in verse 19, and realize that Paul was alluding to “building” in that verse, because he used the more Hebraic term for “son” - BEN, instead of the typical Aramaic term BAR, meaning “son.” If he had went with BAR, no real added depth would have been instilled in his surface message. By choosing the Hebraic term for “son,” Paul injected significance beyond just what was being said on the surface. The play also works with interesting results by going forward with the application of “son” in the four instances where “building” is intended. This was a masterful move by Paul in writing, and one can only truly credit the Spirit working through him to produce such a clever and meaningful passage. In addition to all of this unique aspect of the Aramaic, there is a further implication of the play between the idea of “son” and “build” in the Aramaic text: The flow from an organic form to a structural, architectural building is strong allusion to the organic, living nature of the Assembly of Messiah. It may have very intentional structure, yet it is at its heart a living entity.
One can hopefully appreciate the beauty of the spiritual perception of the Temple as a body. The ideas contained in it merit study and, of necessity, application. The germ of the thought, however, is of great interest. Why did the Messiah speak about His body as the Temple to begin with? Why would He even make such a connection? When one reads about the Temple in Scripture, the portrait of a human body is not immediately recognizable. I say it is not immediately recognizable, because so often we are bound by the limited expressions of man’s translations of His amazing Word. Yet, when we are able to brush aside the limitations and return graciously to the texts as they were originally written, there is seen a freedom and clarity dispelling misconceptions and questions.
In this regard, let us look at some of the Hebrew terms that are used to describe the Tabernacle in the wilderness, as well as the stationary Temple originally built by Solomon. Both structures are called HEYKAL (Palace) “the Temple” in Scripture, but I make the distinction between them because the text does so in many places, and for reason to show the growth aspect that has already been discussed in this study. Let us start by looking at the Tabernacle in the wilderness and we shall see things beginning to fall into place.
In this regard, let us look at some of the Hebrew terms that are used to describe the Tabernacle in the wilderness, as well as the stationary Temple originally built by Solomon. Both structures are called HEYKAL (Palace) “the Temple” in Scripture, but I make the distinction between them because the text does so in many places, and for reason to show the growth aspect that has already been discussed in this study. Let us start by looking at the Tabernacle in the wilderness and we shall see things beginning to fall into place.
To begin, we read in Exodus 25:5 of the “hides” that are to be used for coverings. The word is ‘OR, and literally means “skin.” Upon the Tabernacle would be a covering of “skin,” evoking the clear idea of a living body.
In 25:12, we read about the “side” of the ark of the covenant, which is the Hebrew TZELA, describing that which we most likely know to be a “rib,” the same term used of what was removed from Adam for the Holy One to fashion his perfect mate. We find this word used again in 26:20, 26-27, 35, and so on, when speaking of the “side” of the Tabernacle. The imagery conveyed is that of ribs.
In the same chapter, in verse 29, we read about the creation of various utensils to be used in the Tabernacle worship, and one of those of note is the “spoon,” which is merely the Hebrew KAPH, the word describing the “palm of the hand.”
A prominent article in the Tabernacle and the Temple is the seven-branched candlestick, popularly known as the menorah. In 25:32, in the description of the candlestick, we read that it has “branches,” that is, the Hebrew word QANEH, meaning “cane / bone.”
Interestingly, the “side” of the candlestick is actually the TZAD, the “hip.”
Moving over to the 26th chapter, in verses 4 and 10, we read about the curtains adorning the Tabernacle, and loops that would be made on each “edge,” which is the Hebrew term SAPHAH, meaning “lip.” This almost conveys the imagery of a lip-ring. We know that piercings for beauty were done in Israel in both the ears and nose from scattered passages of Scripture, but nothing is ever said specifically about lip-rings. This imagery, however, seems to suggest a possible familiarity with such a practice.
When it comes to the word translated typically as “side,” the Hebrew leaves no paucity for ideas to convey the thought, as we see was previously conveyed with another word in the description of the candlestick, and where we see again in 26:22-23, 27, and in 36:27-28, and 32, that another word to promote such an idea is YAREKAH, meaning “thigh.”
Another term for “side” is of note, found in several verses, such as 27:9, 11-13, amongst others, which is the Hebrew PEY’AH, a term that can also refer to the whiskers or hair on the sides of a man’s face. The side-curls distinctly worn among many Jewish religious groups by the men are known as payot or peyos, the plural of the above term.
Yet another term translated as “side” is KATHEYPH, found in 27:14-15, when speaking of the side of the Tabernacle which held the gate to enter the worship complex. The term KATHEYPH is merely “shoulder.”
In 26:24, we read about the “top” of the boards on the corners of the Tabernacle, and the term ROSH, meaning “head,” is explicitly used.
In Exodus 26:17 and 19, and also in 36:22 and 24, we read about the connecting “tenons” that linked board to board in the Tabernacle. The actual Hebrew term is YAD, simply meaning “hand.” A beautiful picture is here displayed of hands joined one to another, circling the area of worship of the courtyard and the holy place.
Therefore, the Tabernacle in the wilderness was described with many words whose meanings are terms used to refer to a human body: skin, rib, palm, bone, hip, lip, thigh, whiskers, shoulder, head, and hands. The concept for the Temple paralleling a person’s body is literally built into the terms describing the construction and details of the place. Anyone who reads the Hebrew text can read about the “body” of the Tabernacle in plain sight. It took the spiritual eyes of the Messiah, and then His veiled reference to it, however, for men to finally make the connection that was staring them in the face for about a thousand years!
However, the body-imagery of the Temple did not end with the Tabernacle. Rather, it was carried over into the stationary Temple built by Solomon. Not only was it included in the construction, but new terms were added to the previous, showing a maturing and developing body, where worship was alive and flourishing, growing still into the intended purpose of the Most High for His people. Let us look, now, at the words found in the Temple built by Solomon.
In the book of 1st Kings chapter 6 and 7, we read about the construction of the Temple by the effort of Solomon. The “body” words shared between the Tabernacle and the Temple are seven: rib, shoulder, thigh, lip, hand, head, and palm.
The new terms of interest are PANIM, meaning “face,” that is found in 1st Kings 6:20, when speaking of the “front” measure of the Holy of Holies.
In 7:28, speaking of the pedestals made for the molten sea, and the “ledges” found upon them, the word used is SHALAV, which actually means “joints,” as where bone connects to bone.
Continuing in the description of the various parts for the pedestals, at 7:30, we are told that each pedestal had four “corners,” which the Hebrew reveals to be PA’AM, meaning “foot.”
Verse 31 gives a further detail, describing a “mouth” to each pedestal, which is a very literal translation of the term PEH.
In verse 33, the description continues with the wheels attached, and speaks of the “rims” present, which is literally GAV, that is, “eyebrow.”
We read about a “right” and “left” side of the Temple in 7:39, which are the terms YAMIN (right hand) and S’MOL (left hand), respectively.
A final and curious term that is used to speak about the golden “hinges” on the doors of the Temple in 7:50, is POTH, which is the Hebrew word signifying the outermost entrance to a woman’s womb. While such a term might at first thought be deemed inappropriate for use in this fashion, when one takes an overhead view of the Temple viewed as a person, it would display a notable lack of male organ in the loin area, a detail that would bolster the wisdom of this term being used in the manner in which it is in the Temple. Keep in mind the Spirit gave the necessary descriptive terms for the building of the Temple, and in this we can understand profound spiritual realities.
The last detail mentioned above of “hinges” and their relation to a female deserves further attention, and aides in allowing us to go one step more in our study, to the realization of what it means to be a Temple and a body. Messiah is the first to make this connection, referring to His own male body as the Temple. It is worthy to note that the Tabernacle is described in terms that do not point to a female blatantly, which, with Messiah's connection stated, would easily allow for considering it in a male perspective. However, since the Temple that Solomon built does have a unique gender-specific term used, such a change of detail needs to be addressed. In this respect, we should consider that as believers, we are called both the “Body” of Messiah, as well as the “Bride” of Messiah. There is a special unity that we possess, just as the first man could say of the first woman: “Bone of my bone,” that is, although she was his body, so too could he also call her his bride. In this manner we reflect the image of the Messiah; as His body, and at the same time, growing into His bride, just as the Temple of Solomon contained more distinct terms of “body” language.
The last detail mentioned above of “hinges” and their relation to a female deserves further attention, and aides in allowing us to go one step more in our study, to the realization of what it means to be a Temple and a body. Messiah is the first to make this connection, referring to His own male body as the Temple. It is worthy to note that the Tabernacle is described in terms that do not point to a female blatantly, which, with Messiah's connection stated, would easily allow for considering it in a male perspective. However, since the Temple that Solomon built does have a unique gender-specific term used, such a change of detail needs to be addressed. In this respect, we should consider that as believers, we are called both the “Body” of Messiah, as well as the “Bride” of Messiah. There is a special unity that we possess, just as the first man could say of the first woman: “Bone of my bone,” that is, although she was his body, so too could he also call her his bride. In this manner we reflect the image of the Messiah; as His body, and at the same time, growing into His bride, just as the Temple of Solomon contained more distinct terms of “body” language.
This brings us to the imagery presented in the description of the future Temple described at length in Ezekiel, which he saw in the latter chapters of his book. In similar manner to the Temple of Solomon, the Temple of Ezekiel also contains terms found in the Tabernacle description. The shared words are as follows: shoulder, rib, foot, face, lip, whisker, thigh, and right hand. There are only two terms that are not used prior to this Temple description, and they are of great note to consider.
In Ezekiel 42:16-20, he describes the lengths of each “side” of the new Temple. The word in the Hebrew for “side” in these verses is very interesting; it is the term RUAKH, which means “Spirit,” or "Breath." What does this tells us? Perhaps, looking with spiritual eyes, we are being told that the walls of the Temple are literally spiritual walls? It is us who move by His Spirit, filled to be what He has called us to be – His people!
The second term that is new to the list is the word that describes the “bottom” of the altar, in 43:13-14, which is KHEYQ. This is the Hebrew word for “bosom,” a term of endearment that typically signifies the innermost heart or affections. The altar, for the first time in Scripture, is said to have a “bosom / heart.” The core of where the sacrifices are offered in the Temple of Ezekiel has a living term applied to it. Sacrifice is an act of worship in Scripture, and so we see that the heart will be in the correct place when true worshipful sacrifice is found in our heart. The bosom is the safest, most intimate area of the person, as in believers dying and going to the "bosom" of Abraham, or Messiah coming forth from the Holy One's "bosom."
The unique terms used here are astounding in connection to the context of the Temple in Ezekiel, which is the time when the promises of the Most High are fulfilled, when there is peace in the land and the tribes have all been resettled in their respective inheritances. The Temple of Ezekiel exists in a time when the Presence of Yah is here like never before. The two terms unique to this Temple show well the nature of our worship in this earthly temple of our bodies, as well as the coming dwelling with man that we await in great hope.
The Temple is thus rightly connected to the body. Over time, and through the lens of history and the shaping power of the Spirit in our midst, we are growing and maturing into the living dwelling place for the Holy One of Israel. Thanks be to the Messiah, who has called us not only to be His body, but to be the bride - where the Bridegroom can enter in!
The Temple is thus rightly connected to the body. Over time, and through the lens of history and the shaping power of the Spirit in our midst, we are growing and maturing into the living dwelling place for the Holy One of Israel. Thanks be to the Messiah, who has called us not only to be His body, but to be the bride - where the Bridegroom can enter in!
All study contents Copyright Jeremy Chance Springfield, except for graphics and images, which are Copyright their respective creators.