In the context of the Bible, the shovel is a significant implement associated with the service and rituals of the Temple. The Hebrew word often translated as "shovel" is "yââh," which refers to a tool used for handling ashes and coals on the altar. The shovel is mentioned in the context of the tabernacle and later the Temple, highlighting its role in maintaining the sacred space where sacrifices were offered to God.

Biblical References

The use of shovels is first detailed in the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle, as given to Moses on Mount Sinai. In Exodus 27:3, the Berean Standard Bible states, "Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans." This verse underscores the importance of the shovel as part of the set of bronze utensils used in the service of the altar.

In the Solomonic Temple, the shovels continued to play a crucial role. 1 Kings 7:40-45 describes the various bronze articles made by Hiram for King Solomon, including the shovels. Verse 45 specifically mentions, "the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls—all these articles that Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of polished bronze." This passage highlights the continuity of the shovel's use from the tabernacle to the Temple, emphasizing its enduring function in the worship practices of Israel.

Function and Symbolism

The primary function of the shovel in the Temple was practical, used for removing ashes from the altar of burnt offering. This task was essential for maintaining the altar's cleanliness and readiness for subsequent sacrifices. The removal of ashes symbolized the purification and renewal necessary for the ongoing sacrificial system, which pointed to the need for atonement and reconciliation with God.

The use of bronze for the shovels and other utensils is also significant. Bronze, a durable and resilient metal, symbolizes strength and endurance. In the context of the Temple, it reflects the enduring nature of God's covenant with Israel and the perpetual need for atonement through sacrifice.

Theological Implications

From a theological perspective, the shovel's role in the Temple service can be seen as a foreshadowing of the ultimate cleansing and atonement provided by Jesus Christ. Just as the shovels were used to remove the ashes of sacrifices, Christ's sacrifice on the cross removes the stain of sin for believers. Hebrews 10:11-12 states, "Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God." This passage highlights the insufficiency of the old sacrificial system and the completeness of Christ's atoning work.

In summary, the shovel, though a humble tool, played a vital role in the worship practices of ancient Israel. Its presence in the tabernacle and Temple underscores the importance of purity and preparation in approaching God, themes that find their ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.1 Kings 7:40
And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 52:18
The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
Nave's Topical Index

2369. thumiaterion -- altar of incense, a censer
... ordinarily: censer, but) either the altar of incense, or the shovel, on which ... thumiao;
a place of fumigation, ie The alter of incense (in the Temple) -- censer ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2369.htm - 6k

Sacrifice Renewed
... in the hearts of the men of Judah was more 'rank, and smelt to heaven' more offensively,
than that in the Temple, which took sixteen days to shovel into Kidron ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/sacrifice renewed.htm

Athor, the Golden
... people. We dig stone for a temple to the war-god.". ... Masaarah. With a shovel
of tamarisk he cleared the slab of its drift of sand. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter vii athor the golden.htm

"Nunc Dimittis"
... him; perhaps, Simeon and Anna, alone of all those who were in the temple, saw with ...
if he would fold the heavens together like an old cloak, and shovel time and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/nunc dimittis.htm

The Northern Iron and the Steel
... They laid the underground courses of the temple, and others entered into their labors. ...
had to be broken down, and the task, by pick and shovel, would have been ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the northern iron and the.htm

Patriotic Hymns.
... Its niche of honor is in the temple of anthology, but it will always ... was improvised
almost instantly, and soon, to the accompaniment of pick, shovel and crowbar ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter ix patriotic hymns.htm

The Prophet Amos.
... Corresponding to the shaking of the temple from the knops to the thresholds, the ...
it of such a sieve as serves similar purposes as a winnowing shovel, in which ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the prophet amos.htm

The Chaff Driven Away
... Have you added one stone to his spiritual temple? ... They cast up the wheat before the
wind with the winnowing shovel, that the breath of the air may blow away ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the chaff driven away.htm

The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert
... (This reminds me that I once saw in the care of Anna in the Temple a boy ... the Blessed
Virgin had a stick in her hand with a little shovel at the end of it, such ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xvi the flight into egypt.htm

"Bought with a Price"
... He tells us that the body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and therefore ought ... said,
"Blow up;" and straightway each man took his pick or his shovel, and they ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/bought with a price.htm

The Bible
... In Ephesus the building of the spiritual temple. ... both in history and science; then,
unexpectedly, the stroke of a pick or the turn of a shovel uncovers some ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/haldeman/christ christianity and the bible/the bible.htm

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