AHRC Archives - 10/40 Window Mission Network

The Nomadic Hebrews – Part 3 of 3

10-40 Admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 19:39:50 +0000

Jeff Benner

The culture and lifestyle of the Hebrew nomads have a direct relationship to their language, the same language used in the Bible. Understanding this nomadic lifestyle assists the reader of the Bible to better interpret the text.

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The Aaronic Blessing from a Hebrew Perspective

10-40 Admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 13:04:43 +0000

By Jeff A. Benner

Once we have a basic understanding of the Hebrew alphabet, vocabulary, language and philosophy, we can now begin to interpret the Bible from an Ancient Hebrew perspective rather than from a Western one.

Most people are familiar with the English translation of the Aaronic blessing.

The LORD bless you and keep you: The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26 RSV)

Notice that many of the words in this translation are abstract words, including; bless, keep, gracious, countenance and peace. Each of the Hebrew words behind the English in this passage, is filled with images that are lost when translated into the English language. When we examine each of these words from their original cultural and linguistic perspectives, the message in this passage comes alive.

Bless

Camels kneeling down

The Hebrew verb ברך (Barakh, Strong’s #1288) means to kneel as seen in Genesis 24:11. However, when written in the piel form, such as it is in Aaronic blessing, it means to show respect (usually translated as bless). However, as “respect” is an abstract word, we need to uncover its original concrete meaning, which we can do by examining other words related to this verb. One such related word is the noun ברך (berekh, Strong’s #1288) meaning “knee.” Another related Hebrew word is ברכה (berakhah, Strong’s #1293) meaning a gift or present. From this we can see the concrete meaning behind the piel form of the verb barak. It is to bring a gift to another while kneeling out of respect. The extended meaning of this word is to do or give something of value to another. Elohiym “respects” us by providing for our needs and we in turn “respect” Elohiym by giving him of ourselves as his servants.

Keep

Thorns

The Hebrews were a nomadic people raising livestock. It would not be uncommon for a shepherd to be out with his flock, away from the camp, over the night. In order to protect the flock, the shepherd would construct a corral of thorn bushes. The shepherd would then guard over the flock and the corral would be a hedge of protection around them. The Hebrew word for a thorn is שמיר (shamiyr, Strong’s #8068) and derived from the verb שמר (shamar, Strong’s #8104), which literally means to guard and protect and is the word used in the Aaronic blessing.

Face

Norman Rockwell’s painting of a girl’s expression

In the painting above you can “read” the faces of each of the people within the painting. The face reflects the many different moods, emotions, and thoughts of the person. The Hebrew word פנים (paniym, Strong’s #6440), means “face,” but is always written in the plural form (the ים suffix identifies this word as plural), reflecting this idea of multiple faces of each person. This word can also mean “presence” or the “wholeness of being” of an individual.

Shine

Light brings order to chaos

The word אור (or, Strong’s #215), as a noun means “light” and as a verb, as it is used here, means to “give light” or “shine” and is equated with bringing about order as light illuminates or reveals what has been dark.

Gracious

A nomadic camp

Most theologians will define “grace” as “unmerited favor,” but notice the abstractness of these words. The Hebrew verb translated as gracious in the Aaronic blessing is the verb חנן (hhanan, Strong’s #2603) and is often paralleled with other Hebrew words meaning healing, help, being lifted up, finding refuge, strength and rescue. From a concrete Hebraic perspective this verb means to “provide protection.” Where does one run to for protection? The camp, which in Hebrew is חנה (hanah, Strong’s #2583), a word related to חנן (hhanan).

Grant

A meal that is set and arranged

The Hebrew verb שים (siym, Strong’s #7760), literally means to “set down in a fixed and arranged place.”

Peace

A windmill that is “not complete.”

When we hear the word peace, we usually associate this to mean an absence of war or strife. However, the Hebrew word שלום (shalom, Strong’s #7965) has a very different meaning. The root of this word is שלם (shalam, Strong’s #7999) and is usually used in the context of making restitution. When a person has caused another to become deficient in some way, such as a loss of livestock, it is the responsibility of the person who created the deficiency to restore what has been taken, lost or stolen. The verb shalam literally means to make whole or complete. The noun shalom has the more literal meaning of being in a state of wholeness, or being without deficiency.

A Hebraic interpretation of the Aaronic Blessing

With the Hebraic understanding of each of these Hebrew words, we can better understand the true meaning of the Aaronic blessing as it was understood by the Ancient Hebrews.

YHWH will kneel before you^[1] presenting gifts and will guard you with a hedge of protection.

YHWH will illuminate the wholeness of his being toward you bringing order and he will give you comfort and sustenance.

YHWH will lift up his wholeness of being and look upon you and he will set in place all you need to be whole and complete.

1. Many people have contacted me concerned about the phrase “kneel before you” as they cannot perceive of God kneeling before us. We too often see God as the judge and ruler who sits high above us. But I see more of a familial type relationship with God, rather than a government type relationship. God is the father of us all, agreed? Well, if my young son came to me with a request, would I tower over him looking down upon him? Or would I get down on his level by “kneeling” down and getting eye to eye with him and say, “What is it my son, what can I do for you?” Let me add that this is not a literal kneeling down, but a figurative one; the common Hebrew way of expressing an abstract thought through concrete means.

Taken from: https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/studies-interpretation/aaronic-blessing-from-a-hebrew-perspective.htm

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Where did the name “Jesus” come from?

10-40 Admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 18:51:36 +0000

Jeff Brenner

The name “Jesus” has a long, long history. The origin of this name is the Hebrew name יהושע (yehoshu’a, Strong’s #3091 [Latinized as Joshua]), which means “Yahweh saves.” This Hebrew name is first used Exodus 17:9 where we are introduced to Yehoshu’a Ben Nun.

When this Hebrew name was transliterated in the Greek Septuagint (2,000 year old Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) it was written as Ἰησοῦς (iesous). The Greek alphabet had no “Y” sound, so it used the “I” sound. The Greek alphabet has no consonant “H,” or equivalent, so this sound is dropped. The Greek alphabet also had no “Sh” sound, so it used the “S” sound. Then, Greek male names end with “s,” so the “s” was added. And this is how יהושע (yehoshu’a) became Ἰησοῦς (iesous) in the Greek.

It is common for names to shift and evolve when transferred from one culture to another. For instance, the German name Ludwig is Louis in France and the Spanish name Juan is John in English speaking countries. The Hebrew name יהושע (yehoshu’a, Strong’s #3091) is ישוע (yeshu’a, Strong’s #3442 [Latinized as Jeshua]) in the Aramaic language, such as we see in Ezra 2:2. When this Aramaic name was transliterated in the Greek Septuagint, they used the same method as stated above and it comes out to Ἰησοῦς (iesous), the same as it did for yehoshu’a.

When we come to the New Testament period we find that the name of the Messiah is Ἰησοῦς (iesous) in the Greek New Testament, but we find that it is ישוע (yeshu’a) in the Aramaic New Testament. When the Greek New Testament was translated into Latin in the 4th Century this name was written as Iesus, an exact match to the Greek that it came from. The Latin letter “I” split into two letters, “I” and “J.” Originally this was two different ways of writing the same letter. So the Iesus became Jesus, but they were both pronounced the same way. Years later, some cultures began using the “I” for the vowel sound and “J” for a “Y” sound. It was not until around 1500 AD that the letter J took on the “dg” sound we are familiar with today.

So, the modern name “Jesus” comes from the Latin Iesus, which comes from the Greek Iesous, which comes from the Aramaic Yeshu’a and the Hebrew Yehoshu’a.

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Covenants from a Hebrew Perspective

10-40 Admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 19:43:12 +0000

By Jeff A. Benner

They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you.” (Genesis 26:28, ESV)

We will begin this study with the Hebrew word for a “covenant,” which is ברית (b’riyt, Strong’s #1285). This noun is derived from the verb ברה (B.R.H, Strong’s #1262), which means “to select the best.”

He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.” (1 Samuel 17:8, ESV)

In this passage the Hebrew verb ברה is used for the choosing of the best man to fight Goliath. This word can also mean to eat, in the sense of selecting, such as we see in the following verse.

So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.” (2 Samuel 13:6, ESV)

The Hebrew language is a root-oriented language, meaning that every Hebrew word is derived from a root word and that root word is the foundation to other Hebrew words. Each word derived from one root will be closely related in meaning to all the other words derived from the same root. In the case of the word ברית (b’riyt) we found that it was derived from the root verb ברה (B.R.H), but also derived from this verbal root are the nouns ברות (barut, Strong’s #1267) meaning “choice meat” and בריה (bir’yah, Strong’s #1274) meaning “fattened.” Livestock that will be slaughtered are fed special grains to make them fat and thereby making the meat of the fattened livestock the choicest.

So how is fattened choice meat related to the word for “covenant?” The phrase “make a covenant,” such as we saw in the verse that began this study, appears eighty times in the Hebrew Bible and in every instance, it is the Hebrew phrase כרת ברית (karat b’riyt), which literally means “cut a covenant.”

A covenant was instituted by the two parties of the covenant who would take a fattened animal, the best of the flock or herd, and “cut” it into two pieces. Then the two parties of the covenant would pass through the pieces symbolizing their dedication to the covenant and by this action are saying, “If I do not hold to the agreements of this covenant, you can do to me what we did to this animal.” This methodology of “making” a covenant is clearly recorded in Jeremiah 34:18-20.

18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like[a] the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. (ESV)

With this understanding of a covenant, we can better understand what is going on in Genesis chapter 15.

9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. (Genesis 15:9-10, ESV)

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made (Hebrew – karat) a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,” (Genesis 15:17-18, ESV)

Yahweh is cutting a covenant with Abram. However, Abram does not pass through the pieces, only the pot and torch, representations of Yahweh himself, pass through the pieces. Because Abram did not pass through the pieces, the actions of Abram, or his descendants, are not a condition of the covenant. The only person responsible for the fulfilling of this covenant is Yahweh and Yahweh alone.

Besides this covenant, Yahweh has made several other covenants with his people, such as the one he made with Noah and his descendants (Genesis 6:18, Genesis 9:9) and the one he made with the Israelites at Mount Sinai.

And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made (Hebrew – karat) with you in accordance with all these words.” (Exodus 24:8, ESV)

Unlike the unconditional covenants that Yahweh made with Noah and Abram, this covenant will be upheld only on the condition that Israel obeys the words of Yahweh.

14 But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. 18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, 19 and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit. (Leviticus 26:14-20, ESV)

And in Deuteronomy 31 Yahweh foretells of the day when Israel will break this covenant by following after other gods.

For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. (Deuteronomy 31:20, ESV)

It is interesting to note that when Israel does break this covenant, Yahweh “cuts” Israel into “two” nations, Israel and Judah. But Yahweh promises that he will make a new covenant with the children of Israel and he will unite these two nations into one nation again.

And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. (Ezekiel 37:22, ESV)

31 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jereimaih 31:31-33, ESV)

Taken from: https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/studies-interpretation/covenants-from-a-hebrew-perspective.htm

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Natives, Strangers, Immigrants and Foreigners

10-40 Admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 04:28:00 +0000

By Jeff A. Benner

In another article I discussed the different people groups of the New Testament, the Jews, Greeks, Nations and Proselytes. In the Old Testament we have four different people groups; the natives, strangers, immigrants and foreigners.

Attempting to differentiate between these different people groups can be very difficult if you are using a translation as it is not uncommon for a translation to use the same English word for different groups. For instance, the King James Version uses the word “stranger” for זור (Z.W.R, a stranger, see Leviticus 2:10), גר (ger, an immigrant, see Exodus 2:22) and נכרי (nakhriy, a foreigner, see Deuteronomy 17:15). This is why it is imperative that one use a Hebrew dictionary, such as Strong’s, when doing a study of Biblical words.

Native

The natives (sometimes translated as “home-born”) are those who are born to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Hebrew word for a native is אזרח (ezrahh, Strong’s #249). This word comes from the verbal root זרח (Z.R.Hh, Strong’s #2224), which means to “come up” or “come out of.” So an ezrahh is one has “come out of” Israel.

All that are home-born shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah. (Numbers 15:13, ASV)

Stranger

The Hebrew verb זור (Z.W.R, Strong’s #2114) means “to be separated out.” The participle form of this verb means a “stranger,” one who is separated out. This word is frequently used in the Torah for someone who is not from one’s own tribe.

to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, that is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before Jehovah; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as Jehovah spake unto him by Moses. (Numbers 16:40, ASV)

“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside the family to a stranger; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. (Deuteronomy 25:5, RSV)

Immigrant

The Hebrew word for an immigrant (often translated as “stranger” or “sojourner”) is גר (ger, Strong’s #1616) and is derived from the verb גור (G.W.R, Strong’s #1481), which means to “dwell with” or “dwell among.” So an immigrant is one who is not a native born Israeli, but lives with the natives. According to the Torah, the immigrants are to live according to the same customs and laws as the natives.

One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger (גר) that sojourneth (גור) among you. (Exodus 12:49, ASV)

And they are to be treated the same way as a native because the Israelites were once immigrants.

And a sojourner shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him: for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:21, ASV)

However, there are still some differences between a native and an immigrant, as is apparent in the following verse.

Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou mayest give it unto the sojourner that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner… (Deuteronomy 14:21, ASV)

Foreigner

A foreigner is one who was born in a foreign land, but unlike an immigrant, is not bound to the customs and laws of the native or immigrant.

Unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest. (Deuteronomy 23:20, ASV)

There are two Hebrew words for a foreigner; נכרי (nakhriy, Strong’s #5237) and נכר (nekhar, Strong’s #5236). Both of these words are derived from the root נכר (N.K.R, Strong’s #5234) meaning “to be recognizable,” probably because a foreigner is easily recognizable due to their very different culture and lifestyle.

Taken from: https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/studies-interpretation/natives-strangers-immigrants-and-foreigners.htm

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The Jews, the Greeks and the Gentiles: Who are they?

10-40 Admin — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 04:33:00 +0000

By Jeff A. Benner

As the gospel of Yeshua’s message was spreading throughout the land, mostly documented in the book of Acts, three people groups are mentioned; the Jews, the Greeks and the Gentiles. Unfortunately due to misinterpretations and mistranslations of the text, there is a lot of misunderstanding over who these people are.
The Gentiles

The Greek word ethnos (Strong’s #1484) literally means “nation.” This word is used in the 2,000 year old Greek Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word goy (Strong’s #1471), which also means “nation.” A nation is any group of people living and working under one rule. Many different nations are mentioned in the Bible including; the Canaanites, Egyptians, Moabites, Arameans, and others. But more importantly even Israel is called a “nation.”

And I will make of thee [Israel] a great nation (goy)… (Genesis 12:2, KJV)

… and of good report among all the nation (ethnos) of the Jews… (Acts 10:22, KJV)

Translating the Greek word ethnos in the New Testament as “gentile” is problematic. While the word “gentile” does mean “one belongs to a tribe or clan,” it has come universally mean a non-Jew. But as we have seen, the words goy and ethnos do not mean a non-Jew, they mean “one who belongs to a tribe or clan.”

Who are the ethnon (nations – plural of ethnos) mentioned in the New Testament?

I am sure that most people are familiar with the “ten lost tribes” from the northern “nation” of Israel that was taken into captivity by the Assyrians in the eighth century B.C. It believed by most that these “ten lost tribes” are “lost,” but this is not exactly true, at least not in the sense that most people assume.

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher… (Luke 2:36, RSV)

The tribe of Asher is one of the “ten lost tribes,” but as we can see, Anna, from the tribe of Asher, is not “lost.” The “lost” tribes are not “lost” in the sense of “missing,” but in the sense of walking away from the teachings of Yahweh. Even Yeshua mentions that his mission was to reach the “lost” tribes and commissions his disciples to do the same.

But he [Yeshua] answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 15:24, KJV)

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 10:6, KJV)

Even James mentions that he is a servant to the “twelve tribes,” which would include the “ten lost tribes.”

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. (James 1:1, KJV)

When Paul preached to the “nations” in the Book of Acts, he was doing what Yeshua commanded, preaching to the “lost” tribes, the lost goy/ethnos of Israel.
The Greeks

The book of Maccabees, one of the books of the Apocrypha, tells the story of the Jewish Revolt about 150 years before the time of the New Testament. The Greeks, led by Antichus Epiphinus, conquered the land of Israel and forced the Jews to leave their national heritage and the Torah and begin following the Greek culture. Because of the Jews hatred for all things Hellenistic, including the culture and language, Judas Maccabee lead the revolt against Antichus Epiphinus destroying the Greeks and slaughtering those Jews that had adopted the Greek language and culture. This revolt demonstrates the Jewish hatred of the hellistic culture and the incorrect assumption that the Jews freely adopted the Greek language during the time of the New Testament.

This divide between the Jews who remained faithful to the Torah and the Jewish culture, and those who rejected the Torah and adopted the Greek culture continued to exist into the first century A.D. The Jews that adopted the Greek culture and language were called Hellenes (Oxford Greek Dictionary)

The word Hellenes is the word used in the New Testament, where it is usually translated as “Greek,” but sometimes “Gentile,” but does not refer to native “Greeks,” but to Jews who have adopted the Greek culture and language.
The Jews

The Jews, in contrast to the Hellenists, are those Jews that remained faithful to the Torah and rejected the Greek culture and language.
Proselytes

Only mentioned four times in the New Testament are the “proselytes” (Matthew 23:15, Acts 2:11, 6:5 and 13:43). The word proselytes is a transliteration of the Greek word proselutos, which means a “stranger” or “foreigner.” These are non-Jews, what we would call today “gentiles,” that have joined Israel and follow Yahweh and his teachings.

The Greek word proselutos is used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word geyr, which also means a “stranger” or “foreigner,” a non-Israelite. It was not uncommon for foreigners (geyrim) to join Israel, and many of them came out of Egypt with Israel.

When Israel came out of Egypt, it was not just Israelites who came out, but a multitude of others. And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. (Exodus 12:36-38, KJV)

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them. (Exodus 12:37,38)

These foreigners were to be treated the same as the Israelites.

The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:34)

“You are to have the same laws (mishpat) for the alien and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 24:22)

Even Paul in the New Testament understood this and recognized that anyone could join Israel, just as they did in ancient times.

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12, KJV)

Conclusion

We now have a clearer understanding of these four people groups;

The Jews: The observant Jews who reject the Greek culture and language.

The Hellenists: The Jews who adopted the Greek culture and language.

The Nations: The Jews from the ten lost tribes.

The Strangers: Non-Jews who join themselves with the Jews.

Taken from: https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/studies-interpretation/jews-the-greeks-and-the-gentiles-who-are-they.htm

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What is the difference between LORD, Lord and lord

10-40 Admin — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 21:19:34 +0000

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This article has been reposted with permission from Ancient Hebrew Reseach Center. The original article is HERE.
1040W does not believe that the pronunciation is Yahweh but instead Yehovah. New information has been found in the last decade. See our article HERE

What is the difference between lord, Lord and LORD?

By Jeff A. Benner

If you have noticed, when you are reading your Bible in the King James Version (other versions will use these words similarly), you may have frequently come across the word “lord,” but you may not have noticed that this word is written three different ways: all lower-case letters (lord), all upper-case letters (LORD) and only the first letter in upper-case (Lord). Each of these styles of writing the word “lord” identifies different Hebrew words.

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? (Genesis 18:12, KJV)

And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: (Genesis 18:3, KJV)

And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; (Genesis 18:1, KJV)

lord

When you see the word “lord,” written in all lower-case letters, it is the Hebrew word אֲדוֹן (adon, Strong’s #113) and means “lord” or “master,” one who has authority over another. In the example above (Genesis 18:12) this word is a description of Abraham, Sarah’s “lord.”

Whenever this word is written as “lord” (all lower-case), this word is referring to men, but when this word is referring to God, then the first letter is written in upper-case (see Exodus 23:17).

Lord

Besides the few times the Hebrew word אֲדוֹן (adon) is written as “Lord,” the word “Lord” (first letter in upper-case) is used for the Hebrew word אֲדֹנָי (Adonai, Strong’s #136). While this word is translated as “Lord,” it doesn’t exactly mean “Lord.”

As previously mentioned, the Hebrew word for “lord” is אֲדוֹן (adon). When this word is written in the first person, possessive (my lord), it is written as אדֹנִי (adoniy, see Genesis 18:12). The plural form of the word אֲדוֹן (adon) is אֲדֹנִים (adonim, see Exodus 26:19). The first person, possessive, plural form (my lords) is written as אֲדוֹנָי (adonai, see 1 Kings 22:17).

אֲדוֹן	*adon*	lord
אדֹנִי	*adon*iy	my lord
אֲדֹנִים	*adon*im	lords
אֲדוֹנָי	*adon*ai	my lords

If the Hebrew word Adonai literally means “my lords,” why is it only translated as “Lord” so many times (see Exodus 4:13 as an example)? Most names attributed to God are in the plural including Elohiym (literally meaning “powers”) and Shaddai (literally meaning “my breasts”). The word Adonai (a plural word) is another name used for God that means “my lords.”

LORD

When the word “lord” is written in all upper-case letters (LORD), the Hebrew behind this word is the name of God, יהוה (YHWH).

Lord God and LORD God

And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? (KJV, Genesis 15:8)

In this verse Hebrew phrase Lord GOD is written in Hebrew as; אדני יהוה, which transliterates as; Adonai YHWH. The word Elohiym is the Hebrew word for “God.” But in Genesis 15:8 the word “god” is written in all upper-case because it is the KJV’s translation of the name Yahweh. Because the word Adonai means “lord,” they couldn’t translate this as “Lord LORD,” so they chose to use the word “god” for Yahweh and wrote it in all upper-case letters (Author’s Note: Just another case of a translation disregarding the actual Hebrew text).

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (KJV, Genesis 2:15)

In this verse the phrase “LORD God” is written in the Hebrew as; יהוה אלהים, which transliterates as; YHWH Elohiym. The name Yahweh (whose pronunciation is debated) is the name of the God of the Bible. Throughout the Old Testament, the KJV, and most other translations, translate the Hebrew name Yahweh as “LORD,” in all upper-case, and this is the case in Genesis 2:15. Following this word is the Hebrew word Elohiym, which is often translated as “God.”

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The Nomadic Hebrews – Part 2 of 3

10-40 Admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 19:30:00 +0000

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The Nomadic Hebrews – Part 1 of 3

10-40 Admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 19:27:48 +0000

Jeff Benner

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The Philosophy of the Hebrew Language

10-40 Admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:10:00 +0000

By Jeff A. Benner

East and West

Ancient philosophers, Plato (left) and Confucius (right)

Throughout the world, past and present, there are two major divisions of thought or philosophy; Western and Eastern. Western Philosophy has its beginnings in the sixth century B.C. in Greece with such philosophers as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Eastern Philosophy has its roots in the ancient past and was the philosophy of all ancient cultures of the Far East (including China and Japan), Middle East (Including India and Babylon) and Near East (including Egypt and Israel). As the Greek culture spread, so did Western philosophy to the point that Western philosophy has become the predominant philosophy throughout the world.

The Hebrews of the Bible wrote the Bible from the perspective of Eastern philosophy, but today’s readers are interpreting these writings with Western philosophy, the results being misinterpretations and mistranslations of the text. For this reason, it is essential that we learn the philosophy of the Ancient Hebrews in order to better understand the text we are reading.

The language of the Hebrews is a concrete language, meaning that it uses words that express something that can be seen, touched, smelled, tasted or heard and all five of the senses are used when speaking, hearing, writing and reading the Hebrew language. An example of this can be found in Psalms 1:3; “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither”.

In contrast to the Eastern philosophy of a concrete language, Western philosophy uses an abstract language to express itself. An abstract word is an expression that cannot be seen, touched, smelled, tasted or heard. Examples of Abstract thought can be found in Psalms 103:8; “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love”. The words compassion, grace, anger and love are all abstract words, ideas that cannot be experienced by the senses. Why do we find these abstract words in a passage of concrete thinking Hebrews? Actually, these are abstract English words used to translate the original Hebrew concrete words. The translators often translate this way because the original Hebrew makes no sense when literally translated for Western thinkers.

Concrete and Abstract Thought

While there are many differences between the Western and Eastern schools of thought, one of the major differences is the use of abstracts and concretes.
Concrete (left) and abstract (right) art

Just as artwork may be created in the concrete or the abstract, words can also be created in the concrete or the abstract. A concrete word, idea or concept is something that can be perceived by the five senses. It can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched. An abstract is something that cannot be perceived by the five senses.

As the Bible was written from an Eastern philosophical perspective, it is important that we recognize that we cannot interpret it through our own Western philosophy. To do so, would place a meaning and interpretation that may not be that of the original authors.

Thorleif Boman’s monumental work, Hebrew thought compared with Greek, states; “The thinking of the Old Testament is primitive and hence can be compared only with the thinking of other primitive peoples and not with thinking as advanced as Plato’s or Bergson’s.”

Victor H. Matthews explains how the culture of the Hebrews can be studied in his book, Manners and Customs of the Bible.” One of the joys of studying the Bible is attempting to reconstruct the manners and customs of the peoples of ancient times. The gulf of thousands of years can be bridged, at least in part, by insights into their everyday life. These can be garnered through the close examination of the biblical narratives and through the use of comparative written and physical remains from other ancient civilizations.”

In his books The Hebrew Genius as Exhibited in the Old Testament, George Adam Smith said; “…the Hebrews were mainly a doing and feeling people. Thus, their language has few abstract terms. Rather, “Hebrew may be called primarily a language of the senses. The words originally expressed concrete or material things and movements or actions which struck the senses or started the emotions. Only secondarily and in metaphor could they be used to denote abstract or metaphysical ideas.”

These same Concrete concepts of Eastern thought can also be found in Primitive cultures that exist today who have not been influenced by our Modern Western culture. The linguist Dan Everett, presented during his Endangered Languages and Lost Knowledge seminar, his discovery through his research that the primitive Pirahã tribe in the Amazon did not use abstract perspectives, but instead concrete ones. As an example, the Pirahã tribe call themselves the “straight heads” and outsiders are “crooked heads.” Interestingly, the Ancient Hebrew language uses this same style of speech. A literal translation of Proverbs 14:2 reads, “One who makes his walk straight will revere Yahweh, but the one who makes his path crooked is worthless.”

Everett also found that they had no concept of “left” and “right” (abstract terms of direction), but instead gave direction in relation to the surrounding topography, as in “toward the river,” or “toward the jungle.” Again, this is strikingly similar to the Ancient Hebrews’ perspectives of direction. Exodus 38:9-13 describes the direction of the court in relationship to the four sides of the Tabernacle. The Hebrew words used for these four directions are;

נגב (negev) – meaning “The desert region” (south)
צפון (tzafon) – meaning “The unknown region” (north)
ים (yam) – meaning “The Mediterranean Sea” (west)
קדם (qedem) – meaning “the region of the rising sun” (east)

Step Logic vs. Block Logic

While the Modern Western person thinks and arranges events chronologically (Step Logic), the Ancient Hebrews thought and arranged events according to action and purpose (Block Logic). Let me demonstrate with the following paragraph from a western step logic perspective.

“I got up and ate breakfast and read the newspaper. I then drove to work. While at work I read yesterday’s reports. At noon I walked across the street for lunch. While there I read a magazine. Back at work I read my emails. After work I drove home and had dinner.“

Now let me rearrange this paragraph in block form, the way the Hebrews would have conveyed this same story.

“I drove to work and walked across the street and I drove home. I ate breakfast and I ate lunch and I ate dinner. I read the newspaper and I read the reports and I read a magazine and I read my emails.“

To a person who is steeped in Western step logic, this paragraph would seem illogical as there is no way to make any chronological sense out of this narrative. However, this narrative would make much more sense to a person who is steeped in block logic as they can easily see my actions being grouped together. It is very important when reading the Bible to ignore the philosophy that has been ingrained in you and instead learn a completely new form of philosophy and logic.

Western readers of the Bible, who are reading the Bible from a linear perspective, read the creation account in Genesis as if it was written in chronological order, but this was not how the narrative was written; the different events of the creation account are recorded in blocks of related events.

The first three days of creation are related to separation.

Day 1 – Separating light from darkness
Day 2 – Separating the water from the sky
Day 3 – Separating the land from the water

The next three days of creation are related to the filling of the creation.

Day 4 – Filling the light with the sun and the dark with the moon
Day 5 – Filling the water fish and the sky with birds
Day 6 – Filling the land with animals and man

The record of events for the first six days of creation, are written in blocks of parallels, a form of Hebrew poetry, and can be written like this;

1 – Separating light from darkness

2 – Separating the water from the sky

3 – Separating the land from the water

4 – Filling the light with the sun and the dark with the moon

5 – Filling up the water with fish and the sky with birds

6 – Filling up the land with animals

Days 1 and 4 are paralleled with each other and are recording the same event as we can see from the following verses.

And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. (ESV, Genesis 1:4)

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night … and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (ESV, Genesis 1:14a, 18b)

Verse 4 occurs on the first day and is describing the action of God separating light and darkness, but in verse 14, which is day four, we have God again separating light and darkness. There are only two possible explanations for this. Either the separation of light and darkness on the first day disappeared and had to be separated again on the fourth day, or the first and fourth days are recording the same event. In addition, days 2 and 5 are recording the same event, as are days 3 and 6.

Hebrew Descriptions

An oak tree and a ram

In our minds we would never relate an oak tree to a ram or view them as the same. The reason being is that we relate to features and appearances. However, the Hebrews relate to the function and in the case of the oak and the ram, they function in the same way. An oak tree is a very hard wood and the horns and skull of a ram are equally as hard. For this reason, the Hebrew word איל (ayil) is used for a ram (see Genesis 22:13) and an oak (see Isaiah 1:29).

This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. (Genesis 6:15)

From our Modern Western mindset, we assume that this passage is describing the “appearance” of the ark. But this is not so, the dimensions are not given to tell us what it “looked like,” but instead to tell us that it is very large as it is going to hold a large number of animals.

Another example of differing cultural perspectives is how different cultures perceive time. In our modern Western world, we view the past as behind us and the future as ahead of us. In Biblical Hebrew, the word for “yesterday” (the past) is תמול (temol), which comes from the root מול (mul) meaning “in front.” The Biblical Hebrew word for “tomorrow” (the future) is מחר (mahher), which comes from the root אחר (ahher) meaning “in back.” Therefore, from a Biblical Hebrew perspective, the past is in front and the future is behind. We see time from the perspective of passing through it. As we have walked through the past, we see it as behind us and the future, which we have not yet walked in, is in front of us. The Hebrews saw time from the perspective of observance. The past is known and therefore can be seen (in front of the observer), but the future is not known and therefore cannot be seen (behind the observer).

Another major difference between the modern Western view and the ancient Eastern one is how something is described. A westerner would describe a pencil in relationship to its appearance, such as long and yellow. An ancient easterner on the other hand, would describe it by its function, such as “you write with it.” Notice that the western description uses adjectives, but the eastern description uses verbs. Biblical Hebrew rarely uses adjectives; instead, it much more prefers to use verbs.

Static vs. Dynamic

In our Modern western language verbs express action (dynamic) while nouns express inanimate (static) objects. In Hebrew all things are in motion (dynamic) including verbs and nouns. In Hebrew sentences the verbs identify the action of an object while nouns identify an object of action. The verb מלך (malak) is “the reign of the king” while the noun מלך (melek) is the “the king who reigns”. A mountain top is not a static object but the “head lifting up out of the hill”. A good example of action in what appears to be a static passage is the command to “have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). In Hebrew thought this passage is saying “not to bring another one of power in front of my face”.

Hebrew Psychology

Different cultures view the same picture differently

If you were to ask a Westerner, such as from the Americas or Europe, what they see in the picture above, they would probably say “a deer.” However, if you were to ask an Easterner, such as from Japan or China, what they see, they will probably say “a grove.” The difference is that the Western thinker focuses in on one point, while the Eastern thinker looks at the whole of the image.

An experiment demonstrating the different between Western and Eastern thought

In an extensive study on these different forms of philosophy, a wide range of people from America, Canada and Europe were asked if they thought the boy in the middle of the picture on the left was happy or sad, they all said “happy.” They were then asked if they thought the boy in the middle of the picture on the right was happy or sad, they all said “happy.” Then a wide range of people from Asia, including Japan and China, were asked the same questions. When asked if the boy on the left was happy or sad, they all said “happy.” When they were asked if the boy on the right was happy or sad, they all said “sad.”

Again, Western thinkers focus on one point, the boy in the middle. Eastern thinkers on the other hand focus on the picture as a whole and because the majority of the children in the picture on the right were sad, their answer was “sad,” regardless of the smile on the boy in the middle.

The Psychology of the Ancient Hebrews is very different from our own and when we read the Bible, we must learn to read it from the Hebrew’s perspective rather than our own.

When we use a word like “name,” we focus in on how it is written and pronounced.

I will tell of thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee. (Psalm 22:23)

What does it mean to “tell someone about another’s name?” Does it mean to tell others how to write or pronounce the name? From a Western perspective yes, but from a Hebraic perspective a name is much more than its pronunciation; it is the character of the individual, his ethics, workmanship, attitude, dependability, resourcefulness, compassion, honor, etc. When the Bible teaches us to “tell others the name of Yahweh,” it isn’t telling us to teach others how to write or pronounce it correctly; it is telling us to teach Yahweh’s character.

Taken from : https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/language/philosophy-of-the-hebrew-language.htm

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