Towards, unto, into and in Theos

It may seem a strange question to ask on the fifth blog of exploring the kaporeth but nevertheless it is a legitimate one as we may slide into presupposing certain things about it.

The term kaporeth occurs relatively rarely in the old testament. Occurring primarily in the chapters that deal with the construction of the tabernacle and then in the offerings surrounding its sanctification, in Leviticus 16, dealing with the day of the atonements, and then once regarding the delivering of the pattern of the temple by Dawid to his son Shelomah.

Arguably, it is mentioned elsewhere when the ark is being referenced, as the kaporeth was the lid or covering that sat atop the ark. In that sense it and the ark become one. We see this pattern of assimilation of articles into one repeatedly regarding the kaporeth and ark. For example the ark is referenced as ‘the testimony’ or the ark of the testimony. This is because the two tables of stone that Mosheh brought down from the mountain are referred to as the testimony:

And he gave unto Mosheh, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of ‘elohym. (Exodus 31.18)

And thou shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give unto thee… And thou shall put the kaporeth above upon the ark; and into the ark thou shall put the testimony that I shall give unto thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the kaporeth, from between the two kerubym which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Yisra’el. (Exodus 25.16,21,22)

So, the tables of stone bearing the ten commandments written with the finger of ‘elohym are referred to as the testimony (or witness). These tables of stone are placed into the ark which is then referred to as the ark of the testimony (as well as the ark of the covenant) and eventually it is referred to just as the testimony, upon which the kaporeth is placed.

And he shall put the incense upon the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of the incense may cover the kaporeth that is upon the testimony, that he die not: (Leviticus 16.13)

So, the writing of ‘elohym, the ten commandments, which are a witness, are the basis for the ark. The fundamental teachings of Yahweh revealed in the mountain unto Mosheh are the basis for the covenant which he makes with Yisra’el. The testimony is the primary purpose of the ark, that is it contains the revealed word of Yahweh. Once the testimony is within the ark then the ark becomes the testimony. Once the substantive word dwells within a vessel then that vessel becomes what is within it, the utterance of Yahweh’s spirit. The kaporeth sits on top of this vessel and becomes part of this vessel so that, going forward, references to the ark can be assumed to include the kaporeth as the kaporeth is not removed from the vessel it covers and the contents which it hides from man’s sight.

We can see, therefore, that the kaporeth was made for the ark, to be one with the ark, to become the ark. It is intrinsically bound up with that which is within, the tables of testimony, which were given to make a covenant with the house of Yisra’el.

And thou shall make a kaporeth of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shall make two kerubym of gold, of beaten work shall thou make them, in the two ends of the kaporeth. And make one kerub on the one end, and the other kerub on the other end: even from the kaporeth shall ye make the kerubym on the two ends thereof. And the kerubym shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the kaporeth with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another (man unto his brother); toward the kaporeth shall the faces of the kerubym be. And thou shall put the kaporeth above upon the ark; and into the ark thou shall put the testimony that I shall give unto thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the kaporeth, from between the two kerubym which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Yisra’el. (Exodus 25.17-22)

Yahweh’s instruction is unto Mosheh and he is the one instructed to make these things, which is why the instruction is to ‘thou’ (singular) although ‘ye’ is invoked in the making of the kerubym. The first attribution of the term ‘kaporeth’ is straightforwardly the name given to the lid that covers the ark with the same dimensions as are given to the length and width of the ark: [two] cubits and a half by a cubit and a half. The next stage is the making of the kerubym. It is uncertain whether, technically, they are separately constructed and appended to the kaporeth but the language seems to imply that they were not. In this chapter it says ‘from’ or ‘out of’ the kaporeth and in Exodus 37.7 it says ‘of one piece’ albeit the Hebrew for ‘of one piece’ is from a word meaning ‘to harden’ and is often translated ‘of beaten work’. In any case the kerubym are clearly one with the kaporeth so that, although the kaporeth means ‘a covering’ and its seemingly primary function is as a covering for the ark, they are at one with it. This duality is often seen where there appears, like the ark with the testimony within it, a distinction between one and the other. At times the term ‘ark’ incorporates the kaporeth; at times and for the most part, the term kaporeth includes the kerubic manifestation over it but sometimes is focusing on the flat lid that covered the ark.

Yahweh makes this apparent distinction in the verses above in Exodus 25. He says that he will meet and commune with Mosheh ‘there’ (sham שם – see the post on homographs) from above the kaporeth from between the two kerubym. The kerubym are seen in relation one man unto his brother and with faces unto the kaporeth. Their faces look to both. They look to the covering of the testimony and they look to one another in reciprocity. This duality is where Yahweh will commune with Mosheh from. That is he will commune with him in a reciprocal unto/unto relationship based upon the dwelling of the commandments in his chosen vessel for that purpose, by which he makes covenant with his people.

Yahweh says that he will meet and commune with Mosheh ‘there’. We have already considered the meaning of the homographic שם and how it depicts the words ‘name’ and ‘there’. Showing the meaning of the name as a journey unto a pre-ordained place and time when man may become Yahweh. This ties in very nicely with the word ‘meet’ as used here in Exodus 25.22. The Hebrew word is ya’ad (יעד) and carries the sense of an appointed time or place of assembling together but, also and very interestingly, is translated as ‘betrothed’. Betrothal is the agreement of two people to become one in marriage. Similarly, the meeting of Yahweh with Mosheh is to join himself unto him and, through him, unto his people. If the testimony that is within the ark is hearkened to and obeyed by the people then this manifestation of himself unto Mosheh, and through him unto his people, can be fulfilled in union.

And they brought up the ark of Yahweh, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Lewyym bring up. And king Shelomah, and all the congregation of Yisra’el, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh unto his place, into the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under (unto beneath) the wings of the kerubym. (1 Kings 8.4-6)

We saw that Dawid had given the pattern of the temple, which he had received from ‘elohym, to his son Shelomah and that part of that pattern was a place (house) for the kaporeth. Here we see that final set place, or house/dwelling place for the kaporeth coming to fruition. At this point the congregation of Yisra’el are united with Yahweh before the ark. This assembly is the final fulfillment of that unity being foreseen in the ark and kaporeth.

The word ‘commune’ that Yahweh uses to describe his meeting with Mosheh is simply the word ‘to speak’ (dabar דבר) and is the same Hebrew as ‘word’. Yahweh’s union with Mosheh, and with his people is through speech, through the utterance of his mind in the word, the embodiment of which in the tables of stone resides in the ark beneath the kaporeth.

When we look back at Leviticus 16 and the day of the atonements we can see now how the two phenomena interact. The kaporeth is the place that represents the union of ‘elohym and man through the word and anticipates the assembly of all together in that one set place of the eighth day, once it is set in its final resting place. However, there is a way that is required to get to that place. The way is the taking up of the stake firstly by Iesous and then his disciples. The vessel of the dwelling of the commandments of Yahweh is accomplished by reciprocal manifestation which is accomplished in the face of the struggle with the flesh unto the shedding of blood. This is the path of taking up the stake. It is of following in the steps of he who took up his stake unto the shedding of his blood in accomplishing the will of his father. Only on this pathway lies the destination of the removal of sins.