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TZION AND THE WATER SHAFT, OR TSINNOR

30/6/2022

An excerpt from Chapter 7 of my new book ‘THE TEMPLE QUEST’

'Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites…..he shall be chief and captain”…..Then David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward. So David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.’…

The stronghold was already recognised as Zion, and David named the city after himself, the City of David. The entry point was the ‘tsinnor,’ a water shaft or conduit above the Gihon Spring (see 2 Samuel 5).

The etymology of the name Zion or Tzion is obscure, but if, as some scholars have suggested, the word is of Hurrian origin, from their word ‘tseya’ for river or brook, it would make perfect sense, because it was the spring and its stream that identified the site and was of vital importance in God’s programme. The Hebrew word, ‘TSINNOR’ (used above in 2 Samuel 5:8) is translated variously in Psalm 42:7 (where its noise is spoken of), as ‘waterspouts’ or ‘cataracts.’

Certainly, by the time of the writing up of David’s conquest, the location of the citadel and settlement above the spring was clearly known as Tzion or Zion.' (End quote)

The pictures below illustrate the TSINNOR or water shaft through which David's commander Joab entered the city.

THE TEMPLE QUEST is available as an e-Book from Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and Apple Books (among others). Click on preferred provider above to purchase.

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HA MAKOM—An identifiable location named prophetically by both Jacob and David as 'House of God'

27/6/2022

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The well-used patriarchal location name Ha Makom is identifiable in the Bible as the area around the Gihon Spring, in the City of David. It is David who ‘staples’ Ha Makom to that site by pitching the tent for the ark and the tabernacle furnishings there.

Since the site was prophetically named ‘House of God’ (Beyth-El or Bethel) by Jacob, then later clearly accepted by David as such and restated by him with his words recorded in 1 Chronicles 22:1, “this is the (Bethel) HOUSE OF YAHWEH GOD and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel”—should we not also accept that as the site on which the temple was built?

Read the new E-book 'THE TEMPLE QUEST' by Ian Heard. Click here to go to Smashwords, or,
Also available at Barnes and Noble Nookbooks, Kobo, Apple Books and others.

On the aerial view at left of the City of David area of Mount Moriah, I have indicated the area at and above the Gihon Spring in the City of David known as Ha Makom and where these words were spoken.

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WHY WAS NEHEMIAH’S NIGHT RECONNAISSANCE LIMITED TO THE CITY OF DAVID?

24/6/2022

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The answer is quite simple: because that is where the temple was located!

Follow carefully—and, remember what was in Nehemiah’s heart as disclosed by him to the King of Persia in Nehemiah 2:3 and 8…
’the city and the place of my father’s tombs’ and most importantly ‘the citadel which pertains to the temple, the city wall and the house that I will occupy.’

Following is an abbreviated excerpt from Chapter 12 of my new e-book, ‘THE TEMPLE QUEST’ (Click Here)

‘Nehemiah exits the City of David (note that City of David is the name used by Nehemiah in 3:15 & 12:37), via the Valley Gate (the ‘valley’ being the Tyropeon Valley) on the west and proceeds (anti-clockwise) in the direction of, or towards, a) the Serpent Well, the approximate location of which I have added to the map with XX; and b) the Refuse Gate….and he provides two landmarks. The first is the somewhat distant Serpent Well, so called because it was beside a stone known as Koheleth (serpent) in 1 Kings 1:9. That well is Ein Rogel in the valley south-east of the City of David, and it could be accessed by a gate known as the Gate of the Fountain on our map…. From that gate it was a walk of about three hundred metres, maybe more, to the Serpent Well. The two photographs below, from early 20th century, show the remains of Ein Rogel in the near foreground, and enable us to see its proximity to the ridge of the City of David and, further north, the (much later than Nehemiah) southern wall of Fortress Antonia, later used as the platform for the Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock.
…The Serpent Well was a landmark on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin that was still intact and well-known to Nehemiah and the people of the City of David. He also mentions the Refuse or Dung Gate which you see on the map.* He was headed in a south to south-east direction to go around the bottom of the City of David, making his way through the rubble of the broken and tumbled walls, and he then turned northward into the Kidron Valley as verse 15 indicates. He calls it NACHAL in Hebrew, the Valley of the Torrent—another name for Kidron, where the overflow from Gihon ran southward—and indeed in storms was a torrent in the valley. As he proceeds up the Kidron Valley, he examines the derelict wall (v.15) and then turns back, retraces his steps, and re-enters the city by the way he exited—the Valley Gate.

Nehemiah does not tell us how far northward up Kidron he examined, but since he makes no mention of Gihon or what he calls in Chapter 3:25, 26 & 27 ‘the tower that juts out’ (that is, the structure around Gihon Spring), but only of the stream bed or wadi into which it flowed—and since he is naming recognised landmarks, we can safely assume he did not need to go past Gihon...

As we can be certain of the extent of his reconnaissance—and since his concern, as he stated, was the citadel which pertains to the temple, and the reconnaissance included only the lower half of the City of David and its derelict walls and gates, our conclusion must be that the temple was within that defined area.

Map by Marilyn Sams and used in the book with kind permission.

For interest, the pictures below are from early 20th Century and show the remains of Ein Rogel and the proximity to the City of David and the Kidron Valley.

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WHY WOULD THE BIBLICAL WRITERS KEEP SAYING THE TEMPLE WAS IN THE MIDST OF THE CITY…IF IT WAS NOT?

21/6/2022

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A simple enough question, which it is up to those who keep putting Jerusalem’s temples on what they insist on calling Temple Mount, to answer!

How could it possibly be where this artist's impression shows it?

The writer of Psalm 119, in verse 16 says,
‘I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the LORD’S house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem’

TAVEK is the Hebrew word and it means middle, centre, midst.

It is used again by Ezekiel, who sees ministers of judgement dispatched to clean up Jerusalem. They are to go through the midst of the city and begin at the sanctuary (Ezk. 9:4 etc)
Later in Chapter 11, Ezekiel sees the Glory of God departing the temple (where the Glory dwelt) and he sees it depart (verse 11) from the midst of the city.

In Zechariah 2:5 God promises to be the wall of fire around the city and the Glory in its midst.

Zechariah later described the return of the Glory in Chapter 8 verse 3 of his book; ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.’

In all the above, the word is TAVEK.

In Jeremiah’s Lamentations he laments over the destruction of the sanctuary and says,
‘How the gold has become dim!
How changed the fine gold!
The stones of the sanctuary are scattered
At the head of every street’
He is speaking, not of the precious stones for they would be taken as spoil, but of the building stones. If they were scattered at the head of every street, clearly the streest of the city ran to and about the temple precinct.

In Psalm 46:5, the sons of Korah are singing the praises of the God as their refuge and strength. Verse 4 speaks of the river that makes glad the city of God and the dwelling place of the Most High (the Gihon stream)—and then in verse 5, ‘God is in her midst, she shall not be moved.’

In this case the Hebrew word is QEREB meaning the inward or innermost part (in Exodus 29:13 it is used of the entrails of the animal).

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WILL THE JEWS BUILD A TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM AGAIN?

30/5/2022

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There is talk and various reports of the temple furnishings and a high priest being prepared in secret and it may indeed, be true.

But how could the Jewish people ever rebuild the temple and reinstitute sacrifices and worship at the presently assumed site of Jerusalem’s ancient temple—without starting World War III?

What if the assumed site on a particular part of Mount Moriah is altogether incorrect? What if that imagined site has been based on unquestioned assumption after assumption? Or even some deceptive ‘sleight of hand’?

And—more pertinently—what if there is little impediment to prevent a temple being built where Solomon’s and the later temples actually stood, in the City of David, just a few hundred metres south of the Muslim Shrine, the Dome of the Rock?

Ian Heard's latest book, offered as an e-book for easy access, will persuade you, using Biblical references alone, that this is so.

Click HERE to purchase at only US$5.50 or use the button below. Or, go to your favourite e-book provider like Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo and many others.

THE TEMPLE QUEST

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A 'MUST READ' FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE A LAST-DAYS TEMPLE MUST BE BUILT IN JERUSALEM

16/5/2022

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FROM THE INTRODUCTION TO my newest e-book ‘THE TEMPLE QUEST’…here is why it is important to see what the Bible says on this important subject.

1. Recognition that early in the Patriarchal narratives and later, there was growing awareness and use of the Hebrew term HaMakom, ‘the place’, with the definite article, in relation to a particular, special, and familiar location.

2. The naming by Jacob of the HaMakom site as Beyt-El (Bethel) ‘House of God’ was a strategic and prophetic revelation meaning that we should treat it as the authentic Bethel—where God intended to reside.

3. Until David in the Biblical narrative, there remains a small element ofuncertainty as to HaMakom’s true meaning and location, but the stapling of that site by him to Gihon eliminates what doubt remains.

As the reader will learn, there are many other references and factors within the pages of the Bible which go on contributing weight to the side of the scales which argues for the City of David site for the temple of Solomon and the later temples.”
This material is protected by copyright.

‘THE TEMPLE QUEST’ is accessible for a mere US$5.50 here …
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1142592
A ’MUST READ’ FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE A TEMPLE MUST AGAIN STAND IN JERUSALEM!

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW, 'The Temple Quest'

2/5/2022

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Click HERE for a brief written Author Interview at the Smashwords site for my new book The Temple Quest. click on the Book Cover below to go to the Smashwords shop...

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Locating Jerusalem's temples using only the Bible

27/4/2022

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‘THE TEMPLE QUEST
Biblical Evidence for the true location’

This is Ian's latest book, an E-Book, in which he shows, using only the Biblical text, where the temples of Jerusalem stood.

And here’s an excerpt from Marilyn Sams’s Foreword and below, the Chapter Headings

‘Through enlightening discussions of extensive biblical passages, Ian illustrates how the Jews thoroughly understood what "the place" meant to the Jewish psyche or soul, but which most often escapes the modern reader. He clearly proves the location of the temple to be above the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem, and this by using only biblical passages. His ability to tease out new information from familiar scriptures and provide new insights is remarkable and rewarding.’

FOREWORD: Marilyn Sams
INTRODUCTION
1. The Grand Scheme
2. The Patriarchs and Hamakom
3. Competing Bethels: The Bethel of Yaakov—and the ‘Bethel’ of Jeroboam
4. Moses and Hamakom
5. Joshua, Jericho, Ai, and Bethel
6. The Overlooked Importance of Gihon
7. Jebus Becomes Zion and the City of David
8. David, Zion and Hamakom in the Psalms
9. ‘X’ Marks the Spot, and a Threshing Floor Is Declared ‘Bethel’
10. Jeremiah, Hamakom, King Josiah and Bethel
11. The Temple in the Middle of the City!
12. Nehemiah’s Reconnaissance, the Walls, and the Dedication
13. John’s Gospel and Ho Topos (Ha Makom)
EPILOGUE

THE TEMPLE QUEST can be purchased and downloaded for immediate reading by clicking HERE
Get your copy today

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THE TEMPLE QUEST

16/4/2022

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In my latest book, 'THE TEMPLE QUEST' I uncover the meaning and mystery of the ancient Biblical site which became known as 'The Place' (HaMakom). Through the Patriarchal period and on, right through to King David and the Prophets, this name and site had become embedded in the life and soul of the nation, Israel, in a way that the modern reader may easily miss.
Using only Biblical references to uncover the mystery, THE TEMPLE QUEST will astound you and provide clear evidence and fresh understanding about the location of Jerusalem's temples.

The Foreword has been written by Marilyn Sams, author of, among others, 'The Jerusalem Temple Mount Myth'.

'THE TEMPLE QUEST' by Ian Heard is available now, only as an e-book at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1142592

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NEHEMIAH'S RECONNAISSANCE OF THE CITY OF DAVID & THE DEDICATION MARCH ON THE WALL

25/3/2022

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AN EXCERPT FROM UPCOMING BOOK, ‘The Temple Quest and Gihon Spring’

Copyright: Ian Heard March 25, 2022
The map at left is used with the kind permission of Marilyn Sams, author of 'The Jerusalem Temple Mount Myth'
I have added a red spot indicating an approximate position of Ein Rogel, the Serpent Well.

'Nehemiah exits the City of David (note, City of David is the name used by Nehemiah in 3:15 & 12:37), via the Valley Gate (the ‘valley’ being the Tyropeon Valley) on the west and proceeds (anti-clockwise) in the direction of, or towards, a) the Serpent Well, the approximate location of which I have added to the map with a red spot; and b) the Refuse Gate. Note that the Hebrew word used here by Nehemiah and translated towards or in the direction of, is PANEH meaning to face, or facing. He is giving us the direction he was facing and in which he went and he provides two landmarks. The first is the somewhat distant Serpent Well, so called because it was beside a stone known as Koheleth (serpent) in 1 Kings 1:9. That well is Ein Rogel in the valley south-east of the City of David and it could be accessed by a gate known as the Gate of the Fountain on our map. (Note that it was also known in ancient times as the ‘Well of Nehemiah’[1]). From that gate it was a walk of about 300 metres, perhaps more, to the Serpent Well. The well is within earshot of Gihon—at least for loud trumpet blasts and shouting—although about 600-700 metres from it as Adonijah discovered in his nefarious attempt to gazump Solomon for the throne of David (see the story in 1 Kings 1 and note verses 40 & 41). The Serpent Well was a landmark on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin[2] that was still intact and well-known to Nehemiah and the people of the City of David. He also mentions the Refuse or Dung Gate which you see on the map. He was headed in a south to south-east direction to go around the bottom of the City of David and he then turned northward into the Kidron Valley as verse 15 indicates. He calls it NACHAL in Hebrew, the Valley of the Torrent—another name for Kidron, where the overflow from Gihon ran southward. As he proceeds up the Kidron Valley, he examines the derelict wall (v.15) and then turns back, retraces his steps and re-enters the city by the Valley Gate.

Nehemiah does not tell us how far northward up Kidron he examined, but since he makes no mention of of Gihon but only of the stream bed or wadi into which it flowed—and since he is naming recognised landmarks, we can safely assume he did not need to go past Gihon as explained below.

Since we can be pretty certain of the extent of his reconnaissance—and since his concern, as he stated, was the citadel[3] which pertains to the temple, and the reconnaissance included only the lower half of the City of David and its derelict walls and gates, our conclusion must be that the temple was within that defined area.
Certainly when it came to the repairing and building of the walls and gates the builders encompassed more than that lower section of the City of David and it may be that on his way into Jerusalem from the north, he had already seen in daylight much of the upper section. But it remains clear that Nehemiah’s special interest was that southern area defined as from Gihon on the east to the western valley (near the Valley Gate) and southward which we can therefore reasonably assume ‘pertained’ to the citadel of the temple in which his zeal was invested.

So we come to the reading of the Law in Chapter 8 followed by the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles and then in Chapters 9 through 11, confession of sins and renewal of the covenant and the dedication procession on the repaired wall. But we should take note that it is Ezra the Scribe who is commissioned to read from the Book of the Law. It is a momentous and inspiring event. Ezra would have brought the scroll out of the temple precinct—and where would that reading of the Law to the people of God most appropriately take place? Of course, in the open square right in front of the temple that housed it as we see in Chapter 8. That open square, coincidentally is noted by the writer as being ‘in front of the Water Gate’ (verses 1 and 3), that is, the gate that provided access to Gihon Spring which gurgled and bubbled away beneath the great structure that had been built out and over it enclosing it as part of the City of David; the tower that is described in Nehemiah 3:25, 26 and 27 as the projecting tower (or the tower that juts out).

Something even more noteworthy however, is to be seen in Nehemiah’s account of all these events. It is this: first in Chapter 8, Ezra reads as the people stand in the square and we note in verse 7 that the people stood in ‘their place.’ Again in Chapter 9 where we see the confession of sins and in verses 2 and 3, those of Israelite lineage separate themselves and—note—‘stood up in their place.’ This was a very solemn occasion and this surely can only mean that the people were arranged to take their place within their designated area such as the Court of the Gentiles, the court of the Israelites, the Court of the Women etc. And then we read that Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood ‘on the ascent (stairs) of the Levites.’ The location of the Temple is crystallising.

So, we move forward to the extraordinary event of the dedication of the completed wall in Nehemiah chapter 12 and once again the compass of the City of David is seen. One group of choristers and musicians go as Nehemiah had on his reconnaissance tour, to the south and around the bottom of the City of David and the other group, with Nehemiah behind, proceed north and around the top of the City. But, of utmost importance is the location at which the two groups meet. It was at ‘the Beyt-El’ (House of God) as Nehemiah 12:40 tells us—quite certainly where Ezra had read the Law. The group walking around the south, led by Ezra came around the southern tip, past the house of David and proceeded north, halting at the Water Gate on the east, that is, at the tower that juts out—at Gihon. The northbound group marched… ‘past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, and above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison.’
‘So’ writes Nehemiah, ‘the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the Beyt-El.’ The Beyt-El was right there! (It is noteworthy that again in Nehemiah 8:16 the Beyt-El is mentioned in proximity to the open square at the Water Gate during the Feast of Tabernacles).
The tower that juts out is unmistakeably the structure built out and around the Gihon Spring as shown in Marilyn Sams’s map above, the presence of which has been confirmed archaeologically. Clearly the city’s Water Gate was at the Gihon location and from that we are able without contradiction, to pinpoint the Beyt-El.'

[1] See ‘The Bir Ayyub Well (En Rogel) at Jerusalem: a New Plan and Discussion Based on Maps and Historic Photographs’ Shimon Gibson 2012.
[2] Ibid
[3] Of interest here is Psalm 48 where the Psalmist sings of the glory of Zion’s citadels or palaces (plural). Zion contained the palaces of both the heavenly King and the earthly king.

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TZION AND THE WATER SHAFT, OR TSINNOR

HA MAKOM—An identifiable location named prophetically by both Jacob and David as 'House of God'

WHY WAS NEHEMIAH’S NIGHT RECONNAISSANCE LIMITED TO THE CITY OF DAVID?

WHY WOULD THE BIBLICAL WRITERS KEEP SAYING THE TEMPLE WAS IN THE MIDST OF THE CITY…IF IT WAS NOT?

WILL THE JEWS BUILD A TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM AGAIN?

A 'MUST READ' FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE A LAST-DAYS TEMPLE MUST BE BUILT IN JERUSALEM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW, 'The Temple Quest'

Locating Jerusalem's temples using only the Bible

THE TEMPLE QUEST

NEHEMIAH'S RECONNAISSANCE OF THE CITY OF DAVID & THE DEDICATION MARCH ON THE WALL

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