The Cardinal Directions in the Bible

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

When reading the Bible, pay attention to the cardinal directions because they speak of territorial claims, gender, and sacred spaces.

East and West

The sun-moon binary set and the east-west solar arc are used in the Bible to speak of the authority and sovereignty of Hebrew rulers.

The two wives in the Song of Solomon represent the two horizons or dawn and dusk. One of Solomon’s wives is described as having sun-darkened skin ("dark as the tents of Kedar") and the other is described as having skin as pale as the moon (6:10). For the rulers of the Ancient Near East, the two wives represent a claim to a vast territory that extends from horizon to horizon.

Likewise, the claim of a territory that stretched between the separate settlements of his two wives is found in the story of Lamech the Elder (Gen. 4). Lamech’s wives were named Adah and Tzillah. The Hebrew scholar Theodor Gaster noted that the names Adah and T-Zillah correlate to the Akkadian words for dawn and dusk (The Schocken Bible, Vol. 1, p. 28). This suggests that Lamech claimed to rule over a vast territory. 

Territorial Boundaries

Amos 8:4-12 speaks of the cardinal directions to define the Kingdom of Israel which is under judgement. Amos declares: "The time is surely coming, says the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it."

People seeking the LORD cannot find HIM because their sin cuts them off from the LORD's presence. By combining "sea to sea" and "north to east," the phrase specifies a geographical triangle that traces the borders of the Northern Kingdom.

Abraham's territory extends on a north-south axis between the settlements of his two wives Sarah and Keturah. Sarah resided in Hebron and Keturah reside in Beersheba. Both locations are shown on this map of Ancient Edom or Idumea. Edom and Idumea refer to a land of red people.

Sacred Spaces

In 1 Kings 7:23-26 and 2 Chronicles 4:1-4 we read that the altar in Solomon’s temple was to rest on 12 oxen: 3 facing north, 3 facing west, 3 facing south, and 3 facing east. Note that north heads the list, having the position of priority. Then comes west, then south, and finally east. Notice also the repetition of the number three.

3↑ 3←3↓ 3→ 

When the number 3 is associated with peace on earth or the fulfillment of His "kingdom come." This is evident in the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:12-14. The city has twelve gates. Three face east, three face north, three face south, and three face west. We may illustrate this as follows:

3→ 3↑ 3↓ 3← 

Notice that the third position, if reading from left to right, faces south. If reading from right to left, south is indicated by the second position.

Compare this to the “bronze sea” in Solomon’s temple that rested on twelve oxen (1 Kgs. 7:23-26).

3→ 3↑ 3↓ 3← 

Notice that the cardinal points of the bronze sea and the New Jerusalem coincide. The bronze sea was a huge basin used by the priests for ritual purification and ablution. For the biblical Hebrew purity was absolutely essential for communion with God. Originally, purity laws were not the basis of Hebrew morality. They were secondary to communion with God Father and God Son.

For the biblical Hebrew the number three was associated with the third day rising of HR, the Son of God. He serves his people in his life and in his death, and he goes before them, clearing the path to the Father. As the Son of God, HR rises with the Immortal Stars… on the third day. “Oh Horus, this hour of the morning, of this third day is come, when thou surely passeth on to heaven, together with the stars, the Imperishable Stars" (The Ancient Pyramid Texts, Utterance 667).

In Genesis, Hebrew clan chiefs are usually listed in groups of 3 sons. Their confederations are composed of 3 clans for mutual defense. Typically, the third son is "hidden", obscure, or dies. Cain, Seth, and Abel were brothers, but Abel was killed. Terah's sons were Haran, Nahor, and Abraham. Haran died in Ur. Abraham's 3 most prominent sons were Joktan (Yaqtan), Ishmael (Yishmael), and Isaac (Yitzak). Of the 3, Joktan (Gen. 25) is the most obscure.

While in Mamre, Abraham looked up and saw 3 “men” coming to him and ordered 3 measures of flour to make cakes and brought to his visitors 3 gifts: curds, milk, and a fatted calf. Abraham interceded for Sodom 3 times (Gen. 18). In the context of this proliferation of 3s the Lord announces that Sarah will bring forth a promised son.

Sacred Centers

After Abraham arrived in Canaan, he consulted the Moreh at Mamre who sat under a great oak. The Oak of the Moreh was between Ai and Bethel, on an east-west axis. Deborah sat under a date nut palm (tamar). The Palm of Deborah was between Bethel and Ramah, on a north-south axis. These prophets, like John the Baptist, stayed away from the population centers. People had to make an effort to consult with them. Further, their trees appear marked the sacred centers between two shrine cities. 

Sacred centers can be both spatial and temporal. The sacred center is measured by the Sun's movement to high noon, and by the height of the mountain between Heaven and Earth. The spatial and temporal sacred centers are where encounters take place between God and Man. They are centers of both judgment and redemption.

The Sun rises in the east and appears to journey across the sky to the west. The only time when there are no shadows is high noon, so in terms of the solar day, this is the temporal sacred center. James refers to this, saying: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).

The spatial sacred center is between Heaven and Earth, which would be on the mountain top. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and other biblical figures encountered God on the tops of mountains. Jesus, who "came down from Heaven", was revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Related reading: Territorial Ambitions of the Early Hebrew; The Sacred Center in Biblical Theology