Ariel in the Bible — Hidden Meaning & Symbolism

Ariel, a'-r;-el (Heb.)-- lion of God; strength of God; burning place of God; altar of God. Fallows says of the name Ariel (II Sam. 23:20) that"it was applied as an epithet of distinction to bold and warlike persons, as among the Arabians. who surnamed Ali'The Lion of God.'" Meta. Ariel of Moab signifies a bold, warlike tendency pertaining to the carnal mind of man. The Ariel of Ezra 8:16, who was a chief man among those who returned from the Babylonian captivity, also stands for a bold, conquering thought quality in man, but of a higher nature than that symbolized by Ariel of Moab. The Ariel of Isaiah 29:1-7 refers to Jerusalem and suggests an interpretation according to other meanings given to the name-- altar, burning place of God. The altar as located in the body is the solar plexus, through which the soul connects with the outer or physical organism. Just above the solar plexus, at the heart center, we find the place that Jerusalem symbolizes, and it is in the spiritual consciousness, which Jerusalem represents, that full consecration can be made to God. It is at this place in consciousness that we become willing to give up the lower for the higher, the personal for the impersonal, the animal for the Godlike, and a transmutation takes place. (See ALTAR.)