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UNDERWORLD The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. Psalm 18:5 (KJV) In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word שאול she’ol [H:7585] is translated as either "hell" or "grave" or in some translations, it is transliterated as "Sheol." What is she'ol and how did the Ancient Hebrews of the Old Testament perceive it? As I have said before, in order to better understand a word, it is essential to look at its root and other related words. The verbal root of the word שאול she’ol [H:7585] is שאל sha'al [H:7592] and is used almost 200 times where it is usually translated as "asked" such as we see in Genesis 24:47. And I asked (sha’al) her and said... Why do we ask questions? We are looking for information that is currently unknown to us. This word, "unknown," is the key to understanding the root שאל sha'al [H:7592]. The word שאל ה shi’eylah [H:7596], a noun derived from שאל sha'al [H:7592] is also related to the idea of "unknown" such as can be observed in Job 6:8 where it is translated as a request. Oh that I might have my request (shi’eylah); and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! (KJV) The word שאול she’ol [H:7585] is the place where one goes when they die. The question is, did they understand this to be simply the grave where one is buried or another place one goes after they die—the underworld? This is a difficult question for one to answer, because the Hebrew Bible never really defines she’ol. There is evidence, however, that the Hebrews understood she’ol to be more than just the grave. First, the word קבר qever [H:6913] is the Hebrew word meaning the "grave." Second, most scriptures using the word she’ol imply a place other than the grave. An example can found in Genesis 37:35. and all his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused to be comforted and he said, because I will go down to my son, unto she'ol, in mourning and his father wept for him. In this account Jacob believed a wild beast had eaten his son Joseph. As Joseph's body could not possibly be in a grave, Jacob knew that he would be with him somewhere—she’ol. The Ancient Hebrews did not know where, or even what, she’ol was. To them it was an "unknown" place, hence its relationship to sha’al meaning "unknown." Ancient Hebrews never speculated on something unknown—to them it was simply "unknown" and left at that. But one with a Greek mindset always desires to know the unknown. It is our Greco-Roman western mindset that needs to know where and what she’ol is. In the New Testament, we find three words translated as "hell." The first is geenna geenna [G:1067]. When the New Testament was translated into Greek, the translators transliterated rather than translated some Hebrew words into Greek. An example of this is the word allhlouia hallelouia [G:239], a word found in Revelation chapter 19, and is a transliteration of the Hebrew word יל ל ו-יה halelu-yah [H:1984 & 3050] meaning "Praise Yah." The Greek word geenna is a transliteration of two Hebrew words, גיא gai [H:1516], meaning "valley" and הנם hinnom [H:2011], a place name of uncertain meaning. Gai hinnom or "Valley of Hinnom" is the name of a valley outside Jerusalem. In the days of Yeshua the "Valley of Hinnom" burned continually with fires that consumed the garbage and dead animals dumped there by the inhabitants of the city. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell (geenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched:Mark 9:43 (KJV) The idea of a "fire" being associated with she’ol is unique to the New Testament and no such reference will be found in the Old Testament. Apparently, the fires of hell is a concept introduced into the Hebrew culture from an outside source, possibly while Israel was in Babylon during their captivity. The second word translated as "hell" in the New Testament is adhj hades [G:86]. This is the Greek word used in the Greek Septuagint for the Hebrew word she’ol. Hades is used in the New Testament in the same sense as the Hebrew she’ol, the place of the dead, the underworld. However, in the New Testament hades/she’ol is first described as a place of torment. And in hell (hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.Luke 16:23 KJV The third word translated as hell is tartarow tartaroo [G:5020] and is found only once in the Bible. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (tartaroo), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. 2 Peter 2:4 (KJV) The word tartaroj tartaros comes from Greek Mythology and was a deep abyss and a place of torment where the Greek gods banished their enemies. The use of this word in the New Testament is a clear case of a Greek influence on the New Testament text. The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. The word she'ol was understood as the place where one goes when they die. Was this simply the grave one is buried in, or a place one goes too after they die? This is a difficult question to answer as the Hebrew Bible never really defines she'ol. There is evidence however that they understood it to be more than just the grave. First, the word qever is the normal Hebrew word for a grave and therefore, it is possible that she'ol was understood as something other than the grave. Second, most scriptures using the word she'ol imply a place other than the grave. An example can be found in Genesis 37:35 where Jacob says "I will go down to my son in she'ol." In this account Jacob believed his son Joseph had been eaten by a wild beast and could therefore not be in a grave, yet Jacob knew that he would be with him somewhere-she'ol. The Ancient Hebrews did not know where, or even what, she'ol was. To them it was an unknown place hence. The word she'ol literally means "unknown." It should also be noted that the Ancient Hebrews never speculated on something unknown, it was simply not known and left at that. It is only the Greek mind that desires to know the unknown. It is our Greco-Roman western mindset that needs to know where and what she'ol is. UNIT The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. The Hebrew word אחד ehhad [H:259] is often translated as "one" but a more Hebraic definition would be a "unit" as can be clearly observed in the following verse. Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cling with his wife and they will be for a flesh unit (ehhad). Genesis 2:24 The Western mind sees "one" as only singular, void of any connection to something else. For instance, "one" man is an individual entity to himself, just as "one" tree is an entity to itself. To the Ancient Hebrew mind, nothing is "one," all things are dependent upon something else. A man is not "one," but a unity of body, bones, flesh, organs and blood. The man is also in unity with his wife and family as well as with the larger community. Even a tree is a unity of roots, trunk, branches, and leaves, which is also in unity with the surrounding landscape. "One" year is a unity of seasons. The first use of ehhad is found in Genesis 1:5 where "evening" and "morning," two states of opposite function, are united to form "one" day. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. It should be noted the use of the Hebrew word ehhad in this verse is rather intriguing. Days two through seven are identified by their cardinal number—second, third, fourth, etc. The only exception to this is the "first" day which does not use the cardinal number ראשון rishon [H:7223] meaning "first" but instead uses the ordinal number ehhad. I am of the opinion this day is a summary of all of creation, a unity of the days of creation being expressed as the separation of light and darkness. The Hebrew mind does not view time in a linear fashion as we Westerners do but as cyclical. The seven days are not meant to be a "timeline" of events but a poetic description of God’s work. With all of this said, we do find the Hebrew word "ehhad" meaning "one" in the sense of individuality. And Elohiym said, the waters under the sky will be gathered to one (ehhad) place... Genesis 1:9 I have theorized in the Ancient Hebrew language there was another word to represent the ordinal number "one" and the word ehhad was solely used for a unit that exists within a unity. But over time, the original Hebrew word for "one" went into disuse and the word ehhad was used for a unit as well as the number "one." This would not be a unique occurrence, as languages are constantly evolving, words are dropped and added, and definitions and usages change over time. However, there are some textual evidences to support this theory. The number twelve is written in Hebrew asשני עשר sheney asar, literally translated as "two ten." We would then expect eleven to be written asאחד עשר ehhad asar and we do find that in some verses, but we also findעשתי עשר ashtey asar such as in the following verse. And on the third day eleven bullocks... Numbers 29:20 (KJV) The word עשתי ashtey [H:6249] means "one" but is only used in the context of "eleven." It would appear ashtey was the original word for "one" but was replaced by ehhad. How does all this relate to the two natures of man, the physical and the spiritual, such as we see in the following verse? Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3,4 (KJV) Our western mind perceives "clean hands" as physical and "pure heart" as spiritual, but what is "spiritual"? The dictionary defines this word as "Having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material." By definition, the "spiritual" is nonphysical, and since all Hebraic thought is founded in the physical, there is no such concept of "spiritual" in the Hebrew mind. The above passage is a Hebrew parallelism, expressing "one" idea in two (or more) different ways. To the Hebrew mind, clean hands (an idiom for innocence) is the same as a pure mind (also an idiom for innocence). The author is not creating a dichotomy of physical and spiritual but expressing innocence in two different ways. I and the father are one. John 10:30 (RSV) While the Greek text uses the word eij heis [G:1520] meaning "one" we must take our definition from the Hebrew word ehhad since he was speaking in Hebrew and not Greek. What Yeshua is saying is he and the father work together as a unit, with the same purposes and goals. Yeshua also desired this same unity with his disciples as we see in his prayer to his father. That they may all be one (heis/ehhad); even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one (heis/ehhad) even as we are one (heis/ehhad). John 17:21,22 (RSV) The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. The word ehhad (noun) comes from the verbal root ahhad meaning "to unite." Ehhad is best translated with the word "unit," something that is part of the whole, a unit within a community. In the Hebrew mind everything is, or should be, a part of a unity. There is not one tree but a tree composed of units within the unity-roots, trunk, branches and leaves. A tree is also in unity with the other trees-the forest. A son is a unit within the brotherhood and the family. The following is an excerpt from the book His Name is One. The child root אחד (ehhad) is derived from the parent root חד (hhad), which is written as in the ancient Hebrew pictographs. The first letter in this word represents a tent wall, such as that which divides the male from the female sides, and means to separate or divide. The second letter represents a door or entrance, such as that which allows passage between the two sides of the tent, and means to enter. This parent root has the pictographic meaning of "a wall with a door" or "a wall for entering". The Hebraic idea being expressed in this word is that one thing, or person, serves more than one function. Just as the wall separates the two sides, the door in the wall unites them. This Hebraic imagery can be clearly seen in the following passage: "And you son of man, the sons of your people are speaking about you next to the walls and in the doors of the houses; and one (חד) speaks at one (אחד) man and at his brother saying please come and hear what the word of the one coming from the LORD is saying. And they come to you like they are coming of a people, and my people sit before you. And they listen to your words but they do not practice it; adoration is in their mouths but their hearts walk after their greed" (Ezekiel 33:30,31). In this passage we see the two opposite actions of the people. While they go to hear from the LORD, they practice evil in their hearts, "one" individual with two opposite manifestations. It is also interesting to note that Ezekiel shows that these people are speaking about him at the walls and doors, a direct connection to the word whose pictographs are of a wall and a door. The child root אחד (ehhad), derived from the parent חד (hhad) and keeping with our foundational meaning in the parent root, means those that are separated come together in unity. While this word is often translated as "one", where the actual Hebraism is lost, it is better translated as a "unity". The Western mind sees "one" as a singular, void of any connection to something else. For instance, "one" man is an individual entity to himself, just as "one" tree is an entity to itself. To the ancient Hebrew Eastern mind, nothing is "one"; all things are dependent upon something else. A man is not "one", but a unity of body, mind and breath. The man is also in unity with his wife and family as well as with the larger community. Even a tree is a unity of roots, trunk, branches and leaves, which is also in unity with the surrounding landscape. "One" year is a unity of seasons. The first use of אחד (ehhad) is found in Genesis 1:5 where "evening" and morning", two states of opposite function, are united to form "one" day; "And there was evening and there was morning, one day." UPON The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The first letter is the (ayin - A), a picture of an eye representing the idea of experience. The second letter, (lamed - L), is the picture of a staff but also represents a yoke as the staff on the shoulders. When combined, these two letters form the word AL meaning to experience the yoke and as the yoke is lifted up onto the shoulders this verb means to go up. When used as a noun this same two letter root means a yoke.