Issue Index
Word of the Month - Image
By: Jeff A. Benner
There are four different Hebrew words that can be translated as image or likeness; צלם (tselem as in Genesis 1:26), דמות (demut as in Genesis 1:26), פסל (pesel as in Exodus 20:4) and תמונה (temunah as in Exodus 20:4)
צלם (tselem)
This word is derived from the parent root צל (tsal) meaning a shadow. Tselem is the outline or shape of a shadow.
דמות (demut)
The parent root דם (dam) is blood. One descended from the "blood" of another often resembles the one descended from. From the parent root דם comes the child root דמה (damah) meaning "to resemble." The word דמות (demut) means a resemblance or to be like something else in action or appearance.
פסל (pesel)
This word comes from the root פסל (pasal) meaning "to carve" and is usually used in the context of carving out a statue. A pesel is a carved image, usually something that is worshiped.
תמונה (temunah)
This word comes from the root מין (miyn) meaning a species. Because all animals of the same species look alike the word temunah, derived from miyn, means a likeness.
Exodus 20:4 (RSV) You shall not make for yourself a graven image [pesel], or any likeness [temunah] of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
Does this command prohibit the making of statues, paintings, figurines, photographs, etc.? If so, how could God instruct Moses to make an image of a serpent (Numbers 21:8) or Cherubiym (Exodus 25:18) on the cover of the ark? The key is the next verse which does not prohibit the forming of the images but forming them and bowing down and serving them.
Exodus 20:5 (RSV) you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me
Name of the Month - איוב (Job)
By: Kathy Nichols
This name is derived from the root    (AYB, AHLB - 1002 M) meaning to hate. According to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible this root includes the meanings Hostile (action), Spear (concrete) and Enemy (abstract) with the extended definition; "The tent pole is pointed at one end and doubles as a spear which can be used against an enemy to defend (also a support of) the family.
Job meaning “persecuted” was the patriarch famous for his patience - or patient endurance. An enemy is one who closes in with pressure. A narrow tight place or situation.
Job 13:24 why do you hide your face, and hold me as your enemy?
In this verse God is hiding His face from Job and is the same as holding Job as His enemy! It appeared the favour of God was gone by everything that happened to Job thus his friends assumed he had done something terribly wrong and wasn't owning up to it.
James 5:10,11 Look, we regard those who persevered as blessed. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you know what the purpose of God was, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
It was the circumstances that were bad, not Job. In Job 1:1 we are told clearly that he was an upright, god-fearing man who shunned evil. The Lord allowed him to be tested through all his losses and trials. The parent root of his name is (AB) meaning “Father” and he certainly is the father of patient endurance even though he was treated as the enemy of God for a while. He received a change in his circumstances when he prayed for his friends who had been part of the cause of his inner turmoil. The Lord had carried Job away into a metaphorical captivity but then restored him with twice what he had before.
Question of the Month - Vav vs. Waw
By: Jeff A. Benner
Q: In your learn Hebrew lessons it is the letter "Vav" while in others I noticed it as "waw".
A:
In the modern Hebrew alphabet the 6th letter is the vav and has a "v" sound. But, evidence suggests that in ancient times this letter had a "w" sound and was called the waw instead of the vav. In Arabic, a related language to Hebrew, this letter is called a waw and has a "w" sound. This letter was also used in ancient times to represent the vowel sounds "ow" and "uw." These two sounds are closely related to the sound "w" also suggesting an original "w" sound. This is similar to the letter Yud which can be the consonant "y" or the vowel "iy."
Verse of the Month - Exodus 20:5
By: Jeff A. Benner
לא
תשתחוה
להם
ולא
תעבדם
כי
אנכי
יהוה
אלהיך
אל
קנא
פקד
עון
אבת
על
בנים
על
שלשים
ועל
רבעים
לשנאי
You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me (RSV)
לא (lo)
This word means "no" or "not" and is often used to negate the action of the following verb.
תשתחוה (tish-tahh-veh)
The base word is the verb שחה (shahhah) meaning to bow down to the ground. The prefix ת (t) identifies the subject of the verb as second person, masculine and singular - you and the tense of the verb as imperfect. This verb is written in the hitpa'el form meaning that it is reflexive (the action of the verb is imparted on the subject of the verb). This form is usually identified with the prefix הת (heet) but this word uses a unique spelling where the ה (h) is dropped and the (t) is placed after the letter ש (sh). The ו (ve) is also a unique spelling of this word. The whole word would be translated as "you will bow yourself down" but because of the previous word it would be translated as "you will not bow yourself down."
להם (la-hem)
The ל (l) is a prefix meaning "to" or "for." The הם (hem) is a suffix meaning "them." Combined this means "to them."
ולא (ve-lo)
The prefix ו (ve) means "and" and again the word לא (lo) meaning "no" or "not."
תעבדם (ta-av-dem)
The base word is the verb עבד (avad) meaning to "serve." The prefix ת (t) identifies the subject of the verb as second person, masculine and singular - you and the tense of the verb as imperfect. The suffix ם (m) identifies the object of the verb as third person, masculine and plural - them. The whole word means "you will serve them" but because of the previous word it would be translated as "you will not serve them."
כי (kiy)
This word means "because."
אנכי (ah-no-kiy)
This word means "I."
יהוה (YHWH)
This is the Tetragramaton (meaning four letters) and is name of God usually transliterated as Yahweh, Yihweh, Yahu'eh, etc.
אלהיך (eh-lo-hey-kha)
The base word is the noun אלוה (elo'ah) and is usually translated as God, god or judge but more literally means "powerful one of authority." This noun is written in the plural form - אלהים (elohiym) but because it is in the construct state (God of...) the ם (m) is dropped. The suffix ך (kha) is the second person, masculine and singular pronoun - you. The whole word means "powerful one of authority of you" or "your powerful one of authority."
אל (eyl)
This noun is usually translated as God, god or mighty. It literally means a "mighty one."
קנא (qana)
This noun means zealous, jealous or envious.
פקד (po-qeyd)
This verb means to visit and is written in the participle form - visiting.
עון (ah-von)
This noun means iniquity.
אבת (ah-vot)
The base word is אב (av) meaning "father" and the suffix ת (ot) is the plural suffix. The standard masculine plural suffix is ים (iym) and the feminine plural is ת (ot) but, some words, such as this one, use the ת (ot) suffix.
על (al)
This word means "upon."
בנים (bah-niym)
This is the word בן (ben) meaning son with the masculine suffix ים (iym).
על (al)
Again the word meaning "upon."
שלשים (shi-ley-shiym)
The base word is שלש (shelesh) meaning "third" or "third one." The masculine plural suffix ים (iym) changes the word to "third ones."
ועל (ve-al)
The prefix ו (ve) means "and" and again the word meaning "upon."
רבעים (riy-bey-iym)
The base word is רבע (ribeyah) meaning "fourth" or "fourth one." The masculine plural suffix ים (iym) changes the word to "fourth ones."
לשנאי (le-shon-ai)
The base word is the verb שנא (shaney) meaning to "hate" and is written in the participle form - hating. The prefix ל (le) means "to." The suffix י (i) is the first person and singular pronoun - me. The whole word means "to hating me."
The following is a literal rendering of this verse from its Hebraic meaning.
You will not bow yourself down to them and you will not serve them because I am Yahweh your power and authority, a mighty zealous one, visiting iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, upon the third ones and upon the fourth ones to ones hating me.
In following issues we will continue with this chapter.
Mechanical Translation Excerpt - Genesis 1:1-8
For details on this new translation see the MTHB web site.
1 in a beginning Elohiym fattened the sky and the land 2 and the land had existed in confusion and was unfilled and darkness was upon the face of the deep sea and the wind of Elohiym was much fluttering upon the face of the water 3 and Elohiym said, light exist and light existed 4 and Elohiym saw the light given that it was functional and Elohiym made a separation between the light and the darkness 5 and Elohiym called out to the light day and to the darkness he called out night and evening existed and morning existed one day 6 and Elohiym said a sheet will exist in the midst of the water and he existed making a separation between water to water 7 and Elohiym did the sheet and he made a separation between water which is from under for the sheet and the water which is from upon for the sheet and he existed so 8 and Elohiym called out to the sheet sky and evening existed and morning existed a second day
AHRC Web Site Excerpt - Ancient ABCs
In the 10th century B.C., in the hill country south of Jerusalem, a scribe carved his A B C's on a limestone boulder - actually, his aleph-beth-gimel's, for the string of letters appears to be an early rendering of the emergent Hebrew alphabet.
Archaeologists digging in July at the site, Tel Zayit, found the inscribed stone in the wall of an ancient building. After an analysis of the layers of ruins, the discoverers concluded that this was the earliest known specimen of the Hebrew alphabet and an important benchmark in the history of writing, they said this week.
If they are right, the stone bears the oldest reliably dated example of an abecedary - the letters of the alphabet written out in their traditional sequence. Several scholars who have examined the inscription tend to support that view.
Experts in ancient writing said the find showed that at this stage the Hebrew alphabet was still in transition from its Phoenician roots, but recognizably Hebrew. The Phoenicians lived on the coast north of Israel, in today's Lebanon, and are considered the originators of alphabetic writing, several centuries earlier.
The full article can be found on the web site at the AHRC Web Site
Donnee's Corner -    (Olah)
By: Donnee
Donnee’s Corner 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.
The Burnt Offering is a strong part of the Offerings mentioned in Scripture. The, “olah” shows an intricate detail to Ancient Hebrew and the Offerings. Overseen initially with the ayin, , meaning to “watch, know, shade”. Supported by the ayin, “” for yoke, to bind, and to lead. And based on they hey, , meanings are to behold, look and/or breath. Together from the beginning, it is “OVER”, () with “POWER”, () in “PRESENCE”, (). Meaning to “ASCEND”:
Ezek 40:26, ”and there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them; and it had palm-trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof “(JPS)
1Ki 10:5 “and the food on his table, and the seating of his servants, and the service of his waiters and their attire, and his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered in the House of יהוה, and there was no more spirit in her” (TS98)
Lev 8:18 “He presented the ram of the burnt offering: and Aharon and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram” (HNV)
Strong's: H5930, feminine active participle of H5927
BDB's Definition: 1) whole burnt offering 2) ascent, stairway, steps
Part of Speech: Noun feminine
Ancient Hebrew Lexicon Definition: B1357-J (Nfl) ac: Lift co: Yoke ab: ? -- I. Rising: A rising of smoke from a burnt offering [ms hle][ar: hle] II. Captivity: In the sense of lifting a yoke on the shoulder. [hlwe] [freq. 331] |kjv: burn offering, ascent, go up, captivity, carry, captive, remove| {str. 1473, 5930}
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1624c, 1624d
Total KJV Occurrences: 290
For a list of occurrences for this word Click Here.
Mila Yomit (Daily Word) - ואת (V'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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MEANING: ו VE is 'and.' את ET means "an object is about to appear" (see MILA 4)
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OTIOT-Letters
ו VAV (V) - first appearance in Torah, sixth letter of Aleph Bet (corresponds to F)
- third letter of Divine Name, י-ה-ו-ה
- second of twelve elemental letters
- dominant over Hirhur: Thought
- Iyar in the months
- Shor-Bull (Taurus) in zodiac
- right kidney in the soul
- numeric is 6
(all of the above is from Sefer Yetzira-The Book Of Creation, the first book of Kabbala , which introduces the Hebrew Alef Bet and the Ten Sefirot)
- is the 22nd letter since the Bet of Breishit.
VAV means hook- the hooks that joined the pillars of the Tabernacle together are called vaveem: vovs (Exodus 27 and elsewhere, these ווי העמדים - VOVEI AMUDIM :hooks of the pillars are mentioned six times.) It is called Kabbalistically the Tree of Life. It resembles a human standing upright. VAV is the letter of connection: Ot HaChibur. Kabbalistically it represents the first ray of light that emerged from the En Sof: the Infinite. This expansion of the YOD into a line demonstrates the capacity to connect and to join. It expresses the Divinity that is piercing through the essence of all creation. It's is 'God's arm' reaching to us. As a letter of the Divine Name, the 'child' of י YOD and ה HEH, it is related to the world of Yetzira: Formation, the world of the heart and emotions. That which joins us together. And in our love of the Divine we reach to God. In our human love we join God to us. It has an important function in the Hebrew language. Not only does it serve the join the various parts of the physical world together, it can also join past, present and future. VAV HaHipuch-The VAV of conversion' is a 'conversive prefix' that changes a verb form that is in the past into one that is in the future, and turns a future verb into a past. Reminding us that in the Divine creation all time is linked together. In connection with the Eternal we experience timelessness. Its numerical value (6) signifies the capacity to unite the six directions of three dimensional space. The VAV is the pillar in which right, left, front, back, up and down converge. The first VAV of the Torah. This first VAV of the Torah, which appears at the beginning of the sixth word of the Torah, is the twenty-second letter of the verse. It alludes to the power to connect and interrelate all twenty two individual powers of Creation, the twenty two letters of the Hebrew." (Ginsburgh, the Alef-Beit, p. 94) (Interestingly there are six alephs in the first verse of the Torah)
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א ALEPH (A)- Beginning
- - - - - - - - - - -
ת TAV (T)- Seal of Creation
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CONCEPTUAL MEANING
ואת -VE'ET- The Creator is now ready to create the vessel that will be the 'ground'. The materialization of the Divine Will is about to unfold. The Divine Heart Wishes to Manifest a vessel to receive and experience the peleh:the wonder of life. (Significantly, peleh- פלא -peh, lamed, aleph which means 'wonder' is the word Aleph - אלף -aleph, lamed, peh, spelled backwards). The wonder of creation is actually the peh-the outside mouth of the aleph. As we reach further and learn more (lamed) we reach the silent Aleph that is at the core of all existence. The thirty two wondrous - pleeyot (root word peleh) paths of creation are the heart of Sefer Yetzira.
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את -ET is 'ribui-includer'; it extends the conception, ohna-SHaMaYiM:heavens' to include all the heavenly bodies and the ARETZ:Earth to include all that is on earth, which are just the effects which heaven and earth characteristically imprint on us." (Hirsch, p. 4)
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Zohar: ואת VeEt indicates the firm union of male and female.
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Midrash Rabba: “Rabbi Ishmael asked Rabbi Akiva: 'What do the two ETs written here signify?' [ET HA'SHAMYIM VE'ET ....] He answered: 'If it had stated, 'In The Beginning ELOHIM Created SHAMAYIM VE'ARETZ' (without the ETs), we might have maintained that heaven and earth too are divine powers.”
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Rabbi Wilfred Shuchat in 'The Creation' explains that without the ET, the impression would be created that heaven and earth were also divine powers that took part in the creation. (It could be read) 'In The Beginning Created ELOHIM Heaven And Earth' in that order as though God, heaven and earth were all equally divine. The insertion of ET before the words heaven and earth make such an interpretation impossible.
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Rabbi Ishmael offers another perspective: “את השמים -ET HA'SHAMYIM is to include the sun and the moon, the stars and the planets; ואת הארץ -VE'ET HA'ARETZ is to include trees, herbiage, and the Garden of Eden.”
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את is thus read as having the meaning of 'with'-with the heavens were created everything associated with the heavens, and with the earth were created all those things associated with the earth.
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ואת -VE'ET
The Divine reaches out. The YOOD (central letter of SHAMAYIM) extends forth from the "SHAM MAYIM-the waters out there". It becomes a VAV as it forms a line that connects all that it touches with its source and with every other part of that line. This line, this ray of Divine Light is a conduit into our vessel and is a constant presence that unites all the material world. This is the u-VAV that emerges from the Divine Heart. It is the Tree of LIfe that brought and brings life to us.
Inviting us to VAV each other (sorry) and make of this earth a Tabernacle by joining our hearts together. Each one of us is a VAV with the capacity to join heaven and earth.
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"All we need is VAV"
Editorials
Do you have any comments, suggestions or additional insights you would like to share for this issue of the "Biblical Hebrew E-Magazine"? Would you like to contribute an article for the E-magazine? We would love to add your insights and perspectives. Email us a sample of your material and we will review it for submission.
Spelling of Da'at
ummm...DAAT is spelled with an Ayin not an Aleph
-Rabbi Itzchak
Thank you Rabbi and others who pointed out my spelling error in the last issue. The spelling דאת (Knowledge) in the "Word of the Month" should have been spelled דעת. The on-line version has been corrected.
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