Previous posts examined the Hebrew root bānâ, meaning “to build.” This root occurs with the creation of Eve and in Psalm 127 in the context of building a heritage of future generations, or in other words, building the house of Israel. This root comes into play with the creation of the world and a derivative of bānâ, which is ‘eḇen, meaning a natural stone, or foundation stone. The temple is a replica of the entire cosmos, so temple foundations represent the very foundations of the earth and God’s creations.
The “foundation stone” (Even ha-Shetiyah) is viewed by Jewish tradition as the “navel of the earth” and the spot from which the world was created. It is believed to be the site of Mount Moriah where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and the location of the Holy of Holies inside the ancient temple. In Psalm 118:22, the stone becomes a representation of Jesus Christ as the “chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).
Isaiah prophesied of Jesus Christ as a “tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.” Isaiah 28:16 states, “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.”
The Creation process, and really, the entire plan of salvation is represented by two measuring tools in Isaiah 28:17: “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet.” The “plummet” is an ancient Egyptian plumb bob, which is a weighted tool used with a string to establish a true vertical reference line (plumb) and horizontal levels during the construction of monumental architecture like the pyramids and temples. The tool itself formed a square, or 90-degree angle. When suspended, gravity pulled the string straight down. By checking where the weighted line crossed a center or side mark on the frame, craftsmen verified whether a surface or wall was perfectly vertical or level long before the invention of the bubble spirit level. This would create a level foundation, or “a sure foundation.”
In this verse, the right-angle plumb bob is equated to righteousness, and the “line” is equated to judgment. The word line is translated from the Hebrew word qāv, meaning “cord or measuring line.” In Ezekiel 47:3, it refers to “the man with the line in his hand,” who used this measuring line to measure the temple and the waters issuing out of it eastward. These waters healed the Dead Sea.
The veil of the ancient tabernacle was hung on four pillars (see Exodus 26:32), creating three sections of the veil. Bible scholars have connected these sections with three divine traits mentioned in Psalm 15:1-2:
“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
“He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.”
These three traits of uprightness, righteousness, and truth are listed together in 1 Kings 3:6 and 1 Nephi 16:3.
In Psalm 89:8, it states, “O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?” The Hebrew word for faithfulness is ‘ĕmûnâ. One of its meanings is “truth, truly, or verily.” The same Hebrew word is used in the Isaiah passage, “And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins” (Isaiah 11:5). This is significant since it’s referring to the Savior’s sacred clothing. In Psalm 89:8, round about is the Hebrew word sāḇîḇ, meaning “circle or compass.” In this passage, truth is equated with a circle made by a compass.
In Psalm 15:2, uprightly is the Hebrew word tāmîm, used most often as “without blemish or blameless.” This is clearly a result of final judgment. Alma asks, “Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?” (Alma 5:27). The Lord said, “Judgment also will I lay to the line.”
Please see below for the Egyptian plumb bob, a photo I took in Germany three years ago of the plumb bob and a compass, and an image of the heavenly messenger showing Ezekiel the dimensions of the future temple.
