Davidic Traditions and Eschatological Temple Hopes
Given
David’s connection to the temple, it was natural that hopes regarding an
eschatological Davidic figure would be combined with the re-establishment of a
temple and the renewal of the cult. In Jeremiah 33, the preservation of the
Levitical cult is expressly said to be bound up with God’s covenant with David
(cf. Jer 33:14-26). Surprisingly in some places a Davidic messiah is explicitly
said to perform a liturgical role. In the book of Jeremiah, we read:
Their
prince shall be one of their own, their ruler shall come out from their midst; I
will make him draw near and he shall approach me, for who would
dare of himself to approach me? says the LORD. (Jeremiah 30:21)
The
Hebrew term translated here “draw near [qārēb]” frequently appears in
cultic settings (cf. Exod 29:4, 8; 40:12, 14; Lev 7:35; 8:6, 13, 24; Num 8:9,
10; 16:5, 9, 10), as is the word for “he shall approach me” (nāgaš; cf.
Exod 28:43; 30:20; Lev 21:23; Ezek 44:13). Likewise, in Ezekiel 37, the coming
of a Davidic shepherd-king is interrelated with the establishment of God’s
sanctuary. As we have seen, in Ezekiel 45 the eschatological royal figure also
has a prominent role in the future temple’s cult, providing it with sacrifices
(cf. Ezek 45:17). In addition, the Davidic figure Zerubbabel is tasked with
rebuilding the temple in Haggai and Zechariah (Hag 2:2-9; Zech 4:9; 6:11-14). The
description of the Davidic messiah in Psalms of Solomon also seems to suggest
he has cultic responsibilities (esp. Pss. Sol. 17:30-31).
A
Davidic messiah was also associated with the hope for an eschatological temple
at Qumran. A key prophecy for the Dead Sea Community was Amos 9:11: “In that
day I will raise up the booth [sukkat] of David that is fallen
and repair its breaches.” In 4Q174, the “booth” of David is linked with 2
Samuel 7 and seems to be used to describe a coming eschatological sanctuary
(cf. 4Q174 frag. 1, col. I, 21, 2). In addition, in 4Q52
(4QProphecy of Joshua) frag. 9, 2:3-9 we read:
3
of the times, For behold, a son is born to Jesse, son of Perez, son of Ju[dah .
. . ]
4 the Rock of Zion, and he will drive out from there/all/the Amorites, from [.
. . ]
5 to build the house for YHWH, God of Israel, Gold and silver [. . . ]
6 he will bring cedar and cypress [from] Lebanon for its construction; but his son,
the younger, [. . . ]
7 he will officiate there first [. . . ] . . . [. . . ] and to him [. . . ]
8 [in al]l the [re]sidence from the heaven[s, because] the beloved of YHW[H]
will dwell in safety [. . . ]
9 [the] days [and] his people will dwell forever. But now, the Amorites (are)
there and the Canaan[ites . . . ]
The
fragment is badly damaged, but line 9 suggests that it involves an
eschatological vision. In that case, it seems probable that the future Davidide
is described as the builder of the future sanctuary. This reading gains support
from the fact that the vision draws from Jeremiah 23:5-6, using the exact same language
in its description of Israel under the rule of the Davidic messiah (yiškōn lābeṭaḥ;
cf. 4Q522 [4QProphecy of Joshua] frag. 9, 2:2-9 and Jer 23:6). Likewise,
line 3 (“a son is born”) seems to draw on Isa 9:6 (“For to us a child is born,
a son is given”), a passage which is elsewhere understood as an eschatological
prophecy (cf. 1QHa [1QHayadota] 11:10). For that it is
worth, later rabbinic tradition also attached the rebuilding of the temple to
the coming of a messianic figure, frequently employing Davidic traditions. (Michael
Patrick Barber, The Historical Jesus and the Temple: Memory, Methodology,
and the Gospel of Matthew [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023], 136-37)
Further Reading:
