Lampstand

Biblical Text

In Exodus 25:31-40, God instructs Moses on how to make the lampstand. It was to be hammered from a talent of pure gold, with three branches extending from each side of the central shaft and seven lamps in all. The shaft and branches were to be decorated with cups shaped like almond blossoms, along with knobs and flowers. Exodus 37:17-24 records how Bezalel made it according to these instructions. The lampstand stood on the south side of the Holy Place of the tabernacle, opposite the table of showbread (Exodus 26:35; 40:24).

Leviticus 24:1-4 and Exodus 27:20-21 prescribe that the lamps be lit with pure olive oil and that Aaron and his sons tend them from evening to morning. Numbers 8:1-4 directs that the seven lamps be lit so that they give light in front of the lampstand. Solomon's temple had ten golden lampstands, five on the right and five on the left (1 Kings 7:49).

Background

Menorah is a Hebrew word meaning "a place for a lamp." The lampstand held oil lamps, not candles. The Greek word lychnia in the New Testament refers to the same kind of object; the New Korean Revised Version renders it as "candlestick" (chotdae) in Revelation. The Arch of Titus in Rome bears a relief depicting the temple furnishings being carried off after Rome captured Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and the shape of the lampstand can be seen there. Today the menorah also appears on the national emblem of the State of Israel. The nine-branched lampstand that Jews light during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) is a different object from the seven-branched lampstand of the temple.

Significance Across Scripture

In Zechariah 4, the prophet sees a vision of a lampstand of pure gold with two olive trees beside it. The vision is followed by the words "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" (Zechariah 4:6) and then by a promise concerning Zerubbabel's rebuilding of the temple. Hebrews 9:2 recalls that the lampstand stood in the first tabernacle. In Revelation 1:12-20, the text itself explains that the seven golden candlesticks represent the seven churches of Asia Minor. Revelation 2:5 warns that the candlestick of the church in Ephesus will be removed unless it repents, and 11:4 calls the two witnesses "the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks."

Interpretation and Debated Points

Many Christian interpreters connect the lampstand with Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12); with the church, which shines its light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16); and with the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the oil. Reading the number seven as a sign of completeness is also widespread. These connections, however, are largely interpretive applications; the text of Exodus does not state what each part of the lampstand signifies. Interpreters therefore differ on how far to accept typological interpretation, which assigns symbolic meaning to each furnishing of the tabernacle. Opinions also differ on whether the lamps burned continually, day and night, or only at night. Leviticus 24:2 commands that the lamps be caused "to burn continually," but Exodus 27:21 specifies "from evening to morning," and 1 Samuel 3:3 describes the hours before dawn, "ere the lamp of God went out."

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the lampstand is frequently treated in expository preaching on the tabernacle and in tabernacle seminars. The phrase "will remove thy candlestick" in Revelation 2:5 is also commonly used as a sermon text calling congregations to examine the spiritual condition of the church. Some churches place a seven-branched candlestick on the platform as a decoration.