The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 30

The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described · Chapter 30

p. 170CHAP. XXX. Of the Gate Beth Mokadh called the Gate of Corban: And of the other Gate of Corban, called alſo the Gate of the Women.

WE need not inquire why the upper of theſe two gates was called Beth Mokadh; the conſidering that it joined to the Eaſt end of that piece of building that was ſo called, which we have newly ſurveyed, will reſolve that queſtion: but why the lower was called The gate of the Women, and why both of them the Gates of Corban, will coſt more labour to finde it out.

I ſhall tender about the former theſe two conjectures: 1. Becauſe at this Gate the women in the former Temple, did weep for Tammuz, as was obſerved out of Ezekiel even now: And 2. Becauſe at this gate the women that brought ſacrifices went into the Court to ſee them offered. For although it was not lawfull for women to goe ordinarily into the Court as it was for men, but they were confined to their owne Court, yet as I have obſerved elſewhere out of Toſaphta, women when they brought ſacrifices might and did goe into the Court of Iſrael as well as men. It is true indeed that foreign women after childbirth appeared in the gate of Nicanor for the making of their atonement, and came but up into the gate and not into the Court at all, becauſe they came thither for their full purification: but thoſe women that were clean, and came not upon any occaſion of purification, but brought burnt-offerings or ſin or treſpaſſe-offerings, they preſented them and themſelves with them at this gate. There was a gate was nearer to the Altar then this, namely the Gate Nitſots, which we are to ſurvey by and by, but the place of the rings or ſlaughter place being between it and the Altar, it was not a place of that clea… and uninterrupted acceſſe that this was of, p. 171and therefore the ſacrifices both of men and women were preſented here. Yet did the gate beare the name of the women rather then of the men, as from the rarer matter of the womens going into the Court, which was more commonly done by men.

And this helpes us to one reaſon why this gate was called the Gate of Corban, or of the offering, namely becauſe the ſacrifices to be offered up were brought up in this way. And this very reaſon Bartenora giveth ſaying foreign [a][a]Bart. in Mid.Here they brought in the moſt holy Sacrifices, which were to be ſlaine on the North ſide of the Altar. Over againſt this Gate on the other ſide of the Court there was a gate that bare two names as well as this. It was called foreign The gate of offering, becauſe the ſacrifices that were to be ſlaine on the South ſide of the Altar were brought in at that gate and it was called alſo the gate of Firſtlings, becauſe thoſe were the chiefeſt of thoſe offerings. So alſo this gate where we are: it was called the gate of Corban or of offering, becauſe the Sacrifices to be ſlaine on the North ſide of the Altar were brought in by it: and it was called alſo the gate of the women, becauſe their paſſage through it with their ſacrifices was more rare and remarkable then mens.[b][b]Zevachin per. 5. Now theſe were the ſacrifices that were ſlaine on this North ſide of the Altar: The moſt holy ſacrifices, the hullock and goat of the day of Expiation, the hullocks and goats that were burnt, all ſin-offerings, whole-burnt-offerings and treſpaſſe-offerings.

OnelyOnly the lambes of the daily ſacrifice, though they were ſlaine on the North ſide of the Altar, yet is it like they were not brought into the Court at this gate, but at that that joined to Beth Mokadh, for in that piece of building the Lamb-room was where they were kept as hath been ſhewed. And ſo we have one reaſon why theſe two gates bare the name of Corban. The upper was ſo called becauſe the daily ſacrifice or Corban was brought through it, and the lower, becauſe other ſacrifices were brought through that.

But there was ſomething more in the name beſides: As there were ſeverall treaſure cheſts in the Temple, which have been named, and ſeverall treaſuries in the gate-houſes of the mountaine p. 172of the Temple, and in the chambers that joyned to the Temple it ſelfe: of veſſells, veſtments, tithes, firſtfruits, &c. So on this ſide of the Court was the treaſurie of the poll money, & for the poore, and for the repaire of the Temple; which more eſpecially was called Corban: The word as at the firſt and moſt properly it ſignified an offering (and ſo is it frequently uſed in Deviticus, and that is the ſenſe that we have newly parted with) ſo in the Jewes common language it came alſo to ſignifie the Treaſurie of the Temple, as Mat. 27.6. The Prieſts tooke the money and ſaid it is not lawfull to caſt it foreign Into the Corban. And ſo Joſephus ſaith that Pilate occaſioned a tumult among the Jewes foreign [c][c]Joſ. de bell. lib. 2. cap. 14.By conſuming the ſacred treaſurie which was called Corban upon making an Aquaeduct. And ſo the treatiſe Middoth reckoning the guards that were in the Temple, nameth[d][d]Mid. per. 1. one at the chamber of Corban: one at the chamber of the Vaile, and one behind the Mercy ſeat: From which laſt paſſage, laid to this conſideration that we are about, namely that there were two gates on the North ſide of the Court which were called Corban, there is ſome ground and probability to place the Corban or chiefeſt treaſury of caſh or money there where we doe. It appeareth by the diſtribution of the guards in the tradition cited that the guard at the chamber over againſt the Vaile, and at the chamber of Corban were on the ſeverall ſides of the Court, or elſe there were no proportion or conformity in their ſtations. All the ſeven gates of the Court were guarded, two with Prieſts, and five with Levites: all the foure Corners of the Court were alſo guarded, and there was beſides (ſaith the tradition) a guard at the chamber of the Vaile, and another at the chamber of Corban, and another behinde the Mercy ſeat, that is, one on the one ſide of the Court over againſt the body of the Temple, and another on the other ſide, and another juſt behind, which was called the guard behinde the Mercy ſeate. Now where can we ſo properly looke for the chamber Corban, as between thoſe two gates that both bare that name? And the matter here ſeemeth ſomewhat nearly parallel to the caſe that we obſerved about the gates and houſe of Aſuppim upon the Weſt quarter of the mountaine of the houſe, for as there was a piece of building p. 173that ran between two gates which it ſelfe was called the houſe of Aſuppim, and gave occaſion to the gates on either end of it, to be called the gates of Aſuppim; ſo here was a piece of building that ran between two gates, which it ſelfe was called Corban, and gave occaſion to the gates on either end it, to be called the gates of Corban likewiſe.

To come downe therefore from the gate of Beth Mokadh, towards the Eaſt, there was firſt a piece of building joyned to that gate, which was a treaſurie and was called Corban, and then was there a roome where the Levites kept their guard, and joyning to that there was another treaſurie or Corban, and joyning to the Eaſt end of that, a gate called by the ſame name Corban but called alſo the gate of the women.

Now to diſtinguiſh theſe treaſuries, whether the one of them was the treaſury for the halfe Shekel poll-money, and the other for money and veſſels offered for the uſe and repaire of the houſe, or whether one of them was the treaſurie for the Temple and the other for the poore, which diſtinction we obſerved before, it is but in vaine to inquire after, ſince it is not poſſible to reſolve when we have done all we can: onelyonly this I ſuppoſe may not unpertinently be obſerved, that the treaſuries wherein they put money, (whether chambers or cheſts) were thoſe that moſt properly were called Corban, rather then the treaſuries where they laid up other things: And according to the ſeverall places where theſe chambers and theſe cheſts ſtood, the place was called the Treaſurie, and the Houſe of the Treaſurie.

And here let us looke after a place of Scripture, which ſpeaketh ſomething in relation to the treaſurie, and may not unproperly be taken into conſideration before we part with this ſubject.

The place is in 2 King. 12.9. & 2 Chron. 24.8. about the treaſure or collection cheſt that was made by Jehoiada, for the gathering of money for the repaire of the Temple, which had been decaied and defaced in the daies of Athaliah. And becauſe there appeareth a viſible contrariety betweene the two texts that handle that matter, it may not be amiſſe to lay them together, and then to ſee how they may be reconciled.

To heale the contrariety that ſeemeth to be in theſe texts, the one ſaying the cheſt was ſet beſide Altar, and the other, that it was ſet without the gate: the one that there were no veſſels made of the money that was offered, and the other that there were veſſels made: it is to be obſerved that though the cheſt might be the ſame, yet the ſtories concerning it and concerning the money coming to it are to be underſtood not of the ſame time. The zeale of Joaſh the King and the dulneſſe of the prieſts towards the repaire of the houſe of the Lord are here compared and laid together (though good Jehoiada did alwaies the utmoſt in him towards it) Joaſh had urged the repaire of the Temple, and that the Prieſts ſhould get up all the money accrewing to it for the uſe of it and beſtow it to that purpoſe: namely the halfe ſhekel poll-money of every one that paſſeth the account: the money that any one was ſet at to redeeme him from any ſingular vow Lev. 27. and all the money that any offered of his owne free will: every one of the Prieſts to take it of his acquaintance: yet in the three and twentieth of the Kings reigne, there was nothing done towards repairing: Thereupon the King ſeeing either the ſlackneſſe, or falſhood, or both, of the Prieſts, requires them to meddle no more with receiving money, nor with repairing, ſince the buſineſſe under their hands went on no better: which they irreligiouſly & ſurlily are content to doe, not caring whether the Temple be repaired or no. But good Jehoiada ſlacketh p. 175not, but ſets a cheſt with a hole in it beſides the Altar, that what money might be had, might be put in there for the uſe appointed: But when that did not availe to doe the work, nor to buy any veſſells for the houſe and ſervice of the Lord, for the money went ſtill through the Prieſts fingers the cheſt being in their Court, Joaſh the King either removes that cheſt, or makes another and ſets it without the Court at the comming in, whither every one might have acceſſe to it, and proclaimes through all the Country that they ſhould bring in the money appointed by Moſes; the Princes and people come readily and joyfully and bring it in, ſo that there was enough to perfect repaires, and withall to make thoſe veſſells for the Temple that were wanting.