What Are the Urim and Thummim?

Understanding Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8, 1 Samuel 28:6, Ezra 2:63

The Urim and Thummim are among the most mysterious objects in the Bible. Mentioned only a handful of times, never fully described, and apparently lost at some point in Israel's history, they represent a form of divine communication that was central to Israel's decision-making yet remains largely unknown to modern readers.

What the names mean

The Hebrew words 'Urim' (urim) and 'Thummim' (tummim) are usually translated as 'Lights and Perfections' or 'Lights and Truths.' Some scholars connect Urim to the Hebrew word for 'light' (or) and Thummim to the word for 'completeness' or 'perfection' (tom). Others note that Urim begins with aleph (the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and Thummim with tav (the last letter), suggesting they represent the full range of divine knowledge — from beginning to end.

Physical description

The Bible never describes what the Urim and Thummim actually looked like. What we know:

They were placed 'in the breastpiece' of the high priest (Exodus 28:30), also called the 'breastpiece of decision' (28:15). The breastpiece was a square pouch worn over the heart, adorned with twelve precious stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The Urim and Thummim were carried inside this pouch.

They were small enough to fit inside a fabric pouch. They were apparently portable and handled physically during consultation.

Beyond this, everything is inference. The most common scholarly reconstructions include:

Two stones or lots — one meaning 'yes' and the other 'no.' The priest would draw one from the breastpiece to receive God's answer.

Flat objects with markings — like ancient lots or dice, with different sides indicating different responses. They might have had markings corresponding to 'guilty/innocent,' 'yes/no,' or specific tribal designations.

Precious stones that lit up — based on the 'Lights' etymology, some traditions (including later Jewish mysticism) suggested they glowed or changed color to indicate God's answer.

The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) translates the terms as 'revelation and truth' (delosis kai aletheia), reinforcing their function as instruments of divine disclosure rather than describing their physical form.

How they were used

The Urim and Thummim were used to inquire of the LORD on matters of national importance — military decisions, leadership questions, and guilt or innocence determinations. The pattern was consistent: a specific question was asked, and God provided a specific answer through the Urim and Thummim.

Key biblical instances:

Joshua's commissioning (Numbers 27:21): When Moses transferred leadership to Joshua, God instructed: 'He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD.' Joshua's military and leadership decisions would be guided by priestly consultation of the Urim.

Saul's failed inquiry (1 Samuel 28:6): 'He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.' This is significant — God could refuse to answer through the Urim and Thummim. The instrument was not mechanical or automatic; it functioned at God's discretion. Saul's spiritual rebellion had broken the channel of communication.

David's inquiries (1 Samuel 23:9-12, 30:7-8): David asked the priest Abiathar to bring the ephod (which contained the breastpiece with the Urim and Thummim) and inquired: 'Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down?' God answered specifically: 'He will' and 'They will.' David also asked, 'Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?' God answered: 'Pursue them. You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.'

These examples show the Urim and Thummim providing specific yes/no answers and sometimes more detailed guidance in response to direct questions.

The question of mechanism

How exactly did the Urim and Thummim communicate God's will? The Bible does not say. The scholarly options include:

Lot-casting: The most common academic view is that the Urim and Thummim functioned as sacred lots — similar to the practice of casting lots that appears elsewhere in Scripture (Proverbs 16:33, Acts 1:26). One object (Urim) might indicate one answer and the other (Thummim) a different answer. The priest would reach into the breastpiece and draw one out, or cast them and read the result.

Illumination: Some Jewish and Christian traditions suggest the stones on the breastpiece itself would light up in some way, with different combinations of illuminated stones spelling out answers. This is more speculative and not well supported by the biblical text.

Prophetic impression: Others suggest the Urim and Thummim were catalysts for prophetic revelation — the priest held them, focused on the question, and received an impression from God. The objects themselves were not mechanical devices but aids to spiritual discernment.

What is clear is that the Bible treats the Urim and Thummim as a legitimate, God-ordained method of communication — not divination, not magic, but a sanctioned channel for receiving God's guidance on specific questions.

Distinction from pagan divination

Israel was strictly forbidden from practicing divination, sorcery, or consulting mediums (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The Urim and Thummim were categorically different because:

1. They were instituted by God's direct command (Exodus 28:30)
2. They were administered only by the high priest
3. They functioned within Israel's covenant relationship with God
4. They depended on God's willingness to answer — they were not a technique for forcing revelation

The surrounding nations had their own methods of seeking divine guidance — reading entrails, interpreting omens, consulting the dead. The Urim and Thummim replaced all of these with a single, authorized method controlled by God's appointed mediator.

When did they disappear?

The Urim and Thummim apparently disappeared from Israel's religious life at some point during or after the exile. The last clear reference to their active use is in David's time (around 1000 BC). When the exiles returned from Babylon and rebuilt the temple (around 516 BC), the Urim and Thummim were notably absent.

Ezra 2:63 records that certain people claiming priestly descent could not prove their genealogy, and the governor told them not to eat the priestly food 'until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.' The phrasing implies that no such priest currently existed — the Urim and Thummim were gone, and their return was a future hope.

Rabbinic tradition held that the Urim and Thummim ceased functioning with the destruction of the first temple (586 BC) and were among the things absent from the second temple. The Holy Spirit (through prophets) and later the 'daughter of a voice' (bat kol) replaced them as means of divine communication.

Theological significance

The Urim and Thummim tell us something important about God's character: He wants to communicate with His people. He did not leave Israel to guess His will on critical decisions. He provided a specific, reliable method of guidance — imperfect by New Testament standards, but real and functional.

The trajectory is significant: Urim and Thummim (objects mediated by a priest) → prophets (direct speech through individuals) → Jesus (God speaking directly in person) → the Holy Spirit (God dwelling in every believer). Each stage represents a deepening and broadening of divine communication. What once required a high priest, a breastpiece, and a sacred object is now available to every believer through prayer and the indwelling Spirit.

As Hebrews declares: 'In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son' (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Urim and Thummim belong to an earlier, partial stage of God's self-revelation — real and valuable, but superseded by the fullness of Christ.