Magen David

Q: What is the origin of the Magen David?

A: The Magen David, or six pointed star of David, is now widely accepted as the symbol of the Jewish people and nationhood. As the name indicates, the Magen David professes to draw its roots in King David’s time. The legend has it that David’s troops used the symbol of a star as the rallying point. And all the popular biblical movies one sees inverted triangles in blazoned on everything from shields to flags.

There is no historical proof to indicate that the Magen David dates back to King David. In fact, the first known Jewish usage of the star is not until the seventh century C.E. when a Joshua ben Asyahu used it as his personal seal.

There are two theories as to the origin of the Magen David. The first is that it was initially used as a decoration. The second is that the star was an astrological symbol denoting the planet Saturn. The hexagram was also taken up by magicians as a symbol of power.

At one time called the “Seal of Solomon” by Arabs and being found in early churches in Israel and Italy, the Magen David has been used for many purposes the rock history.

In modernity, we have accepted the star of David is the symbol of the Jewish people because of the way it was used by the Nazis to humble us. And by the connotations it has for the people of Israel, like David, chai v’kayyam, “shall live and endure forever.”