Hebrew menorah, "lampstand." The seven-branched oil lamp that stood in the Holy Place of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40, 37:17-24), later in Solomon's temple. Fashioned from a single talent (about 75 pounds) of pure gold hammered into a central shaft with three branches on each side, it was shaped with cups, knobs, and blossoms in an almond motif — echoing the tree of life. Its seven lamps burned continually (Leviticus 24:1-4), fueled by pure olive oil supplied by the Israelites, and tended morning and evening by Aaron and his sons. After the destruction of the Second Temple, the menorah became the enduring symbol of Israel — depicted on the Arch of Titus (Rome, AD 82) being carried away after Jerusalem's fall, and now on the state emblem of modern Israel.
The menorah is theologically rich. Three observations. (1) The only source of light in the Holy Place. No natural light entered the Holy Place — no windows — only the menorah illumined the bread, the incense altar, and the priest's work. Typologically: Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12), and without His illumination worship is blind ritual. (2) Sevenfoldness. Seven is the biblical number of completeness. The menorah's seven lamps represent the complete illumination of God's presence. Revelation 1:20 picks up the imagery: "the seven lampstands are the seven churches" — the Church as the light-bearing presence of Christ in the world, empowered by the sevenfold Spirit (Revelation 4:5). (3) Almond blossom motif. Almonds in Scripture symbolize vigilance (Jeremiah 1:11-12, the almond rod — "I am watching over my word"), since the almond is the first tree to bloom in spring. The menorah's almond motif suggests the vigilant, watching presence of God among His people. Revelation 1-2 — Christ walking among the lampstands, knowing each church's works — completes the typology. The Church is the new-covenant menorah, and Christ tends it.