Purified Lips

Introduction

Welcome to Torah Today Ministries and our continuing series The Hebrew Key, wherein I take a Hebrew word or phrase that, as a key, unlocks a passage, an insight, or something that is hidden in the scriptures that’s worth opening up.

And I hope you’re blessed by this episode, because this is something I stumbled across years ago and it’s just meant a lot to me — something I’ve meditated on many times and thought back to, and God has used as a reminder in my own life. So I hope it’s a blessing to you the way this insight has been a blessing to me for so long.

So I call this “Purified Lips,” and it’s based on the golden menorah (מְנוֹרָה) in the Tabernacle. You may be wondering — what does a menorah (מְנוֹרָה) have to do with lips? Well, just stay tuned and let’s take a look.

Exodus 25:31–32, 38–40 – The Golden Menorah (מְנוֹרָה)

We’re going to begin the study in the description of the golden menorah (מְנוֹרָה) that is found in Exodus 25, starting in verse 31. And now, instead of reading through the entire detailed description of the construction of the menorah (מְנוֹרָה), we’re going to read verses 31 and 32, and then for the sake of brevity, skip on down to verses 38 through 40.

So this is what we read:

You are to make a menorah (מְנוֹרָה) of pure gold. It is to be made of hammered work. Its base, shaft, cups, ring of outer leaves, and petals are to be of one piece with it. It is to have six branches extending from its sides — three branches of the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) on one side of it and three on the other. Make seven lamps for the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) and mount them so as to give light to the space in front of it. — Exodus 25:31–32, 37

Now on to verse 38:

Its tongs and trays are to be of pure gold. The menorah (מְנוֹרָה) and its utensils are to be made of a talent of pure gold. See that you make them according to the design being shown you on the mountain. — Exodus 25:38–40

Melqachayim (מֶלְקָחַיִם) – The Tongs

Now you’ll notice I have that word “tongs” to focus in on. This word in Hebrew is melqachayim (מֶלְקָחַיִם), and it comes from a verb root laqach (לָקַח) — right there in the middle, those three letters — which spells the word that means “to take.” Like, I take my glasses off the table. And so this is the root of the word “tongs,” because tongs, after all, are “takers.” You use tongs to take ice out of the ice bucket, or to take salad out of the salad bowl.

And so tongs were used with the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) — to do what? Well, that’s a question. What do you use tongs for when you have a menorah (מְנוֹרָה)? What are they needed for?

Well, it’s believed that they were used to place the wicks into the little bowls of the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) where the oil was stored or kept. But we also know that the tongs were used to take a coal from the outer altar, and that coal was then brought in to the Holy Place, and that hot coal was used to light the wicks. And here you can see a picture of this being done. So you need tongs to do this — to light the menorah (מְנוֹרָה). They didn’t have Bic lighters or a book of matches to use back then. So the source of the heat to light the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) were coals from the outer altar.

Every Occurrence of Melqachayim (מֶלְקָחַיִם) — With One Exception

Now, this word for tongs — melqachayim (מֶלְקָחַיִם) — is found only in the context of the menorah (מְנוֹרָה), for lighting the menorah (מְנוֹרָה), with one exception. And it’s that one exception that we want to look at.

But before we look at that one exception, let’s look at the other passages that mention tongs in relation to the menorah (מְנוֹרָה). I’m going to list all of them. Here they are:

And he made its seven lamps and its tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) and its trays of pure gold. — Exodus 37:23

And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) for the light, with its lamps, its tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם), its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. — Numbers 4:9

And then moving on to Solomon’s Temple, where he had more than one menorah (מְנוֹרָה):

The menorahs of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary — the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) of gold. — 1 Kings 7:49

And this passage in 2 Chronicles 4:20–21 just reiterates basically the same thing concerning Solomon’s Temple:

The menorahs and their lamps of pure gold, to burn before the inner sanctuary as prescribed — the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) of purest gold. — 2 Chronicles 4:20–21

So as we can see, all the appearances — all the occurrences — of this word occur in the context of the menorah (מְנוֹרָה), of lighting the menorah (מְנוֹרָה).

Isaiah 6:1–8 – The One Exception

Now let’s look at this one exception. And it is found in Isaiah chapter 6. And this is the amazing description of how God calls Isaiah to serve as a prophet — to speak God’s words to the nation of Israel.

So we’ll start right with verse 1, Isaiah 6:1:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord (Adon / אָדוֹן) sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train (shul / שׁוּל) of his robe filled the temple (heikhal / הֵיכָל). — Isaiah 6:1

Above him stood the seraphim (שְׂרָפִים). Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. — Isaiah 6:2

Let me pause for a second. These seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) — seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) are not like the cherubim (כְּרוּבִים). The seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) are a different order of angels. And their name comes from the word saraph (שָׂרָף), which means “to burn, to be a flame.” And so we picture the seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) as angels whose bodies, whose essence, are flame. It’d be kind of strange to see — it’s hard to even imagine. But these flaming angels, these seraphim (שְׂרָפִים), are a key part of this story. So I just want you to have the same picture in your mind that I do — seraphim (שְׂרָפִים), these burning ones.

And one called to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. — Isaiah 6:3–4

And I said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) of hosts!” — Isaiah 6:5

Then one of the seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) from the altar. — Isaiah 6:6

Now, we’re not quite sure — was the coal just resting in the palm of his hand, or was the coal being held by tongs that were in his hand? Well, if an angel is made of flaming fire, he doesn’t need tongs to take a coal from the altar — after all, he’s made of fire. So I picture this as him using tongs anyway, because there’s a connection God wants us to make.

And he takes this coal — he removes it from the altar fire — and he uses the tongs to bring this coal to Isaiah. And what does he do with this hot coal?

And he touched my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin is atoned for.” — Isaiah 6:7

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” — Isaiah 6:8

The Connection: Tongs, Menorah, and Purified Speech

So this one exception in the occurrence of the word “tongs” (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) is not in the context of a menorah (מְנוֹרָה). It’s used instead by a burning angel — a flaming angel, a saraph (שָׂרָף) — to take a hot coal from the outer altar, bring it in, and then touch Isaiah’s lips with it.

Now, I believe that when God uses a word in particular ways, he wants to teach something very specific. So all the occurrences of this word are: using a coal from the altar to light a menorah (מְנוֹרָה), to give light inside the Tabernacle. But now he’s using a coal from the altar to purify Isaiah’s lips.

And what went forth from Isaiah’s lips from this day on? Light. He purified Isaiah’s lips, and out from him came light — to Israel, to the nations, and even to us today. This light still burns.

God’s word is light, isn’t it? I don’t think it’s coincidental that the first recorded words that God spoke in the Bible are right there in the opening chapter of Genesis, Genesis 1:3:

And Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) said, “Yehi or” (יְהִי אוֹר) — “Let there be light.” — Genesis 1:3

God spoke light. He just spoke it. And his word was the essence of light. His word is still the essence of light today.

Psalm 119:105 – A Menorah in Five Hebrew Words

And you’re probably thinking of that verse in Psalms — Psalm 119, verse 105:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105

And that word “lamp” is the same one that is used to describe the individual holders for wicks on the menorah (מְנוֹרָה). It’s the word ner (נֵר). And from this we get the word menorah (מְנוֹרָה) — it’s a thing that has several nerot (נֵרוֹת) on it, several lamps, several lights together.

But I put this verse here because I want to point out something that’s interesting. In English, this verse is fourteen words long. But in Hebrew, it’s only five words long. And in English, the phrase “your word” — which is only one word in Hebrew — is right up at the front of the sentence. But in Hebrew, it’s in the middle of the sentence.

You’ll notice that the Hebrew verse has five words:

Ner (נֵר) — lamp

L’ragli (לְרַגְלִי) — to my feet

D’varekha (דְּבָרֶךָ) — your word

V’or (וְאוֹר) — and a light

Lintivati (לִנְתִיבָתִי) — to my path

You see what’s going on here? The word d’varekha (דְּבָרֶךָ) — “your word” — is in the middle. It’s right in the middle. So what happens is that these words form a menorah (מְנוֹרָה), don’t they? With the word “your word” right in the middle — it’s the supporting branch that holds up everything else.

This would not be lost on a Hebrew reader. But in our English, unfortunately, the words are put out of order.

The Bottom Line: Speech as Light

But what’s going on here? What’s the bottom line? Our speech is to bring light — the light of God’s word, the light of God’s Spirit, of him himself — to the world. Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) said, “I am the light of the world.” But then in the Sermon on the Mount, he looks at all of his followers and he says, “You’re the light of the world.” And we derive our light from him.

But you know, you can have two people. They look the same. They sound the same. And they can say the same words. But when one person speaks those words, they just fall flat on the ground. But when this other person speaks those same words, they breathe life into you. They become light to you. They somehow inspire you. What is the difference?

The one person has pure lips, and the other one does not.

The Altar: Where Life Is Given

And how were Isaiah’s lips purified? It was a coal — not from a campfire, not from any other fire source — but from the altar. And the altar is a place where one life is given for the sake of another. Whether the sacrifice is eaten, or whether it’s a whole burnt offering, or a sin offering, or a thanksgiving offering — it is still where life is given for the sake of another.

And only those who have become living sacrifices and have given their lives to God — for the sake of God, for the sake of his kingdom, for the sake of others — only they are the ones whose lips, whose holy lips, are pure and can speak forth words that are actually light.

I want my words to be that way. Unfortunately, they often are not. Someone once said, “The problem with living sacrifices is they keep crawling off the altar.” And I know that from personal experience.

But I encourage you to be people who live close to the altar, who are living sacrifices, who give their bodies and their lips to God. And when you do, something changes — more than just the way you talk.

From Terror to Courage

When you look again at this passage in Isaiah chapter 6, something happens to Isaiah when his lips are purified. Before the seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) touches that hot coal to his lips, Isaiah is terrified. But after his lips are purified, God says, “Who will go for us? Who shall I send?” And Isaiah said, “Pick me!”

What happened to this man? How’d he go from being absolutely terrified to being one who volunteers — who speaks up and says, “I’ll go for you”?

You know, when you’ve given your life as a living sacrifice, not only do your words give life, not only does your speech become a menorah (מְנוֹרָה) — a source of light to others — but there’s a courage that God gives you. And you’re fearless. You’re not afraid of anything.

So I just challenge you — I challenge you to give your lives fully to God, to be a living sacrifice. Because a person who’s given themselves as a sacrifice is dead, aren’t they? “I am crucified with Messiah; nevertheless I live. It is not me, but Messiah lives in me.” You know what? Dead people aren’t afraid of anything.

And if you’ve truly given your life to the Lord, if you’ve truly become a living sacrifice, it’s impossible for you to be afraid. Dead men are not afraid. So I encourage you to give yourself away to the Lord, and let your life be hidden with Messiah in God. Don’t take ownership of your life, because you’re not your own — you’ve been bought with a price. Give yourself away, free, to God.

And then I think we’ll be able to understand better why people through the ages could go to their death — sometimes a horrible death, being burnt at the stake or being eaten by lions or something else — and they could go with joy. They could go with courage, without fear. Because they had already given their lives away. In their minds, they were already dead men. And as dead persons, they’d begun to experience true resurrection life. You can’t experience resurrection until you’ve experienced death. Death comes before resurrection life. And once you begin to experience resurrection life, there’s no room for fear anymore.

That’s what I aspire to be. And I hope that this teaching about purified lips will inspire you also to be someone whose lips have been touched with holy fire — because you’ve given yourself to God, you’ve become a living sacrifice on his altar. Now you don’t live for you anymore. You live for him, and you live for others.

So I hope this has been a blessing to you, and until next time, I wish you shalom (שָׁלוֹם) and may God bless.

 

Teaching Material

Hebrew Word Studies

• Melqachayim (מֶלְקָחַיִם) — “Tongs, snuffers”; from the verb laqach (לָקַח), meaning “to take.” The word for tongs appears exclusively in the context of the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) — for lighting its lamps with coals from the altar — with one remarkable exception: Isaiah 6:6, where a seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) uses tongs to take a coal from the altar and touch Isaiah’s lips. The connection: the same instrument that lights the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) also purifies the prophet’s speech, making his lips a source of light. — Strong’s H4457
• Laqach (לָקַח) — “To take, to seize, to receive”; the verb root of melqachayim (מֶלְקָחַיִם). Tongs are literally “takers” — instruments for taking coals from the altar to light the menorah (מְנוֹרָה), or to purify a prophet’s lips. — Strong’s H3947
• Menorah (מְנוֹרָה) — “Lampstand”; made of a single talent of pure gold with seven lamps (nerot / נֵרוֹת). The tongs used to light it connect to Isaiah 6 — God uses the same instrument to light his menorah (מְנוֹרָה) and to purify his prophet’s lips. Psalm 119:105 arranges five Hebrew words into a menorah (מְנוֹרָה) shape with d’varekha (דְּבָרֶךָ) — “your word” — as the central shaft. — Strong’s H4501
• Ner (נֵר) — “Lamp, light”; the individual lamp on the menorah (מְנוֹרָה). Used in Psalm 119:105 — “a ner (נֵר) to my feet.” From this word comes menorah (מְנוֹרָה) — a thing that holds several nerot (נֵרוֹת). — Strong’s H5216
• Seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) — “Burning ones, flaming ones”; from saraph (שָׂרָף), “to burn.” Angels whose essence is flame. A seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) doesn’t need tongs to handle a burning coal — he’s made of fire. Yet God has him use tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) anyway, to create the connection between lighting the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) and purifying Isaiah’s lips. — Strong’s H8314
• D’varekha (דְּבָרֶךָ) — “Your word”; the central word of Psalm 119:105 in Hebrew — positioned in the middle of five words like the central shaft of a menorah (מְנוֹרָה). The supporting branch that holds up everything else. Lost in English translation where it’s moved to the front of the sentence. — Davar: Strong’s H1697
• Or (אוֹר) — “Light”; the first thing God spoke into existence: “Yehi or” (יְהִי אוֹר) — “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). God’s word is the essence of light. Isaiah’s purified lips spoke forth light to Israel, the nations, and to us today. — Strong’s H216
• Shul (שׁוּל) — “Hem, train”; the train of God’s robe that filled the temple (heikhal / הֵיכָל) in Isaiah 6:1. — Strong’s H7757
• Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) — “Salvation”; declared “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), then told his followers “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). We derive our light from him — our speech becomes a menorah (מְנוֹרָה) when our lips have been purified. — Strong’s H3442
• Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) — “Peace, wholeness, completeness.” — Strong’s H7965

Scripture References

Open All Scripture in Bible Gateway

• Exodus 25:31–40 — The instructions for the golden menorah (מְנוֹרָה) of pure gold: “its tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) and its trays are to be of pure gold”
• Exodus 37:23 — “He made its seven lamps and its tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) and its trays of pure gold”
• Numbers 4:9 — The covering of the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) for transport, including its tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם)
• 1 Kings 7:49 — Solomon’s Temple menorahs: “the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) of gold”
• 2 Chronicles 4:20–21 — Restatement of Solomon’s Temple furnishings including the tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) of purest gold
• Isaiah 6:1–8 — The one exception: a seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) uses tongs (melqachayim / מֶלְקָחַיִם) to take a coal from the altar and touch Isaiah’s lips — purifying his speech and transforming him from terrified to fearless
• Psalm 119:105 — Five Hebrew words arranged as a menorah (מְנוֹרָה): ner (נֵר), l’ragli (לְרַגְלִי), d’varekha (דְּבָרֶךָ), v’or (וְאוֹר), lintivati (לִנְתִיבָתִי) — “your word” is the central shaft
• Genesis 1:3 — “Yehi or” (יְהִי אוֹר) — “Let there be light”: God’s first recorded words are the essence of light
• John 8:12 — “I am the light of the world” — Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) as the source of all light
• Matthew 5:14 — “You are the light of the world” — we derive our light from him, our speech becomes a menorah (מְנוֹרָה)
• Galatians 2:20 — “I am crucified with Messiah; nevertheless I live” — a dead person is not afraid; a living sacrifice whose lips have been purified speaks with fearless courage
• Romans 12:1 — “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice” — the altar is where life is given for the sake of another; only living sacrifices have purified lips
• Colossians 3:3 — “Your life is hidden with Messiah in God” — don’t take ownership of your life; you’ve been bought with a price

External References & Further Study

• The Golden Menorah — Temple Institute — The reconstructed menorah (מְנוֹרָה) and its utensils, including the golden tongs
• Torah Today Ministries — Home of The Hebrew Key and other Torah-centered teachings