This will eventually tie back to our discussion on cycles, but not today. It will be another piece of background.
Shared many times here before has been an idea of learning from one another. The entire website really came into being because of two men. So, in a way it is a tribute to these two men, and to the idea they represent to us as “children,” ones influenced by them. Oswald was a Protestant minister with sociology background. Nathan was a Jewish rabbi. Both were very well educated and good communicators. They became fast friends. They spent much time together. They respected one another enough not to try to force their own beliefs upon one another. They opened one another’s minds. They both were enriched. From their friendship came the school which I and my fellow students were blessed to attend, a graduate school in the style of discussion and interaction, the students learning from one another as well as the varied instructors. To be able to bridge gaps between people is of great value. It happens by listening. Talking some, yes, but mostly by listening to the other and letting the other’s perspective sink in for a time. It has been clear, I hope, from the beginning of the website that there is no goal to force a conversion of anyone’s belief to another. Creation was designed with contrast in mind. Contrast is good, noted repeatedly in the description of Creation early in Genesis. We most often do not understand God’s definition of “good,” which we will come to. But it is pretty clear that God’s definition of the separation of things, contrasts, are good.
From the incident with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we learn that it is not for us to set our own definitions of what is good and what is evil, but we certainly can try to learn what pleases our Creator. And how can we learn that unless we listen to feedback from God? Certainly part of our feedback is in God’s written word, but it is also in life. God’s feedback is built into the nature of Creation. We have to be able to accept instruction, which includes both negative and positive feedback. That may be from external circumstances or it may be “internal,” our “conscience.”
Read Genesis 4:2-7. There is a word to look at in verses 4 and 5. I don’t know your Bible version. In the NKJV, that I’m currently looking at, the word is “respect,” an indication of God’s approval of Abel’s offering and lack of approval of Cain’s offering. The word translated as respect is שעה:
Another translation is “regard.” If we pay attention to the feedback we can learn God’s definitions of good and evil. If we do not do well (variant of the word for good) sin is crouching at the door. How do we know that? Our anger is aroused and our countenance has fallen (verse 6). If I’m angry, I’ve picked up a signal that God has not turned briefly in acceptance. I’m comparing myself with the other. v.7 “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” The word here is h7613. שְׂאֵת śe’êṯ, which as Strongs puts it, is “the rising of a leprous scab,” which is derived from this root:
We have spoken a lot of “leprosy” as pride, too much of it. Here, perhaps we can see that a small feeling of pride, the “rising” may be a good indication that we have done something well. It is a matter of degrees. We are not to be self-deprecating (fallen countenance), as that is also a signal to us. A “touch” of pride in our accomplishment is a positive sign from God. God knows how and when to keep that under control, by negative feedback when we get overly proud. But some degree of pride gives us the confidence that God is with us in our endeavors. Circumstances can bring us to our knees when we get complacent, overly proud. The follow-up on Cain, by the way, is that even after the death of Abel and negative consequences for Cain, he is still protected from vengeance from others by a “mark” from God. Negative consequences, but God’s way, in God’s time. (All of this fits with the “cycles discussion,” but is really to lead us to the point for today.)
We are going to go to the Tree today, and use it to tie into this idea of the tribute to Nathan and Oswald, the tribute to different perspectives, but what we have just covered ties in (of course••• all of Scripture being a finely-woven tapestry).
Genesis 2:9
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Bereshit 2:9
9 ויצמח יהוה אלהים מן־האדמה כל־עץ נחמד למראה וטוב למאכל ועץ החיים בתוך
הגן ועץ הדעתטוב ורע׃
Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Bereshit 2:17
17 ומעץ הדעת טוב ורע לא תאכל ממנו כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות׃
First, the traditional view of “the knowledge of good and evil,” and then some things to ponder by looking in another way at the Hebrew, as we have been doing, to open up more potential life meaning.
① הדעת
BDB All Results: דַּעַת_ 1 הַ
הַ
GLOSS the
PARSING Hebrew, particle, definite article
+
דַּעַת_1
GLOSS understanding; knowledge
PARSING Hebrew, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct
② טוב
BDB טוֹב_1
GLOSS good; desirable; usable; kind
PARSING Hebrew, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute
③ ורע
BDB All Results: רַע וְ
רַע
GLOSS evil; bad; depravity; poor
PARSING Hebrew, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute
No surprises here, right? This fits right in with your assumptions, what you have always been taught. And your reasoning follows along with that teaching, as “assumptive reasoning.”
Now we will look more deeply, first at these words, and then some variations as we have been doing. There are no new techniques here.
① הדעת We are taught that דעת is a noun derived from ידע:
Example #6 shows דעת as knowledge in Ps19:3(2H). We will look at another perspective after looking at טוב and רע.
② טוב
Three things I will point out here. First is that the primary definition includes advancing benefit to man. That, of course, is God’s purview, as to what advances benefit to man. It may not necessarily be the same as what we desire. Rather like the child desires to eat the entire jar of candy, but the parent knows better, knows to limit the “perceived good.” The other two points are under #5 treating well and #7 being purposeful. Relating back to Oswald and Nathan, for example, my treating others different from me well, being purposeful in doing so, also advances benefit to me. More on טוב in a bit.
③ ורע Strongs – h7451. רַע ra‘; from h7489. רָעַע râ‘a‘
There is no disagreement in this entry with Strongs listing, see #2, which refers to our verse Gn2:9. But there may be more to consider.
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We will save ① הדעת for last.
First we will do ② טוב which seems most straightforward. In addition to the EDBH entry and comments for טוב above, there are a couple more pieces:
Very little different there, only a slightly broadened perspective at first glance. But, since EDBH specifically used טוב and יטב as examples on p.295, it seemed wise to look. As I went to the examples of Gn11:6; Ps16:5 and 35:1, it was clear that these were not showing places where Yod-beginning roots meant the same as word with Vav in the middle of the root. Instead, look up those three verses; better yet, write them together on one piece of paper. Get your hand as well as your eyes and your brain involved in the exercise. Action. Then 🤔– what are they saying here? How are these three verses connected? And what do they tell us about interpretation? (It is exercises like this that lead to people saying using Hebrew is a great Alzheimer’s prevention.) I’m not giving you the answers. It is for you to do, but they seem to be connected to the other words here in this context. Remember to take the view from 30,000 feet. ((At some future time perhaps we can discuss how this might relate to Qere and Ketiv. Do not worry about these now.))
Now for ③ ורע
Two overall points here. First, recall that we have encouraged considering all variants and the related cognate meanings when looking at the two-letter words. Doing so allows the Living Word to speak to us in our lives, here and now. I’ve mentioned before that if I had written some of the earlier things on the website now, I would have written them differently. That’s the hard part about putting things in writing, because then they are fixed in place and time, especially with English prose. Poetry and songs bring more “life” to the words, and the Hebrew language definitely brings more “life” to the words. So, using the Hebrew helps God speak into the here and now. And recall, roots are verbs, which in Hebrew are “action words.” Here is the family we would look at in רע:
The “family:”
GV p.247 רעע break [into pieces]; p.246 רעה tend [satisfy needs]; p.241 רוע break [physically or morally]; p.111 ירע restrict [limit space] No DVs
CM רעע shatter (E81); רעה satisfy needs (E63); רוע increase/decrease (E66) ; ירע limit activity (C40)
We will pause for just a moment to let you ponder 🤔 these different roots and how they might fit in this particular context. And ponder why the concept that two-letter words might reflect on a family of roots.•••
So, that was one way of looking at רע. Shift gears now; step away from the two-letter ↔︎family idea right now to another very real possibility, in line with things we have previously discussed. We have shared the Vav/Yod concept before. Not sure if this notation has been shared before:
So, just consider how ורע might be considered not as ו + רע, “and” + “evil,” but as the root ירע. So we could have something along the lines of (using הדעת as “the knowledge,” as we’ve not gotten to הדעת yet) “the knowledge of the benefit to man of limits.” And isn’t that the very message of the Garden incident? Very typical of the Hebraic method, the words reflecting the physical example. “Understanding the Revelation of Life in Scripture.”
That blew my mind when I was led there by that voice within – beyond my capacity. But there is even more. Let’s combine those two ideas and step into cognates.
First, look at the cognates of ירע, just above. The first thing that jumps out is ירה cast, which is the root for תורה, Torah, what many call “the Law,” what we have tended to call the Teaching. Torah focuses on two things, our interactions with God, and our interactions with people, just as does the abbreviated version, “The Ten Words.” Another cognate, ירא is both fear and focus attention. Our focusing our attention on the LORD (יהוה), our fear of God’s mighty power over our lives should serve as a limit for us. I’ll touch on one more cognate, but it is good for you to go through the exercise to look at the cognates.
The root here, ירח impact, reminds us of so many things, of which I will mention only two. First, ירח is the root for the moon. The moon reminds us that it is visible as reflecting the light from the great light, which is also our role. In addition, the moon reminds us regularly of cycles, and the HUGE implications of cycles. If we live in our enclosed, air-conditioned homes these days we pay little attention. Not so in the dark of the wilderness. The other reminder I will share with you for ירח is the city of Jericho, the so-called city of palms. Jericho was the first fortified city conquered upon entering the land of milk and honey. I believe we have shared here, when speaking of Deborah, that she judged Israel under a palm, תמר rise to heights. Deborah rose to heights in her life, as reflected in Judges 4 and 5. The Israelites rose to heights in Jericho in at least two ways (multiple witnesses – I’m sure there are many more). Right at the end of Joshua 5, Joshua meets the Commander of God’s army. The people follow what sound like preposterous instructions to march around the city and shout (רוע and תרועה, both from רוע), but indeed, the walls come tumbling down. By following the instructions (for relationships with God and one another), the walls we have built up come tumbling down. And what is the other witness in our learning about Jericho? Who is the main character? Rahab the prostitute. It is through her actions that the city is conquered, that the walls come tumbling down. She recognized the LORD’s hand in Israel’s coming. And though there was much prejudice against prostitutes, she and her entire household were saved. That day Israel “rose to heights,” when they conquered those walls of prejudice. And I’m sure you recall Rahab also appears in Matthew, Hebrews, and James in the Greek Scriptures.
Next, a much briefer glance at the cognates of another member of the family listed above, רעע and רעה and רוע and ירע. Let’s look at רוע’s cognates (at least one, in trying to stay as brief as possible, but you should consider more).
Look at רוח force space. First recognize רוח as the Ruach, the Spirit of God, our indwelling conscience, the one steering us where we should go. This is the one the LORD (יהוה) was referring to in speaking with Cain in Gn4, the one to whom we should pay attention, noticing when we get angry or our countenance has fallen. If we ignore those inputs, before too long, we don’t become aware of them at all. We no longer have a conscience (so-called God turning his back on us, when it is really we who have turned our backs). Committing a sin the first time around makes us anxious. When there is no immediate and obvious repercussion, it is a little easier the second time, and after a few more times, there is no conscience, no anxiety about it at all. The serpent knows this, knowing the patience God has with us: see first Gn2:17, then Gn3:4-5, and then 2Pt3:9. I’ve been there and done that. Got the tee-shirt. Don’t want to repeat that again. That is turning, “repentance.”
The idea in רוח of “forcing space” is that of our conscience forcing us to give space to the other. We cannot control others. We can influence by our behavior. If people recognize things in us, they may begin to cultivate the same in themselves, “I want some of what she’s got!” God changes hearts. Trying to force others to our way, to control the ways of others, only strengthens those fortifications that we hope to see come down.
OK, moving on to ① הדעת
Above we spoke of the traditional thoughts of “the knowledge.” And it works just fine with the above discussion remaining as “the knowledge.” However, in our typical vein of “considering more,” consider הד + עת.
•הֵד-sounding again.
(h1906. הֵד hêḏ; for h1959. הֵידָד hêḏâḏ; Ezek. 7:7.)
GV p.56 הדד shout [raise voices]; p.56 הדה stretch; p.57 הוד praise
¿ p.101 יהד judaize ? No DVs
CM הדד pierce (A31); הדה retain/relinquish (A57); הוד constrain by external force (A2); יהדbring together (C49)
(( And notice ידה cast; project upward;; CM ידה acquire/cast off (C10) – see below ● ))
+
• עֵת-[phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when.
h6256. עֵת ‘êṯ; 147 occurrences
GV p.195 עתת time [set a firm hour]; p.183 עות divert [from proper goal] No DVs
CM עתת pierce (A31); עות constrain by external force (A2)
(( There is no נעת, but there is:
p.165 נתע break;; CM נתע establish/separate (D74) ))
I worried a little about adding in the root, for some reason not included as part of the family for הד, the root יהד, because in today’s culture “judaize” could be misunderstood. So, I’m taking some space here to explain. This root יהד occurs only once (you will have to read Esther to find out why there was fear, and why Strongs says “in fact or in fraud” – people do lots of things out of fear – no one here is asking that). Sorry to spend so much effort on this point, but it will hopefully become apparent why.
I turned to Webster for help:
Interesting that both judaize and evangelize have both transitive and intransitive forms. You can judaize a person or it can be a process that happens within a person. Then, I had to contrast in my mind with evangelize from Webster’s viewpoint.
Apparently evangelize can also be understood transitively and intransitively. Maybe my problem, my “assumptive reasoning” has to do more with my own interpretation of the word “preach.” One on one, I don’t like being preached at. If a speaker is giving a good message, “preaching,” I appreciate it when someone tells me I might like hearing the message. If my spouse or friend is preaching at me one on one, trying to control me, that is likely another matter.
Judaize: here is the one time יהד is used in Scripture:
Esther 8:17
17 And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them. Esther 8:17
17 וּבְכָל־מְדִינָ֨ה וּמְדִינָ֜ה וּבְכָל־עִ֣יר וָעִ֗יר מְקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְדָתוֹ֙ מַגִּ֔יעַ שִׂמְחָ֤ה
וְשָׂשׂוֹן֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔יםמִשְׁתֶּ֖ה וְיֹ֣ום טֹ֑וב וְרַבִּ֞ים מֵֽעַמֵּ֤י הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ מִֽתְיַהֲדִ֔ים כִּֽי־נָפַ֥ל פַּֽחַד־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃
The fear came from the announcement that the Jews were given the authority tofight back.
BDB יהד
GLOSS hithpael: convert to Judaism
PARSING Hebrew, verb, hitpael, participle, masculine, plural, absolute
Strongs h3054. יָהַד yâhaḏ; denominative from a form corresponding to 3061; to Judaize, i.e. become Jewish: — become Jews.
AV (1) – became Jews 1;
(Hithpael) to become a Jew (in fact or in fraud), become Judaised
h3061. יְהוּד yehûḏ; (Aramaic) contracted from a form corresponding to 3063; properly, Judah, hence, Judaea: — Jewry, Judah, Judea.
AV (7) – Judah 5, Judea 1, Jewry 1;
Judah – the territory of the tribe of Judah
h3063. יְהוּדָה yehûḏâ; from 3034; celebrated; Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory: — Judah.
h3034. יָדָה yâḏâ; a primitive root; used only as denominative from 3027; literally, to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by wringing the hands): — cast (out), (make) confess(-ion), praise, shoot, (give) thank(-ful, -s, -sgiving).
AV (114) – praise 53, give thanks 32, confess 16, thank 5, make confession 2, thanksgiving 2, cast 1, cast out 1, shoot 1, thankful 1;
to throw, shoot, cast
(Qal) to shoot (arrows)
(Piel) to cast, cast down, throw down
(Hiphil)
to give thanks,, laud, praise
to confess, confess (the name of God)
(Hithpael)
to confess (sin)
to give thanks
Anyway, considering הד + עת, it seems there is likely an element of praise in there. The thing that caught my eye was the עת, the aspect of time. And I want to tie that back to the discussions we had on “Answers,” the ones that have this photo:
Notice that iniquity , from עון, relates to doing things that “seem like” doing the right thing, or the appropriate thing at that time, in that circumstance, but really wasn’t – it was more what was expedient. And maybe this הד + עת has to do with praising that at the time that challenges present themselves, that we have a conscience, a spirit, that helps us to recognize what is good in that situation. Just a thought. I think maybe we should be very thankful for that still silent voice within, that guides and helps us. Because, the challenges will not end.
● We referred above to ידה, and you should look at some of the verses. ידה is the root for יד, the hand. We see the hand of God at work everywhere. And you see “giving thanks” also translated as praising, raising our uplifted hands. And you will notice highlighted in the yellow box the cognate ידע acquire, more fully p.101 ידע acquire knowledge: know, which is where we began. Full circle.
So, again there is no attempt on this website to actively Judaize or to actively
Evangelize, to convert anyone to one way of thinking or another. The goal is to be like Oswald and Nathan, to respect one another and
to “give thanks” for the contributions one another make in God’s Kingdom, but most of all to praise the One whose hand is on us all every minute of every day. Our hands need to be involved in putting the pieces together. Give space.
Contrast is good, but not for fighting, for teaching and learning.
https://imvdb.com/video/paul-mccartney/ebony-and-ivory
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