This Hebrew noun is used forty-five times and is most frequently translated as fear. In our English language fear is a state of excitedness, in a negative way, toward something terrible. Before we look at the Hebraic meaning of this word we will examine its use in the common context of "the Fear of the Lord" which appears twenty-seven times.

Proverbs 15:33 (RSV)
The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor.

The common understanding of this verse is that if one is afraid of the Lord he will have wisdom but, as we shall see this is not consistent with its use in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew for this phrase is יראת יהוה (yirat Yahweh). When two nouns are placed together they are in the construct state meaning that these two words should be considered one. Another clue that these two nouns are in the construct is the change of the letter ה (h). When the first word of the construct phrase ends with the letter ה (h), it changed to the letter ת (t).

Below is a complete list of construct phrases from the book of Genesis where the second word in the construct is "the Lord" (Yahweh).

The Word of the Lord (Genesis 15:1)
The Voice of the Lord (Genesis 3:8)
The Face of the Lord (Genesis 4:16)
The Name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26)
The Eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8)
The Garden of the Lord (Genesis 13:10)
The Angel of the Lord (Genesis 16:7)
The Way of the Lord (Genesis 18:19)
The Mount of the Lord (Genesis 22:14)

You will notice that in every instance the first word in the construct (word, voice, etc) belongs to the second word of the construct (Yahweh). The "fear" in the phrase "the fear of the Lord" is not our fear, it is the Lord's fear. Because God cannot "fear" we must look to the Ancient Hebrew concrete meaning of this word to understand it.

The word yirah comes from the parent root yar which means "to flow" and is related to words meaning river and rain, from their flowing, and to throw in the sense of flowing. From this we can see that when one is afraid the insides begin to shake, a flowing of the insides. But as the word yirah means "to flow" it is not limited to "fear" alone.

In our introductory verse we saw that wisdom comes from this "fear of the Lord." Compare that with Exodus 31:3 - "And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship." It is "the Spirit of God (the Lord)" that gives us wisdom in the same way that "the fear of the Lord" does. The Hebrew word for "spirit" is "ruach" literally meaning the "wind," which is also a flowing. The "fear of the Lord" is his Spirit which flows out of him into us giving us wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

The name Daniel is pronounced Dah-nee-eyl in the Hebrew text of the Bible. This name is composed of two words - דני (dah-nee) and אל (eyl). The Hebrew word דן (dahn) means a judge. When the letter י (iy) is placed after a noun, the noun becomes first person possessive hence, דני (dah-nee) means "my judge." The word אל (eyl) literally means one of power and authority but is usually translated as "God." When these two words are combined into the proper name Daniel it means "my judge is God."

Q: When were the final five letters added to the Hebrew alphabet?

A: To answer this question a little history of the Hebrew alphabet is needed. Originally Hebrew was written with pictographs, what has become known as Paleo-Hebrew. When Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity they adopted the Aramaic script for most of their writing. This Aramaic script is actually the origin of the modern Hebrew script used today. Technically the Hebrew alphabet used today is not Hebrew, it is Aramaic. When Israel adopted the Aramaic script it included the five final letters, called sofit in Hebrew, as found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. When Aramaic began using these final letters appears to be a mystery.

And God spoke all these words, saying (RSV)

וידבר (vay-da-ber)
The verb root דבר means "speak." The prefix י identifies the verb as third person, masculine, singular and imperfect tense - he will speak or he speaks. The prefix ו means "and" but also changes the tense of the verb from imperfect to perfect - he spoke.

אלהים (e-lo-hiym)
The base word is אלה (e-lo-ah) meaning "one of power" or "God." The suffix ים (iym) identifies the noun as a masculine plural - Gods or God (Hebrew plurals can be quantitative - more than one, or qualitative - large or great). Because this noun follows the verb it is the subject of the verb, the "he" in "he spoke."

את (eyt)
This word identifies the direct of the verb which will follow this word.

כל (kol)
This word means "all."

הדברים (ha-de-va-riym)
The base word is דבר and is the noun form of the verb seen in the first word of this verse. This base word means a "word." The prefix ה means "the." The suffix ים identifies the noun as a masculine plural. הדברים means "the words."

האלה (ha-ey-lah)
The base word אלה (ey-lah) means "these." The prefix ה means "the." The phrase האלה הדברים (the words the these) is translated as "these words."

לאמר (ley-mor)
The verb root אמר (a-mar) means "say." The prefix ל (ley) means "to" and identifies the verb as infinitive. לאמר means "to say."

The following is a literal rendering of this verse from its Hebraic meaning.

And the great one of power spoke all these words saying

In following issues we will continue with this chapter.

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Mechanical Translation Excerpt - Genesis 7:1-6

For details on this new translation see the MTHB web site.

1 and YHWH said to No'ahh come, you and all your house to the vessel given that I saw you are a correct one before me in this generation 2 from all the pure beasts you will take to you seven, seven of the man and his woman and from the beast which is not pure she is two of the man and his woman 3 also from the flyer of the sky seven, seven of the male and female to keep alive the seed upon the face of all the land 4 given that for days yet again seven I will make a precipitating upon the land forty days and forty nights and I will wipe away all the substance I did from upon the face of the ground 5 and No'ahh did just as all that YHWH much directed him 6 and No'ahh was a son of six hundred years and the flood had existed, waters upon the land

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AHRC Web Site Excerpt - 1st Century Hebrew

Although the survival of Hebrew as a spoken language until the Byzantine Period is well-known among Hebrew linguists, there remains a lag in awareness among some historians who do not necessarily keep up-to-speed with linguistic research and rely on outdated scholarship. Nevertheless, the vigor of Hebrew is slowly but surely making its way through the academic literature. The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls distinguishes the Dead Sea Scroll Hebrew from the various dialects of Biblical Hebrew it evolved out of, "This book presents the specific features of DSS Hebrew, emphasizing deviations from classical BH."The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church that once said in 1958 in its first edition, Hebrew "ceased to be a spoken language around the fourth century BC", now says in 1997 in its third edition, Hebrew "continued to be used as a spoken and written language in the New Testament period". An Introductory Grammar of Rabbinic Hebrew says, "It is generally believed that the Dead Sea Scrolls, specifically the Copper Scroll and also the Bar Kokhba letters, have furnished clear evidence of the popular character of MH [Mishnaic Hebrew]." And so on. Israeli scholars now tend to take it for granted that Hebrew as a spoken language is a feature of Israel's Roman Period.

Article continues at the AHRC Web Site

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Donnee's Corner - (Nedabah)
By: Donnee

Donnee’s Corner is a feature of the Ancient Hebrew Research Center’s e-zine. This column will review a word, its meanings, and usage to verify by research. This column will start by a in-depth look at a featured hebrew word followed by various tools to deepen understanding. As well as e-Sword formatting in order to clip and paste into e-Sword, enabling the mouse-over advantages of e-Sword. These various tools will follow the review in order to assist in your research of Ancient Hebrew.

This word begins with the (nun), a picture of a seed and meaning to continue. The next letter is the (dalet), a picture of a door meaning to enter an area. The (beyt) being more deeply "in." The end of the word is supported by the (hey) meaning to "behold." Overall the word can mean "CONTINUES to ENTER IN the PRESENCE." It also means “generously” and also a state of “over-achievement” as seen in the following verses.

Psa 68:9 Thou, O Elohim,⁴³⁰ didst send⁵¹³⁰ a plentiful⁵⁰⁷¹ rain,¹⁶⁵³ whereby thou⁸⁵⁹ didst confirm³⁵⁵⁹ thine inheritance,⁵¹⁵⁹ when it was weary.³⁸¹¹ (KJV, edited)

Amo 4:5 "And burn an offering of thanksgiving with leaven, proclaim voluntary offerings, loudly. For you have loved this, you children of Yisra'el!" declares the Master יהוה" (TS98)

Lev 23:38 "besides the sabbaths of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you shall give to Jehovah" (LITV)

Psa 110:3 "Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of your power, in holy array. Out of the womb of the morning, you have the dew of your youth" (HNV)

Strong's Definition: H5071 - from H5068; properly (abstractly) spontaneity, or (adjectively) spontaneous; also (concretely) a spontaneous or (by inference, in plural) abundant gift: - free (-will) offering, freely, plentiful, voluntary (-ily, offering), willing (-ly, offering).

BDB Definition: 1) voluntariness, free-will offering 1a) voluntariness 1b) freewill, voluntary, offering

Part of Speech: noun feminine

Same Word by TWOT Number: 1299a

AHLB Definition: #2380 ac: Offer co: Offering ab: Honor The offering of something with a willing heart as a sign of honor. (Nfl) Offering: (Nfl) A freewill offering. [freq. 26] |kjv: freewill offering, offering, free, willing, voluntary, plentiful, willingly| {str: 5071}

Total KJV Occurrences: 26

For a list of occurrences for this word Click Here.

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Mila Yomit (Daily Word) - את (Et)
By: Rabbi Itzchak

The following is Word is from an ongoing Hebrew word by Hebrew word cyber learning journey and is being presented to you here as an introduction. For additional information on the 'MILA YOMIT: The Torah, Word By Word' and its author, Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein, click here. To receive more of these, please contact Rabbi Itzchak.

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OTIOT- Letters:

א ALEPH(A)- the first letter of the Aleph Bet. Numeric 1

ת Tav (T)- the last letter of the AlephBet. Numeric 400

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MEANING

את - ET - is defined in Alcalay dictionary as 'the sign of the accusative'. Announcing a noun is about to appear. Klein's Etymological Dictionary calls it “ a preposition. The mark of the accusative. Usually prefixed only to a definite noun...” (p.60) A definite noun begins with ה - HEH which carries the meaning of 'the'.

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CONCEPTUAL MEANING

This is the first creative act of Elohim. As the Kabbalists read this verse, “In the beginning Elohim created, את - ET. What is the nature of that creation? We are taught that the universe was created through the letters of the AlephBet.

In fact the word for a letter or sign, is pronounced OT and is spelled אות, basically the word ET with the Vov in the middle. OT-sign is therefore the means for making something known. It is not the thing itself but leads to it.

ELOHIM wished to fill the space opened in the midst of the Infinite. The YOD was the primary tool but it needed to particularize. ELOHIM: 'These YOODIM ' (see Mila Yomit 3) needed to materialize. Where to begin? The first point, the YOD begins to grow. Aleph is formed by a Yod that joins a Vov (which in itself is an elongated Yod) and connects with a lower Yod.

Bet begins with a Yod that stretches to form a roof and then wall and then a base. And so on, each letter of the AlephBet is calligraphically and halachically an expansion of the Yod into a particular form.

ת - TAV, the final letter is formed by a Yod that extends up in a Vov and shapes itself into a frame; sealing that which is contained with it. The Tav is the stamp and seal of all the previous letters. The Aleph Bet is thus the journey of the Yod through the conceptual creation. The Yod materializing and unfolding in manifold ways is this "olam-world". Collectively it is the tapestry of existence that Elohim has placed us in. The physical creation is preceded by the conceptual creation. Sefer Yetzira teaches us 'kol-sound' is carried by 'ruach-breath' then shaped into 'dibur-speech'. Sounds emerging as letters joined to form words. When they are spoken out they enter independent existence.

In Hebrew the word for speech , דבר -Dibbur (dalet, bet, resh) is the same as the word for thing, דבר -Davar. So too, to create this independent universe, Elohim spoke words that wondrously materialized.

The thirty two wondrous paths, 10 numbers and 22 letters. "Twenty two Foundation letters: The Creator Engraved, Carved, Permuted, Weighed, Transformed them. And with them Depicted all that was formed and all that would be formed."

(Sefer Yetzira 2:2) The general was first created, the specific emerged out of it. And so ET contains within it all twenty two letters, ET: The THE of existence out which all else would follow.

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Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible: Biblical Archeological Review (Magazine Subscription) Her Hebrew Name in Gold (Necklace) Her Hebrew Name in Silver (Necklace)

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