Shamir in the bible

In the Talmud and other sacred Jewish texts there are many references to the Shamir—a magical object—possibly living and possessing mysterious powers. It could disintegrate anything with a glance.

Term designating a hard stone in the Targums, but in the Bible thrice Jer. In the post-Biblical literature of both Jews and Christians are found many legends concerning the shamir, its quality of splitting the hardest substance being the property especially emphasized. The shamir was the seventh of the ten marvels created in the evening twilight of the first Friday Ab. Weiss, p. Friedmann, p. Its size was that of a grain of barley; it was created after the six days of creation. Nothing was sufficiently hard to withstand it; when it was placed on stones they split in the manner in which the leaves of a book open; and iron was broken by its mere presence.

Shamir in the bible

So, how were the builders able to cut the stones without any iron tools? The stones could, however, be cut elsewhere and brought to the Temple Mount. Having said that, Jewish tradition holds that the stones for the Temple were cut entirely without the use of iron implements. What, exactly, was the Shamir, and what might modern science reveal about this mysterious object? The earliest source to mention the Shamir is the prophet Isaiah. Again, it implies something organic, as opposed to the iron stylus it is juxtaposed with in the same verse. Here we learn the Shamir is a substance of incredible strength. Rashi comments on this verse that the Shamir is a worm that splits rocks, or perhaps a type of hard flintstone, or even a particularly strong alloy of iron. The final direct mention of Shamir in the Tanakh is in Zechariah , where the nation is said to have hardened their hearts like the Shamir. Next, we learn in the Mishnah that God created ten special, mystical things on the eve of the first Sabbath, at the very end of Creation Avot In this list is included the miracle-working staff of Moses , the Two Tablets of Law, and the Shamir. Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura c. He also points out that it was with the Shamir that Moses created the choshen and ephod , the Priestly Breastplate, and engraved the names of the Tribes of Israel into the precious stones on that breastplate. The source for this is the Talmud:.

At this he took a brick and set it upon another and they went to Solomon and told him what Asmodeus had done. When he crossed over to the other side; he broke a bone and said, So is it written Pr'A soft tongue breaketh a bone, shamir in the bible.

King Solomon is said to have used it in the building of the Solomon's Temple in place of cutting tools. For the building of the Temple in Jerusalem , which promoted peace, it was inappropriate to use tools that could also cause war and bloodshed. Referenced throughout the Talmud and midrashim , the Shamir was reputed to have existed in the time of Moses as one of the ten wonders created on the eve of the first Sabbath just before God finished creation. King Solomon, aware of the existence of the Shamir, but unaware of its location, commissioned a search that turned up a "grain of Shamir the size of a barley-corn". Solomon's artisans reputedly used the Shamir in the construction of the Temple.

To celebrate the October 13th release of my forthcoming debut novel, King of Shards , I will be featuring one new blog entry a day about a different Judaic myth for 36 days. King Solomon wanted to build a temple to honor the one God. Famous architects drew up plans for the temple, and laborers from far lands came to help the construction. But King Solomon grew worried, because according to the law of Moses and Israel no iron could be used in a sacred building. Why not? Because iron was the tool of weaponry and death. So how else to cut the huge blocks of stone? One touch from the little critter is enough to split the hardest stone. If you were to obtain one, you could cut the stone without iron tools and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps if you ask demons for their help?

Shamir in the bible

Study Dictionary. Compare Shamir [EBD] a sharp thorn. One of the sons of Michah 1 Chr. A town among the mountains of Judah Josh. The residence of Tola, one of the judges, on Mount Ephraim Judg. A city in the mountains of Judah, Josh. A city in Mount Ephraim. Home and burial place of Tola, the judge, Judg. Son of Michah, a Levite, 1 Chr.

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On the first day Asmodeus asked why the king did not let him come before him. The shamir worm was also used by King Solomon to engrave gemstones. Referenced throughout the Talmud and midrashim , the Shamir was reputed to have existed in the time of Moses as one of the ten wonders created on the eve of the first Sabbath just before God finished creation. The wood-grouse used the shamir to cleave bare rocks so that he might plant seeds of trees in them and thus cause new vegetation to spring up; hence the bird was called the "rock-splitter". In Gittin 68a, we learn that Solomon was unsure of how to build the Temple without iron tools, and consulted with the Sanhedrin at the time. Gittin, fol. When Asmodeus came back, examined his seal and opened the pit and found the wine, he said, It is written Pr 'Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise;' and it is also written Ho 'Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart,' and did not drink. He then takes the seed of trees, throws it there, and a dwelling place is prepared: hence he is called a mountain artificer naggar tura. He asked where the Shamir was. With the help of this stone Moses engraved the names of the twelve tribes on the breastplate of the high priest, first writing on the stones with ink and then holding the shamir over them, whereupon the writing sank into the stones. Zuckermandel, p. Joshua only. Could the Shamir have been some kind of special hybrid organism with qualities of both the tardigrade, capable of living many decades and withstanding immense radiation; and of the lithoredo, able to eat, digest, and cut through stone? They said, He has been drinking too much.

Judges Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. Joshua And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,. Audio Crossref Comm Hebrew.

But strangely, it lost its abilities and became inactive several centuries later, about the time the Temple of Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. It could disintegrate anything with a glance. The shamir was used in this way for these engravings. There is another tiny organism on the planet that is bizarrely able to withstand incredible conditions, including deadly radiation, dehydration, and even the freezing vacuum of outer space. Shamir 210763 [E] [H] n point or thorn. There were, however, learned circles in Palestine which refused to credit the use of the shamir by Solomon Mek. The source for this is the Talmud:. Bibliography: Bochart, Hierozoicon, ii. A Kohathite, son of Micah or Michal, the first-born of Uzziel. At this he took the bricks down and placed them on the ground. Copyright Statement These files are public domain.