Lexical Definition

‎אוּרִים‎ ʼÛwrîym (oo-reem') Urim ^N:N-M-T
plural of ‎אוּר‎; lights

Urim.

• § Urim = "lights"
• Urim, the oracular brilliancy of the figures in the high-priest's breastplate

1) stones kept in a pouch on the high-priest's breastplate, used in determining God's decision in certain questions and issues

See Greek: φανέρωσις · φωτίζω

Extended Information

• Urim = "lights"
• Also named: dēlos (δῆλος "Urim" δῆλος)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎אֻרִים‎ noun [masculine] plural region of light, East Isa 24:15 (so Ges MV Ew De Di RV; Lo Hi Kn Che read ‎איים‎ = coasts, so Cdd. ᵐ5; — ᵐ5 mostly omit ᵑ9 in doctrina, thinking of Urim, see Br^{MP 297}).

‎אוּרִים‎ noun masculine Urim (plural intensive, mostly with article the Urim, and mostly joined with ‎תֻּמִּים‎ q. v.) ‎תֻּמֶּיךָ‎ ‎וְאוּרֶיךָ לְאִישׁ הֲסִידֶךָ‎ Deut 33:8 thy Thummim and thy Urim has the man of thy favour, i.e. the Levite tested at Massah & Meribah; ‎הָאוּרִים וְהִתֻּמִּים‎ were put into the ‎חשֶׁן הִמִּשְׁפָּט‎ of the high priest Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8 (P); this ‎חשֶׁן‎ (q. v.) was a little bag or pouch worn on breast of high, priest, to hold the Urim & Thummim; the name ‎הַמִּשְׁפָּט‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ was given because of decisions made by that which was within it; thus, Eleazar was to inquire of ‎׳‎‎י‎ for Joshua ‎בְּמִשְׁפַּט הָאוּרִים‎ Num 27:21 (P); Saul prayed ‎הָבָה אוּרִים‎ opposed to ‎הבה תֻּמִּים‎, 1Sam 14:41 ᵐ5, so We Dr (ᵑ0 omits former, and reads ‎תָּמִים‎ in latter); ‎׳‎‎י‎ did not answer Saul ‎בָּאוּרִים‎ or by dreams or prophets 1Sam 28:6 post-exilic Jews reserved difficult questions until there stood up a priest ‎לְאוּרִים וּלְתֻמִּים‎ Ezra 2:63; Neh 7:65 (here alone without article) These passages give little information; ᵐ5 δήλωσις καὶ ἀλήθεια, ᵑ9 doctrina et veritas, Symm φωτισμοὶ καὶ τελεώτητες; Jos^{Ant. «JOSEPHUS:Antiquities 3:8»iii. 8}. 9 thinks of the twelve gems of face of bag as giving decision by shining; Philo^{Vit. Mos. iii} thinks of two small images (‎׳‎‎א‎ & ‎׳‎‎ת‎), probably embroidered in the cloth of the bag, like oracle-images of Egypt (Diod^{1,48, 75} Aelian^{Var. Hist.14, 34}); Ew^{Geschichte iii, 309}; Antiq. 295, of two stones of different colours for sacred lot, on this see Dr 1Sam 14:41 where ᵐ5 ‎אוּרִים‎ & ‎תֻּמִּים‎ as object of give, δος = ‎הָבָה‎; compare ‎הִפִּילוּ‎ v1Sam 14:42, ‎וַיִלָּכֵד‎ v1Sam 14:41 (used of taking by lot 1Sam 10:20; Isa 7:14; Isa 7:16); see also We & RS^{OTJC Lect x. N 4}; Bähr^Symbolik, of one thing within bag, a sacred pledge to high priest of the enlightenment & perfection he would receive from ‎׳‎‎י‎ when called to make sacred decisions; Ka^{Ex 544} sees the sacred pledge in the twelve sacred gems themselves, that stimulate priest to self-sacrifice & perfect sanctification.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References