Jehovah-shammah
Encyclopedia
Jehovah-shammah is a Christian transliteration of the Hebrew
meaning "The is there", the name given to the city in Ezekiel
's vision in . These are the final words of the Book of Ezekiel
.
The first word of the phrase is the Tetragrammaton
, the sacred name that, according to the Hebrew Bible
, God revealed to the Jews as a chosen people
. It is generally translated in English bibles as "the " or "GOD" in all capital letters. Jehovah
is a Christian anglicized vocalization of this name.
s to a side [2,331 m; 7,650 ft]) and as having 12 gates, each bearing the name of one of the tribes of Israel. The visionary city of Ezekiel’s prophecy is to belong to “all the house of Israel.” (Eze 45:6) The name Jehovah-shammah, or “Jehovah Himself Is There,” would signify a representational presence of God like that expressed in other texts, such as ; ; ; ; and , where Jehovah is spoken of as though residing in an earthly city or place. Compare : "Will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you."
of the gospel Church
.
Commentaries such as that of Matthew Henry
draw attention to the similarities of the vision of the holy city, the new Jerusalem, in the closing chapters of the Christian Bible, ; these include the square plan, the twelve gates, and the presence of God. Jehovah-Shammah is therefore understood not merely as a name but as a description of the future reality.
Charles Spurgeon
–a British Particular Baptist Pastor, still known as the "Prince of Preachers"–preached his New Year sermon in 1891 on this text in Ezekiel, declaring:
The phrase is also the title of a Christian hymn written published in 1816; its theme is God's protection of Jerusalem, the eternal home of the saints
.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
meaning "The is there", the name given to the city in Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel , "God will strengthen" , is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet...
's vision in . These are the final words of the Book of Ezekiel
Book of Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and preceding the Book of the Twelve....
.
The first word of the phrase is the Tetragrammaton
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
, the sacred name that, according to the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, God revealed to the Jews as a chosen people
Jews as a chosen people
In Judaism, "chosenness" is the belief that the Jews are the Chosen People, chosen to be in a covenant with God. This idea is first found in the Torah and is elaborated on in later books of the Hebrew Bible...
. It is generally translated in English bibles as "the " or "GOD" in all capital letters. Jehovah
Jehovah
Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....
is a Christian anglicized vocalization of this name.
Biblical context
In the vision of restoration seen by the prophet Ezekiel as recorded in chapters 40 to 48, the city is depicted as square (4,500 long cubitCubit
The cubit is a traditional unit of length, based on the length of the forearm. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in Antiquity, in the Middle Ages and into Early Modern Times....
s to a side [2,331 m; 7,650 ft]) and as having 12 gates, each bearing the name of one of the tribes of Israel. The visionary city of Ezekiel’s prophecy is to belong to “all the house of Israel.” (Eze 45:6) The name Jehovah-shammah, or “Jehovah Himself Is There,” would signify a representational presence of God like that expressed in other texts, such as ; ; ; ; and , where Jehovah is spoken of as though residing in an earthly city or place. Compare : "Will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you."
Christian interpretation
Easton's Bible Dictionary identifies the city in Ezekiel's vision as Jerusalem, and as a typeTypology (theology)
Typology in Christian theology and Biblical exegesis is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship between the Old and New Testaments...
of the gospel Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
.
Commentaries such as that of Matthew Henry
Matthew Henry
Matthew Henry was an English commentator on the Bible and Presbyterian minister.-Life:He was born at Broad Oak, a farmhouse on the borders of Flintshire and Shropshire. His father, Philip Henry, had just been ejected under the Act of Uniformity 1662...
draw attention to the similarities of the vision of the holy city, the new Jerusalem, in the closing chapters of the Christian Bible, ; these include the square plan, the twelve gates, and the presence of God. Jehovah-Shammah is therefore understood not merely as a name but as a description of the future reality.
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a large British Particular Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers"...
–a British Particular Baptist Pastor, still known as the "Prince of Preachers"–preached his New Year sermon in 1891 on this text in Ezekiel, declaring:
It is esteemed by the prophet to be the highest blessing that could come upon a city that its name should be, JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH, The Lord is there.
The phrase is also the title of a Christian hymn written published in 1816; its theme is God's protection of Jerusalem, the eternal home of the saints
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.