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Investigating the word דבר, as to what further depth of meaning we might get:
Realizing that each three-letter root would have 3 factorial (3x2x1) possible rearrangements, we anticipate six different orderings of the consonants, so those a grouped here in that fashion. Then, within the ordering groups, the homorganic consonant substitutions are made. It will make sense when you look at it. Of course, not all combinations are actual roots.
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בתר p.33 (separate) open; cover (B44)
פדר p.197 (layer) open; cover (B44)
פטר p.200 (open; release) open; cover (B44)
פתר p.210 (explain reasonably) open; cover (B44)
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ברד p.31 (separate) separate; highlight (B38)
ברת p.32 (separate out parts) separate; highlight (B38)
פרד p.206 (sever) separate; highlight (B38)
פרט p.206 (separate; split off) separate; highlight (B38)
פרת p.208 (distinguish) separate; highlight (B38)
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דבר p.46 (combine separate items into one) combine single objects (D8)
דור p.49 (live contemporaneously; link together) combine single objects (D8) טברp.94 (center) combining single objects (D8)
טור p.95 (line up) combine single objects (D8)
תור p.284 (search for separate items) combine single objects (D8)
תפר p.288 (sew; connect pieces of material) combine single objects (D8)
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דרב p.53 (goad with sharp instrument) act abruptly (D36)
טרף p.98 (snatch; secure food) act abruptly (D36)
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רבד p.238 (spread out neatly) spread (E68)
רוד p.240 (humble) spread (E68)
רפד p.247 (spread) spread (E68)
רפת p.248 (enclose) spread (E68)
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רטב p.244 (moisten) move without control (E79)
רדף p.240 (pursue) move without control (E79)
רטף p.244 (dampen) move without control (E79)
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From the cognate meanings above, which are the condensation by EDBH of the individual roots into one spectrum of thought that we can keep in the back of our minds in looking at the derived words:
open; cover (B44)
separate; highlight (B38)
combine single objects (D8)
act abruptly (D36)
spread (E68)
move without control (E79)
My efforts with these cognate permutation groupings are to try to do as EDBH has done with their definitions and cognate meanings, to look at similarities among usages and come up with a word or phrase that can describe the spectrum of meaning, realizing the spectrum may include both extremes. Here is my thought for this root. Please go through the exercise yourself to see what you might come up with, as you look at all of the roots above.
→ Gain/lack understanding ←
- To follow are some verses from the EDBH references that include the three-letter root, and some apparent connections with a two-letter word within that three-letter root, in the verse, which may give some additional help with understanding.
- One would anticipate that a combination of the various two-letter words within the root would help give an indication of the meaning. The other VERY KEY piece is the letters that Clark and Hirsch do give us direction for in Appendix A, especially p.299, but also others in Appendix A. We have also personally explored some letters in great depth, letters than can be seen as a prefix, for example (one quick and not exhaustive example: see ברד, “hail” just below. We have seen ב meaning “in.” Hail could be “in” plus the two-letter רד. Not going into all the nuances, the “head of the family” for רד is p.239 רדד render pliable;; CM be compliant and susceptible (E76). If you think of places that hail occurs in Scripture, the think foremost of the plague in Egypt in Exodus 9 and the storehouses in Job 38:22-23. Then you understand from the context.)
Again my apologies for several screenshots of text. WordPress does not import underlines, which is a large percentage of the work that goes into this.
• בַּד-alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.
• בַּד-linen.
• בַּד-liar, lie.
h0905. בַּד ḇaḏ (56 occ.); from h0909. בָּדַד ḇâḏaḏ; h0906. בַּד ḇaḏ (23 occ.); perhaps from h0909. בָּדַד ḇâḏaḏ
GV p.20 בדד separate [isolate]; p.21 בדה exaggerate; p.20 בדא fabricate [create untruths]; ¿ p.149 נדה distance ? – בדד, בדה, and בדא all list נדה, but it does not fit the pattern.
DV אבד – p.20 בדד separate [isolate] > p.1 אבד lose valuable possession No other DVs
CM בדד isolate components (B6); בדה and בדא react to externals (B5); אבד constrain by external force (A2); נדה establish/separate (D74)
There is no occurrence of a two-letter word בט, but there are numerous words beginning with בט, including meanings of “confidence, womb, and pistachio nuts.” Also note that “good,” טוב and יטב also have בט. One of the gifts sent to Joseph by Jacob by way of his sons, on the way to Egypt, were pistachio nuts.
• בַּת-apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter, [idiom] first, [idiom] old, [phrase] owl, town, village.
• בַּת-bath.
• בַּת-bath.
h1323. בַּת ḇaṯ (588 occ.); from h1129. בָּנָה ḇânâ;; h1324. בַּת ḇaṯ (13 occ.);; h1325. בַּתḇaṯ (2 occ.); (Aramaic)
GV p.33 בתת cut off [define]; p.33 בתה destroy [lay waste]; p.26 בית protect [contain] No DVs
CM בתת isolate components (B6); בתה react to externals (B5); בית protect/endanger (B3)
IT IS NOT CLEAR WHERE בר son AND בת daughter COME FROM – ESD says they come from בנה – and there is the word “daughters” occurring at least 230 to 240 times as בנות, which is feminine plural, which appears to come from בנה, as Strong’s notes, and BDB denotes as בת. And in Strong’s derivation for בר, he lists בר as son (בר also is grain, cleanness, etc.) as coming from Aramaic, which is not included in the EDBH. And in Strong’s, the Aramaic בר son is said to correspond to בן. Curiously בר is translated in Psalms and Proverbs as “son,” clearly written before the time of the Aramaic writings in Scripture.
CM בתת isolate components (B6); בתה react to externals (B5); בית protect/endanger (B3)
¿ Naboth – 1Kings21; 2Kings9 – there is a Nebat נבט in 1&2K and 2Chr – ¿ Nob ? ?
(p.147 נבט perceive CM move (D64) – “be moved by what you see”
See Ex3:6; Nm23:21)
All of this leads me in a direction, which will likely offend many. Please consider for yourselves; don’t take my interpretation. To me, it points in the direction of the more compassionate side of man, “being moved by what you see,” which connects with Genesis 25:27, and possibly with Malachi 1:2-5. Perhaps it is seeing the two sides of God, the lover and the warrior, within a person. “In the image of God, male and female, he created them.” Is this what Jacob leaned toward in his sons Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel, רחל, the “delicate” one? Is this why he says of Joseph, the “fruitful son?”
And how does this all relate back to the word דבר that we are investigating? Recall that the wilderness is מדבר, one way of looking at it is as מ “from” + דבר “combine separate items into one.” By the wilderness experience, was Hod giving Am Israel many different experiences designed to make them more compassionate, helping them, by way of having lived through difficult times, helping them to “be moved by what they see” in the suffering/challenges of others? I now see there is a way to interpret the following passage that I had previously interpreted differently:
⦁ Exodus 13:17-18 – (NKJV-The Wilderness Way)
17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks (h2571. חָמֻשׁ ḥâmuš) out of the land of Egypt.
▸ h2571. חָמֻשׁ ḥâmuš; passive participle of the same as 2570; staunch, i.e. able-bodied soldiers: — armed (men), harnessed.
AV (4) – armed 2, armed men 1, harnessed 1;
in battle array, arrayed for battle by fives, armed
Always before I had interpreted “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” as meaning that they would see war and return “in fear” to what they had known before. But may it mean return to the warlike ways of Egypt (Moses was previously a General and solved the problem he saw before him by murdering a man who was quarreling (like Lamech))? Egypt is the way of “pressure.” This is an entirely new way of looking at this for me at this moment. 🤔
We must come to appreciate these “new visions,” the ones that come in the “LogAndSpeck” moment, the moment we cast aside our assumptive reasoning, our “logs” in order to be able to see. See this short commentary:
https://www.theberean.org/index.cfm/main/default/id/8293/ver/NKJV/john-3-3.htm
▸ Strongs h7300. רוּד rûḏ; a primitive root; to tramp about, i.e. ramble (free or disconsolate): — have the dominion, be lord, mourn, rule.
AV (4) – dominion 1, lords 1, mourn 1, ruleth 1;
to wander restlessly, roam
(Qal) to roam
(Hiphil) to be restless, show restlessness
▸ CWSBD H7300. רוּד rûḏ: A verb meaning to wander restlessly, to roam. Hosea uses the verb figuratively to refer to Judah’s restlessness, that is, their lack of obedience to God (Hos. 11:12[12:1]). The Lord uses the verb in Jeremiah to ask why His people felt they were free to roam (Jer. 2:31). Esau, after Jacob deceived Isaac, was doomed to live by the sword and serve his brother. However, there would come a time when he would become restless and throw off his yoke (Gen. 27:40).
Concordance
H7300. I. רוּד rûḏ verb
(to roam; to be restless)
Gen. 27:40(KJV, see III); Ps. 55:2(3)(KJV, see IV); Jer. 2:31(KJV, see III).
II. רוּד rûḏ verb
(to be unruly)
Hos. 11:12(12:1)(KJV, see III).
III. רוּד rûḏ verb
(to have dominion; to rule)
Gen. 27:40(NASB, NIV, see I); Jer. 2:31(NASB, NIV, see I); Hos. 11:12(12:1)(NASB, NIV, see II).
IV. רוּד rûḏ verb
(to mourn)
Ps. 55:2(3)(NASB, NIV, see I).
▸ TWOT 2129 רוּד (rûd) wander restlessly, roam (e.g. Hos 12:1; Gen 27:40).
Derivative
2129a מָרוֹד (mārôd) restlessness, straying (e.g. Lam 3:19; Isa 58:7).
- I believe restless, though perhaps accurate in one sense of the word, might be a bit misleading for רוד in Gn27:40. The “sense,” I believe, is more that when our brother finally “sees” our humility, our “mourning,” that humility will have a large impact on him; that impact will bring a release. This is the “log and speck” moment.
- So, this verse in Ps55:2(3H), in what is actually written, has no other ר and no other ד/ט/ת to make connections with. Not saying these interpretations are wrong, but are there other words in this verse that אריד could tie into? If we looked at the אי, every other word in the verse includes a cognate permutation of אי except לי “unto me.” This would tie together mourn with “attend,” “hear me,” “in my complaint,” and “I make a noise/murmur.”
- BDB הום
- GLOSS qal: confuse; niphal: shout; be in a stir; hiphil: murmur
- PARSING Hebrew, verb, hiphil, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular, cohortative in both form and meaning
- CODE@vhi1csXCt
- Just an idea I am exploring to see if it is a help. We are investigating together.
Let’s go back for a moment to Gn27:40. Though there were two-letter cognates with the root רוד, that we pointed out above, notice that, once again, looking at exactly what is written, not the root, may also give a “sense” of the meaning, with “multiple witnesses. See here, what is written from רוד is the word תריד. In addition to what we saw above, I see three other sets of two-letter cognate permutations that might shed light, תי and רי and רת/רד.
I also point out the root meaning that is translated here as “sword,” which is p.88 חרב parch; lose vitality;; CM facilitate/restrain penetration (A49). See the entry for חרב just below. Consider that Isaac may be telling Esau, referring to his loss of the blessing, as his “ruin,” which actually fits the context better, and that Esau will live in a more dependent state, not having received the “double portion” of the firstborn.
It seems (again, my interpretation – accept or reject) that Scripture is telling us here, as in many places, that humility is a good thing, is a thing to be sought out, strived for. This may be a word of blasphemy in a country that was born and thrives on its independent spirit. We come into this world in a very dependent state. We are nurtured and then weaned, taught to become more independent, and then, as life would have it, as we age, we tend more toward the dependent side again. We switch in life, from our trust in our mother’s breast, to our trust in our strengths, and then we have to put our trust in others to care for us. One clear message of Scripture is trusting in the One that is in control of all of these transitions. A tough lesson for us to learn sometimes.
The word for “yoke” is על, which is the same as the word that begins the verse, על“upon.” Think of the על, the “upon” as anything which your brother has against you or you have against your brother. And think of Matthew 18:15, in our approaching someone who has something against us.
One more comment before I give my resultant interpretation of this Genesis 27:40 verse. There are no cognates for ריד or for רדי. However, if we go to cognate permutations, one obvious root that comes to mind is דאך, often translated as “the way” in the noun form and “to tread” in the verbal form. We could borrow a similar meaning from p.53 דרך step forward; progress toward a goal;; CM move forward incrementally (D37).
Genesis 27:40
40 By your ruin you are revived,
And you serve your brother;
And it comes to pass, like which you are humbled/on “the Way”,
That you break his yoke from your neck.”
There is much, much more to discuss about the words for “word.” In the Greek Scriptures, g3056. λόγος logos, refers to both of our Hebrew words, אמר and דבר. Hopefully this exercise has helped you see that different concepts are included in these two “words.”
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A couple more parting thoughts on words – first, they are like throwing a pass:
Darrell Royal was a long-term, successful football coach at the University of Texas.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/10/04/pass-3-things/?amp=1 Retrieved 221028.
In 1963 the book “Darrell Royal Talks Football” by Darrell Royal with Blackie Sherrod was published, and it discussed the primary author’s philosophy of coaching. A version of the aphorism was given, and Royal did not give credit to anyone else when he used the expression [DRDR]:
“I might say this: we’ve always been a running team and I’m sure we will continue to be so. (We’ve been criticized for it, I might add.) But I’ve always felt that three things can happen to you whenever you throw the football, and two of them are bad. You can catch the ball, you can throw it incomplete, or have it intercepted.”
Words are like throwing a pass. One must be judicious in their use. Three things can happen. They can be heard and understood as intended; they can “go in one ear and out the other,” having no impact (which leads to frustration on the part of the speaker); and they can be misunderstood and lead to a clear downhill spiral. Of the three, two are “bad,” so they should be carefully thought out and “measured” in their sharing.
And finally, a 13-minute audio lesson about the Torah being a guidebook for life, which parallels the LogAndSpeck subtitle, “Tools for Understanding the Revelation of Life in Scripture.” I think it will help much in your understanding of how these inspired words of Scripture (very “measured” words, so long as they are not changed) can help you in your walk in life.
https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/into-the-verse
Retrieved 221029. (It may only be free access for a few weeks.)
Blessings.
Ⓒ copyright LogAndSpeck October 2022. Please cite if copying.