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        TAKE (V) The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. This verb is derived from the parent root   . The first letter is the (quph - Q) and is a picture of the rising or setting sun at the horizon meaning to come together, or gather, from the gathering of the light at the horizon. The second letter, (hhet - Hh), is the picture of a wall which separates. Combined, these two letters form the word QaHh meaning to gather what is separated, to take. TEACHING The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. The most common word translated as "law" in the Hebrew Bible is the word תורה torah [H:8451] and is derived from the Hebrew root word ירה yarah [H:3384] meaning to cast or throw out as can be seen in the following verses. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast (yarah) into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. Exodus 15:4 (KJV) And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot (yarah). And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 1 Samuel 20:36 (KJV) This idea of "throwing" is also extended to the idea of "throwing a gaze in a particular direction" or to "point." And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed (yarah) him a tree... Exodus 15:25 (KJV) As a teacher points out the way his student is to go, this word is also extended to the idea of "teaching." And that ye may teach (yarah) the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. Leviticus 10:11 (KJV) Two nouns found in the Biblical text are derived from the verbal root yarah. One is מורה moreh [H:3384] meaning "teacher," the one who points out the way. The other is תורה torah [H:8451] meaning "teachings," the direction pointed out by the moreh. I did not listen to the voice of my teachers (moreh)... Proverbs 5:13 My son, hear the instruction of your father and do not forsake the teachings (torah) of your mother. Proverbs 1:8 To interpret the Hebrew word torah as "law" is about the same as interpreting the word father as "disciplinarian." While the father is a disciplinarian, he is much more, and in the same way torah is much more than "law." A parent’s torah is a set of teachings, or instructions, to train and bring the children to maturity, to set them on the correct path. If the child is obedient to the instructions and guidance, he receives praise. If the instructions are violated out of disrespect or defiant disobedience, the child receives punishment. However, if the child desires to follow the instructions out of loving obedience but falls short of the expectations of the parent, the child is commended for the effort and counseled on how to perform the instructions better the next time. In contrast to this, a "law" is a set of rules that if not observed correctly will result in punishment and there is no room for teaching. God, as the father of mankind, gives his children his torah in the same manner. Happy is the man whom you, Yah, discipline, and from your teachings (torah) you teach him Psalms 94:12 The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. To interpret the Hebrew word torah as law is about the same as interpreting the word father as disciplinarian. While the father is a disciplinarian he is much more and in the same way torah is much more than law. The word torah is derived from the root yarah meaning to throw. This can be the throwing of a rock, the shooting of an arrow, or the pointing of the finger to show direction. Another word derived from this root is the word moreh, which can mean and archer, one who throws the arrow, or a teacher, as one who points the way. The word torah is literally the teachings of the teacher or parent. When a parent is teaching a child a new task and he demonstrates a willingness to learn, but fails to grasp the teaching completely, the parent does not punish the child, but rather encourages him. In contrast to this, a law is a set of rules that if not observed correctly, will result in punishment, and there is no room for teaching. The torah of Elohiym are his teachings to his children which are given in love to encourage and strengthen. The following is an excerpt from the book His Name is One. To fully understand the Hebraic meaning of the word תורה (torah) we will begin with the parent root,   (yar). The letter (Y) is a hand and the letter (R) is a man. These two letters form the parent root meaning the "hand of man" or "to throw". The child root ירה (yarah) is the throwing of an object such as a stone, arrow or the finger that is thrown in a direction one is to walk, to point. This latter meaning of "to point" can either be a literal pointing toward a physical direction, or a figurative pointing to a teaching that is to be followed. From this child root ירה (yarah), two Biblical words are derived, מורה (moreh) and תורה (torah). The Hebrew word מורה (moreh) is "one who throws". This can be a teacher (or father) who throws (points) his finger in a direction the student (or son) is to take. It can also be an archer who throws an arrow at a target. The second word derived from ירה (yarah) is תורה (torah) meaning "what is thrown by the thrower (moreh)". This can be the arrow of the archer, or the direction pointed by the teacher or father. To translate the Hebrew word תורה (torah) as "law" would be the same as translating the word "father" as "disciplinarian". While a father is a disciplinarian, it is not all that the father is. In the same way, there is law within the torah but that is not all that torah is. Law is a "static set of rules and regulations established by a government to a people where violations are punished". Torah is a "dynamic set of instructions established by the father to his children where disobedience is disciplined through correction and punishment, but obedience is praised". A father teaches his children how to live a life that is right, healthy and prosperous. God is the father who instructs his children with the same teachings. TENT The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. The nomadic tent was constructed by weaving black goat's hair into panels about three feet wide and the length of the tent. If the tent was required to be made larger, they would sew in additional panels. As each panel aged and began to break down from exposure to the sun, it was replaced with a new panel. As a general rule, one panel was replaced each year. Many similarities exist between these panels of the tent and the family members themselves. Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; Isaiah 54:1,2 (KJV) The phrases highlighted in the passage above literally describe what happens when the family size becomes larger with the addition of children. Just as new members are added to the family to increase its size, new panels are also added to the tent to increase its size. The new tent panels are black in color, just like the hair on the children. The hair on the head of older members turns white after many years, just as the panels of the tent begin to turn white over the years from exposure in the sunlight. Just as the older members of the family die and are replaced with newborns, the older strips of the tent are removed and replaced with new panels. Because the tent is continually being renewed, year after year, with the addition of new panels as needed, the tent literally lasts forever and in the same way, the lineage of the family residing within the tent continues generation after generation. And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife... Genesis 25:20 The phrase "forty years old" is an English translation of the Hebrew בן ארבעים שנה ben arba’iym shanah which is literally translated as "a son of forty years." Because of the many similarities between the tent panel and the sons of the family, it appears that the Hebrew word בן ben [H:1121] meaning "son" may also be the Hebrew word for the tent panel. If this is true, then the Hebrew phrase ben arba’iym shanah could be translated as "forty years of tent panels" and as one panel was replaced each year, it could serve as a type of calendar. The Hebrew word for a tent is אהל ohel [H:168] and is derived from the parent root הל (hal) meaning a distant shining light or a star used to navigate by. Late one day I was hiking in the mountains near where I lived. In the dark I made it back to my car, which was parked high over a large valley. Down in that valley, I could see a campfire about five miles away. It really amazed me how that small light could be so visible at such a distance. A nomad that has been out with his flock all day could use the campfire near the family tent as his guide for returning home. THOUSAND The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
In the verse above is the Hebrew noun אל ף (eleph, Strong's #504) meaning oxen. Oxen are the largest of the Ancient Hebrews' livestock and were most frequently used for plowing the fields, usually in pairs. An older ox would be yoked to a younger one in order for the older one to teach the younger through association. This same noun is also found in Judges 6:15 where it is translated as "family." In a family, the children learn from the parents, in the same manner as the oxen, through association. The verbal root of this word is אל ף (A.L.Ph, Strong's #502) and means "learn," but more literally, to learn through association, as can be seen in the following verse.
As oxen are "very large" animals, the word אל ף (eleph) is also used for a "thousand," a "very large" number. (While this is the same word discussed previously, Strong's dictionary has assigned this word the number 505 when used for a "thousand.") From this aspect of the noun, a second verb is formed. Normaly, Hebrew nouns are derived out of verbs, however on occasion, a verb is derived out of a noun, this verb is called a demonstrative verb. The demonstrative verb formed out of אל ף (eleph) is אל ף (A.L.Ph, Strong's #503) meaning to "give a thousand." In summary, the Hebrew word אל ף can be; 1. A verb meaning to learn by association. 2. A noun meaning oxen, a large beast, which learns through association. 3. A noun meaning family, through the idea of association. 4. A noun meaning a thousand, a large number. 5. A verb meaning to give a thousand. One other note about the word eleph, it may be the origin of the word elephant, a "very large" beast. TITLE The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. When we see a name, such as "King David" we see the word "King" as a title and "David" as a name. In our western mind a title describes a character trait while a name is simply an identifier. In the Hebrew language there is no such distinction between names and titles. Both words, King and David, are descriptions of character traits. The Hebrew word melekh (king) is "one who reigns," while daviyd (David) is "one who is loved". Both of these words are titles, describing the character of David. It is also common to identify the word "Elohiym" (Elohiym) as a title and YHWH (Yahweh) as a name. What we do not realize is that both of these are character traits. YHWH is both a word and title meaning "one who exists" and Elohiym is a word and a title meaning "one who has power and authority". The Hebrew word "shem" more literally means "character". When the Bible speaks of taking Elohiym's name to the nations, he is not speaking about the name itself but his character. When we are commanded to not take Elohiym's name in vain, this literally means not to represent his character in a false manner. This is similar to our expression, "have a good name," which is not about the name itself but the character of the one with that name. The following is an excerpt from the book His Name is One. The word "name" is the usual translation for the Hebrew word שם (shem). Though the word "shem" has the meaning of a "name", the Hebraic meaning of the word goes far beyond our simple Western understanding of a "name". Depending on the translation, this Hebrew word is also translated as; fame, famous, honor, renown or report. Obviously, this Hebrew word has a broader meaning in the ancient Hebrew language. The Hebrew word נשמה (neshemah) is formed by adding the letter ה (h) to the adopted root נשם (nasham) which comes from the parent root שם (shem). While the Western mind simply sees "breath" as the exchange of air within the lungs, the ancient Hebrew mind understood the "breath" in an entirely different way as can be seen in Job 32:8; "The wind within man and the breath (נשמה) of the Almighty teach them". Our Western understanding of the breath does not easily grasp the concept that a breath can teach. While our Western understanding can easily associate thoughts and emotions as the function of the "mind", the Easterner sees the same function in the "breath". The "breath" of both men and God has the ability to carry thought and emotion.The next word that we will examine is the child root שמה (shamah) meaning "heaven", "sky" or "the place of the winds". It is always used in the plural form שמים (shamayim). The Hebrew mind sees נשמה (neshemah) and שמה (shamah) as synonyms. The נשמה is the breath/wind of a man, and the שמה is the breath/wind of the skies. Just as we saw above where the נשמה can teach, so also the שמים (shamayim) can also speak; "The skies (~ymX) proclaim his righteousness, and all the people see his glory". (Psalms 97:6) The root word שמם (shamam) is formed by doubling the second letter of the parent root. By adding the letter ה (h) to the end, the word שממה (shememah) is formed. Both words mean, "desolate" and are used in the following passage; "Many shepherds will ruin my vineyards, they will trample my fields, they will turn the fields of my delight into a desert of desolation (hmmX). And it will be made into desolation (shememah), parched and desolate (shamam) before me, all the land will be desolate (shamam) because there is no man to care for it." (Jeremiah 12:10, 11) When the dry winds blow through the desert, any moisture in the ground or air is removed causing the desert to become dry and parched. שמם (shamam) and שממה (shememah) are dry and desolate places formed by a dry wind. Another child root ישם (yasham), with the same meaning as שמם (shamam), a dry desolating wind, can be seen in the following verse; "All your resting places of the cities will become dry, and the high places will be desolate (ישם)". (Ezekiel 6:6) By gathering together all the words derived from the parent root שם (shem), and looking for the common thread that each have in common, we can discover the original Hebraic meaning of the parent root. Each of the words has the basic meaning of a "wind" within them. נשמה (neshemah) is the wind, or breath, of man, שמים (shamayim) is the wind of the skies, שמם (shamam), שממה (shememah) and ישם (yasham) is the desolation caused by a dry wind. From this we can conclude that the ancient Hebraic meaning of שם is "breath". TOMORROW The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. The hand gesture, usually referred to as the "thumbs up," conveys the idea of "good" while the "thumbs down" means "bad." You are probably aware that these gestures have their origin in the gladiatorial games where Caesar would give one of these gestures to the conquering gladiator to convey his desire for the fate of the defeated, but you may not be aware of the original meanings behind these gestures. If Caesar gave the "thumbs up," which was actually pointing to the throat, and not up as we mistakenly think, it signaled the gladiator standing above the defeated to put his sword through the throat, to kill him. On the other hand, if he gave the "thumbs down" he is signaling the gladiator to throw his sword to the ground, to spare the defeated. As you can see, over the last two thousand years, the meanings of thumbs up and thumbs down have reversed in meaning. We have already seen a few examples of how different Hebrew thought is from our own Modern Greek way of thinking, but is it possible at times our modern way of thinking is opposite of Hebrew thought? Let’s look at an example that shows that it can be. In our way of recollecting time, we view time as a line or road. On this road the past—where we have already walked—is behind us, and the future—where we have not yet walked—is in front of us. If we examine some Hebrew words related to time, we can get a clue on how the Ancient Hebrews perceived the past and the future. The Hebrew word for tomorrow is מחר mahhar [H:4279] from the root אחר ahhar [H:309] meaning "to be behind." The Hebrew word for yesterday is תמול temol [H:4136] from the word מול mul [H:8543] meaning "in front." As you can see, in Hebraic thought, they perceived the past (yesterday) as in the front while the future (tomorrow) as behind. It is not that they saw themselves walking the road of time backwards—in fact, they did not see time as linear, but as cyclical. They perceived their history, the past, as events that can be seen, therefore in front, while the future cannot be seen. Therefore, it is behind and out of view. As directions are oriented to the east and the east is "in front," the word קדם qedem [H:6924] can mean east (in space) as well as the past (in time). TREE The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
The Hebrew word for a tree is עץ (eyts, Strong's #6086). In the passage above, the context clearly shows the word is used in a plural sense (trees). However, in the passage, the word is written as עץ, the singular form. In Biblical Hebrew, the word עץ can mean a tree (singular) or trees (plural), while the plural form of this word, עצים (eytsiym), always means "wood," such as in the verse below.
This allows for an interpretation of the "tree of life" and the "tree of knowledge," different from how we have previously interpreted them. The Hebrew can just as easily be translated as the "trees of life" and the "trees of knowledge." The word עץ is a parent root (a two letter root) from which a couple of other words are derived. The verb עצם (Ah.Ts.M, Strong's #6105) means strong and mighty, as is a tree. Derived from this verb is the noun עצם (etsem, Strong's #6106), meaing bones, the "strong tree" of the body. Also, the verb יעץ (Y.Ah.Ts, Strong's #3289) means counsel, to give support to another as the tree trunk supports the branches and leaves. TRUTH The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. The root of this word is aman, a word often translated as "believe," but more literally means "support," as we see in Isaiah 22:23 where it says "I will drive him like a peg in a place of support..." A belief in Elohiym is not a mental exercise of knowing that Elohiym exists but rather our responsibility to show him our support. The word "emet" has the similar meaning of firmness, something that is firmly set in place. Psalms 119:142 says, "the "Torah" (the teachings of Elohiym) is "emet" (set firmly in place). TURN.BACK (V) The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. This verb is derived from the parent root   . The first letter is the (shin - Sh), a picture of the teeth meaning to press. The second letter, (beyt - B), is the picture of the tent or home. Combined, these two letters form the word ShaB representing a pressing to the tent and means to return. The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. We usually perceive repentance as a "feeling" of sorrowfulness and while this is one sign of a repentant person, there is far more to repentance. Therefore house of Israel, I will judge each according to his path declares Adonai Yahweh, turn and come back from all your rebellion and iniquity will not be your stumbling Ezekiel 18:30 The phrase "turn and come back" isשובו והשיבו shuvu v’hashiyvu in the Hebrew. The first word, שובו shuvu, is the Hebrew verb שוב shuv [H:7725] meaning "to turn." The second word is השיבו ha shiyvu and is the same verb שוב shuv [H:7725] but written in the causative form where it would mean "make a turn." The first word, shuvu, can be interpreted as "stop and turn away" from the iniquity and the second word, ha shiyvu, can be interpreted as "come back" to the path you should be following. I mentioned previously my experience of finding myself lost from the trail I was following. Once I realized my mistake, I "stopped and turned around" and looked for where the trail should be. Then I headed for it and I eventually did "come back" to the trail. This same analogy can also be applied when we find ourselves lost from God’s path. TWISTEDNESS The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. In Genesis 19:15 we find the word "iniquity."
Our modern Greco-Roman languages commonly use abstract terms, like iniquity. But as Hebrew is a concrete language, rarely using abstracts, we must understand the word "iniquity" from its Hebraic concrete meaning. The Hebrew word for "iniquity" is עוון (ah-von, Strong's #5771), which is derived from the verbal root עוה (Ah.W.H, Strong's #5753). This verbal root is found in the following passages.
Already we are beginning to see the "concrete" meaning in the Hebrew word that lies behind the English word "iniquity," it is something crooked or twisted. The first letter in this word is the letter ע (ayin). This single letter was originally two different letters when Hebrew was written with a pictographic alphabet; the  (ayin) and the  (ghayin). The ghayin is a picture of a twisted cord and is clearly the original letter in this word.As we have demonstrated, the verb עוה (Ah.W.H) means "to be crooked" or "to be twisted," therefore the noun עוון (ah-von), derived from this verb, then means "crookedness" or "twistedness." Let’s return to our original passage and read this from a more concrete perspective.
This same noun is also found in the following passage.
Why the translators chose the word "punishment" for this word is a mystery because this translation implies that Cain was saddened by the punishment. The truth is, this word means twistedness, and he was instead saddened by his "actions." |