The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. The Gates and buildings in the Court wall on the North ſide.
WE are now come to the North ſide of the Court, where before we fall to ſurveying of the gates and buildings, that were there, in the times of the ſecond Temple, it will not be amiſſe to looke what we finde there in the times of the firſt in that paſſage of Ezekiel chap. 8. ver. 3.5.14. He brought me in the viſions of God to Jeruſalem to the doore of the inner Court gate that looketh toward the North, where was the ſeat of the image of jealonſie which provoketh to jealouſie. And he ſaid unto me, Sonne of man lift up now thine eyes the way towards the North: ſo I lift up mine eyes the way towards the North, and behold Northward of the gate of the Altar this image of jealouſie in the entry. And he brought me to the doore of the gate of the Lords houſe which was towards the North, and behold, there ſate women weeping for Tammuz: Here are two gates ſpecified on the North ſide of the Court and they are called the gate of the Altar and the gate of the Lords houſe towards the North: becauſe the one was over againſt the Altar, and the other over againſt the body of the Temple. To that over againſt the Altar is the prophet firſt brought in his viſion, and there he ſeeth the image of jealouſie: not in this gate of the Altar, but in the mountaine of the houſe Northward of this gate, and of the prophet as he ſtood in it. For the prophet is not brought within the Court at this gate, but is ſet without it, and there he is bidden to looke Northward, and there he ſeeth that image. This was not any picture or image to repreſent jealouſie by, but it is called the image of jealouſie, becauſe it provoked the jealous God to jealouſie, it being ſet even in his Sanctuary and before his Altar: what Idol this was is but loſt labour to goe about to determine: I ſhould aſſoone conjecture Molech as any other, becauſe that was the higheſt idolatry and moſt provoking, namely their burning of their children in the fire, and becauſe they were exceeding taxable and taxed for this Idolatry. Whether there were this Idol in the Temple at this very inſtant when Ezekiel had the viſion, which was in the ſixth yeare of Zedekiah, or whether the viſion repreſent to him the Idolatry that had been in the Temple at any time, is not much eaſier to determine neither, but be the Idol what it would, and meane he the time when he will, it was no ſmall abomination when an Idolatrous chappel or manſion is erected in the mountaine of the Lords houſe, even facing the very gate that opened upon the Altar. This gate was the lower Northgate which in the times of the ſecond Temple was called the Gate Nitſots or of the Song.
Before the prophet is brought to the upper North gate, the text ſaith he was brought to the doore of the Court, ver. 7. that is, to the Eaſt gate which was the commoneſt way of entrance, and in that gate the Sanhedrin uſed to ſit in thoſe times, and there he ſeeth their Councell-chamber painted all about with imagery, and the 70 members of the Sanhedrin themſelves offering Idolatrous incenſe: Then is he brought to the upper North gate, which opened upon the body of the Temple, and there he ſeeth women weeping for Tammuz: what Tammuz was, or what their weeping meant, it is not to our ſubject to inſiſt upon here: I will onelyonly leave the gloſſe of David Kimchi upon this matter with the reader, and trouble him with no more diſcourſe about it. Some interpret it (ſaith he) that they kept a feaſt to the Idol in the beginning of the monethmonth Tammuz: others interpret the word Tammuz to ſignifie burnt from foreign Dan. 3.19. meaning that they wept for him that was burnt, becauſe they burnt their ſons and daughters in the fire. Others, that they had a trick to convey water into the Idols eyes which was called Tammuz, ſo that he ſeemed to weep and to beſeech them that they would ſerve him. But our great wiſe man Rabbi Moſes bar Maiemon writes that it is found in the bookes of the ancient, that there was a man of the Idolatrous prophets whoſe name was Tammuz, and he called to a certaine King and commanded him to worſhip the ſeven planets and the twelve ſignes, and the King ſlew him: And on the night of his death, all the Idols from all parts of the earth were gathered into the Temple at Babel, to the golden image which was the image of the Sun, which image hung betweene heaven and earth, and it fell into the midſt of the Temple and all the images about it: It told them what hath happened to Tammuz the prophet, and all the Idols wept and lamented all that night, and when it was morning they flew to their owne homes: So this became a cuſtome to them on the firſt day of the month Tammuz every yeare, to bewaile and lament Tammuz. But ſome interpret Tammuz to be the name of a beaſt which they worſhipped.
Thus may we ſuppoſe upon this text of Ezekiel, that in the Temple before the captivity there were but two gates on the Northſide of the Court, or at leaſt there is not mention of any more: but in the ſecond Temple there were three: The names of them going from Weſt to Eaſt were theſe. 1. foreign [b]Mid. per. 2.The gate of Corban. 2. foreign The gate of the women. And 3. foreign The gate of the Song. Now every one of theſe gates is owned by a double name: for the gate of Corban is alſo called foreign Beth Mokadh: The gate of the women is alſo called foreign The gate Corban: And the gate of the Song is alſo called foreign The gate Nitſots: And thus are thoſe Talmudick paſſages to be underſtood which carry difficulty with them, becauſe they ſeeme to carry contradiction: whileſt one reckons the North gates thus[c]Ibid. & Shekalim per. 1. On the North was the gate of Corban, the gate of the Women and the gate of the Song: And another thus[d]Mid. per. 1. On the North was the gate Nitſots, the gate Corban and Beth-Mokadh: The former, reckoning their order from Weſt to Eaſt, and the latter from Eaſt to weſt: the reaſon of theſe doubled and differing names we ſhall look after as we goe along.
There were alſo other buildings on this ſide the Court beſides the gates as well as there were on the South ſide which we have ſurveyed already. And thoſe were foreign [e]Ib. per. 6.The roome for Salt, the room for Parvah, and the waſhing roome, beſides other roomes, which weſhall finde out in our progreſſe.