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        DEPOSIT The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The most frequent Hebrew word translated as "offering" is מנחה (minhhah, Strong's #4503). This noun is most likely derived from the root verb ינח (Y.N.Hh, Strong's #3240), which means to deposit in place, especially for safekeeping or as a pledge. From this perspective, a minhhah (offering) is something that is given as a pledge.
Maybe the difference between Cain and Abel’s offering wasn’t the offering itself, but the pledge or action behind the offering. DESOLATE (V) 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". DIRECTIVE The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. An English definition of a command or commandment is "to direct with authority" or "to give orders" as a general does to his troops. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments (mitsvah) before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. Deuteronomy 6:25 (KJV) Is the meaning of the Hebrew word מצוה mitsvah [H:4687], as found in the passage above, a command? Is God our general giving us an order to obey? Or is the Ancient Hebrew understanding of this word something different? And we departed from Horeb and walked through all that great and fearful wilderness which you saw by the path of the mountain of Amorites just as Yahweh our God directed (tsavah) us and we came unto Qadesh Barnea. Deuteronomy 1:19 The word "directed" above is the verb צוה tsavah [H:6680], the root of the word mitsvah. While translators usually translate this word as "command," an abstract word, the more Hebraic definition is "to direct," a concrete concept meaning "to show or point out a path." God is not a general barking orders but a guide. He is our guide and his mitsvah is his direction to us to lead us on his path as can be seen in several passages from Psalm 119. With all my heart I will seek after you, you will cause me to not stray from your directions (mitsvah). Verse 10 I will run the path of your directions (mitsvah) because you have widened my heart. Verse 32 Lead me in the pathway of your directions (mitsvah) for in it is my delight. Verse 35 I have gone astray like a lost sheep, seek your servant so that I don't forget your directions (mitsvah). Verse 176 The Biblical Greek word used to translate the Hebrew word mitsvah is entolh entole [G:1785] and is a combination of the word en en [G:1722], meaning "in" or "with," and teloj telos [G:5056] meaning "end" or "goal." Entole literally means "with a goal" and is very similar to our Hebraic understanding of the mitsvah as a direction. Yeshua was asked a question in regards to the mitsvah. Rabbi, tell us, what is the great direction (entole/mitsvah) which is in the teachings (torah)? He said to him, "‘And you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart.’ This is the first, the second is like it, ‘And you shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ and upon these two directions (entole/mitsvah) all the teachings hang, and the prophets." Matthew 22:36 The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. The word command, as well as commandment, are used to translate the Hebrew word mits'vah but does not properly convey the meaning of mits'vah. The word command implies words of force or power as a General commands his troops. The word mits'vah is better understood as a directive. To see the picture painted by this word, it is helpful to look at a related word, tsiyon (which is also the name Zion) meaning a desert or a landmark. The Ancient Hebrews were a nomadic people who traveled the deserts in search of green pastures for their flocks. A nomad uses the various rivers, mountains, rock outcroppings, etc as landmarks to give them their direction. The verbal root of mits'vah and tsiyon is tsavah meaning to direct one on a journey. The mits'vah of the Bible are not commands, or rules and regulations, they are directives or landmarks that we look for to guide us. The following is an excerpt from the book His Name is One. The word "command" usually brings to mind a meaning similar to "the orders of a general to his troops which are to carried out without question or understanding". This is another case where our Western culture has given an interpretation outside of its Hebraic context. Two related Hebrew words are translated as "command", צו (tsav) and מצוה (mitsvah), both derived from the parent root צה (tsah). Several other words derived from this parent word will provide the actual Hebraic context that will help us understand the meaning of "command" as understood by the Hebrews. The word ציי (tsiyiy) is a "nomad". The shepherds were desert dwellers who traveled through the wilderness in search of water and pastures for the flocks. The Hebrew word ציון can mean a "desert" or "landmark". This word is also used as a place name and transliterated as Zion, the holy mountain of God. The nomad uses the various landmarks of the desert much like we use road signs to guide us to our destination. Another word is יצא (yatsa) while usually translated as "to come out", is the "migration" or the journeys of the nomad. The words צו (tsav) and מצוה (mitsvah) are literally the landmarks that point out the road to green pastures or figuratively the commands that point out the road to life. An interesting parallel can be seen in Israel's journey to the Promised Land where they follow two roads, one literal and the other figurative. God as the shepherd brings Israel out of Egypt on a migration to the Promised Land, literally mount Zion in modern day Jerusalem. On this journey, God takes them through the desert by leading them from landmark to landmark. The second road is the journey of life where God gives the landmarks of morality to follow to bring them to a righteous life. If a nomad walked hoping to stumble across one of his "landmarks", he would become lost. Often in our walk through life we stumble across a situation that we recognize as an opportunity to perform a "command" of God. Just as the nomad must be actively in search of his "landmarks", we, in the same manner, should be actively searching for applications to the "commands" of God. When we are told to "feed the hungry" or "visit the sick", we are not to stumble across a hungry or sick person, rather we are to be searching for them. DISTANT The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. In the ancient Hebrew words that are used to described distance and direction are also used to describe time. The Hebrew word for east is qedem and literally means "the direction of the rising sun". We use north as our major orientation such as in maps which are always oriented to the north. While we use the north as our major direction the Hebrews used the east and all directions are oriented to this direction. For example one of the words for south is teyman from the root yaman meaning "to the right". The word qedem is also the word for the past. In the ancient Hebrew mind the past is in front of you while the future is behind you, the opposite way we think of the past and future. The Hebrew word olam means in the far distance. When looking off in the far distance it is difficult to make out any details and what is beyond that horizon cannot be seen. This concept is the olam. The word olam is also used for time for the distant past or the distant future as a time that is difficult to know or perceive. This word is frequently translated as eternity or forever but in the English language it is misunderstood to mean a continual span of time that never ends. In the Hebrew mind it is simply what is at or beyond the horizon, a very distant time. A common phrase in the Hebrew is "l'olam va'ed" and is usually translated as "forever and ever" but in the Hebrew it means "to the distant horizon and again" meaning "a very distant time and even further" and is used to express the idea of a very ancient or future time. The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. When looking off into the far distance, it is difficult to make out any details. What is beyond the horizon cannot be seen. This is the concept behind the Hebrew verb על ם alam [H:5956] meaning "to be beyond the horizon," "to be beyond view" or "to hide." The noun עול ם olam [H:5769], derived from this verb, means the "horizon" or "out of sight." Before the mountains were brought forth and you formed the land and the world, from horizon (olam) to horizon (olam) you are God. Psalm 90:2 As previously mentioned, words used for space, such as we see in the verse above, can also be used for time. In the verses below, the word עול ם olam [H:5769] can mean "a long time" in the past or the future. ...Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river a long time ago (olam)...Joshua 24:2 I despise it, I will not live for a long time (olam) for my days are vanity. Job 7:16 The word olam is frequently translated as "eternity" or "forever" with the mistaken understanding that it means a continual span of time that never ends—forever. However, in the Hebrew mind, this word simply means "beyond the horizon," "a very distant time." The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. Exodus 15:18 (KJV) A common Hebrew phrase in the Bible is ל עול ם ועד l' olam va’ed [H:5769 and H:5703] which is translated as "for ever and ever" in the verse above. More literally, from a Hebraic perspective, this phrase means "to the distant horizon and again." When this translation is applied to the above verse, it can mean, "Yahweh will reign to the horizon and beyond" or "Yahweh will reign for a distant time and beyond" or even both. The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. Hebrew words used for space are also used for time. The Hebrew word qedem means "east" but is also the same word for the "past." The Hebrew word olam literally means "beyond the horizon." When looking off in the far distance it is difficult to make out any details and what is beyond that horizon cannot be seen. This concept is the olam. The word olam is also used for time for the distant past or the distant future as a time that is difficult to know or perceive. This word is frequently translated as "eternity" meaning a continual span of time that never ends. In the Hebrew mind it is simply what is at or beyond the horizon, a very distant time. A common phrase in the Hebrew is "l'olam va'ed" and is usually translated as "forever and ever," but in the Hebrew it means "to the distant horizon and again" meaning "a very distant time and even further." The following is an excerpt from the book His Name is One. The Hebrew word עול ם (olam) is often translated as eternal, everlasting or forever, all of which have a meaning of a "continual existence", an existence without end. Again, this concept misses the meaning of the original Hebrew. The ancient Hebrew mind would not concern himself with what is beyond his known world. Anything that is beyond his world, or beyond his understanding, is "beyond the horizon", the actual meaning of the Hebrew word עול ם. When David says that God is עול ם, he is acknowledging that God is beyond his understanding. Notice that the introductory passage repeats the word everlasting twice. The ancient Hebrew language has no way to say that something is "best" or "greatest". Instead the Hebrew language doubles a word to give it emphasis such as in the passage above. God is not just "beyond the horizon"; he is "far beyond the horizon". DYSFUNCTIONAL The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. The antonym of the word tov is רע ra [H:7451]. While this word is frequently translated as "evil" and occasionally "bad" it is best translated as "dysfunctional." He shall not alter it, or change it, a functional one (tov) for a dysfunctional one (ra), a dysfunctional one (ra) for a functional one (tov). Leviticus 27:10 In our western way of thinking, we see "good" as something to be pursued and "bad" as something to be avoided, a moral dichotomy. However, in the Hebrew mind of the Biblical authors, tov and ra are not moral issues but a balance, like the positive and negative ends of a magnet. and from the ground Yahweh Elohiym made spring up all the trees, beautiful in appearance and functional for food. And the tree of life was in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of function (tov) and dysfunction (ra). Genesis 2:9 Up to the point where Adam and Eve ate from the "tree of the knowledge of function and dysfunction" they had only experienced "function," but they were in a state where they could not understand the concept of "function." Why do some foods taste "good" to you while others taste "bad"? Because you are able to compare the one with the other. If all your life you had eaten only one food, you would not be able to make an opinion on its taste, since you would have nothing to compare it to. Not until Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit, and thereby violated God’s instructions, could they really know "function" as they had now experienced "dysfunction." For Elohiym knows that in the day you eat from it that your eyes will be opened and you will be like Elohiym knowing function (tov) and dysfunction (ra). Genesis 3:5 And Yahweh Elohiym said behold, the man is like one of us knowing function (tov) and dysfunction (ra)... Genesis 3:22 Notice God is a God of function and dysfunction. We have read about God creating function in the first chapter of Genesis, but have we read about God creating dysfunction? Sure we have, we just don’t usually think in these terms when reading the Bible. In Genesis chapter 6, God brings a flood that virtually destroys the entire creation, bringing the world into a completely dysfunctional state. Forming light and filling the darkness, making wholeness and filling dysfunction, I am Yahweh doing all of these Isaiah 45:7 |