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Word of the
Week
ברא (BaRA)
In this issue we are
continuing the study of the Parent Root בר and the roots and
words which are derived from it.
The Hebrew root ברא
(BaRA) is a child root formed out of the parent by adding the
letter א. As a verb this word is used 46 times in the Hebrew
Bible. Below are just a couple of these occurences in the KJV
translation (the underlined word is the translation of the
word ברא).
In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
Wherefore kick ye
at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded
in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make
yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of
Israel my people? (1Sa 2:29)
Create in me a
clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps
51:10 or 12 in the Hebrew Bible)
Remember now thy
Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days
come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have
no pleasure in them; (Ecc 12:1)
The first thing to
remember when researching the original meaning of a word is
that you need to find the "concrete" meaning of the word.
Since "create" is an abstract it would be a foriegn concept to
the ancient Hebrews. We find the concrete meaning in 1 Samuel
2:29 which is "fat". The actual word in this passage is
lehavriyackem (LHBRYAKM). The L means "to", the H makes the
verb causative (make), BRA is the root, Y (placed between the
R and A is also part of the causative form and the KM is "you"
(plural) or yourselfs". Literally this word means "to make
yourselfs fat".
Now let's see how this meaning applies
to the other verses listed. In Genesis 1:1 it does not say
that God "created" the heavens and the earth, instead he
"fattened" them or "filled" them. Notice that the remaining
chapter is about this "filling" of the heavens with sun, moon,
birds and and the "filling" of the earth with animals, plants
and man.
The "Create in me a clean heart" of Psalms
51:10 would better be translated as "fill me with a clean
heart".
The passage in Ecc 12:1 translates this verb
(which is in the participle form meaning "one who
fattens/fills") as "Creator" but the truth is that this word
is in the plural form and they should have at least translated
it as "Creators". This is often a problem when relying on a
translation as the translator will often "fix" the text so
that it makes more sense. But as this word means to fatten or
fill, this should be understood as "fatteners" or "fillers". I
believe this verse is speaking about the "teachers" (ones who
fill you with knowledge) of your youth.
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