- Here is another where we begin with a Greek Testament word and connect back to the Hebrew Testament.
⦁ John 3:34
34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure (g3358. μέτρον metron).
▸ g3358. μέτρον metron; an apparently primary word; a measure (“metre”), literally or figuratively; by implication, a limited portion (degree): — measure.
AV (13) – measure 13;
- measure, an instrument for measuring
- a vessel for receiving and determining the quantity of things, whether dry or liquid
- a graduated staff for measuring, a measuring rod
- proverbially, the rule or standard of judgment
- determined extent, portion measured off, measure or limit
- the required measure, the due, fit, measure
- Looking for g3358. μέτρον metron in Septuagint (LXX):
⦁ Genesis 18:6
6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs(h5429. סְאָה se’â) of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.”
▸ h5429. סְאָה se’â; from an unused root meaning to define; a seah, or certain measure (as determinative) for grain: — measure.
AV (9) – measure 9;
- seah, a measure of flour or grain
- probably equal to 1/3 ephah
סאה cognate permutations (limit/continue action)
This סא family was done earlier, at a time before I had a more standardized method of defining “families.” This is a list of the primary definition for all three-letter roots in EDBH that include סא, in order, thus כסא and סאן and ספא and סבא and סלא and סאה are shown. It should provide a general idea…
The זה family leaning below follows my more recent standardized method.
I get a sense for this group of one considering options and then making a decision to embrace or contest a decision or action of another person. How does that relate to the cognate permutations?
The impression from the עז/אש/עץ cognate permutations is (strength/concentrate energy) – these words are goat עז, fire אש, and tree עץ. I simply ask you to reflect on these ideas. Where might these come into play, when we recall how the Hebrew works – concrete witnesses as parable for concepts? 🧐
Let’s move to a next step. Perhaps you have noticed in my literal translations based upon Brown Driver Briggs a curious wording, “the this.” I have done it often enough, you may have gotten used to it. “the this” הזה is in the cognate permutation group with סאה.
Let’s look at:
⦁ Genesis 7:1
1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
⦁ Genesis 7:1
1 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ לְנֹ֔חַ בֹּֽא־אַתָּ֥ה וְכָל־בֵּיתְךָ֖ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה כִּֽי־אֹתְךָ֥ רָאִ֛יתִי צַדִּ֥יק לְפָנַ֖י בַּדֹּ֥ור הַזֶּֽה׃
See just below that הזה occurs very frequently. And one would have to go through, individually searching them out to find them all, which we won’t do. But at least suspect it when “this” is used as an adjective modifying a noun, like “generation” here.
- For another example/witness, suspect it in:
⦁ Genesis 24:58
58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
And she said, “I will go.”
⦁ Genesis 24:58
58 וַיִּקְרְא֤וּ לְרִבְקָה֙ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ הֲתֵלְכִ֖י עִם־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וַתֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלֵֽךְ׃
- Literally it says “with the man the this.”
In such situations, think of the cognate permutation meaning (limit/continue action), and in your mind consider how “limit/continue action” describes the cyclic picture of life we see everywhere:
⦁ Genesis 8:21-22
21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
22 “While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
(See post 14. Synthetic Grasp of Life.) We shan’t go into it all here with nearly 700 occurrences, but this would be a great research project for someone, to see if הזה is a marker for beginnings and endings of cycles. See this one additional example/witness with “generation,” in close proximity:
⦁ Deuteronomy 1:35-36
35 Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.’
⦁ Deuteronomy 1:35-36
35 אִם־יִרְאֶ֥ה אִישׁ֙ בָּאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה הַדֹּ֥ור הָרָ֖ע הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֚ת הָאָ֣רֶץ הַטּוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְׁבַּ֔עְתִּי לָתֵ֖ת לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
36 זֽוּלָתִ֞י כָּלֵ֤ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּה֙ ה֣וּא יִרְאֶ֔נָּה וְלֹֽו־אֶתֵּ֧ן אֶת־הָאָ֛רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר דָּֽרַךְ־בָּ֖הּ וּלְבָנָ֑יו יַ֕עַן אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִלֵּ֖א אַחֲרֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
- Literally “the generation the evil the this…”
- (((For curiosity’s sake, I went through (not every occurrence, but at least a dozen) the George Howard Hebrew Gospel of Matthew looking for “this” as adjective occurrences, and found none with הזה. I am not certain of the significance… I leave all of these findings to a younger generation)))
So, I simply begin to ask the relationship between a “measure” and the beginning or ending of a cycle, “limit/continue action.” I will leave this with you to 🤔, but I believe this is real…
Blessings, PG
Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates; LogAndSpeck.com January 2025.