Let Gershom be a reminder for us on many levels, as seen here.
⦁ Exodus 2:21-22
21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name (h8034. שֵׁם šêm) Gershom(h1647. גֵּרְשֹׁם g̱êrešôm), for he said, “I have been a stranger (h1616. גֵּר g̱êr) in a foreign land.”
▸ h1647. גֵּרְשֹׁם g̱êrešôm; for 1648; Gereshom, the name of four Israelites: — Gershom.
AV (14) – Gershom 14; Gershom = “foreigner”
firstborn son of Moses and Zipporah
firstborn son of Levi
a son of the priestly family of Phinehas who returned from exile with Ezra
▸ h1648. גֵּרְשׁוֹן g̱êrešôn; or גֵּרְשׁוֹם Gershowm; from 1644; a refugee; Gereshon or Gereshom, an Israelite: — Gershon, Gershom.
AV (17) – Gershon 17; Gershon or Gershom = “exile”
firstborn son of Levi born before Jacob’s family went to Egypt
▸ h1644. גָּרַשׁ g̱âraš; a primitive root; to drive out from a possession; especially to expatriate or divorce: — cast up (out), divorced (woman), drive away (forth, out), expel, x surely put away, trouble, thrust out.
AV (47) – drive out 20, cast out 8, thrust out 6, drive away 2, put away 2, divorced 2, driven 1, expel 1, drive forth 1, surely 1, troubled 1, cast up 1, divorced woman 1;
to drive out, expel, cast out, drive away, divorce, put away, thrust away, trouble, cast up
(Qal) to thrust out, cast out
(Niphal) to be driven away, be tossed
(Piel) to drive out, drive away
(Pual) to be thrust out
▸ h1645. גֶּרֶשׁ g̱ereš; from 1644; produce (as if expelled): — put forth.
AV (1) – put forth 1;
a thing put forth, yield, produce, thing thrust forth
▸ h1646. גְּרֻשָׁה g̱erušâ; feminine passive participle of 1644; (abstractly) dispossession: — exaction.
AV (1) – exactions 1;
expulsion, violence, dispossession, act of expulsion
▸ h1649. גֵּרְשֻׁנִּי g̱êrešnuiy; patronymically from 1648; a Gereshonite or descendant of Gereshon: — Gershonite, sons of Gershon.
AV (13) – Gershonite 13; Gershonite = see Geshur
a descendant of Gershon, firstborn son of Levi
The obvious reference in Exodus 2:22 is גר + שמ, as “foreign name.”
But there are some other rather fascinating things to look at.
First – it could be a noun formed by adding the מ suffix to גרש.
- (¿ Was there contention in the household over this son, that led Moses to be out, tending the sheep, when he encountered the burning bush ? – We don’t know, but see Zipporah’s reaction later – we do not know the age of Gershom at the time of the incident below – all we know is that Moses was forty when he left Egypt and eighty when he returned. Forty years passed. [Both of these periods of forty are given in Acts 7; they do not appear in the Hebrew Scriptures, although there are many “forties” for Moses.])
Also, it could be a noun formed by adding the ר between the first and second consonants of גשם.
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Let’s look at the verses.
❶ dismissing; chasing out
Genesis 21:9-11
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out (h1644. גָּרַשׁ g̱âraš) this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, with Isaac.” 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
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Deuteronomy 9:1-6
1 “Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess(h3423. יָרַשׁ yâraš) nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?’ 3 Therefore understand today that the LORD your God is he who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and {bring them down} (h3665. כָּנַע ḵâna‘) before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the LORD has said to you.
4 “Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that he may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.
- Here three points must be understood.
- The first is stated very clearly, the dispossession has nothing to do with Israel’s righteousness “for you are a stiff-necked people.” The indication was never for Israel or any of us to think we are a better people than others. We were never told to judge others and find ourselves more righteous. Very clear.
- Second, God is to be both the one judging wickedness vs. righteousness and bringing them down. God clearly has his ways of bringing peoples to their knees, humbling them (h3665. כָּנַע ḵâna‘). The very name of Canaan is derived from this root כנע. This is a land intended to be brought to its knees. (See the כנע p.120 entry below the third point.)
- Finally, we have not before discussed the Anakim, but now is the time, for the Anakim are the ones to be humbled. They are great and tall. They are••• well, let me allow the Hebrew to spell it out for you:
- The wicked of Canaan that are to be humbled are the descendants of Anak, the ones surrounded with material goods. They are great and tall. Who in our world fits the description? Who will of necessity be humbled by the LORD (יהוה)? The wicked are the ones surrounding themselves with material goods. See below in ❺. The “wicked ones” are the “princes”h5387. נָשִׂיא nâśîy’; or נָשִׂא nasi’ (the ones “raised up” p.162 נשׂא). The towers must come tumbling down. Who can stand before the Anakim? Do not the Anakim think themselves invincible? “The LORD your God is he who goes over before you as a consuming fire.” Think not that the LORD (יהוה) is incapable of bringing the haughty to their knees.
- כנע, the root for Canaan:
- Must we not take a look at our own lives? I point out to you below an important word, highlighted in blue. Ponder that word in the context of our lives, and think of voluntary change of direction. Surrounded with material goods. See Matt. 19:16–22; Mark 10:17–22; Luke 18:18-23.
❷ divorcing – instructions for Priests
Leviticus 21:7
7 They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced (h1644. גָּרַשׁ g̱âraš) from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.
❸ area outside city limits
Numbers 35:2-5
2 “Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land(h4054. מִגְרָשׁ mig̱râš) around the cities. 3 They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land (h4054. מִגְרָשׁ mig̱râš) shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals. 4 The common-land (h4054. מִגְרָשׁ mig̱râš) of the cities which you will give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. 5 And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. The city shall be in the middle. This shall belong to them as common-land (h4054. מִגְרָשׁ mig̱râš) for the cities.
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Leviticus 25:29-34
29 ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee. 31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee. 32 Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the common-land (h4054. מִגְרָשׁmig̱râš) of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.
❹ vegetation developing after passing of months
Deuteronomy 33:13-17
13 And of Joseph (h3130. יוֹסֵף yôsêp̱) he said:
“Blessed of the LORD is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce (h1645. גֶּרֶשׁ g̱ereš) of the months,
15 With the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’
17 His glory is like a firstborn bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
Together with them
He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
- I am in the midst of doing deep investigations of the two-letter cognate permutations, as in the Appendices for Mother and Father. It is too much to share here and now, but note that Joseph יסף and produce גרש have in common the two-letter cognates for קץ, palatal and sibilant, as do גשם and גרשם. My initial interpretation of what all the palatal/sibilant combinations have in common is interact (challenge/encourage), recalling that there is usually a spectrum of meanings. Interaction is the general term, but it may range from encouragement to challenge (and of course, as always in Hebrew, perhaps both – e.g. a challenge may be an encouragement.)
❺ land confiscation
Ezekiel 45:9-12
9 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Enough, princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing (h1646. גְּרֻשָׁהg̱erušâ) my people,” says the Lord GOD.
10 “You shall have honest scales, an honest ephah, and an honest bath. 11 The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer. 12 The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
Ezekiel 45:9
9 כֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה רַב־לָכֶם֙ נְשִׂיאֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל חָמָ֤ס וָשֹׁד֙ הָסִ֔ירוּ וּמִשְׁפָּ֥ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה עֲשׂ֑וּ הָרִ֤ימוּ גְרֻשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם֙מֵעַ֣ל עַמִּ֔י נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃
Some things to be pointed out here. First, it is cool to me that this came shortly after my sharing with you the book, The Land is not Empty, because it reinforces/is another witness to that message. But I also want to share another critical piece to understand. The word “land” is not in the verse, yet EDBH says “land confiscation.” If you read the context, it is about being honest in dealings, with honest measures and scales. Why does EDBH say “land” confiscation? I refer you to an important meaning in the Hebrew Scriptures, that you should be aware of, this example giving me the opportunity to discuss. The word “land” is ארץ, and the root, listed on p.17 is “solidify basic needs.” How we think of land includes a means to solidify basic needs, but think of the larger concept of “basic needs,” food, shelter, and how the passage is talking about a broader picture, being honest in dealing with people in all ways, not interfering with their ability to care for themselves by selfishly looking out for “me.”
See how this refers back, as well, to the passage before. גרש is the produce, but notice in verse 13, “Blessed of the LORD is his land,” here land is ארץ, and it is made clear in that passage it means more along the lines of “provision.” It is the LORD’s provision for the people that we are not to interfere with. Again, see how that reflects back to the book I shared.
❶ raining and causing growth
⦁ Leviticus 26:3-6
3 If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments, and perform them,
4 then I will give you rain (h1653. גֶּשֶׁם g̱ešem) in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing;
you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid;
I will rid the land of evil beasts,
and the sword will not go through your land.
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⦁ Psalms 11:6
6 He causes to rain upon the wicked (רְשָׁעִ֗ים h7563. רָשָׁע râšâ‘) a snare;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.
Psalms 11:6
6 יַמְטֵ֥ר עַל־רְשָׁעִ֗ים פַּ֫חִ֥ים אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפֹ֗ות מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃
- The word רְשָׁעִ֗ים contains the letters ישם, and thus is in the cognate permutationsof גדם as EDBH indicates (and I might also point out of גרשם).
❷ torrent
⦁ Psalms 68:7-12
7 God, when you went out before your people,
When you marched through the wilderness,
Selah
8 The earth shook;
The heavens also dripped from the presence of God;
Sinai itself from the face of God, the God of Israel.
9(10H) God, you sent a plentiful (h5071. נְדָבָה neḏâḇâ) rain (h1653. גֶּשֶׁם g̱ešem), your inheritance,
And it was wearied. You, you established it.
10 Your community dwelt in it;
You made firm in your goodness to the poor, God.
11 My Lord אדני gave the word;
Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:
12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home divides the spoil.
Psalms 68:10
10 גֶּ֣שֶׁם נְ֭דָבוֹת תָּנִ֣יף אֱלֹהִ֑ים נַחֲלָתְךָ֥ וְ֝נִלְאָ֗ה אַתָּ֥ה כֹֽונַנְתָּֽהּ׃
▸ BDB
▸ גֶּשֶׁם GLOSS rain shower
PARSING Hebrew, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct
CODE@ncmsc
▸ נְדָבָה GLOSS freewill offering; voluntary action
PARSING Hebrew, noun, common, feminine, plural, absolute
CODE@ncfpa
▸ נוף GLOSS qal: spray; hiphil: cause precipitation to fall
PARSING Hebrew, verb, hiphil, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular
CODE@vhi2ms
The verb in the colon/line is תָּנִ֣יף from נוף. And notice both גֶּ֣שֶׁם and נְ֭דָבוֹת are nouns. And גֶּ֣שֶׁם is in construct form, נְ֭דָבוֹת in absolute. So, a translation might be: God causes to fall a shower/torrent of offerings. It is our task to receive those offerings and learn from them.
▸ h1653. גֶּשֶׁם g̱ešem; from h1652. גָּשַׁם g̱âšam; a shower: — rain, shower.
AV (35) – rain 31, shower 4;
rain, shower
▸ h1652. גָּשַׁם g̱âšam; a primitive root; to shower violently: — (cause to) rain.
AV (1) – cause rain 1;
to rain
(Pual) to be rained on
(Hiphil) to cause rain, send rain
▸ h5071. נְדָבָה neḏâḇâ; from h5068. נָדַב nâḏaḇ; properly (abstractly) spontaneity, or (adjectively) spontaneous; also (concretely) a spontaneous or (by inference, in plural) abundant gift: — free(-will) offering, freely, plentiful, voluntary(-ily, offering), willing(-ly), offering).
AV (26) – freewill offering 15, offerings 9, free offering 2, freely 2, willing offering 1, voluntary offering 1, plentiful 1, voluntarily 1, voluntary 1, willing 1, willingly 1;
voluntariness, free-will offering
voluntariness
freewill, voluntary, offering
▸ h5068. נָדַב nâḏaḇ; a primitive root; to impel; hence, to volunteer (as a soldier), to present spontaneously: — offer freely, be (give, make, offer self) willing(-ly).
AV (17) – offered willingly 6, willingly offered 5, willing 2, offered 1, willing 1, offered freely 1, give willingly 1;
to incite, impel, make willing
(Qal) to incite, impel
(Hithpael)
to volunteer
to offer free-will offerings
We have spoken many times of rain in Scripture as symbolizing God’s teaching. Hopefully a look at גשם has both furthered that message to you, and has reminded you that the LORD (יהוה) is the God of consequences. The teaching very often is seen in the form of consequences. You can see it here. We are to learn from the consequences of our actions. If we touch something hot, it burns and we withdraw. And we avoid it next time. We learn. Consequences, action/reaction. Consequences work in both directions and serve as teacher.
Who is wicked? Who is righteous? Who determines the wicked and the righteous? We are blind to ourselves, with Logs in our eyes.
It is a curious passage in Exodus 4, which perhaps we can explain now. First the passage. The “son” here would be Moses’s firstborn Gershom, though his name is not mentioned here, but talk of firstborn is in the context. Moses has met the LORD at the burning bush. Moses has been reassured that Aaron is coming, but has not yet connected with him.
Exodus 4:24-26
24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” 26 So he let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision (h4139. מוּלָה mûlâ).
- Moses was raised by the daughter of Pharaoh, a man of high position. Zipporah is the daughter of the Priest of Midian, a high position. What God asks of them is a voluntary step in the opposite direction. Not easy, painful! But required if we are truly to be with God, in God’s Kingdom. No, not physical circumcision, but:
Romans 2:28-29
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
Deuteronomy 30:4-6
4 If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. 5 Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Gershom is the reminder to Moses to keep himself humble. Gershom is the reminder to us to humble ourselves voluntarily. Allow God to circumcise your heart, voluntarily. It is a freewill offering.
Personally, I wish the image below had more silver in it and less gold. Silver כסף is a common element in the Tabernacle, as we have seen. And כסף “happens to be” another of those palatal/sibilant roots along with Joseph יסף and produce גרש:
כסף p.121 (yearn; desire) lead forward/astray (C56)
- Most commonly translated as silver (287 occ) or money (112 occ)
- (See 1 Timothy 6:10)
Recall we spoke of the Freewill Offering in the building of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. A critical part. Without it, no place for the LORD to dwell with us.
Exodus 36:2-4
2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4 Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing.
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