The reader has probably already surmised that the writer believes that word study may be the most beneficial aspect in understanding what YHWH wants to teach us through Scripture, for those of us who didn’t grow up with the language. Looking at the original language and respectfully questioning [checking and double-checking] how words have been translated are a key part of study, in this writer’s mind. The reader will notice that the writer does not quote from versions that tend more to the thought-for-thought end of the translation spectrum, because there is more of the translator and less of the original author included there [this is one witness, plus that of the tutor mentioned earlier, and Strauch]. The translators in those circumstances have no doubt spent a lot of time and meditation poring over the passages, and have gained their idea of understanding what the author intended. That is a message that their life circumstances, their training, their individual perspective has brought.
Hopefully the reader sees that the goal of this writer is to get you as close as possible to the original text and let you experience, over time, with prayer and meditation, what those translators have themselves experienced. The Father/ Spirit speaks to us each individually. Each person needs to develop a relationship with him/her through as close to what he/she said in these inspired writings as possible. Just look at the number of translations of the Bible that exist in order to begin to understand that there are many opinions out there. Many are based on doctrine, the doctrine of the denomination that the translator was trained in.
Since this writer has had the benefit of exposure to many different doctrines, and to a no-doctrine perspective, focusing on Scripture rather than any particular view of Scripture, the bias of this writer is to shed the doctrinal viewpoints as much as it is possible for humans to do so [questioning one’s assumptions], share what is possible to discover with our own research, and trust that the Spirit will guide us into the understanding that she needs us to have. There is no interest here in getting you to sign up with a particular group, whatsoever, except for the group worded with slight variations , as he says “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (Ex 6:7; Lv 26:12; Jr 2:23, 11:4, 30:22; Ek 36:28) His people are those to whom he teaches, who listen to what he teaches in his instructions, and who make an effort to live according to his teaching. That seems to be a pretty clear message in Scripture, his words. Thus we focus on words. (word = h1697. דָּבָר ḏâḇâr)
h1697. דָּבָר ḏâḇâr, plural: דְבָרִ֖ים ḏeḇârim
Creation was formed by words, words spoken by the One God. One of the attributes of man that allows us to be described as “in his image and likeness” is our ability to use words. Very early in Creation, God encouraged that ability in man:
• Genesis 2:19-20 LITV 19 And YHWH God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the heavens out of the ground. And He brought them to the man, to see what [h4100. מָה mâ ••] he would call it. And all which the man might call it, each living soul, that was its name [h8034. שֵׁם šêm]. 20 And the man called names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every animal of the field. But no helper suited to him was found for a man. [••see discussion about the name of God, YHWH, and h4100. מָה mâ ••, after the next three paragraphs]
YHWH “brought them” to the man; the name was based not on a “concept,” but upon the nature or character of the animal that the man observed with the animal before him. Thus, for example [ESD], the adder, h6620. פֶּתֶן p̱eṯen, is from an unused root meaning to twist, as its nature. And sheep are h6629. צאֹן ṣô’n, from an unused root meaning to migrate, to flock. This is a clue also to the understanding that names of places and people in the Hebrew Scriptures are meaningful of character or nature. In the circumstances of the births of the sons of Jacob are the names derived, for example. (Gn 29:31-30:24, 35:18) Of course, these are the names of the tribes of Israel. Another example is the naming of Joseph’s sons. (Gn 41:51-52) Some dictionaries, for example, the ESD, will give the understood meaning for each name.
A reader can gain a deeper understanding of the nature of families by reading the genealogies and looking up name meanings. Also note that the names of some people change, based upon a change in circumstance or a change in character. Some examples are Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, (Gn 17:5, 17:15) Jacob/Ya’akov to Israel, (Gn 32:28, 35:10) Saul to Paul, (Acts 13:9) and Joseph to Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37).
Another thing to be aware of, since traits tend to be passed down, is that when someone is said to be of a certain tribe, as for example King Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, (1S. 9:21) or the “son of” someone, such as Joshua son of Nun, (Ex 33:11) we learn not only of their heritage in the physical realm, but some of the spiritual realm as well, that is, what their nature or character is like.
The same, of course goes for the names of places, two examples being Bethel, “house of God,” so named by Ya’akov for his experience of an encounter with YHWH at this location, (Gn 28:11-22) and Gilead = Galeed, meaning “witness heap,” where Ya’akov and Laban came to an agreement. (Gn 41:21-50) There are many others you will discover in your reading. It is very common for place names to be markers of important events. And thus, the Keyword example of Damascus did not seem to be an unusual occurrence. Think of Megiddo, h4023. מְגִדּוֹ Mgiddow, which means “rendezvous” or “place of crowds,” which is just that throughout its occurrences in Scripture, and whence we get the familiar “Armageddon,” “hill of Megiddo” (Re 16:16).
- 1S 25:25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. also 1S 25:3
נָבָל nâḇâl – dolt; fool
An entire book could be written about the name of God, YHWH. Here the intent will be to bring out some very important points, but leave the more “in-depth” study to the reader, with linguistic and theological experts, sub-specializing in these areas. First, some excerpts from the article in TWOT on h8034. שֵׁם (shēm), name. Each article in TWOT is signed with the initials of the editor writing that section; this article is signed, W.C.K. The discussion begins with an explanation of the uncertainty of the derivation of the word שֵׁם . The final point made on derivation is: “But the argument put forth by W. R. Smith (Kinship, 213) is preferred by some today. It derives שֵׁם from the Arabic root wŝm “to mark or brand,” hence an external mark to distinguish one thing or person from another.” Such an idea might go along with the explanation of man naming the animals and seeing the character or nature of the animal, reflecting it in the assigned “name,” though we don’t really see the typical “function” picture seen in Hebrew.
Another theory: “while others have regarded it as a shortened from of שֵׁמַע .” We have seen h8085. שָׁמַע šâma’ a number of times, as hear, obey, teach, etc. That is an attractive theory. The question will not be answered here. Another excerpt from the TWOT article: The concept of personal names in the Hebrew Scriptures often included existence, character, and reputation (1 Sam 25:25). … Further “to cut off the name” was equal to liquidating the person himself (Deut 7:24; 9:14; 1 Sam 24:21 [H 22] etc.). The name chosen for a child was often descriptive of the parent’s wishes or expectations for the personality that was to mature. This is particularly evident in the renaming process, e.g. Jacob becoming Israel (Gen 35:10). And further: The name of YHWH, generally vocalized as Yahweh is the great theme of the Hebrew name-theology. … in ••Ex 3:13 where the interrogative מָה “what” asks for the character of a person, while מִי “who?” only requires identity.••
The Hebrew of 6:3 looks like this, the words referred to in bold:
• Exodus 6:3 BHS וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲק֖בֹ בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ 3 אֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י – El Shaddai, if no other way, most know this name from the popular Amy Grant song. It simply means “God Almighty,” one of his many names. ESD h0410. אֵל ’êl shortened form of God; mighty one ESD h7706. שַׁדַּי šaḏay; from 7703; the Almighty: — Almighty. Notice in בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י [remember, reading right to left], before the אֵ֣ל is a בְּ. The ב is bet or beth [ignore all the small dots for our purposes], the second letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet. It is a particle, probably in ancient times derived from from a word, but over time became attached as a prefix, a preposition, most commonly meaning [BDB] “in, on, at; with; through; among; when; in exchange for.” However, of the more than 9000 times that ב is used in תַּנָךְ , a relatively small number are what has come to be known as “beth essentiae.” The idea is referred to here in TWOT, and in a number of other writings. It seems to focus primarily on Gesenius and his description.108 In essence [pardon the pun], it means the ב of “essence,” It is most commonly translated as “as,” such as here:
• Exodus 6:3 NASB 3 “and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, YHWH, I did not make Myself known to them.”
Gesenius gives a number of other references that are fairly well accepted, (Ex 32:22; Ps 68:5; Pr 3:26; Ec 7:14; Is 40:10; Ezra 3:3; 1 Chr 7:23, 9:33, e.g.) but also notes that there may but also notes that there may be others. The importance of bringing this up here, is again to demonstrate the importance of “name” as “essence” or “character” or nature. We will explore some examples of “name” relative to God, shortly, but we have more thoughts from W.C.K. to cover first. Next is his mention of the word h4100. מָה mâ, where he notes in Ex 3:13, Moshe saying that the people will ask מַה־שְּׁמ֔וֹ , “what is his name?” W.C.K. indicates this means more, “what is his nature, his character, rather than who he is, that is “identity.” This again, appears to be more of a “functionality” issue. YHWH’s response is both that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [identity] but also it is
• Exodus 3:14 NASB 14 God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(Esoteric Meanings.com)
He is the “One who exists.” This is the meaning of YHWH, the “I AM.” One more comment about W.C.K.’s article in the TWOT, and then we will review a few Scriptures.
He says, “Cf. the tabernacling of the Name at various spots almost like a Christophany.” First, the “-phany” ending means “appearance,” as in epiphany or Theophany, Theophany obviously “appearance of God,” and Christophany “appearance of Christ,” or Messiah. He goes on to say that such suggestions of the appearance of the Name, tabernacling, being present with, God’s people, are hints at the Messiah to come. This may well be. There are many other indications that some authors point out in Hebrew Scriptures as either earlier intermittent appearances of the Messiah, or a “Messiah-like” figure [types and shadows]. Some of the passages refer to “My angel or My messenger,” (Ex 23:20-23, 32:31-35; Is 42:17-23; Mal 3:1, in addition to the name of Malachi, spelled precisely the same, מַלְאָכִ֖י , in Mal 1:1.) the Angel of YHWH, (Ge 16:7-11, 22:11, 15; Ex 3:2; Nm 22:22-28, 31-35; Jg 2:4, 5:23, 6:21-22, 13:13-21; 2S 24:16; 1K 19:7; 2K 1:3, 15, 19:35; 1Ch 21:12, 15-18, 27, 30; 2Ch 32:21; Ps 35:5-6, 103:20; Is 37:36; Hag 1:13; Zch 1:11-14, 3:1, 5-6, 12:8; Mal 2:7.) and the Angel of God. (Gn 21:17, 31:11-12; Ex 14:19; Jg 6:20, 13:6-9; 1S 29:9; 2S 14:17-21, 19:27) It is not our intent here to resolve the issue, only to point out to the reader for further study. However, as noted, there are some specific passages to be looked at here, which may shed some light on the discussion. [personally, I have challenges with some of the terminology such as “Christophany;” such wording frequently tends to make me shay away. I think what he is saying that some of the instances of this messenger figure could be interpreted as being earlier appearances of a Messiah-like figure.]
• Exodus 23:20-23 NASB 20 “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since •My name is in him•. 22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.
There are two important points from this passage; the first is that this is the angel that YHWH sends before the Israelites in the wilderness. YHWH says his name is in the angel. Name is of course שֵׁם šêm, and in is “In the Midst בְּקִרְבִּ֔י ,” which might or might not be an example of “The Name,” probably not mattering one way or the other, as “midst” h7130. קֶרֶב qereḇ is frequently interpreted as “innermost being.” If “name” is his nature, his essence, and is in the angel, one can see how many of the other angel passages could be interpreted as they have been. Complementary to this passage of the angel going before the people, the angel being with them, are these passages, some of which seem to point to God, some angel. [recall that “angel” means “messenger.”
• Deuteronomy 31:6 NASB 6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for YHWH your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
• Deuteronomy 31:8 NASB 8 YHWH is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
• Exodus 13:21-22 NASB 21 YHWH was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
• Exodus 33:14-16 NASB 14 And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”
• Joshua 1:1-5 NASB 1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of YHWH, that YHWH spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
• Hebrews 13:5-6 NASB 5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say, “YHWH is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
Referring to the מָה mâ comment, some other verses with h4100. מָה mâ and h8034. שֵׁם šêm are: (Gn 2:18-20, 32:24-32, 38:24-30; Ex 3:11-15; Josh 7:6-13; Jg 13:15-24 ; Est 9:26-27; Ps 8; Pr 30:1-6; Ek 20:28-30; Am 4:12-13; Mal 1:6-8. ) A number clearly not fitting the discussion are not listed. Some listed are more pertinent than others. Let the verses be witness to the reader.
A few more comments about translating words between languages are important. It is challenging to make the transition between the Hebrew and Greek languages, even though it was earlier discussed that Greek appears to have originated from a Semitic background. Languages evolve over time dependent upon the culture of those using it. The two languages definitely took different directions, as noted. Often it is very challenging to find a direct word-for-word correlation between the languages. Those looking at Scripture use the tools available.
The best circumstance for translating between Hebrew and Greek are passages that are direct quotations in the GS from the HS. The added benefit of these passages are that the speaker/author in the GS is using the technique we have referred to before as “hinting to the Scriptures,” where a verse or even partial verse will be quoted, but refers to a much larger context in the HS that the audience would have known. Much later on this site should appear extensive research done by this writer on such passages, which are very instructive.
One of the tools available is the Septuagint [LXX], a translation of HS done over many years, completed around 132 B.C. However, if one spends much time in the LXX, it is clear there are many changes from the Hebrew, and in addition, the translation is very often more a “thought-for-thought” version rather than word-for-word. So, though it is some help, one may have to do a lot of footwork, looking up many verses for any one word to get a “feel” for its use. The most helpful situations are when a verse in Greek Scriptures (GS) is quoted directly from Tanakh. Then word-for-word is possible. There are some other resources available which are of some help, which we will mention.
First, there is a book currently in circulation titled “Aramaic English New Testament.”114 There are two caveats to this book, one being that it is Aramaic, not Hebrew. Aramaic is a Semitic language with many similarities to Hebrew, but also many differences. The Strong’s Concordance does include many Aramaic words. The second caveat is that this book is based upon the Peshitta, which is from the Eastern Orthodox church, recalling that the original catholic (“universal”) church split into eastern and western divisions, the “Great Schism,” officially in 1054 A.D. There are some differences in the Peshitta and most “western versions.”
Other resources include two very old versions of the “Hebrew Gospel of Matthew,” which are known to go back to the Middle Ages but authenticity is unknown prior to that. One version is the “du Tillet” version supposedly translated from a book published in 1555. A current publication is available (Schonfield).
The other version currently available is the “Even Bohan” (Touchstone) version written by Shem-Tob Ben-Isaac Ben-Shaprut, first in 1380, with revisions in 1385 and 1400. One section of the Even Bohan included in Hebrew the entire Gospel of Matthew, said to have been taken from another “original document.” A current English version is in publication (Howard). Both of these documents were found in Jewish writings with discussion and critical comments, apparently aimed at teaching Rabbis about this Gospel.
The two are not identical, but one would note that both have differences from the Greek texts we currently have available. Howard’s (1995) reference has more recent substantiation than that of Schonfield (1927/2014). A very worthwhile study would be (Gordon (2005/2010)) to look at the variations in the texts. However, such is not for this site, at least not now. These texts are noted here only as sources for understanding word-to-word translations, trying to understand what Hebrew word a Greek word is likely referring to.
As one might suspect from the discussion to this point, while all agree that the original text of the GS was written in the context of Hebrew culture, by Hebrew authors for the most part, who were fluent in the Hebrew text of the HS , nevertheless, there has been disagreement among “experts” as to what language the GS was originally written in. [This writer happens to agree with those that believe that originals of most, if not all, was written in Hebrew. However, it is not the purpose here to convince the reader of that perspective.]
Among those taking the original Hebrew stance were two professors who collaborated in their studies, one an American theology professor, Robert Lisle Lindsey, the other an Israeli, David Flusser, professor of Early Christianity and Judaism of the Second Temple Period at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Though Jewish, Flusser was very active in his comparative religion studies. Both Flusser and Lindsey trained followers, who have also continued their work and publishing. Lindsey has a published book which is a Hebrew translation of the Gospel of Mark.*
More than half of Lindsey’s book is a discussion of his studies into the three synoptic gospels, describing the methods he used to “back-translate” from Greek to Hebrew, and describing why from many perspectives, especially syntax, he came to the conclusion the writings were originally done in Hebrew or at least were copied from original Hebrew writings. Another note of interest is that he began with the understanding that Mark was the first of the gospels written, as other experts had thought, but through his work was convinced that Luke was first and closest to Hebrew original writings that all seem to have been taken from.
All are interesting reading for serious students of Scripture. The point here, however, is that this is yet another source when attempting to look into the Hebrew understanding of what was written in the Inspired Word. One more brief comment will reveal the writer’s perspective, which is that the HS writings are most likely better preserved in their original form than the GS writings. This is not to disparage the church. The first thought in this regard is that in the Hebrew scribal system of copying Scripture there was an intricate system of counting and double-checking to assure accuracy, which was not in place in the writings of the GS era.**
Second, the entire idea of “two or more witnesses,” in this case, the brothers Yehuda having the Hebrew Scriptures, it would be difficult for the younger church to change those writings and be believable. [A side-by-side comparison would be obvious.] And finally, if you will look at different Bible versions, you will notice some comments in some, that say, as does the ESV,
• Mark 16:9 [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.] Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene [heading left to avoid printing further context] 9 [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
and
• John 7:53 [The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.] The Woman Caught in Adultery [heading left to avoid printing further context] 53 [[They went each to his own house, and
• Mark 7:18-19 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) [The ESV, NKJV, NIV, NLT and NASB have this added parenthetical notation, which is not in all Greek versions, and is not in the KJV, Darby, LITV, CWSB versions. This is likely an add-on, someone’s “comment” that got included. There is much metaphorical meaning in the passage; it is not about clean or unclean foods.]
Roth (2008), in the Aramaic-English New testament has listed for Acts 8:37, “Verse 37 is nonexistent in the Peshitta,” with a footnote as follows: “Acts 8:37 Like other instances, the Peshitta omits a phrase that is also lacking in the earliest Greek texts. In this case verse 37 is also missing, from Aleph, A, B, C, and the Vulgate. The words in the later manuscripts are: “And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered, I believe that Y’shua the Mashiyach is the Son of Elohim.” This insertion appears to be: l ) artificial, as is demonstrated by how well the original thoughts flow without it and 2) it is easy to imagine how a later Gentile editor would have felt the need to make an outright declaration of faith that is so specific. In its original Semitic context, however, it is enough to show that the Ethiopian asked the question and Philip answered according to the Scriptures.”
Please note his last sentence. The Hebraic/Semitic understanding would not require such a statement. For Acts 8:37, in the ESV, Acts 8 has no verse 37, skipping from 36 to 38. The NASB has verse 37 in brackets, with a note saying early manuscripts don’t have it. God’s Word is very reliable. Sometimes it is a challenge to determine what man has done to it by layers and layers of his involvement. Seek the original source as much as possible.
There are two more brief points to be discussed here. The first is just a mention of a “rule of thumb” to use when doing word studies. Many students of God’s Word use this rule of thumb, which for the most part seems to have credibility, but not without exception. This is what folks call “first use.” What this means, is if you plug in your Strong’s number in your search engine, always look first at the first time the word was used and its context. Not infallible, but usually it will give you the most or one of the most important meanings for the word. This is good to know in a language like Hebrew in which words can have many meanings. Here is an example. Recall we met the word h5707. עֵד ‘êḏ before, discussing one of our major themes, multiple witnesses.
• Genesis 31:43-55 LITV 43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters and the sons my sons. And the flocks are my flocks; yea, all which you see, it is mine and my daughters’. What can I do to these today, or to their sons whom they have borne? 44 And now come, let us cut a covenant, you and me; and let it be a •witness between you and me. 45 And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial. 46 And Jacob said to his brothers, Gather stones. And they took stones and they made a memorial pillar. 47 And Laban called it, Heap of the Testimony. And Jacob called it in Hebrew, Heap of •Testimony [Galeed]. 48 And Laban said, This heap is a •witness between you and between me today; so he called its name Heap of Testimony; 49 also, Watchtower; for he said, May Jehovah watch between you and me, for we are hidden, when we are out of sight, each from his neighbor. 50 If you will not afflict my daughters, and if you will not take wives above my daughters, no man is with us. Behold! God is a •witness between you and me. 51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar which I have set between you and me. 52 This heap is a •witness, and the pillar is a testimony. As for me, I will not pass over this heap to you; and as for you, you will not pass over this heap and this pillar for evil to me. 53 The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of their father, let judge between us. And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And Jacob sacrificed a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread. And they ate bread and lodged on the mountain. 55 And Laban rose up early in the morning and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. And Laban went away and returned to his own place.
Notice this is a physical object that is a witness, a witness to this covenant. Notice also the word pillar mentioned before in passing as a “signal” word. Notice also having pointed out Galeed, Gilead, as a place name with meaning. This passage will also come up in a later discussion. And finally, a brief mention of what is called a HAPAX LEGOMENON [may be abbreviated as HAPAX]. What it means is that this word occurs only once in Scripture. When the reader comes across a HAPAX, one should pay special attention to this word. It may be “no big deal,” (Holy Script http://2.bp.blogspot.com) or it may be very important.
Three things come into consideration with a HAPAX. First, the word may be a noun, for example, but there is already a closely-related verb [or other form], and one can reasonably deduce the meaning from that. No big deal. The second thing is that this may be a “signal word” pointing to this one verse as an important verse or context, but it is easy to tell from parallel words used or context what it means. Or it might be in poetry, to fit with other wording [as modern poets sometimes do], but not too difficult to decipher.
Then there is the possibility that it is a totally made-up word and experts have done their best to decipher its meaning, but their best guesses are just that, guesses, and we don’t really know what its purpose is. Therefore, one must keep an open mind about the context where it is used, that there is an important message. The writer has spent many hours trying to puzzle out some of these. Just be aware that the passage with a HAPAX calls you to special attention. In the next Post, an introduction will be made to Levels of Meaning in Scripture. It is only an introduction because some people have devoted their whole lives to this subject. Once again, the goal is to make the reader aware that there are levels of meaning in all Scripture, and one must be aware of that while one reads.
*A Hebrew Translation of the Gospel of Mark, Greek-Hebrew Diglot with English Introduction, Robert Lisle Lindsey, foreword David Flusser. Second edition 1973 (first 1969), Dugith Publishers, Baptist House, Jerusalem, Israel. It Is
Aramaic English New Testament, Mari, Peshitta English Aramaic Critical Edition, A Compilation, Annotation and Translation of the Eastern Original Aramaic New Testament Peshitta Text, Fifth Edition, Andrew Gabriel Roth, 2012, Netzari Press LLC (copyright 2008), first printing Jerusalem, Israel, fifth printing USA.
An Old Hebrew Text of St. Matthew’s Gospel, Translated, with an Introduction, Notes and Appendices, Hugh J. Schonfield, 2014 Hugh & Helene Schonfield World Services Trust, London, (copyright 1927 Hugh J. Schonfield).
Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, George Howard, 1995, Mercer University Press, Macon, GA (copyright 1995).
Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, H.W.F. Gesenius, Baker Book House Co., Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI, 1979. pp 99-100. 109
**In Praise of Ancient Scribes, Alan R. Millard, Bible and Spade 2 (Spring-Summer-Autumn 1982), pp 33-47. pdf retrieved from internet 03232017 https://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/ 20-proverbs/text/articles/millard-scribes-b-s.htm
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