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Mount Moriah

Today the top of Mount Moriah lies somewhere beneath the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock. Throughout the Bible, this special place played a significant role in many people's lives:

Abraham
In Gen. 22:1-14, God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only beloved son and the heir God promised, in the region of Moriah. As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God intervened and provided a ram for the sacrifice.

David
David, after receiving a prophetic word from Gad, his prophet, selected the future site of the temple on Mount Moriah.

An angel told Gad to tell David that an altar should be built on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Both men met each other, and David asked Arunah to sell him the site. After David purchased it for about 15 pounds of gold, he built an altar to God and sacrificed offerings on it. Then, confirming his approval, God sent down fire on the altar.

David later brought the Ark of the Covenant into his city on Mount Moriah.

Solomon
God chose Solomon, David's son, to build the temple. Solomon determined to build a great temple to honor God, and began building it on the threshing floor of Aranuah the Jebusite, the site David had previously purchased.

Jesus
Another important historical event that took place near Jerusalem and Mount Moriah was the crucifixion of Jesus.

The Common Thread
What common thread links Abraham's experience on Mount Moriah, the Israelites, offering of sacrifices there, and Jesus' crucifixion? On the mountain site he had chosen, God provided a substitute for sacrificing Isaac, the Jews offered sacrifices to God as a substitutionary way to receive forgiveness of sins, and Jesus took our sins upon himself and died as our sacrificial lamb.