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        Asher The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The next son of Jacob in our series is Asher.
Within this verse are three words, all from the same root. The first is the word אושר (‘osher, Strong's #837) meaning "happiness" and is translated as "happy" in the verse above. The second is the verb אשר (a.sh.r, Strong's #833) meaning "to be happy" but is translated as "blessed" above. The third is of course the name אשר (asher, Strong's #836), pronounced ah-sheyr in Hebrew. However, Hebrew word definitions are not always so simple. In the following verse the same Hebrew verb אשר (a.sh.r) is used where it is translated as "go."
The verb אשר (a.sh.r) literally means "to go in a straight line." This can be a literal meaning such as in Proverbs 4:14 where the image being given is one walking straight toward evil, or as we might say "making a bee line for…" It can also be used in a figurative way as in Genesis 30:13 in the sense that if you are being straight (doing what is right), you will be happy. Avraham The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. Abraham was originally named by his father as אברם (Abram) and later changed to אברהם by God. As every Hebrew name has a meaning, always related to the character of the person, it is important to know what their names mean. In the case of Ya'acov (Jacob - he grabs the heel) it was changed by God to yisrael (Israel - turns the head of God). As there was a change in character, there is also a change in the name. While many suggest that Abram means "exalted father" and Abraham means "father of a multitude", both names in fact mean exactly the same thing "father lifted up" or "exalted father". The beginning of both names is אב (AB) meaning "father". The "ram" in Abram is דם meaning "lifted", a parent root. The "raham" in Abraham is רהם also means "lifted", a child root derived from the parent root Mr. It does not make much sense to change a name if the new name means the same thing. This is why many attempt to make a change in meaning. But, to understand the real meaning behind a name change is important for understanding why God changed his name and the names of others such as Jacob to Israel. In Genesis chapters one and two we have the naming of all of creation. We find that Adam named Eve, his children and all of the animals, while God named the light, darkness, sky and land. From this we find something very interesting. Adam had authority over his wife, children and the animals, while God has authority over the light, darkness, sky and land. If you have authority over something, you have the right and responsibility to name it. Abram was named by his father Terah, the one who had authority over him. But, when Abram left his father's house and headed out on his own, God, who respected the authority of Terah previously, now takes the role of his authority and changes his name indicating a change in authority, not necessarily a change in character. We see the same scenario with Jacob, who after leaving his father's house had his name changed by God to Israel. Jacob not only had a change in authority but also in character. Bavel The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. To most people the name Bavel (or Babel) is only known to us as the name of the city where God confounded the languages. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9). Whenever a Hebrew name is given in the text and followed by the word "because", the text is providing the connection between the name and the reason for the name. In this case the word "confused" is the Hebrew word בל ל (balal) meaning to be mixed up and it was here that God "mixed up" the languages. Interestingly the name בבל (babel) is a mixing up of the letters from the word בל ל (balal). While we may only be familiar with this place name as Babel as found in Genesis, this name is used 262 times throughout the Biblical text. But, instead of translating this name the same way all the time, the translators have chosen to translate it as "Babylon" in all its other occurrences. Yes, Babel and Babylon are one and the same place; Babylon is the place of confusion. In our English language we also have the word babble meaning "To utter a meaningless confusion of words or sounds", a clear connection between Hebrew and English. Binyamin The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
The twelfth son of Ya'akov was first named בן אוני (ben oni, Strong's #1126) by his mother Rahheyl (Rachel). The name Ben-Oni is the word בן (ben, Strong's #1121) meaning son and the word אוני which is the word און(ohn or avon, Strong's #205) meaning vanity, or more literally, effort that is put out with no results, with the suffix י(i) meaning "of me" or "my." The name בן אוני then means "son of my vanity" and appears to be Rahheyl's final words which imply that her son, who is brought forth through much effort, would bring her life to an end. Ya'akov gave a different name to his son - בנימין (binyamin, Strong's #1144). This is again, the word בן (ben, Strong's #1121) meaning son but combined with the word ימין (yamin, Strong's #3225) meaning "right hand." The name בנימין then means "son of the right hand." When a father blessed the eldest son, he would place his right hand upon his head when giving him his blessing (see Genesis 48:18). As Binyamin is Ya'akov's youngest son, it would seem strange to call him the "son of the right hand," unless he is to be treated as the firstborn son. When it came to time to divide up the family estate among the sons, the father would give a "double portion" to the firstborn. In Genesis 43:34 we see Yoseph giving Binyamin a portion "five" times as much as his brothers. Dan The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
The Hebrew verb דין Deen [H:1777] means "to judge" such as we can see in the verse above. This is the root of the name דן dan [H:1835], meaning a "judge," and is also found in the verse above. In Jacob’s final words to Dan he also makes the connection between these two words.
Elohiym The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods.Exodus 22:8 (KJV) A judge is one who possesses great "power" and "authority." The Hebrew word behind the word "judges" in the passage above is אל הים elohiym [H:430], the plural form of the word אל וה elo’ah [H:433]. You may notice the first two letters of this word is the word אל el [H:410], meaning "mighty one," which we discussed in the last section. Because the word elo’ah is derived from el, they are very similar in meaning. The word elo’ah, "one of power and authority," can also be applied to God or any other god. Oh that I might have my request; and that God (elo’ah) would grant me the thing that I long for! Job 6:8 (KJV) Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty, even he whose might is his god (elo’ah). Habakkuk 1:11 (ASV) The word אל הים elohiym [H:430], the plural form of אל וה elo’ah [H:433], is frequently used as a proper name for Yahweh, the creator of heaven and earth. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth in their filling, in the day that Yahweh Elohiym made the earth and the heavens.Genesis 2:4 The "power and authority" of Yahweh can be, and is, passed on to others as we see in the following verse. And Yahweh said unto Moses, "See, I have given you Elohiym for Pharaoh: and Aaron your brother will be your prophet." Exodus 7:1 What does Yahweh mean by "See I have given you"? Is there something physical about Moses that Yahweh gave to him which could have been "seen" showing his "power and authority"? In our discussion of the word אל el [H:410], we learned this word represented horns of power and the staff of authority. Did Moses also have these symbols? And Yahweh said to [Moses], "What is this in your hand?" And he said, "A staff." And he said, "Cast it down to the ground" and he cast it down to the ground and it became a serpent and Moses fled from before it. Exodus 4:2,3 Yahweh took an ordinary staff of a shepherd, turned it into an instrument of power and authority and gave it to Moses to do great miracles. We do know Moses did carry a staff representing his authority, but what about the horns? And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.Exodus 34:29,30 (ASV) In this verse, we find there was a physical change in Moses which created fear in the people. Was it just a light coming off him that generated this fear? No—as we shall see, the above translation "skin of his face shone," is a poor translation of the Hebrew. The Hebrew word translated as "shone" is קרן qaran [7160], which literally means "to have horns." Interestingly, many paintings and sculptures of Moses depict him with horns such as in Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses. It has been speculated the "horns" on Moses’ face are "rays" of light that shone from his face, hence the translation we read in all English Bibles. However, there are other Hebrew words meaning "to shine" and if that was what the author had intended, he would have used one of those. Instead, he deliberately chose to use the word qaran to show Moses was indeed one of power and authority. This is an example of my reasons for desiring a "mechanical" and "literal" translation of the Hebrew Bible, so the reader can read the text without the translators’ bias being interjected into the text. In my book His Name is One I go into detail about the different names of God. In the next section, I am taking an excerpt from that book. The following is an excerpt from the book Ancient Hebrew Dictionary. The plural form of elo'ah, meaning power, is elohiym and is often translated as Elohiym. While English plurals only identify quantity, as in more than one, the Hebrew plural can identify quantity as well as quality. Something that is of great size or stature can be written in the plural form. Elohiym is the one of great strength and authority. Enosh The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
Enosh is the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam. Enosh lived 90 years and gave birth to Cainan and lived a total of 905 years. The name in Hebrew is אנוש (enosh, Strong's #583), meaning "man." This word/name comes from the root אנש (A.N.Sh, Strong's #605) meaning "mortal" in the sense of weak and sick. The word/name enosh is closely related to the Hebrew word איש (iysh, Strong's #376) also meaning "man." Ever The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. Abraham is the first person called a Hebrew (Genesis 14:13) in the Biblical text. What does the name Hebrew mean and where does it come from? Abraham's G,G,G,G,G Grandfather was Ever (or Eber) "And Arpakshad bore Shalach who bore Ever" (Genesis 10:24). The Hebrew spelling of the word Hebrew is עברי and the Hebrew spelling of Ever is עבר. When the letter י is placed after a name it means "one belonging to the family of ..." and in this case a Hebrew is one who belongs to the family of Eber. By definition, a Hebrew is one who is descended from Ever and this would include Abraham as well as his brothers Nahor and Haran. While the lineage's of Nahor and Haran seem to disappear, probably absorbed into other cultural groups, only Abraham and his descendents remain Hebrews to this day. The root עבר means to "cross over" or "pass through". As names play a very significant role of the ancient peoples of the Near East, this name and its meaning is indicative of Abraham and his descendants. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were nomads who by definition are ones who travel or pass through many lands on their nomadic journey. In Genesis 12:6 we read (From the KJV) "And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land." The phrase "passed through" is the Hebrew verb עבר (the same word as the noun/name Eber). Gad The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The next son of Jacob in our series is Gad.
The Hebrew translated as "a troop cometh" is בגד (begad) which is the word גד (gad) meaning "fortune" and the prefix ב (be) meaning "in." So, how does the King James Version get "a troop cometh" out of "in fortune?" First, the KJV translators created their translation almost 400 years ago and since that time much more of the Hebrew language has been learned through etymology and linguistics. Secondly, many translators believe that the word בגד (begad) is an error and was originally written as two words גד בא (bo gad) meaning "fortune comes." Leah chose this word גד (gad) for her son because of her good "fortune" of having been given another son. I would also like to point out that the name of the Babylonian god of fortune is "gad." The language of Babylon was Aramaic, a sister language to Hebrew. The Hebrew vowel "a" is not pronounced like the "a" in bad (contrary to the way most of us pronounce this name) but like the "a" in father. Therefore, the Hebrew/Aramaic word/name "gad" is pronounced like our English word "god." It is very likely that our word "god" comes from the Hebrew/Aramaic word גד (gad). Hevel The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The names Cain and Abel are Latin/English transliterations of the Greek names as found in the Septuagint (2,000 year old Greek translation of the Hebrew). In Greek, these names are written as Cain and Abel. These are in turn Greek transliterations of the Hebrew. In Hebrew Cain is קין (qayin) and Abel is חבל (havel). The word קין (qayin) means to acquire or possess something which is why Eve (chavah in Hebrew) said "I have gotten/acquired (qanah) a man" (Gen 4:1). The word חבל means to be empty, often translated as vain or vanity in the sense of being empty of substance. In Hebrew thought ones name (Shem in Hebrew literally meaning breath or character) is reflective of one’s character. The Hebraic meanings of the names of "Cain and Abel" are windows into their characters. Cain is a possessor, one who has substance while Abel is empty of substance. Another interesting fact about these two that is often overlooked is that Cain and Abel are the first twins. In normal Hebraic accounting of multiple births the conception then birth of each child is mentioned such as in Genesis 29:32,33 - And Leah conceived and bore a son... She conceived again and bore a son... But notice how it is worded in Genesis 4:1,2 - she conceived and bore Cain... And again, she bore his brother Abel. There is only one conception but two births. The Hebrew word for "again" is "asaph" meaning to add something, in this case the birthing of Abel was added to the birthing of Cain. Hhanokh The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
The name חנוך (hhanokh, Strong's #2585) means "dedicated" and is derived from the verb root חנך (Hh.N.Kh, Strong's #2596) meaning "to dedicate." Genesis chapter five is the only place in the Tenach (Old Testament) where Enoch is mentioned. However, the New Testament mentions him three times (Luke 3:37, Hebrews 11:5 and Jude 1:14). In Jude we read;
This prophesy of Enoch is not found in the Tenach, but is found in "The Book of Enoch," a work that has long been lost and only discovered in the 17th century. Lewi The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
The Hebrew verb ל וה lavah [H:3867] means "to join" such as we can see in the verse above. This is the root of the name ל וי leviy [H:3878], meaning "joined," and is also found in the verse above. Both of these words are also found in the following verse.
Mahalalel The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. Continuing with our series on the names of the descendents of Adam (Genesis 5), we will continue with the name Mahalaleel. In Hebrew, this name is written as מהל ל אל (ma-ha-la-ley-eyl, Strong's #4111) and is a combination of two words, מהל ל and אל . The root of מהל ל is הל ל (ha-lal, Strong's #1984) and means "to shine." This can be the shining of a light such as from a flame or the moon, but figuratively the shining of a person’s character such as his fame or pride. From this root comes the word מהל ל (ma-ha-lal, Strong's #4110) meaning "shining" or "one who shines." The second word is אל (eyl, Strong's #410), which literally means "mighty one," but is often transliterated as "El." The meaning of the name מהל ל אל can be "The shining of El or "The shining one of El." Menasheh The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house." (RSV, Genesis 41:51) The name Manasseh is written as מנשה (me'na'sheh, Strong's #4519). This name/word comes from the root נשה (N.Sh.H, Strong's #5382) meaning to "forget" and is used in the above verse. The name/word me'na'sheh means "forgotten." " Metushelahh The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. This name is pronounced ""meh-tu-sheh-lahh"" (the ""hh"" is pronounced hard like the ""ch"" in the name ""Bach"") in Hebrew. This name is a combination of two words - metu and shelahh. Strong's dictionary states that this name means ""man of the dart"". According to Strong, the root for ""metu"" is the word ""mat"" (#4962) which means ""man"" and the word ""shelach"" (#7973) means a weapon or missile (hence the translation of dart). But, there is another possible meaning for this name. The word ""metu"" may be derived from the word ""mot"" meaning death and the ""u"" is a suffix that means ""their"" - ""their death"". There is no way to know for certain if the final vowel in ""metu"" was an ""o"" or an ""u"" as the vowel pointings that make that distinction are of fairly recent origin. If it was originally an ""o"" then the suffix would change to ""his"" - ""his death"". The word shelach (missile or weapon) is the noun form of the verb shalach meaning ""to send"" (a missile or weapon that is sent). Shelach has the more literal meaning of ""to send something"". We know have the possible meaning of ""their death sends"" or ""his death sends"". Sounds like an incomplete sentence doesn't it? Well, it is interesting to note that the year Methuselah died, something very big was sent - the flood. Methuselah's name may be a prophecy that on the day of his death ""his death will send"" the flood. " Mits'rayim The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. In almost every case, a person or place name in the Bible which we know it by is a transliteration of the Hebrew. For instance the English Jerusalem is from the Hebrew Yerushalem, Israel from Yisrael, and Methuselah from Metushelach. This is not the case with Egypt. The Hebrew word for Egypt is מצרים (mitsrayim / meets-rah-yeem). The first occurrence of this name is in Genesis 10:6 - And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim (mitsrayim), and Phut, and Canaan. (KJV). Mizraim is the grandson of Noah and evidently settled in the land that came to be known as Mitsrayim to the Hebrews and Egypt to us today. The root to this name is צר (tsar Strong's #6862) meaning "pressed in" and can be translated several different ways; "enemy" as one who presses in; "trouble" as a pressing in; "strait" as a canyon with the walls pressing. A common method of forming nouns is to add the letter "mem" to the front of a root. In this case the "mem" is placed before the root forming the noun מצר (metsar Strong's #4712). The prefixed "mem" can be understood as "what is...", hence metsar means "what is pressed in" and is usually translated as trouble or straits. The suffix of the name mitsrayim is the masculine plural suffix ים. The normal pronunciation for this suffix is "eeym", usually a multiple plural, but can also be "yeem" and is the double plural as in the name mitsrayim. The name mitsrayim can be interpreted many different ways; two straits (possibly referring to the two sides of the Nile river), double straits, two enemies, double pressing, or even double trouble. While we cannot determine for certain what this name original meant, we can see some interesting parallels between Egypt and their relationship with the nation of Israel. Naphtali The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The next son of Jacob in our series is Naphtali.
The Hebrew word translated as 'wrestlings' in the verse above is 'naphtul' meaning 'to entwine' such as the twisting together of cords to make a rope or to be entwined together through wrestling. The name Naphtali fully means 'my wrestling.' Nimrod The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The name nimrod is not Hebrew but it is a Semitic name and is therefore closely related to Hebrew. The name comes from the Semitic root מרד (MRD) meaning "to rebel". In the Ancient Hebrew/Semitic cultures a person’s name was closely related to their character and therefore Nimrod's name fits well with his personality. The name is formed by placing the letter נ (N) before the root. A common means of forming words and names out of a root in Hebrew is by placing the letter מ (M) before the root while other Semitic languages use the letter נ (N). Because of this we know that Nimrod is of a non-Hebrew Semitic origin. The person Nimrod is only mentioned in Genesis 10:8,9 but these two passages speak volumes about the character of Nimrod. The standard translation for verse 9 is something like "He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD". It would appear that there is nothing out of the ordinary about Nimrod. So, why is he so often seen as such an evil person? Only two persons in the Bible are identified as "hunters", Nimrod and Esav, the twin brother of Ya'acov. From the story of Esav and Ya'acov we know that Esav was not the most respectful person. Not only did he despise his birthright but to spite his parents married foreign women. From this we can conclude that from an Hebraic perspective hunters are seen in a negative light. In verse 8 it states "he was the first on earth to be a mighty man". The Hebrew phrase may also be translated as "He made a profaning by being a mighty one in the land". To add to this verse 9 states that he was a "mighty hunter 'before' Yahweh". The word for "before" in Hebrew is "liph'ney" and literally means "to the face of" and in this case "to the face of Yahweh" and can mean that he was a mighty hunter in place of Yahweh implying that he, rather than Yahweh is the provider of the people. One final clue into the character into the personality of Nimrod is how the Semitic root MRD has been used even into our own time. The Ancient Semitic root MRD (marad) is the origin of our words MaRauDer and MuRDer. No'ahh The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The name Noah (pronounced Noach where the "ch" is pronounced hard as in the name Bach) comes from the verbal form of the word "nuach" meaning "rest" as we see in Genesis 5:28 "This one (Noach) will bring us rest (nuach) from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which YHWH had cursed." What is the type of rest that Noach will bring? Often our English words lack the true meaning of Hebrew words (actually they always do). Sometimes they are completely opposite. Our English understanding of rest is not the same as the ancient Hebrews. A related word Nuchah can help shed some light on the meaning of nuach. Nachah is usually translated as "guide" or "lead" (again the English does not fully convey the Hebrew essence of nachah) as in the following verses; Exodus 13:21 "YHWH went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead (nachah) them on the way." Exodus 32:34 "Now go, lead (nachah) the people (Israel) to the place I spoke of". God will lead (nachah) them to the land of promise which is a place of rest (nuach). Since nachah is etymologically related to nuach and noach, it is related in meaning also. Nachah has the broader meaning of "to lead to a rest" as we see in God's promise that he would lead Israel into the land. The role which Noach played prior to the flood was as a leader, one who will guide others to a rest, a rest from the toils and troubles of the days prior to the flood. Qayin The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The names Cain and Abel are Latin/English transliterations of the Greek names as found in the Septuagint (2,000 year old Greek translation of the Hebrew). In Greek, these names are written as Cain and Abel. These are in turn Greek transliterations of the Hebrew. In Hebrew Cain is קין (qayin) and Abel is חבל (havel). The word קין (qayin) means to acquire or possess something which is why Eve (chavah in Hebrew) said "I have gotten/acquired (qanah) a man" (Gen 4:1). The word חבל means to be empty, often translated as vain or vanity in the sense of being empty of substance. In Hebrew thought ones name (Shem in Hebrew literally meaning breath or character) is reflective of one’s character. The Hebraic meanings of the names of "Cain and Abel" are windows into their characters. Cain is a possessor, one who has substance while Abel is empty of substance. Another interesting fact about these two that is often overlooked is that Cain and Abel are the first twins. In normal Hebraic accounting of multiple births the conception then birth of each child is mentioned such as in Genesis 29:32,33 - And Leah conceived and bore a son... She conceived again and bore a son... But notice how it is worded in Genesis 4:1,2 - she conceived and bore Cain... And again, she bore his brother Abel. There is only one conception but two births. The Hebrew word for "again" is "asaph" meaning to add something, in this case the birthing of Abel was added to the birthing of Cain. Re'uven The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The name Reuben means "behold a son" and is given to the first born of Jacob through Leah who gave his name "Because the Yahweh has looked upon my affliction" (Genesis 29:32). The name is a combination of two Hebrew words ראו and בן. ראו is the imperative form of the verb ראה meaning "to see," whereas the imperative means look, see or behold. The word בן means "son." Sarah The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. You may be familiar with the phrase "sar shalom" as found in Isaiah 9:6 which is usually translated as "Prince of Peace". The word "sar" is translated various different ways including; prince, captain, chief, ruler, governor, keeper, principal, general, lord and master. The word "sar" is a parent root that literally means "to turn the head". In the original pictographic script the "s" is the letter sin, a picture of a thorn. When traveling and coming across a thorn thicket one must "turn" directions. The "r" is the letter resh and is a picture of the head of a man. When combined the meaning "turn the head" is found in the root "sar". A prince, captain, master, etc. is one who turns the head of the people. The word "sarah" is the feminine form of the word "sar". Did Sarah "turn the head" of the people? Yes, but not in the same sense as a captain or master. In Genesis 12:14 we read "When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman (Sarah) was very beautiful". Sarah turned the head of the people because of her beauty not or commands. Shaddai The following is an excerpt from the book His Name is One. Most Bible translations translate the Hebrew word שדי (shaddai) as "Almighty". Many times a translator will not translate a Hebrew word literally because the literal meaning would mean nothing to the Western mind and in some cases would actually be offensive to the Western reader. Such is the case with the word שדי (shaddai). The use of the word "Almighty" by the translator is his attempt at translating the text in a manner that will both make sense to the Western reader as well as retain some of the meaning of the original Hebrew word. The parent root for this word is שד (shad). The original pictographs for this word is,   . The (sh) is a picture of the two front teeth and has the meaning of "sharp", "press" (as from chewing) as well as "two". The (d) is a picture of a tent door with a meaning of "hang" or "dangle" as the door is hung or dangles down from the top of the tent.The combined meanings of these letters is "two danglers". The goat was a very common animal within the herds of the Hebrews. It produces milk within the udder and is extracted by the goat kid by squeezing and sucking on the two teats dangling below the udder. The function of these teats is to provide all the necessary nourishment for the kids, as they would die without it. The Hebrew word שדי (shaddai) also has the meaning of a "teat". Just as the goat provides nourishment to its kids through the milk, God nourishes his children through his milk and provides all the necessities of life. This imagery can be seen in the following passage: "And I will come down to snatch them [Israel] from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and wide land to a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8). The word שדי (teat) is often coupled with the word אל (mighty, strong) creating the phrase אל שדי (el shaddai), literally meaning the "mighty teat", hence we can see the translator's reluctance to literally translate this phrase in this manner and instead using the more sanitized "God Almighty". Shet The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. Seth is the third son of Adam. This name is pronounced "sheyt" and is a root word meaning "to set something in place". Adam's family was continued through his son Seth as Abel (hevel) was killed and Cain (qayin) expelled from the family. This idea of "continuing" is often expressed as "established" in English translations and concepts but is understood and "setting something in place" in Hebrew thought. If I establish a business, I am setting in place. But, there is another possibility to the meaning of the name Sheyt (Seth). The more literal meaning of the word "sheyt" is "buttocks", the place where you sit. This possess an interesting question. Did Adam name this portion of the body after his son or did he name his son after this body part? Could this be a clue into the personality of Seth? This was meant more as fun than actual literalness but I am always reminded of what one Rabbi once said, "If you are studying the Bible and not laughing, you are doing something wrong". In my studies with friends we often get some real good laughs and I believe this help in Biblical learning as it helps you to remember things as well as enjoy it. Shimon The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. This name is derived from the Hebrew verb שמע shama [8085] meaning "to hear." In Deuteronomy 6:4 the first word is sh’ma, the imperative form of the verb meaning "hear!" This word is kind of a motto to Israel. It has been found written on ancient pottery and coins. In Genesis 29:33 Leah, the wife of Jacob, says, "Because Yahweh has heard (shama) that I was hated and he gave me this one also" and she gives him the name שמעון Shimon [8095], a Hebrew word meaning "heard." Yared The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The Hebrew name ירד (yered, Strong's #3382), Latinized as Jared, comes from the verbal root ירד (Y-R-D, Strong's #3381) meaning "to go down." The name ירד (yered) means "descent," a going down. Yehudah The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. This name is pronounced "ye-huw-dah" in Hebrew. Most Hebrew dictionaries will define this word as "praise" but as this English word is an abstract word it falls short of its true Hebraic meaning. The parent root of this word is יד (YD - yad) meaning "hand". Several child roots are derived from this parent root having the meaning of "throw" including the child root ידה (YDH - yadah), the root of "yehudah". The word "Yehudah" has the meaning of "to throw your hands out". If you were standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time you might throw your hands out and say "Wow, will you look at that". This is the Hebraic understanding of "praise". When Judah was born to Leah (Genesis 29:35) she said "I will "yadah" Yahweh. She was pointing to Yahweh and giving him the credit for the birth of her son. We frequently use the word "praise" in the context of worship to God. Our praise is not meant to be simply singing or praying to God, but acting upon on our belief. Our function is to point to God so that others can see him. This pointing does not have to be a literal pointing but that our actions in all aspects of our life point to God and others will see him as well. " YHWH The following is an excerpt from the book The Living Words. This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me. Psalm 35:22 (KJV) In this verse, the word ""lord"" appears twice, once in all upper case letters, ""LORD,"" and the other with only the letter ""L"" in the upper case, ""Lord."" First we will examine the word ""Lord."" The Hebrew word אדון adon [H:113] is one who has authority over another or as it is usually translated, a ""lord"" and is used in the Bible for both men and God. However, from a Hebraic perspective, a ""lord"" is not one who simply rules over another, but rather one who provides for and protects those under his charge. At this point, a little Hebrew grammar is in order to help understand what the Hebrew behind the word ""Lord"" really means. When the suffix י iy is added to the end of a noun, it means ""of me"" or ""my,"" so אדוני adoniy means ""lord of me"" or ""my lord."" When the suffix ים iym is added to the end of a noun, it makes the noun plural, so אדונים adoniym means ""lords."" If the ם m is dropped from אדונים, we have אדוני adonai meaning ""my lords."" In the verse above, the word ""Lord"" is אדוני adonai [H:136] which literally means ""my lords."" In this sense, the writer is using it as a proper name, commonly used in the Bible for God. The word ""LORD,"" in all upper case letters, is not even related to the word אדון adon [H:113], it is the name יהוה YHWH [H:3068]. Each Hebrew name is a Hebrew word with meaning. For instance, the name אדם adam [H:120] is the name of the first human, but adam is also the Hebrew word for ""human."" The name YHWH, traditionally pronounced as Yahweh, is also a Hebrew word, the verb היה hawah [H:1933], meaning ""to exist"" and prefixed with the letter y (y) meaning ""he."" Thus יהוה (YHWH) means ""he exists"" and as a word would be pronounced as ye’huw or yih’weh. Did the original writers of the New Testament use the name ""Yahweh"" in their original text of their manuscripts? Let’s check the evidence. The LORD (Yahweh) says to my lord (adonai) ""Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool."" Psalm 110:1 (RSV) In this verse, we again have the two names for God, Yahweh and adonai. Below is the Hebrew for Psalm 110:1 from the Masoretic text. נאם יהוה ל אדני שב ל מיני עד אשית איביך הדם ל רגל יך Reading from right to left, the second word is Yahweh and the next word is la’adonai (to my lord). Two thousand years ago, a group of Jewish scholars (seventy by tradition) composed a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible for the Jews living outside of Israel who no longer spoke Hebrew. This translation is known as the Septuagint (or LXX, the Roman numerals meaning ""seventy""). Below is the Septuagint’s translation of Psalm 110:1. ειπεν ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου εως αν θω τους εχθρους σου υποποδιον των ποδων σου Reading from left to right, the third word in the top line is κυριος kurios [G:2962], meaning ""lord,"" the translators’ translation for the name Yahweh. The fifth word is also κυριω and is used by the translators for the Hebrew word adon as well. Psalm 110:1 is quoted in Matthew 22:44. Below is the Greek text of this Matthew passage. ειπεν ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου εως αν θω τους εχθρους σου υποποδιον των ποδων σου Notice that the Greek Septuagint and the Greek Matthew are identical. This clearly shows that the Greek book of Matthew was using the Greek Septuagint as its source for quoting the book of Psalms. In the latter 1400’s, a Jewish scholar by the name of Shem Tov wrote a document called Even Bohan (touch stone) to counter Christian missionaries. He included as an appendix a Hebrew copy of the Book of Matthew. The grammatical and textual evidence of this document suggests that this is an ancient version, and possibly a copy, of an original Matthew written in Hebrew. Let’s examine Matthew 22:44 as it appears in the Shem Tov Hebrew. נאם ה"" ל אדני שב ל מיני עד אשית אויביך הדום ל רגל יך Here the Hebrew is identical to the Hebrew in Psalm 110:1 with the words Yahweh and adon intact. This shows that the Hebrew book of Matthew was using the Hebrew text as its source for quoting the book of Psalms. Did the original writers of the New Testament use the name Yahweh in their original text of their manuscripts? Based on the evidence above, the answer is yes, the original book of Matthew did include the name Yahweh. The quotation of Psalm 110:1 found in the Hebrew text of Matthew was copied from the Hebrew text of Psalm 110:1. But, when the book of Matthew was translated into Greek at a later point, the translators copied Psalm 110:1 from the Greek Septuagint which had replaced the name Yahweh with the Greek word kurios. The above examination of the Hebrew and Greek texts of Psalms and Matthew is also helpful in answering a long debated argument. Many have theorized that since Old Testament quotations in the Greek New Testament are from the Greek Septuagint and not the Hebrew text, this is a proof the New Testament was originally written in Greek and not Hebrew. However, as we have seen, the Hebrew text of the New Testament used the Hebrew text of the Old Testament when quoting, but when that Hebrew text of the New Testament was translated into Greek, they simply used the Greek Septuagint for the quotations since it had already been translated. " Yis'sas'khar The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website.
The name יִשָּׂשכָר (yis-sakhar, Strong's #3485) is one of the more difficult names from an etymological perspective. This name is written as יִשָּׂשכָר in the Masoretic Hebrew text. The first ש (the letter shin) in this name includes the dot on the top left, indicating that it is pronounced with an "s" (if the dot were on the right it would be pronounced with a "sh"). There is also a dot inside this letter (called a dagesh) which doubles its sound. Therefore, the first two letters in this name is pronounced "yis-sa…" The second ש is a little problematic as it does not have a dot on top (The letter shin always carries the dot, either on the left or the right to indicate its pronunciation as "s" or "sh"). This unusual use of the letter shin is a mystery with no etymological answer. The standard pronunciation of the name is yis-sa-khar, and the second shin is simply ignored as if it was spelled יִשָּׂכָר. The next problem with this name is its meaning. It may be a form of the Hebrew word יִשָּׂכָר (yis-kor) meaning "he will hire." However, this meaning ignores the second shin found in the name יִשָּׂשכָר. We must also remember that the dots and dashes added above, below and inside Hebrew letters (called nikkud in the singular and nikkudot in the plural) are of fairly recent invention and were not included in the original spelling of Hebrew words. Therefore, if we take the name as it was written - יששכר, other possible interpretations are possible. The first is the combination of two words, יש and שכר. The word יש (yeysh, Strong’s #3426) means "there is." There are two possible translations of the word שכר. One is "liquor" (sha-khar, Strong’s #7941) giving us the meaning of יששכר as "there is liquor." The other possibility is "wage" (sa-khar, Strong’s #7939) giving us the meaning "there is a wage." We know have three possible meanings for the name Issachar – "he will hire", "there is liquor" and "there is a wage." If we look at the context of how this name was formed in Genesis 30:18 we can determine the most likely intended meaning of the word. In Genesis 30:18 Leah says (literally from the Hebrew), "Elohiym gave my wage." The best meaning of Issachar would then be "there is a wage." This then provides us with a possible original pronunciation of this word – yeysh-sa-khar. Yoseph The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The next son of Jacob in our series is Joseph.
In the verse above is the Hebrew verb יסף (Y-S-P, Strong's #3254) meaning "to add." The participle form of a verb is created by adding the vowels "o" and "e" between the three letters of the verb root. So, the participle form of יסף (Y-S-P, Strong's #3254) is יוסף (yoseph). A participle is usually translated by adding the suffix "ing" to the meaning of the root. So, while יסף (Y-S-P, Strong's #3254) means "add," the participle form יוסף (yoseph) means "adding." This participle form is the name יוסף (yoseph, Strong's #3130), which of course means, adding. Zevulun The following is an excerpt from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center Website. The next son of Jacob in our series is Zebulun.
The Hebrew word זבל ון, pronounced zeh-voo-loon, means a "resident" and comes from the root זבל (zaval, Strong's #2082) meaning "to reside" and is translated as "dwell" in the passage above. Hebrew nouns are commonly formed by adding letters to the root. In this instance, the suffix ון is added to the root זבל . Nouns with the ון ending generally mean "one who does the action of the root" and in this case, "one who dwells." |