These are some of the more commonly held beliefs about the origins of the Star of David. I found it interesting to find out where all these beliefs originated from.

The Moloch Connection:

Many claim the flags origins are with the Star of Moloch. The young martyr Steven in the book of Acts (Acts 7:43) mentioned that the Jews of his day worshiped the Star of Remphan.

Most scholars draw a connection between the Remphan and Chiun (Amos 5:26) like Nelson’s Bible Dictionary for example. Remphan/Chiun originated in Babylon, was the god of Saturn and possessed a Star. Bruce, F. and Lockyer, H. (1995). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville: T. Nelson, pp.507-513.

Steven before he was executed, made the connection between the Star of the Jews and Moloch worship. But is it the same Star? We can’t be certain, but it appears that way.

“Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.” NKJV. Steven was reproducing the entire history of the ancient Israelites up until then.

For a more definitive answer about Remphan and Chiun, I went to the Septuagint (LXX).

Oddly enough it was Steven’s numbering of the Jews who entered Egypt that first made me go searching in the Septuagint over a decade ago. My Septuagint studies have led me to believe that the early Church were reading the LXX and not the Masoretic text. In this instance also, I found Steven to be correct in his reference to Remphan. Amos Ch.5:26 in the LXX as quoted by Steven…” Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Raephan, the images of which ye made for yourselves.” Brenton, L. (2007). The Septuagint version of the Old Testament and Apocrypha. [Whitefish, Mont.]: Kessinger Pub, p.1089.

Why the KJV versions translate this as Chuin in Amos and Remphan in Acts I will never know.

The prophet Ezekiel was also highly critical of Moloch worship in Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian Captivity. The punishment for Moloch worship was outlined in Leviticus Ch.18:21. The penalty for Moloch worship was being cut-off from the land and cut-off from among their people. Leviticus Ch.21:28-29.

Leviticus 18:21 ‘And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

Leviticus Ch.21:28-29 “Lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.” NKJV.

It is for this reason the anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews, who protest in their thousands regularly don’t support the modern-day Zionist State of Israel. They believe the people were scattered because of the abominations committed in the land. And, are now destined to live in exile as Lights to the Nations of the world until Messiah returns. When Messiah returns, He will restore the people to the land. That is their belief.

The Rothschild’s Connection:

Others have drawn a connection between the Rothschild  family emblem and the Israeli national flag. In his book Andrew Carrington mentions a date when the Rothschild’s took on a red star as a family emblem. “On February 23rd, 1744 Mayer Amschel Bauer, an Ashkenazi Jew, is born in Frankfurt, Germany, the son of Moses Amschel Bauer, a money lender and the proprietor of a counting house. Moses Amschel Bauer places a red sign above the entrance door to his counting house. This sign is a red hexagram (that geometrically and numerically translates into the number 666), which under Rothschild instruction will end up on the Israeli flag some two centuries later.”

Hitchcock, A. (2012). The Synagogue of Satan. 2nd ed. United States of America, p.247.

The Rothschild’s adopted the Red Hexagon, Rot (Red in German) Schild (shield or sign in German). As the Rothschild s were instrumental in the development of the modern-day State of Israel, it is their shield that was adopted on the Israeli flag. Except the Red was replaced by the Blue. That’s what a link from the Jewish Virtual Library which had information to a Rothschild Archive stated, but since then the information has been removed.

The Zionist Connection:

The Blue Star could’ve very well been adopted from Rothschild’s Red Star, as Theodor Herzl stated in his book, Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) that the Zionists did not at that time possess a flag, it was only later, towards the end of Herzl’s untimely death that The Rothschild’s became involved in the development of the formation of the State of Israel. Herzl had this to say…

“THE FLAG We have no flag, and we need one. If we desire to lead many men, we must raise a symbol above their heads. I would suggest a white flag, with seven golden stars. The white field symbolizes our pure new life; the stars are the seven golden hours of our working day. For we shall march into the Promised Land carrying the badge of honor.”

Theodore Herzl, The Jewish State — Der Judenstaat.

Still very much in the period of modern-day Zionism, another contributor was mentioned in an article I read, this article related more to the design of the flag rather than the actual Magen David or Star of David.

“Actually, the flag design that David Wolffsohn came up with was one that had already been in circulation, although he most likely was not aware of it.

In 1882 Jews from Russia founded a town south of Jaffa named Rishon LeZion (“First to Zion”). It was funded in part by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. In the summer of 1885, the community started making plans to celebrate its third anniversary. One of the settlers, Israel Belkind, decided to make a flag for the occasion. Working with another settler, the two of them came up with the idea of a design that would look like a prayer shawl, with the Star of David in the center, between two blue stripes. The flag was adopted as the symbol of the town, and later, the word, Zion, was added in the center of the Star of David.” http://christinprophecy.org/…/the-story-behind-israels-flag/

“Dov Gutterman, “Rishon LeZiyyon Flag,” http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/FLAGS/il%7Dz1885.html, pp. 1-2. Accessed on March 5, 2008.”

The Kabbalah Connection:

The most comprehensive material I was able to discover recently comes from none other than the founder of Modern-Day Kabbalah, Gershom Scholem. Scholem, was the Professor of Jewish Mysticism at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Firstly, he says that “The hexagram is not a Jewish symbol much less the symbol of Judaism.”

Scholem‘s focus appears to be mainly on the pentagram and hexagram, which have a long history in magic. In Jewish circles the hexagram was mentioned by Joshua ben Asaiah (600 B.C). It was also discovered next to a Swastika in a Synagogue in Capernaum. Many Middle Age Churches also adopted and used this emblem in their architecture.

“The Hexagram was made popular by the Kabbalist, Isaac Luria. Max Grunwald wrote in 1973 about how the Kabbalist’s viewed the hexagram resembling the ten spheres of the Sefirot. The lower and upper spheres come together to create Jewish magic.”

“The first mention of the Hexagram in Kabbalah was in (1280-90) Joseph Gikatilla in Gates of Righteousness.”

“The Star of David is also a symbol of Israel’s coming Jewish military Messiah, Ben David.”

Scholem, G. (1995). The messianic idea in Judaism and other essays on Jewish spirituality. New York: Schocken Books, pp. 257-281.

The Military Messiah Connection:

Only significant people were born under a Star! The Magi, who were able to read the stars knew of the importance of those born under this sign and their ability to change the world.

It was a long-held belief that Messiah will be born under a Star. No surprises then when Matthew in his Gospel expounds on the Magi following The Star to the place of Jesus’s birth (Matthew 2:9-10). Matthew would have written this especially for his Jewish audience who were expecting Messiah to be born under a Star.

“When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” NKJV.

Since Messiah Jesus was rejected as the Messiah by the Chief Priests and Elders, The Jews continued in their search for Messiah. Later, the emblem of The Star of David was used by Rabbi Akiba to promote Bar Kochba during the Roman revolt in 135 A.D. According to Rabbi Akiba, Bar Kochba was the promised military Messiah.

A “Star” Shines

“It was Rabbi Akiva who ascribed to Shimon bar Kochba the famous messianic verse: “A star will shoot forth from Jacob” (Numbers 24:17). That is how he got the name “Kochba,” which means “star.” Rabbi Akiva crowned him the Messiah. Rabbi Akiva was so widely respected among the people that if he saw in Shimon messianic qualities then the people immediately elevated him to the level of the Messiah. The helps us understand very well why the Christians would take no part in the war; it would have made one messiah too many.”

A “Star” Fades and Burns Out

“Then they began calling him, “Bar Koziba,” meaning the son of a lie; a false messiah. Their hopes were dashed.”

Killed in Battle: “Beitar fell to the Romans on Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, in 135 CE, adding it to calamitous national tragedies of the Jewish people. Bar Kochba was eventually killed in battle. According to Dio Cassius and Jewish sources, at least a half a million Jews were killed. It was a tremendous blood bath.”

“Even so, the Jewish people after Hadrian were crushed almost beyond recognition. Bar Kochba’s defeat marked the end of any sort of Jewish autonomy in the Jewish homeland until the twentieth century.” https://www.jewishhistory.org/bar-kochba/

Well, that was the end of Bar Kochba.

But how did the Christians during Bar Kochba’s reign react to him having the Title as ‘The Star”?

In a text by Rev. Dr Gustaf Dalman, we have an indication of how the Christians responded to Bar Koshba’s claims. Quoting Justin Martyr (Apol.i.31) the author says that the Christians were severely punished for not accepting Bar Koshba’s Star. When Rabbi Akiba referred to the prophesy in Numbers as being fulfilled in Bar Kochba (Taanith IV.8, p.68d) the Christians simply replied…

“Thou art in error, Jesus of Nazareth and no other is the true Son of a Star.” Faced with this rejection Rabbi Akiba simply altered The Jerusalem Talmud from Ben Stara of the Christian into Ben Stada the Son of a Star into the Son of a harlot. Dalman, G. (1893). Jesus Christ in the Talmud, Midrash, Zohar and the liturgy of the Synagogue. London: Cambridge, pp.14-15.

The quest for Messiah’s Star continues to this day, with websites claiming that a Star is expected to appear in 2020. Breaking Israel News | Latest News. Biblical Perspective. (2018). New Star to Appear in Night Sky, Heralding Balaam’s Prophecy of Messiah. [online] Available at: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/…/new-star-appear-night…/ [Accessed 29 Nov. 2018].

It’s my understanding then, that the Star of David is a very old symbol which predates David and Solomon. I discovered that Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Freemasonry, Churches and witchcraft all used this symbol. Scholem was right, the Star of David is not a Jewish symbol, but has been adopted as a Jewish symbol because of its connection to the spheres of the Sefirot…

Personally, I believe it relates more to the importance of those born under its sign than anything else. For example, in the book of Jasher, it mentions even Abraham was born under a Star.

Matthew the Gospel writer made an attempt to prove to the Jews of his day that Jesus the Messiah was in fact born under a Star and thus fulfilling prophesy. The New Testament Christians believed this was the case, and this significant person who was supposed to be born under a Star was Jesus Christ. As Justin Martyr pointed out that when the Christians rejected Bar Kochba, they paid a heavy price.

Whether or not Military Messiah will appear under a Star, I cannot say for sure, but I’m certain he will use the Star of David as his emblem, because of the supernatural powers the symbol possesses.

Scripture quotations marked “NKJV” are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Cheryl Mason posted on 17 May. 2019.