Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

URIM

(Heb. ʾûrîm)

AND THUMMIM

(tûmmîm)

Most likely divining stones used by priests to inquire judgments from God. They are first mentioned in Deut. 33:8 as belonging to the Levites in general, arising from their zealous devotion to God above family. As a consequence the Levites acquire three functions: they transmit divine law to Israel, burn incense, and sacrifice on the altar. The function of conveying divine judgments through teaching may be associated with the Urim and Thummim.

Priestly writers limit the use of the Urim and Thummim to the high priest. In Exod. 28:30 the Urim and Thummim are part of the special garments of the high priest, attached to the breastplate in a pouch. When the high priest wore the Urim and the Thummim in the inner sanctuary before God, he was not only representing the people before the deity, but actually seeking a divine judgment on their behalf. The details of the inquiry are not provided. If the Urim and Thummim were stones, then the ritual may have resembled the casting of lots, in which questions were posed to God requiring a “yes” or “no” answer.

The story of the choice of Joshua to succeed Moses in Num. 27:12-23 provides an illustration of how the Urim and Thummim functioned in relationship to the high priest. Here God informs Moses of his impending death and Moses requests a successor. God selects Joshua. But for this selection to be official, Joshua must be presented before Eleazar, the high priest, who must “inquire for him [Joshua] by the decision of the Urim before the Lord” (Num. 27:21). The brief statement by Saul in 1 Sam. 14:41 provides a glimpse into how the Urim and Thummim functioned as a casting of lots. In this story Saul requests Urim to designate guilt in himself and Jonathan and Thummim to designate guilt in the people of Israel. The Urim and Thummim are also mentioned in Ezra 2:63 = Neh. 7:65 without explanation or comment.

Bibliography. M. Haran, Temples and Temple-Service in Ancient Israel (1978, repr. Winona Lake, 1985).

Thomas B. Dozeman

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

URIM

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)