“To the Place of Trumpeting”

This stone block fell from southwestern corner of the Temple Mount to the street below during the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 AD. The original is depicted here on the bottom right and is on display at the Israel History museum. A replica where it was found is placed outside the south west corner of the Temple Mount in the area of the first century herodian street located inside the Davidson enter. Dating from the 1st CE, the stone was discovered in 1968 by Benjamin Mazar during his initial excavations. Its inscription bears:

לבית התקיעה

“to the place of trumpeting …”

This shows us that it marked the place a priest would stand to signal by trumpet blasts the beginning and end of the Sabbath, as well as the other Holy Days. First century historian Flavius Josephus writes…

“Above the roof of the priests’ chambers, at the point where it was the custom for one of the priests to stand and to give notice, by sound of trumpet, in the afternoon of the approach, and of the following evening of the close, of every seventh day, announcing to the people the respective hours for ceasing work and for resuming their labours” (F. Josephus, Jewish War IV, ix, 12).

”And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”“

‭‭(Numbers‬ ‭10‬:‭8‬-‭10‬).

References

Josephus, Flavius. The Jewish War. Translated by William Whiston. Book IV, Chapter 9, Section 12. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2001.

Photo Credit: Angela Avalos

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