Again, it is my intent to share what Scripture says. My words convince no one of anything. God communicates to you by way of your own life. Messengers in your life may be witnesses and words may be witnesses. The “eye-opening” is the willingness to see, the removal of the Log. Here is the discovery using the cognate permutation methods. I point out now, that I have definitely found the use of the doublets, the two-letter words, to be very helpful in the investigations of meanings (some you will see here). I will also let you know that Judaism focuses on using the three-letter roots.
Here is some background to what you will see below. Just stop to ponder 🤔 for a few moments. Because there are only two letters that appear in a doublet, it will appear in more words than will a three-letter root. It is easier to find a two-letter combination than three. So, the investigation of doublets includes many more roots. This gives a more inclusive perspective. On the other hand, doing three-letter root investigations gives fewer words to consider in coming up with a definition, targeting it somewhat more (a three-letter root contains three doublets in combination – as ברד would include the meanings of בר and רד and בד). As you go through the following study, you will see some two-letter assessments and some three-letter. I point this out, especially for the “multiple witness” concept. Because there will naturally be more words with doublets, it is easier to get “multiple witnesses.” The doublets are not “false witnesses,” because they require even more background work, but the “threefold cord” is stronger with the three-letter root, because it includes three doublets. As you look through the following studies, see that the two-letter searches are helpful in looking for concepts that are covered in a passage, but the three-letter roots should be what to look at for the “counting witnesses” concept.
See that Ecclesiastes 4:12 passage about the threefold cord. Two are much preferred over one to ascertain meaning, but the threefold cord is not easily broken, in searching for truth. In what you see below, keep this in mind. This was all very eye-opening to me.
I was led to investigate “hail” by the Isaiah 28:17 passage below, which was part of my deeper dive to understand the לצץ root in the של investigation. Before proceeding, please recognize that ברד is a permutation of דבר, which is “word,” and which also occurs in “wilderness” מדבר. Here I share what Scripture, obvious and more hidden, says in some very powerful statements:
▸ h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ; from 1258; hail -hail ((stones)).
AV (29) – hail 27, hailstones + h0068 2;
hail – of God’s judgment (fig.)
▸ h1258. בָּרַד ḇâraḏ; a primitive root, to hail: — hail.
AV (1) – to hail 1;
(Qal) to hail
▸ h1260. בֶּרֶד ḇereḏ; from 1258; hail; Bered, the name of a place south of Palestine, also of an Israelite: — Bered.
AV (2) – Bered 2; Bered = “hail” n pr m
a son or descendant of Ephraim n pr loc
a place in the south of Palestine, near Kadesh, near the well Lahairoi
▸ h1261. בָּרֹד ḇârôḏ; from 1258; spotted (as if with hail): — grisled.
AV (4) – grisled 4;
spotted, marked
- To help you understand one thing I have written in the first translation below, I take a moment to point out a common usage in Hebrew Scripture that is not apparent in English. If Hebrew speaks of differences between two objects or persons, it will use the preposition “between בין” twice, i.e. it would literally read like “between man and between woman.” The concept behind the word is this root בין, indicating that one is penetrating to the core, the essential difference in what is being compared. In Genesis 16:14 below, I put the word “understanding.” If it confuses matters for you, mentally switch both uses to “between,” but please recognize the Hebrew roots are action verbs and this root is about perception, an activity of the mind, and we recently spoke about “perception.”
Tanakh (38 results)
1. Bereshit 16:14 (Mikraot Gedolot)
עַל כֵּן קָרָא לַבְּאֵר בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי הִנֵּה בֵין קָדֵשׁ וּבֵין בָּרֶד.
⦁ Genesis 16:13-14 NKJV
13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, (it is) between Kadesh and Bered (h1260. בֶּרֶד ḇereḏ).
(Before there was antibiotic treatment for Tuberculosis, people were often sent, in our history, to a Sanatorium, to be separate, to concentrate the body’s efforts on healing.)
(Also see all the “Guttural-Resh” roots shown in Blog 141. The Burning Bush, as relates here. Also, in Psalm 19 below, no attempt is made for a more literal translation, simply pointing out single words including guttural-resh. [no combinations])
- Psalms 19:1-9 NKJV – words with guttural-resh/“transition”
- To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
- 1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
- And the firmament shows His handiwork.
- 2 Day unto day utters speech,
- And night unto night reveals knowledge.
- 3 There is no speech nor language
- Where their voice is not heard.
- 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
- And their words to the end of the world.
- In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
- 5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
- And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
- 6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
- And its circuit to the other end;
- And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
- 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
- The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
- 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
- The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
- 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
- The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
See God in all circumstances and fear/focus attention. (“The Ger” does. She understands.)
2. Bereshit 31:10 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיְהִי בְּעֵת יַחֵם הַצֹּאן וָאֶשָּׂא עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא בַּחֲלוֹם וְהִנֵּה הָעַתֻּדִים הָעֹלִים עַל הַצֹּאן עֲקֻדִּים נְקֻדִּים וּבְרֻדִּים.
3. Bereshit 31:12 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה כׇּל הָעַתֻּדִים הָעֹלִים עַל הַצֹּאן עֲקֻדִּים נְקֻדִּים וּבְרֻדִּים כִּי רָאִיתִי אֵת כׇּל אֲשֶׁרלָבָן עֹשֶׂה לָּךְ.
⦁ Genesis 31:10-13 NKJV
10 “And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted (h1261. בָּרֹד ḇârôḏ). 11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted (h1261. בָּרֹד ḇârôḏ); for I have seen all that Laban (h3837. לָבָן lâḇân/white) is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’”
- Grouping together
4. Shemot 9:18 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר כָּעֵת מָחָר בָּרָד כָּבֵד מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה כָמֹהוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם לְמִן הַיּוֹם הִוָּסְדָה וְעַד עָתָּה.
5. Shemot 9:19 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח הָעֵז אֶת מִקְנְךָ וְאֵת כׇּל אֲשֶׁר לְךָ בַּשָּׂדֶה כׇּל הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא בַשָּׂדֶה וְלֹא יֵאָסֵףהַבַּיְתָה וְיָרַד עֲלֵהֶם הַבָּרָד וָמֵתוּ.
6. Shemot 9:22 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר י״י אֶל מֹשֶׁה נְטֵה אֶת יָדְךָ עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם וִיהִי בָרָד בְּכׇל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עַל הָאָדָם וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה וְעַל כׇּלעֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.
7. Shemot 9:23 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֵּט מֹשֶׁה אֶת מַטֵּהוּ עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם וַי״י נָתַן קֹלֹת וּבָרָד וַתִּהֲלַךְ אֵשׁ אָרְצָה וַיַּמְטֵר י״י בָּרָד עַל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.
8. Shemot 9:24 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיְהִי בָרָד וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד כָּבֵד מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה כָמֹהוּ בְּכׇל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מֵאָז הָיְתָה לְגוֹי.
9. Shemot 9:25 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיַּךְ הַבָּרָד בְּכׇל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אֵת כׇּל אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה מֵאָדָם וְעַד בְּהֵמָה וְאֵת כׇּל עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה הִכָּה הַבָּרָד וְאֶתכׇּל עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה שִׁבֵּר.
10. Shemot 9:26 (Mikraot Gedolot)
רַק בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר שָׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא הָיָה בָּרָד.
11. Shemot 9:28 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הַעְתִּירוּ אֶל י״י וְרַב מִהְיֹת קֹלֹת אֱלֹהִים וּבָרָד וַאֲשַׁלְּחָה אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא תֹסִפוּן לַעֲמֹד.
12. Shemot 9:29 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מֹשֶׁה כְּצֵאתִי אֶת הָעִיר אֶפְרֹשׂ אֶת כַּפַּי אֶל י״י הַקֹּלוֹת יֶחְדָּלוּן וְהַבָּרָד לֹא יִהְיֶה עוֹד לְמַעַן תֵּדַעכִּי לַי״י הָאָרֶץ.
13. Shemot 9:33 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה מֵעִם פַּרְעֹה אֶת הָעִיר וַיִּפְרֹשׂ כַּפָּיו אֶל י״י וַיַּחְדְּלוּ הַקֹּלוֹת וְהַבָּרָד וּמָטָר לֹא נִתַּךְ אָרְצָה.
14. Shemot 9:34 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה כִּי חָדַל הַמָּטָר וְהַבָּרָד וְהַקֹּלֹת וַיֹּסֶף לַחֲטֹא וַיַּכְבֵּד לִבּוֹ הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו.
⦁ Exodus 9:13-35 NKJV
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, 14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. 19 Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”’”
20 He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ), and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ), and fire mingled with the hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ), so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail (h1259. בָּרָדḇârâḏ) struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail (h1259. בָּרָדḇârâḏ).
27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28 Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ), for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
29 So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail (h1259. בָּרָדḇârâḏ), that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear (h3372. יָרֵא yârê’) the LORD God.”
31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.
33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail (h1259. בָּרָדḇârâḏ), and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
- Grouping together
15. Shemot 10:5 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְכִסָּה אֶת עֵין הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא יוּכַל לִרְאֹת אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְאָכַל אֶת יֶתֶר הַפְּלֵטָה הַנִּשְׁאֶרֶת לָכֶם מִן הַבָּרָד וְאָכַל אֶתכׇּל הָעֵץ הַצֹּמֵחַ לָכֶם מִן הַשָּׂדֶה.
16. Shemot 10:12 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר י״י אֶל מֹשֶׁה נְטֵה יָדְךָ עַל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בָּאַרְבֶּה וְיַעַל עַל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְיֹאכַל אֶת כׇּל עֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ אֵתכׇּל אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁאִיר הַבָּרָד.
17. Shemot 10:15 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיְכַס אֶת עֵין כׇּל הָאָרֶץ וַתֶּחְשַׁךְ הָאָרֶץ וַיֹּאכַל אֶת כׇּל עֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ וְאֵת כׇּל פְּרִי הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר הוֹתִיר הַבָּרָד וְלֹאנוֹתַר כׇּל יֶרֶק בָּעֵץ וּבְעֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה בְּכׇל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.
⦁ Exodus 10:3-15 NKJV
3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ), and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. 6 They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7 Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?”
9 And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10 Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. 11 Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ) had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
18. Shemot 34:29 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיְהִי בְּרֶדֶת מֹשֶׁה מֵהַר סִינַי וּשְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה בְּרִדְתּוֹ מִן הָהָר וּמֹשֶׁה לֹא יָדַע כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיובְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ.
⦁ Exodus 34:29 NKJV
29 Now it was so, when Moses came down (h3381. יָרַד yâraḏ) from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
- Likely these next passages help most with understanding, the “descending” idea, as the balls of ice descending from on high.
In 1917 JPS TaNaKH and NKJV, every place but Psalm 139:15, the word is weave, weaver, woven, rather than embroider. Perhaps he is trying to piece together all the LORD has told him on the mountain (הר = transition).
Let’s speak of one Hebrew word in the Ex34:29 passage, as it seems to pick up on a theme that is emerging. The Hebrew word is ההר, which is translated into two words, “the mountain.” Two letters are identical, so there are only two permutations for ההר, which are הרה and רהה.
IAnd if we looked at doublets in ההר, since two letters are the same, there are only two doublets, הר and הה. And הה could only come from one potential root:
- The “transition” of “the mountain” is a means of implanting and absorbing a seed that it anticipates to grow. It involves pain, and fear is definitely a part of that pain. We tend not to be too fond of pain – that is its purpose, because it is protective. In people without normal ability to feel pain (congenital insensitivity to pain, leprosy, advanced diabetes, for example) body parts are destroyed from that lack of sensitivity to even small, but repeated trauma.
19. Bemidbar 11:9 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וּבְרֶדֶת הַטַּל עַל הַמַּחֲנֶה לָיְלָה יֵרֵד הַמָּן עָלָיו.
⦁ Numbers 11:9 NKJV
9 And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
- This passage is a bit of a challenge to me, which I will explain. This is one of a few times that Moses actually challenges God. The placement of the three verses with multiple witnesses, verses 8, 9, and 12, makes it not only appear that there was a dependency, a humbling of the people, in vv.8-9, but it is almost written as if Moses is humbling God in verse 12, as he challenges him, saying, “You are the one who swore the oath. Why do I have to be the one to carry it out?” 🤔Recalling the physical testing/pain he went through in three times having fasted forty days and forty nights, it is as he is saying, “Here I am, once again, suffering for the commitment that you made!” See the childbirth theme that seems to follow from our “the mountain” discussion above, and from ideas previously discussed – that the doorway of the homes in Egypt being painted with blood symbolize the birth canal, and that the LORD (יהוה) calls the nation his “firstborn.”
- See the extended discussion between Moses and Jethro, his father-in-law, in Exodus 18. See how the discussion includes not only the warlike side of the LORD in dealing with the Egyptians, but also the nurturing side, once the people were in the wilderness, in very frightening territory.
- And see Jethro’s advice to Moses, which is a suggestion based upon compassion, as to how to handle all of the issues of the people – share the load.
- Jethro is a priest of Midian. Moses had already had forty years of exposure to the Midianite way of life with Jethro and Zipporah’s influence. Who are Midianites? Midian was one of the sons of Abraham by way of Keturah, his wife after Sarah died. I did a study on Abraham’s wives but never posted it here. Some brief thoughts here. Sarah was previously Sarai. Both names have to do with “royalty,” as princess. And we have seen her rather strict dealing with Hagar. Both of her names include the שר cognate permutation definition of “interconnectedness of order/disorder.” This interconnectedness is one of the things that we humans have the most difficulty understanding.
- Keturah is קטורה, from the root קטר:
You might look up the verses. Note especially the context of Exodus 30:1-10. The incense, among other things, serves to protect the high priest from the intensity of God. Numerous times we are told no one can see God and live. So, even though we are told e.g. in Exodus 33:11, the LORD (יהוה) spoke face to face with Moses, the LORD descends in “the cloud” (see Ex34:5). This is the opinion I formed in studying the wives of Abraham (please study for yourself and draw your own conclusions) was that Sarah, too was quite intense, and Keturah perhaps, from this name, was less so. At any rate, Jethro seems to have a side to him very focused on hospitality and compassion (see the first time you meet him (there he is called Reuel) at Moses’s well באר incident (באר p.20 clarify; go from dark to light) – read Ex2:16-20).
- I know, a lengthy side journey, but it seems Moses is appealing to the more compassionate side of God, the more “female” side – recall:
- Genesis 1:27
- 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
To this point, Moses has definitely experienced both the warlike side and the nurturing side. And we see much “mothering” imagery in his appeal.
20. Yehoshua 10:11 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיְהִי בְּנֻסָם מִפְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם בְּמוֹרַד בֵּית חוֹרֹן וַי״י הִשְׁלִיךְ עֲלֵיהֶם אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם עַד עֲזֵקָהוַיָּמֻתוּ רַבִּים אֲשֶׁר מֵתוּ בְּאַבְנֵי הַבָּרָד מֵאֲשֶׁר הָרְגוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּחָרֶב.
⦁ Joshua 10:6-11 NKJV
6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.” 7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. 10 So the LORD routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ + h0068. אֶבֶן ’eḇen) from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. (There were) more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.
- See that Gibeon (emphasized above in verse 10) also appears in the Isaiah 28:17 passage below, the passage leading to this study initially.
- See באר as “well” in Genesis 16:14. See באר also as both “in the beginning” and as “created” in Genesis 1:1 (there it is ברא, a permutation.)
- Genesis 1:1
- 1 בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
- (You may notice that the Vav ו of ואת joined with הארץ makes also a ברא cognate permutation. It is in John’s writing, the introduction to his gospel, that he speaks of a word being with God, and in his writing in the book of Revelation, in his vision is stated “the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” in four places: 1:8, 1:11, 21:7, and 22:13. Some say that these are the Aleph אand the Tav ת, the beginning and end of the Hebrew Alphabet. I cannot say. I share only what is written.
- ברא p.31 open; actualize;; emerge from constraints (B37)
- Read the highlights and see the multiple witnesses.
- Look here at ברא:
- Here, the word אמת is a noun, meaning “truth.” It is derived from
- אמן p.11 depend upon; rely upon;; no cognates – see (מ ↔︎ נ)
- אמם p.11 be dependent;; develop (A40)
And אמת is as a cognate permutation with:
- תאן p.283 press together;; press down (D23) [fig / fig tree – incl. Gn 3:7]
- אתן p.19 be reliable and strong;; rely/gratify (A28) (you may also want to ponder in regard to our discussion of “unclean,” which is טמא.)
- טמא p.96 contaminate;; lose independence (D30)
- תאם p.283 fit; conform;; clarify/confuse (D15) (the root for twins and being “doubled” as the boards at the corners of the Tabernacle – may help understand ‘cliques’, ‘peer pressure’, and so-called ‘FOMO’ behavior)
● Please consider these connections for a time, especially in relation to Genesis 25:23, the greater will serve the lesser, and to the Teacher’s comments about ,”He who is first will be last… Mt19:30, 20:8, 20:16; Mk9:35, 10:31; Lk13:30. 🤔 human behavior 🤔 conforming and separating – being so-called ‘outcast’ 🤔. There is ‘strength in numbers,’ but there is also the negative end of the spectrum, what you felt like, when you were the one ‘left out.’ Remember being taught to welcome outsiders, new people. “The interconnectedness of order/disorder.” ●
▸בֵּית חוֹרוֹן
STRONG’S NUMBER: h1032
Dictionary Definition h1032. בֵּית חוֹרוֹן ḇêyṯ ḥôrôn; from h1004. בַּיִת ḇayiṯ and h2356. חוֹר ḥôr; house of hollowness; Beth-Choron, the name of two adjoining places in Palestine: — Beth-horon.
AV (14) – Bethhoron 14; Beth-horon = “house of hollowness”
two towns in Ephraim
Upper Beth-horon – town on the mountains of Ephraim
Lower Beth-horon – town located 800 feet (245 m) lower than Upper Beth-horon
▸h2356. חוֹר ḥôr; or (shortened) חֹר chor; the same as h2352. חוּר ḥûr; a cavity, socket, den: — cave, hole.
AV (7) – hole 6, cave 1;
hole, cave
▸h2352. חוּר ḥûr; or (shortened) חֻר chur; from an unused root probably meaning to bore; the crevice of a serpent; the cell of a prison: — hole.
AV (2) – hole 2;
hole
▸h2353. חוּר ḥûr; from 2357; white linen: — white.
AV (2) – white 2;
white cloth, white stuff
▸h2354. חוּר ḥûr; the same as 2353 or 2352; Chur, the name of four Israelites and one Midianite: — Hur.
AV (15) – Hur 15; Hur = “hole”
a chief assistant to Moses and Aaron
grandfather of Bezaleel, the chief artificer of the tabernacle; possibly the same as 1 above
the 4th of the 5 kings of Midian who were slain with Balaam after Peor
father of Rephaiah in the time of Nehemiah
father of Ben-Hur who was commissariat officer for Solomon in Mount Ephraim
▸h2355. חוֹר ḥôr; the same as 2353; white linen: — network. Compare 2715.
AV (1) – network 1;
white cloth, white stuff
- The root חזק p.77 hold strongly; strengthen – noun often “courage”
Prima Noctae
https://www.britannica.com/topic/droit-du-seigneur
droit du seigneur, (French: “right of the lord”), a feudal right said to have existed in medieval Europe giving the lord to whom it belonged the right to sleep the first night with the bride of any one of his vassals. The custom is paralleled in various primitive societies, but the evidence of its existence in Europe is all indirect, involving records of redemption dues paid by the vassal to avoid enforcement of some lordly rights. Many intellectual investigations have been devoted to the problem. A considerable number of feudal rights were related to the vassal’s marriage, particularly the lord’s right to select a bride for his vassal, but these were almost invariably redeemed by a money payment, or “avail”; and it seems likely that the droit du seigneur amounted, in effect, only to another tax of this sort.
From “Braveheart:” in Wikipedia
Prima Nocta was a law enforced by Edward I of England in an attempt to breed the Scots out instead of fighting them out. This right was the privilege of English Nobles to sleep with a woman on the first night of her marriage. The first couple that this was used on Morrison and his wife. Although used in the movie, there is no historical evidence to prove that this act was ever used.[1]
References
- ↑ [[1]]
jus primae noctis,[3] Latin for “right of the first night”.refers to a supposed legal right in medieval Europe, and elsewhere, allowing feudal lords to have sexual relations with subordinate women on their wedding night. There is no direct evidence of the right being exercised in medieval Europe, though there are numerous references to it.[1][2]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_du_seigneur
Ancient times (retrieved 05152023)
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is described as having practiced a similar custom: “He is king, he does whatever he wants… takes the girl from her mother and uses her, the warrior’s daughter, the young man’s bride.”[2] His first meeting with his friend Enkidu is an attempt at one of these acts where Enkidu manages to stop him in a great contest of strength between the two champions. ((my addition – reminiscent of the Book of Esther))
Herodotus mentions a similar custom among the Adyrmachidae in ancient Libya: “They are also the only tribe with whom the custom obtains of bringing all women about to become brides before the king, that he may choose such as are agreeable to him.”[3]
When the plebeians of the Etruscan city of Volsinii rebelled against the aristocrats in 280 BC, “They took their wives for themselves and placed the daughters of the nobles under the jus primæ noctis, while all their former masters on whom they could lay hands were tortured to death.”[4]
It is also mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Ketubot 3b תיבעל להגמון (tibael lehegmon).[5]
Ketubot 3b:1″. www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-07-09. – you can connect to this link, which is written in both Hebrew and English, to see the more nearly Biblical mention.
You can come to understand the law of יבם by reading the book of Ruth. It is the preservation of a family’s inheritance.
You can also read about Israel’s rules in regard to women who were “acquired” as a result of conquest. Deuteronomy 21:10-14.
Also, see the mother of Sisera, the defeated king, is talking about the spoil the kings of Canaan would have won:
Judges 5:30
30 ‘Have they not found and divided the spoil?—
A womb or two for every man;
spoil of dyed materials for Sisera,
spoil of dyed materials embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’
In the days when battle really was more hand-to-hand, and the physically stronger man was protector of his women and children, women might be considered a “right of conquest.”
I cannot say for certain that this passage has anything to do with the law of יבם, in “hidden words,” but it could fit. If you want to understand by a portrayal of this practice in Medieval Europe, true or not, you could watch the movie Braveheart by Mel Gibson. (Warning, for those offended by such, there is a brief scene with nudity, and there are battle and cruelty scenes.)
- The Israelites had a strong teaching to preserve family. Foreign governments did use such tactics, and similar (see the killing of the newborn males in Egypt in Exodus 1:1-2:10, and shades of that with King Herod – Mt2:16-18).
- The word sword חרב shows up many places. Its root: חרב p.88 parch; lose vitality;; facilitate/restrain penetration / cognate is חרף p.89 make vulnerable; taunt – this should be identical to the ברא exploration above, as they are cognate permutations. 🤔 Consider the way in which the definitions reflect one another:
- ברא p.31 open; actualize;; emerge from constraints (B37)
- חרב p.88 parch; lose vitality;; facilitate/restrain penetration (A49)
- Consider God’s design of Creation, the cycles, and how sometimes we must take two steps backward in order to take a step forward.
- Think of the times that “sword” appears in Hebrew and Greek Testaments.
- Please notice the word חור, with several Strongs listings shown above, the EDBH definition: the
חור p.77 open; whiten;; expose/conceal (A8)
The word חור is a cognate permutation of חרב, and thus the exercise just above with חרב would provide the same highlights as חור.
21. Melakhim II 7:17 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְהַמֶּלֶךְ הִפְקִיד אֶת הַשָּׁלִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁעָן עַל יָדוֹ עַל הַשַּׁעַר וַיִּרְמְסֻהוּ הָעָם בַּשַּׁעַר וַיָּמֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אִישׁהָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּרֶדֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלָיו.
⦁ 2 Kings 7:17-18 NKJV
17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.”
22. Yeshayahu 28:2 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִנֵּה חָזָק וְאַמִּץ לַאדֹנָי כְּזֶרֶם בָּרָד שַׂעַר קָטֶב כְּזֶרֶם מַיִם כַּבִּירִים שֹׁטְפִים הִנִּיחַ לָאָרֶץ בְּיָד.
⦁ Isaiah 28:1-4 NKJV
1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,
Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower
Which is at the head of the verdant valleys,
To those who are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one,
Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,
Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing,
Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.
3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,
Will be trampled underfoot;
4 And the glorious beauty is a fading flower
Which is at the head of the verdant valley,
Like the first fruit before the summer,
Which an observer sees;
He eats it up while it is still in his hand.
- See below I put the BDB translation of בככורה as “like the first fig,” but the word for “fig” that we looked at in #146 is not there, but rather what we discussed as “first-ripe” related to firstborn. In that, see NKJV above “first fruit,” and (depending on the species of fig tree) generally the fig is the first to ripen/mature of the season.
This is the passage that got me started on the ברד exploration.
23. Yeshayahu 28:17 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְשַׂמְתִּי מִשְׁפָּט לְקָו וּצְדָקָה לְמִשְׁקָלֶת וְיָעָה בָרָד מַחְסֵה כָזָב וְסֵתֶר מַיִם יִשְׁטֹפוּ.
⦁ Isaiah 28:16-22. NKJV
16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily.
17 Also I will make justice the measuring line,
And righteousness the plummet;
The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled,
And your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
When the overflowing scourge passes through,
Then you will be trampled down by it.
19 As often as it goes out it will take you;
For morning by morning it will pass over,
And by day and by night;
It will be a terror just to understand the report.”
20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.
21 For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim,
He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon—
That He may do His work, His awesome work,
And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.
22 Now therefore, do not be mockers,
Lest your bonds be made strong;
For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts,
A destruction determined even upon the whole earth.
- What particularly caught my attention is that the hail sweeps together the refuge of the lie כזב.
- I take a side-step here to ① show you an eye-opening point, ② raise an idea for future exploration, and then we will proceed at #24 from the AlHaTorah Search. This is part of why I say to you to hear God speaking to you in what is taking place around you (the “good” and the “evil”). ① The word דור is often translated as “generation.,” and is a very common word. See that it is cognate with דבר and a cognate permutation with ברד.
- I locate the comment here as it might connect with you, as it does with me, with the statement in Isaiah 28:17. All the lies I have told myself••• and others••• the hail/the generation sweeps them all together in a nice pile for us to “see.” As my 96 year-old friend often says, “There are many things I wish I had done differently.” All we can do is persist in where we are.
- I love the wording “the refuge of the lie.” A search in AlHaTorah for the phrase מחסה כזב, in any of the various methods of search, shows no other occurrences. (At another time, perhaps a search in the plague passages with techniques used here. Isaiah would not simply “invent it.”)
- ② But then⚡️, a very important thing to examine and 🤔 ponder. We will address this more later, but see that in the word includes a cognate permutation of משח/נסה that we have discussed much in “messiah” discussions.
- Let us go to a well-known “testing” נסה passage.
Exodus 16:4-5
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 5 And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
- We will look more at testing נסה and deceit/lies כזב at a later time.
The follow-up to the above passage in Exodus 16:4-5, and recall, last time we also discussed כזב as “which is like consequences.”
- I have heard a variety of teachings about the passage on manna, in Parashah B’shallach, in Exodus 16. What the above work brings to me, I have not previously seen or heard, but might be worth considering, based upon the cognate permutation dissections, as the hidden meanings (not to replace other interpretations but to supplement).
- The beauty I see here (which is retold in the different times the Teacher fed the masses in the Greek Testament), could be one of the Israelites taking care of one another. Those who gather more are helping to provide for those who have been able to gather less (and this is on the physical level of a food to be ingested, but also [v.16:4] the word that is “a certain quota” in the NKJV is the word דבר, which is most often translated as “word,” which can definitely suggest to us that they are getting teaching of God’s word on a daily basis. And we have spoken recently that the word “מדבר wilderness” contains דבר, and could be seen as “מ from” + “דבר the word.”
- See the blue section, that about “גלה exposing” and “כלה striving to attain.” See these are included in “the children of Israel.” See that they gather, and are made great. The children of Israel gather this “word” and by it are made great. The children of Israel also carry the responsibility of “exposing” the word to others. This is their purpose.
- In the yellowish section, “Israel gathers” and “the making few not caused to be in need.” This is a part of the understanding that has come to me through prayerfully seeking an answer to some of the verses about “deceit” כזב (more later) as relates to the workings of the LORD (יהוה), that is that the LORD works in mysterious ways, often by the hands of people. If there is some sharing done by some gathering much, such that some gathering little are not caused to have a lack, then such actions are seen by others, and thereby they are moved to share also. This is the “deceitful” type of action of our God, who multiplies generous actions of some into generous actions of others. The moving of hearts is what God does, if we allow him to do so, if we but open our hearts (“circumcise them” [Dt10:16, 30:6] – remove the Log from our eye). Generosity begets generosity. Loving our neighbor, rather than hating, begets loving rather than hating and the actions resulting from the hate. We will talk some more about this “deceiving” type of action of the LORD because it was something I really struggled with, but have become comfortable with because of my prayerfully seeking his guidance and being willing to wait for him to show me the answer (in multiple witnesses).
- Here is one example. The word “mystery,” as in the mysterious ways of the LORD, is listed in EDBH only under the root עלם, which we discussed in Blog 146, is the root for עולם, which we love to translate as “forever.”
- עלם p.186 hide;; bind/loosen (A35).
- Mankind likes to use these “superlative words,” like “all” and “forever.” We should avoid using such superlatives. In an inspired thought, I did a search for כזב + עלם, and once again an amazing prophet helps us with some answers.
The translation here uses the words “lied” and “of old” for the words searched for. Re: held my peace, see:
- 2 Peter 3:9 LSB
- 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
¿ Is it “deceitful” to “hold one’s peace” חשה ? Does it depend upon circumstances and the beings involved?
- The cognate permutations:
Now, back to “hailstones,” and the AlHaTorah search.
24. Yeshayahu 30:30 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְהִשְׁמִיעַ י״י אֶת הוֹד קוֹלוֹ וְנַחַת זְרוֹעוֹ יַרְאֶה בְּזַעַף אַף וְלַהַב אֵשׁ אוֹכֵלָה נֶפֶץ וָזֶרֶם וְאֶבֶן בָּרָד.
⦁ Isaiah 30:27-33 NKJV
27 Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar,
Burning with His anger,
And His burden is heavy;
His lips are full of indignation,
And His tongue like a devouring fire.
28 His breath is like an overflowing stream,
Which reaches up to the neck,
To sift the nations with the sieve of futility;
And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people,
Causing them to err.
29 You shall have a song
As in the night when a holy festival is kept,
And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute,
To come into the mountain of the LORD,
To the Mighty One of Israel.
30 The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard,
And show the descent of His arm,
With the indignation of His anger
And the flame of a devouring fire,
With scattering, tempest, and hailstones.
31 For through the voice of the LORD
Assyria will be beaten down,
As He strikes with the rod.
32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes,
Which the LORD lays on him,
It will be with tambourines and harps;
And in battles of brandishing He will fight with it.
33 For Tophet was established of old,
Yes, for the king it is prepared.
He has made it deep and large;
Its pyre is fire with much wood;
The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone,
Kindles it.
See “brimstone” is as a “sweeping together” of lies, as we proceed – גפרית, with the פרת being cognate with ברד.
- See the references – the Euphrates and Ephratha (see also Gn35:19, 48:7; Rt4:11; 1S17:12; Mi5:2) – on the way there, Rachel dies – a terribly humbling (earth-shattering) experience for Jacob.
This blog was actually posted a couple of months ago and shortly withdrawn because I didn’t think there had been enough background work. I’ve made a few changes here. The indented paragraph below has pretty well been covered in the Dance Series, but please note in that series and my writings more recently, rather than putting “measure of striving,” I’ve just been putting the Hebrew word כל. This entry has some of both, the work done earlier with “measure of striving.”
- The full cognate permutation definition I came up with for כל was “measure of striving to attain/cycle”
- Hopefully you see the connection between “cycle” and “measure of striving (to attain).” It may be most easily seen in the cycle of seasons, as the plants strive to attain the production of seeds or fruit, and this goes on repetitively.
- We see it also in human striving, in relationships, etc. We definitely tend to go in cycles.
- The idea of “all” as a goal of something to strive for is unattainable – only God is “all.” Everything else is a measure of striving. And on Earth, it is cyclic. We set ourselves up for unattainable expectations if we seek “all.” Such expectations are the cause of frequent downfalls, for we are human. We must remember mercy and compassion. A more realistic goal is to set in ourselves the mark of “enough.” See the discussion of manna in Ex16; especially see verses 17 and 18. See also the Pesach/Passover discussion especially Ex12:3-10. “Enough.”
(And – we discussed more about “enough” in the “Dance Series.”)
- In Isaiah 28:17, the word for lies (that which hail/word “sweeps together”) comes from this root:
- ((And uses the “hidden things” in Scripture, to encourage us to seek him more deeply. See Isaiah 6:9-10 for that reference, and it is referred to in the synoptic gospels: Mt13:13; Mk11:13; Lk8:10. These are the hidden things we continue to seek.))
- I did the cognate permutation investigation for כזב to help with my understanding, and hopefully with yours. The overall concept, you see, that I arrived at, is (encourage movement). As is always the case in Scripture, the “movement” may be physical and spiritual. The critical point is the motivation behind the encouragement. God’s motivation is always toward our good. Our motivation is self-centered/self-focused (Genesis6:5, 8:21; Psalm14:1-3; Proverbs6:16-19 (see כזב in v.19); Jeremiah32:30)
- I add to this thought the city of Jebus (current Jerusalem), יבוס, which means “threshing place,” and is derived from בוס, to tread. יבוס includes יבס, which parallels יבש p.100 firm up; dry;; compress/release (C8). כזב cognate permutation.
- The idea in Jebus is not that unlike the idea in Zion ציון, derived from ציה p.216 wander in desolate places;; heighten attention (E11).
- The people of the LORD (יהוה) are not intended to be a people of softness, but a people who are strengthened by life’s circumstances.
The word גאות seen below and above is listed in BDB as “majesty; lifting up; pride.” Strong says the derivation is from גאה, which EDBH gives as
- גאה p.34 project upward; raise up high;; extend (C1)
And, need I add, NOT in ourselves.
He is the Mighty One, the Ruler of Nations, the God above all gods.
- A bit more on the AlHaTorah Search:
25. Yeshayahu 32:19 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וּבָרַד בְּרֶדֶת הַיָּעַר וּבַשִּׁפְלָה תִּשְׁפַּל הָעִיר.
⦁ Isaiah 32:9-20
9 Rise up, you women who are at ease,
Hear my voice;
You complacent daughters,
Give ear to my speech.
10 In a year and some days
You will be troubled, you complacent women;
For the vintage will fail,
The gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
Be troubled, you complacent ones;
Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare,
And gird sackcloth on your waists.
12 People shall mourn upon their breasts
For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
13 On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers,
Yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city;
14 Because the palaces will be forsaken,
The bustling city will be deserted.
The forts and towers will become lairs forever,
A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—
15 Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17 The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.
18 My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,
In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,
19 Though hail comes down on the forest,
And the city is brought low in humiliation.
20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,
Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.
- Literally, the first words of verse 19, “And hail in descending…” ברדת being “in” ב+ the infinitive form of ירד “to descend.”
26. Chaggai 2:17 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִכֵּיתִי אֶתְכֶם בַּשִּׁדָּפוֹן וּבַיֵּרָקוֹן וּבַבָּרָד אֵת כׇּל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם וְאֵין אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי נְאֻם י״י.
⦁ Haggai 2:15-19 NKJV
15 ‘And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the LORD— 16 since those (days), when (one) came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were (but) ten; when (one) came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were (but) twenty. 17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the LORD. 18 ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider it: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree (h8384. תְּאֵןṯe’ên), the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded (fruit). But from this day I will bless you.’”
27. Zekharyah 6:3 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וּבַמֶּרְכָּבָה הַשְּׁלִשִׁית סוּסִים לְבָנִים וּבַמֶּרְכָּבָה הָרְבִעִית סוּסִים בְּרֻדִּים אֲמֻצִּים.
28. Zekharyah 6:6 (Mikraot Gedolot)
אֲשֶׁר בָּהּ הַסּוּסִים הַשְּׁחֹרִים יֹצְאִים אֶל אֶרֶץ צָפוֹן וְהַלְּבָנִים יָצְאוּ אֶל אַחֲרֵיהֶם וְהַבְּרֻדִּים יָצְאוּ אֶל אֶרֶץהַתֵּימָן.
⦁ Zechariah 6:1-8 – (NKJV – Vision of the Four Chariots)
1 Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, 3 with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. 4 Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 And the angel answered and said to me, “These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.” 7 Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. 8 And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.”
- The ברד “sweeping together” the refuge of lies/deceit should help some with understanding dappled here and “gray-spotted” in Genesis 31.
The “horses red” in verse two are סוסים אדמים. Seen also in 2Kings3:22 and in Zechariah1:8 is אדמים, this same form, which note includes . The explanation of Zechariah1:8 is in verses 9&10, the verses immediately following. The same word אדמים appears as Adummim in Joshua 15:7 and 18:17. (In 18:17, the discussion is about the borders of Benjamin. In the names of the locations of borders is so very much meaning, mentioned before. Even the verbs used in describing the borders are full of greater meaning. We cannot go into yet another huge thread here, but even verse 18:17 is loaded. Just recall דמים as excesses and בהן as certainty. And see ascending and descending, always recalling the spiritual level and Geliloth as a “cycle” word. All of Joshua 18:11-28 list landmarks and cities with each one having meaning. Everything listed leads to the summary statement, in verse 28, “This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.” A discussion for another blog, but see that “inheritance” is נחלה, from נחל. Sadly, only now do I recognize well what my 96-year-old friend referred to previously, how I wish I had done things differently. See that נחל inherit is a cognate permutation of לחם p.131 struggle for existence;; struggle for essentials (D45). Understand the concepts presented in Post 43. All Those Nations. The concepts are the same here. The families/tribe of Benjamin have a heritage which are their struggle for existence. My children and grandchildren have an inheritance that tends to define their own struggles for existence. (See this also reflected in Paul’s statement in Romans8:16-17 – inheritance.) As with the pattern in the Parable of the Sower, the Teacher follows up with his talmidim with an explanation, here the extensive listing of “places” of meaning, are followed by the explanation that is defines the struggles of the tribe of Benjamin. If we go to our oft-encountered “LogAndSpeck” parabolic message, its summary precedes the actual log and Speck wording: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Stark reality. The book and movie “The Shack” powerfully share this message with us. May our children and grandchildren forgive us for the table that we have set before them. This is the bread they must eat – our desires for comfort and control over nature leaves them a much bigger battle to fight. But, indeed, they become stronger for it. The generations דור do teach.)
29. Tehillim 18:13 (Mikraot Gedolot)
מִנֹּגַהּ נֶגְדּוֹ עָבָיו עָבְרוּ בָּרָד וְגַחֲלֵי אֵשׁ.
30. Tehillim 18:14 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיַּרְעֵם בַּשָּׁמַיִם י״י וְעֶלְיוֹן יִתֵּן קֹלוֹ בָּרָד וְגַחֲלֵי אֵשׁ.
⦁ Psalms 18:6-15 NKJV
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
He flew upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His secret place;
His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.
12(13H) From the brightness before Him,
His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.
13(14H) The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe,
Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O LORD,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. (מִ֝נִּשְׁמַ֗ת ר֣וּחַ אַפֶּֽךָ – from the breath of the spirit of your frustration/anger)
The LORD’s response to David’s outcry ((18:1 To the Chief Musician (Director). A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:))
31. Tehillim 30:10 (Mikraot Gedolot)
מַה בֶּצַע בְּדָמִי בְּרִדְתִּ֢י אֶל שָׁחַת הֲיוֹדְךָ עָפָר הֲיַגִּיד אֲמִתֶּךָ.
⦁ Psalms 30:9 NKJV
9 “What profit is there in my blood,
When I go down to the pit? (בְּרִדְתִּ֪י – in my going down [from ירד])
Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?
- Now, with all these examples, it all becomes more clear; we are talking about the humbling experience that sweeps together the lies/deceit:
- Remember that this is the root for the Yarden/Jordan River ירדן. To get to the land of milk and honey, we must be humbled. (We spoke recently about why Moses and Aaron could not go.)
32. Tehillim 78:47 (Mikraot Gedolot)
יַהֲרֹג בַּבָּרָד גַּפְנָם וְשִׁקְמוֹתָם בַּחֲנָמַל.
33. Tehillim 78:48 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיַּסְגֵּר לַבָּרָד בְּעִירָם וּמִקְנֵיהֶם לָרְשָׁפִים.
⦁ Psalms 78:43-48 NKJV
43 When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
44 Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also gave up their cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery lightning.
34. Tehillim 105:32 (Mikraot Gedolot)
נָתַן גִּשְׁמֵיהֶם בָּרָד אֵשׁ לֶהָבוֹת בְּאַרְצָם.
⦁ Psalms 105:26-33 NKJV
26 He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron whom He had chosen.
27 They performed His signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His word.
29 He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.
30 Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.
32 He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
33 He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory. (Recall we have spoken of trees as words – the hail splintering their words, their lies/deceit. And recall that rain is teaching. “Hail for rain” is a teaching that is humbling…)
35. Tehillim 148:8 (Mikraot Gedolot)
אֵשׁ וּבָרָד שֶׁלֶג וְקִיטוֹר רוּחַ סְעָרָה עֹשָׂה דְבָרוֹ.
⦁ Psalms 148:7-12 NKJV
7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
36. Iyyov 38:22 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הֲבָאתָ אֶל אֹצְרוֹת שָׁלֶג וְאוֹצְרוֹת בָּרָד תִּרְאֶה.
⦁ Job 38:22-24
22 “Have you entered the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail (h1259. בָּרָד ḇârâḏ),
23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light diffused,
(Or) the east wind scattered over the earth?
37. Divrei HaYamim I 7:20 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וּבְנֵי אֶפְרַיִם שׁוּתָלַח וּבֶרֶד בְּנוֹ וְתַחַת בְּנוֹ וְאֶלְעָדָה בְנוֹ וְתַחַת בְּנוֹ.
⦁ 1 Chronicles 7:20-22
20 The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, 21 Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle. 22 Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.
38. Divrei HaYamim II 7:3 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְכֹל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רֹאִים בְּרֶדֶת הָאֵשׁ וּכְבוֹד י״י עַל הַבָּיִת וַיִּכְרְעוּ אַפַּיִם אַרְצָה עַל הָרִצְפָה וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ וְהֹדוֹתלַי״י כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
⦁ 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 NKJV
1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying:
“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.” (Or rather, as discussed recently, לְעוֹלָ֖ם “to a long time,” that time being “hidden.”)
Pay particular attention to the “descending” meaning of hail ברד. You saw above ברדas an infinitive/participle form of ירד to descend. Recall ירד is also the root for ירדן, the River Jordan, which we have previously discussed as a sign of humbling or humiliation. See Isaiah29:19 and Psalm51:17 – also the Beatitudes, especially Matthew5:3 and 5:5, regarding the LORD’s favor regarding ones who are humble/have been humbled.
When there is a refuge of lies to be swept together, we may receive “hail for rain” (a humbling for teaching), that we may have a new beginning. The LORD (יהוה), the God of consequences. Recall always the cycles.
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