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In theHebrew Bible, theUrim (Hebrew:אוּרִיםʾŪrīm, "lights") and theThummim (Hebrew:תֻּמִּיםTummīm, "perfection" or "truth") are elements of thehoshen, the breastplate worn by theHigh Priest attached to theephod, a type of apron or garment. The pair are used frequently in theOld Testament, inExodus 28:30 through God's instruction toAaron on how to adorn his breastplate worn in the holy place; in1 Samuel 14:41 byKing Saul to determine who was at fault for breaking the army's fast; andEzra 2 to determine whether those who claimed to be the descendants of the priests of Israel were truly of that class. The Urim and Thummim are sometimes connected by scholars withcleromancy (with divination by casting lots), although it is equally likely no casting was physically done, and the participants of Lights and Perfection waited for a sign to answer a question or reveal the will of God.[1][2]
Urim (אוּרִים) traditionally has been taken to derive from aroot meaning "lights"; these derivations are reflected in theNeqqudot of theMasoretic Text.[3] In consequence,Urim and Thummim has traditionally been translated as "lights and perfections" (byTheodotion, for example), or, by taking the phrase allegorically, as meaning "revelation and truth" or "doctrine and truth." It appears in this form in theVulgate, in the writing ofSt. Jerome, and in theHexapla.[4] The latter use was defended in modern Catholic interpretations by connectingUrim andThummim to the roots ירה "to teach" and אׇמַן "be true".[2]
Thummim (תוּמִים) is widely considered to be derived from theconsonantal rootת.מ.ם (t-m-m) "innocent".[1][4][3] Many scholars now believe thatUrim (אוּרִים) simply derives from the Hebrewאּרּרִים (Arrim) "curses" and thus thatUrim and Thummim essentially means "cursed or faultless", in reference to the deity's judgment of an accused person; in other words,Urim andThummim were used to answer the question "innocent or guilty".[1][3]
AssyriologistWilliam Muss-Arnolt connected the singular forms—ur andtumm—with theBabylonian termsūrtu andtamītu, meaning "oracle" and "command", respectively. According to his theory, the Hebrew words use apluralis intensivus to enhance their apparent majesty, not to indicate the presence of more than one.[4] Along these lines, theUrim andThummim are hypothesized to derive from theTablet of Destinies worn byMarduk on his breast according toBabylonian religion.[2][a]
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1 Samuel 14:41 is regarded bybiblical scholars as key to understanding the Urim and Thummim;[4] the passage describes an attempt to identify a sinner by repeatedly splitting the people into two groups and identifying which group contains the sinner. In the version of this passage in theMasoretic Text, it describesSaul andJonathan being separated from the rest of the people, and lots being cast between them; theSeptuagint version, however, states thatUrim would indicate Saul and Jonathan, whileThummim would indicate the people. In the Septuagint, a previous verse[6] uses a phrase which is usually translated as "inquired of God", which is significant as the grammatical form of the Hebrew implies that the inquiry was performed by objects being manipulated; scholars view it as evident from these verses and versions that cleromancy was involved, and thatUrim andThummim were the names of the objects being cast.[3][2][disputed –discuss]
The description of the clothing of theHebrew high priest in theBook of Exodus portrays the Urim and Thummim as being put into thesacred breastplate, worn by the high priest over theEphod.[7] Where the biblical text elsewhere describes an Ephod being used, scholars presume that it is referring to use of the Urim and Thummim in conjunction with the Ephod, as this seems to be intimately connected with it;[4][2] similarly where non-prophets are portrayed as asking God for guidance, and the advice is not described as given by visions, scholars think that Urim and Thummim were the medium implied.[3] In all but two cases (1 Samuel 10:22 and2 Samuel 5:23), the question is one which is effectively answered by a simple "yes" or "no";[3] a number of scholars[who?] believe that the two exceptions to this pattern, which give more complex answers, were originally also just sequences of "yes" or "no" questions, but became corrupted by later editing.[3]
There is no description of the form of the Urim and Thummim in the passage describing the high priest's vestments, and a number of scholars[who?] believe that the author of the passage, whichtextual scholars attribute to thepriestly source, was not actually entirely aware of what they were either.[3] Nevertheless, the passage does describe them as beingput into the breastplate, which scholars think implies they were objects put into some sort of pouch within it, and then, while out of view, one (or one side, if theUrim and Thummim was a single object) was chosen by touch and withdrawn or thrown out;[3] since the Urim and Thummim were put inside this pouch, they were presumably small and fairly flat, and were possibly tablets of wood or of bone.[3] Considering the scholars' conclusion thatUrim essentially means "guilty" andThummim essentially means "innocent", this would imply that the purpose of the Urim and Thummim was anordeal to confirm or refute suspected guilt; if the Urim was selected it meant guilt, while selection of the Thummim would mean innocence.
According toclassical rabbinical literature, in order for the Urim and Thummim to give an answer, it was first necessary for the individual to stand facing the fully dressed high priest, and vocalise the question briefly and in a simple way, though it was not necessary for it to be loud enough for anyone else to hear it.[4]Maimonides[8] explains that the High Priest would stand facing theArk of the Covenant with the inquirer behind him, facing the Priest's back. After the inquirer asked his question, theHoly Spirit would immediately overcome the Priest and he would see the letters protruding in a prophetic vision.[9] TheTalmudic rabbis argued thatUrim and Thummim were words written on the sacred breastplate.[10] Most of the Talmudic rabbis, andJosephus, following the belief thatUrim meant "lights", argued that the rituals involving Urim and Thummim involved questions being answered by great rays of light shining out of certain jewels on the breastplate; each jewel was taken to represent different letters, and the sequence of lighting thus would spell out an answer (though there were 22 letters in theHebrew alphabet, and only 12 jewels on the breastplate);[11][12][13] two Talmudic rabbis, however, argued that the jewels themselves moved in a way that made them stand out from the rest, or even moved themselves into groups to form words.[14]
The first reference toUrim and Thummim in the Bible is the description in the Book of Exodus concerning the high priest's vestments;[15] the chronologically earliest passage mentioning them, according to textual scholars, is in theBook of Hosea,[16] where it is implied, by reference to the Ephod, that the Urim and Thummim were fundamental elements in the popular form of the Israelite religion,[3] in the mid 8th century BC.[4] Consulting the Urim and Thummim was said to be permitted for determining territorial boundaries, and was said to be required, in addition to permission from the king or a prophet, if there was an intention to expandJerusalem or theTemple in Jerusalem;[17][18][19][20] however, these rabbinical sources questioned, or at least tried to justify, why Urim and Thummim would be required when a prophet was also present.[21] The classical rabbinical writers argued that the Urim and Thummim were only permitted to be consulted by very prominent figures such as army generals, the most senior of court figures, and kings, and the only questions which could be raised were those which were asked for the benefit of the people as a whole.[22] To uncover the sin ofAchan the sacred Lots were used byJoshua.[23]Abiathar joined David, who was then in the cave ofAdullam (1 Sam. 22:20–23, 23:6). He remained with David, and became priest of the party of which he was the leader (1 Sam. 30:7). When David ascended the throne of Judah, Abiathar was appointed High Priest (1 Chr. 15:11; 1 Kings 2:26) and the "king's counselor" (1 Chr. 27:33–34). Meanwhile, Zadok, of the house of Eleazar, had been made High Priest. According to theJewish Encyclopedia Abiathar was deposed from office when he was deserted by the Holy Spirit without which the Urim and Thummin could not be consulted.[24]
AlthoughJosephus argues that the Urim and Thummim continued to function until the era of theMaccabees,[25] Talmudic sources are unanimous in agreeing that the Urim and Thummim stopped functioning much earlier, whenJerusalem was sacked by the Babylonians.[26][27][28] In a passage from the part of theBook of Ezra which overlaps with theBook of Nehemiah, it is mentioned that individuals who were unable to prove, after theBabylonian captivity had ended, that they were descended from the priesthood before the captivity began, were required to wait until priests in possession of Urim and Thummim were discovered;[29] this would appear to confirm the statements in the Talmud that the Urim and Thummim had by then been lost.[1][4][3] Indeed, since the priestly source, which textual scholars date to a couple of centuries prior to the captivity, does not appear to know what the Urim and Thummim looked like, and there is no mention of the Urim and Thummim in thedeuteronomic history beyond the death ofDavid, scholars suspect that use of them decayed some time before the Babylonian conquest,[3] probably as a result of the growing influence of prophets at that time.[4]
Maimonides[30] states that in theSecond Temple the Urim and Thummim actually existed but no longer functioned in the practical sense since the priests no longer possessed the Holy Spirit. RabbiAbraham ben David disagrees and maintains that during that era, the Urim and Thummim were completely absent.[9]
Joseph Smith, founder of theLatter Day Saint movement, said that he used interpreters in order to translate theBook of Mormon from thegolden plates. In early accounts, Smith described the interpreters as "spectacles", described as two transparent stones set in silver bows.[31][32] The earliest association of the spectacles with the biblical term "Urim and Thummim" occurred in 1833 and Smith appears to have adopted the term in subsequent descriptions.[33] The Urim and Thummim were said to have been found with the golden plates, a breastplate (to which the silver bows were attached in some descriptions), and the Sword of Laban. Smith's mother,Lucy Mack Smith, described these Urim and Thummim as being like "two smooth three-cornered diamonds."[34] Smith and others also referred to individual seer stones also associated with Smith's dictation of the Book of Mormon as Urim and Thummim, although his wife,Emma Smith, in her later accounts distinguished between the seer stones and the Urim and Thummim.[33]
Smith also said he used the Urim and Thummim to assist him in receivingother divine revelations, including some of the sections of theDoctrine and Covenants and portions of theJoseph Smith Translation of the Bible. OnlyOliver Cowdery is claimed to have attempted to use them to receive his own revelation.[35] ManyLatter Day Saints believe that Smith's Urim and Thummim were functionally identical to the biblical Urim and Thummim.[36]
Smith extended the use of the term "Urim and Thummim" to describe the dwelling place of God, the earth in a future state, and the white stone mentioned in theBook of Revelation.[37]
In accordance with the belief thatUrim and Thummim translates to "Light and Truth", theLatin equivalentLux et Veritas has been used for several university mottoes. For example,Lux et Veritas is the motto ofIndiana University and theUniversity of Montana. Similarly,Northeastern University's motto isLux, Veritas, Virtus ("Light, Truth, Virtue").Urim and Thummim itself is emblazoned in Hebrew across the open book pictured on theYale University coat of arms, and the translationLux et Veritas appears below on a banner.[38]
The Urim and Thummim are also mentioned in some modern fiction:
Hirsch, Emil G.;Muss-Arnolt, William;Bacher, Wilhelm;Blau, Ludwig (1906)."Urim and Thummim". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 384–385. Ginzberg, Louis (1901)."Achan". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Ginzberg, Louis (1901)."Abiathar". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 56.It [Joseph's Urim and Thummim]; also atEMD, 1: 328–329.
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