The Bible

 

Ezekiel 44:11

Study

       

11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall kill the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.

Commentary

 

Lift

  
Krishna Holding Mount Govardhan, by Mola Ram (1760-1833)

The idea of "lifting" is used in a number of different ways in the Bible. In general, it means connecting with a higher spiritual state for strength or enlightenment, though as with many verbs the context makes a great deal of difference. One of the most common uses comes as people lift up their eyes, which usually means coming into a state of perceiving what is true from the Lord. Lifting a hand or a rod means wielding power, making it common in the performance of miracles. Lifting the feet means elevating the most natural, external aspects of our day-to-day lives. Lifting objects means elevating them to higher uses, or sometimes just to protect them (Noah's Ark was "lifted up" in this sense). And so forth. In the negative sense, people can lift things up -- towers or other human structures -- representing a deeper state of the love of self.