Question
Shalom Rabbi,
Why is in Isaiah 29 Jerusalem called Ariel? What does it imply? Best regards,
Paul
The Netherlands
Answer
There are several different explanations, which actually complement each-other. Some say that Jerusalem is nicknamed Ariel, literally: the Lion of God, after the symbol of the tribe of Judah, the lion (Breishit 49, 9), for Jerusalem, the national and religious capitol, were in Judah’s portion (and King David and his dynasty, who bought and built Jerusalem, are from Judah). In addition, see Yechezkel 43, 15, where the alter, located in the center of Jerusalem’s Temple, is referred to in a literary play on words, as Ariel and Harel (literally, the Mountain of God).
