(יז) תְּבִאֵ֗מוֹ וְתִטָּעֵ֙מוֹ֙ בְּהַ֣ר נַחֲלָֽתְךָ֔ מָכ֧וֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ֛ פָּעַ֖לְתָּ ה' מִקְּדָ֕שׁ אדושם כּוֹנְנ֥וּ יָדֶֽיךָ׃ (יח) ה' ׀ יִמְלֹ֖ךְ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃
(17) You will bring them and plant them in Your own mountain, The place You made to dwell in, O LORD, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands established. (18) The LORD will reign for ever and ever!
(א) תבאמו. נִתְנַבֵּא מֹשֶׁה שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנֵס לָאָרֶץ לְכָךְ לֹא נֶאֱמַר "תְּבִיאֵנוּ" (בבא בתרא קי"ט):
(כה) אֶעְבְּרָה־נָּ֗א וְאֶרְאֶה֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַטּוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּעֵ֣בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן הָהָ֥ר הַטּ֛וֹב הַזֶּ֖ה וְהַלְּבָנֽוֹן׃
(25) Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country, and the Lebanon.”
(נד) וַ֭יְבִיאֵם אֶל־גְּב֣וּל קָדְשׁ֑וֹ הַר־זֶ֝֗ה קָנְתָ֥ה יְמִינֽוֹ׃ (נה) וַיְגָ֤רֶשׁ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֨ם ׀ גּוֹיִ֗ם וַֽ֭יַּפִּילֵם בְּחֶ֣בֶל נַחֲלָ֑ה וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֥ן בְּ֝אָהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(54) He brought them to His holy realm, the mountain His right hand had acquired. (55) He expelled nations before them, settled the tribes of Israel in their tents, allotting them their portion by the line.
(ב) בהר. כמו ההר הטוב הזה והלבנון או רמז להר המוריה על כן כתוב אחריו מכון לשבתך פעלת ה'.
in [Your own] mountain. Like "that good hill country and the Lebanon" or an allusion to Mount Moriah, as is written afterwards: "the place you made to dwell in "...
(ב) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בְּאַחֲרִ֣ית הַיָּמִ֗ים נָכ֨וֹן יִֽהְיֶ֜ה הַ֤ר בֵּית־ה' בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הֶהָרִ֔ים וְנִשָּׂ֖א מִגְּבָע֑וֹת וְנָהֲר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃ (ג) וְֽהָלְכ֞וּ עַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֗ים וְאָמְרוּ֙ לְכ֣וּ ׀ וְנַעֲלֶ֣ה אֶל־הַר־ה' אֶל־בֵּית֙ אֱלֹקֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְיֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ מִדְּרָכָ֔יו וְנֵלְכָ֖ה בְּאֹרְחֹתָ֑יו כִּ֤י מִצִּיּוֹן֙ תֵּצֵ֣א תוֹרָ֔ה וּדְבַר־ה' מִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (ד) וְשָׁפַט֙ בֵּ֣ין הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְהוֹכִ֖יחַ לְעַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבוֹתָ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַחֲנִיתֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת לֹא־יִשָּׂ֨א ג֤וֹי אֶל־גּוֹי֙ חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְד֥וּ ע֖וֹד מִלְחָמָֽה׃ (פ)
(כ) כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר ה' צְבָא֑וֹת עֹ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָבֹ֣אוּ עַמִּ֔ים וְיֹשְׁבֵ֖י עָרִ֥ים רַבּֽוֹת׃ (כא) וְֽהָלְכ֡וּ יֹשְׁבֵי֩ אַחַ֨ת אֶל־אַחַ֜ת לֵאמֹ֗ר נֵלְכָ֤ה הָלוֹךְ֙ לְחַלּוֹת֙ אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י ה' וּלְבַקֵּ֖שׁ אֶת־ה' צְבָא֑וֹת אֵלְכָ֖ה גַּם־אָֽנִי׃ (כב) וּבָ֨אוּ עַמִּ֤ים רַבִּים֙ וְגוֹיִ֣ם עֲצוּמִ֔ים לְבַקֵּ֛שׁ אֶת־ה' צְבָא֖וֹת בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וּלְחַלּ֖וֹת אֶת־פְּנֵ֥י ה'׃ (ס) (כג) כֹּ֥ה אָמַר֮ ה' צְבָאוֹת֒ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔מָּה אֲשֶׁ֤ר יַחֲזִ֙יקוּ֙ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל לְשֹׁנ֣וֹת הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְֽהֶחֱזִ֡יקוּ בִּכְנַף֩ אִ֨ישׁ יְהוּדִ֜י לֵאמֹ֗ר נֵֽלְכָה֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ אֱלֹקִ֥ים עִמָּכֶֽם׃ (ס)
כשפותחין ארון הקודש אומרים:
וַיְהִי בִּנְסעַ הָאָרן וַיּאמֶר משֶׁה. קוּמָה ה' וְיָפֻצוּ איְבֶיךָ. וְיָנֻסוּ מְשנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ:
כִּי מִצִּיּון תֵּצֵא תורָה. וּדְבַר ה' מִירוּשָׁלָיִם:
בָּרוּךְ שֶׁנָּתַן תּורָה לְעַמּו יִשרָאֵל בִּקְדֻשָּׁתו:
As the Ark is opened, one says:
When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say: Advance, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered, And may Your foes flee before You! (Numbers 10:35)
For instruction/Torah shall come forth from Zion, The word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)
Blessed is the One Who in His holiness has granted Torah to His people Israel.
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
Apocalypticism Explained: The Puritans, PBS Frontline,
Paul Boyer is the Merle Curti Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
What was this idea of a New Jerusalem about?
The idea of the New Jerusalem arises from ... very powerful and moving descriptions in the Book of Revelation that in the last days, literally a New Jerusalem, a new heaven and a new earth, shall be created. The old earth shall pass away and shall be no more. These are tremendously powerful images. And New England Puritans--at least some of their leaders--were convinced that this moment had come; that God was preparing the way for the creation of this New Jerusalem in New England.
Is there a legacy of this idea of the New Jerusalem as a beacon for other countries, that exists even today?
I think the vision of the New Jerusalem that in the 17th century is a quite profoundly theological vision, rooted in scripture, with the passage of time becomes increasingly generalized and secularized, and becomes transformed into a kind of vision of America having a redemptive role in world history, simply by being America, simply by being the kind of nation it is, without the explicit apocalyptic theological foundation.
So at the time of the Civil War, we see Julia Ward Howe writing the great anthem of the Civil War, which is really an apocalypse: Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. At the time of the First World War, we see Woodrow Wilson offering a vision of American democracy redeeming the world, making the world safe for democracy. And even in our own day, one of Ronald Reagan's favorite themes was the "city on a hill." He referred to it frequently in the context of the Cold War. So this theme, which has a theological and apocalyptic source, really becomes a part of American civil religion, and I think, remains very strong even today.
Michael White is Professor of Classics and Christian Origins at the University of Texas at Austin
What about the real Jerusalem? Is this an abstract concept they're talking about, or what?
In their view, the real Jerusalem, the historical Jerusalem, is a long way away. They don't worry about that. God can do it here. God will bring it now. It's the perfect spiritual city that they're looking for. But in reality, they think it's going to be their own backyard, in the Americas.