Star of David

The Star of David is instanty recognizable to millions of people as the symbol for the Jewish nation. It is found on the Israeli national flag and the tombs of Jewish men and women all over the world. Less well known is the fact that the Star of David also carries symbolic meaning pertaining to the other tribes of Israel and the Holy Temple. Even less well known is that the Star of David may also symbolize the revelatory device known from the Bible and modern sources as the Urim and Thummim.

Symbolic Numbers and the Temple

On the Star of David can be found twelve flat sides. The number twelve is a sacred number and represents the Twelve Tribes of Israel, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and priesthood authority in general. The six points of the star also carry symbolic meaning. The number six can symbolize the six creative periods of the earth which is a common theme found in ancient and modern temples. Interestingly, there are six spires found on the Salt Lake Temple. The three spires on the east represent the presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood and the spires on the west represent the Presiding Bishopric which is the highest office in the Aaronic Priesthood.

As mentioned above the theme of the Earth's creation is found in both Mosaic dispensation temples and modern temples. According to Margaret Barker in her book "Temple Theology: An Introduction" (see page 18) the Israelites believed that certain portions of the temple (including the high priest) represented each of the six days of creation. The Israelites saw the Holy of Holies as representing the first period of creation, the veil the second, the table of showbread third, the menorah fourth, the alter of burnt offering fifth and the High Priest sixth. Likewise, modern temples dramatize the six creative periods in the endowment ceremony.

Temple symbolism can also be found in the geometric shapes that make up the Star of David. In the first edition of N.B. Lundwall's "Temples of the Most High" beginning on page 239 there is a section entitled "Significance of Geometric Symbols". In his book Lundwall suggests that the two opposing triangles that make up the Star of David symbolize man's attention focused upward on our Heavenly Father and our Heavenly Father's attention focused downward on his earth bound children. It is also possible the triangles represent communion between the Godhead and First Presidency.

The combination of the triangles to form the star also suggests the meeting of Heaven and Earth. The temple is the place where Heaven and Earth meet and is the place where God's children are reunited with their Father and where families are bound together.

I've been told by a friend that the baptismal font in the Portland Temple stands upon a Star of David in the floor. The font also sits on the backs of twelve oxen as it did anciently. Three oxen face each of the four cardinal directions. The symbol of the tribe of Ephraim is the ox (mistranslated as unicorn in some editions of the Bible). The font with the oxen is a reminder of Ephraim's assignment to gather the twelve tribes from the four corners of the earth to the waters of baptism. The addition of the Star of David is another reminder of Ephraim's responsibility and a reminder that the gathering begins at baptism and ends in the temple where they are reunited with God.

There may also be a connection between the Star of David and another ancient symbol - the compass and the square. Typically when the compass and square are displayed together they form a shape reminiscent of the Star of David as illustrated in the figure below. This is purely speculative and I have no information to back this claim up. However, the fact that both symbols share a connection to the temple is intriguing.

Urim and Thummim

It has also been suggested that the Star of David may symbolize the Urim and Thummim. The Urim and Thummim is a revelatory device utilized in both ancient and modern times. In ancient Israel the High Priest carried two stones known as Urim and Thummim behind the breast plate of his priestly garments. When required the High Priest would use these stones in some manner in order to obtain the Lord's will. See Leviticus 8:8 & Numbers 27:21

In modern times the Prophet Joseph Smith utilized Urim and Thummim while translating ancient records and obtaining other knowledge from God. Joseph Smith's mother Lucy Mack Smith was shown the Urim and Thummim by her son and described them in her history about Joseph Smith. She described the Urim and Thummim by saying that "it consisted of two smooth three cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made."

On Daniel Rona's Israel Revealed website there is additional information regarding the connection between the Star of David and the Urim and Thummim:

Magen David (Star of David) Always Shown as Two Triangles: One possible explanation is that the two triangles represent a characterization of the Urim and Thummim. According to statements attributed to Joseph Smith, the Urim and Thummim were two triangular stones connected by a silver bow. One pointed up and the other pointed down. Superimposed they make a fascinating Magen David! According to a paper given at Hebrew University by John Tvedtnes, now Senior Researcher at FARMS (BYU), the words Urim and Thummim may come from Egyptian words similar to "RMMM" and "TMMM," one meaning yes or act upon it (positive), the other a more negative meaning (leave it alone). Since the Urim and Thummin were revelatory tools, it is possible that they represent a procedure or operate on a simple principle of revelation with answers of yes or no. (Doctrine & Covenants 9:8)