The name of this constellation in various languages is:
- Mozanaim (Hebrew) = scales, weighed
- Libra (Latin) – the weighing, scales
- Al Zubena (Arabic) – purchase or redemption
- Mazatho (Syriac) – scales
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
1 Peter 1:18-19
For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
The Brightest star in the lower scale tilted toward the earth is Zuben al Genubi meaning “the price which is deficient”
The Brightest star in the upper scale tilted toward the heavens is Zuben al Shemali meaning “the price which covers”
Now isn’t that interesting? Deficient from the earthly viewpoint but covered from heaven. Of course this illustrates so many verses in the Bible. For example:
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Tekel means ‘weighed’— “you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.” Daniel 5:27.
The scales of Justice from God’s point of view.
Other stars: Zuben Akrabi = “price of the conflict”
Al Zubena – purchase, redemption
Coptic – Lambadia – station of propitiation
Roman / Greek propitiation (the act of pleasing or appeasing a god) / expiation (the removal of the offence, guilt or sin) – price paid to be righteous. (Declared righteous by God).
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 3:25-26
Decans of Libra
Crux / Southern Cross
This constellation is easily recognizable guide for navigation in southern Hemisphere. But not only for navigation across the globe but for navigation towards our heavenly home.
One star which stands out in the Crux is Adom meaning “the cutting off” (Daniel’s prophecy)
Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defences, despite the perilous times. “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed (literally: cut off), appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”
Daniel 9:25-27
I won’t explain here, but this prophecy predicts to the day the moment Christ would enter Jerusalem to give his life as a ransom of the world.
The cross is recognized in Egyptian, Persian, Assyrian. Hindu. Chinese, Mexican, Peruvian, Scandinavian, Gault and Celt cultures as well as others not mentioned. Long before the Christian era, the Cross was a sacred emblem to the Egyptians. The Persians celebrated the feast of the cross when sun entered Aries each year. They (the Persians) depicted this constellation as scales in one hand and a lamb in the other. There is more but I dare not add it here or this Nugget will grow too long.
Lupus (the wolf) or The Victim that Centaurus is stabbing. There are two interpretations to this decan. One star in the constellation of Lupus is Aseda (Hebrew) or Asedaton (Arabic) which means to be slain. Greek it’s either Thera the beast or Lycos, the wolf. It’s the same in Latin. There are variations as to who this victim may be. It’s generally depicted as a wolf, the idea representing the devil who will ultimately be killed. Or in Arabic the sense is of a sheep or a lamb. In Coptic or in Egyptian it is a youth (Horus) who was the beloved son of Osiris and the virgin, the one who would come. So it’s either the Christ who would die for our sins or the devil who will suffer ultimate defeat.
Crown
This constellation is called atarah in Hebrew, corona in Latin, stephanos in Greek all of which mean “crown”. In Arabic it’s called Al Iclil, the ornament or the jewel. The brightest star in this constellation is Al Phecca which means “the shining”. The Corona Borealis shines within this constellation vertically over Jerusalem once every year, reminding us that ‘every knee shall bow to the One who wears the crown of the King of Kings.
I think it is pretty clear the reason this constellation and its decans has been set perfectly in its place in the heavens. The meaning it carries, in and of itself, is clearly the redemption and purchase price the Coming One will pay for those who need saving and ultimately He will be crowned King. His sign in the heavens (the cross) is the means whereby He purchased our redemption for those who will receive it.