- Had Israel gotten complacent in Egypt?
Exodus 12:42-43
42 לֵ֣יל שִׁמֻּרִ֥ים הוּא֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה לְהוֹצִיאָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הֽוּא־הַלַּ֤יְלָה הַזֶּה֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה שִׁמֻּרִ֛ים לְכָל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ללְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ פ
43 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאַהֲרֹ֔ן זֹ֖את חֻקַּ֣ת הַפָּ֑סַח כָּל־בֶּן־נֵכָ֖ר לֹא־יֹ֥אכַל בֹּֽו׃
•••
Exodus 13:3
3 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָעָ֗ם זָכֹ֞ור אֶת־הַיֹּ֤ום הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצָאתֶ֤ם מִמִּצְרַ֨יִם֙ מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֔ים כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הוֹצִ֧יאיְהוָֹ֛ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יֵאָכֵ֖ל חָמֵֽץ׃
•••
Exodus 13:8
8 וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיֹּ֥ום הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
BDB שִׁמֻּרִים
GLOSS vigil, night watch
PARSING Hebrew, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute
Exodus 12:42-43
42 It (is) a night of solemn observance (שִׁמֻּרִ֛ים h8107. שִׁמֻּר šimur) to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This (is) that night of the LORD, a solemn observance (שִׁמֻּרִ֛ים h8107. שִׁמֻּר šimur) for all the children of Israel throughout their generations (h1755. דּוֹר dôr).
43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This (is) the ordinance (h2708. חֻקָּהḥuqâ) of the Passover (h6453. פֶּסַח p̱esaḥ). No foreigner (h5236. נֵכָר nêḵâr) shall eat it.
•••
Exodus 13:3
3 And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage (h5650. עֶבֶד ‘eḇeḏ); for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this (place). No leavened bread shall be eaten.
•••
Exodus 13:8
8 And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘(This is done) because of what the LORD did for me when I came up h3318. יָצָא yâṣâ’) from Egypt.’
- Trying to be as brief as possible here. Please read the entire context in your Bible.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
שִׁמֻּרִ֛ים
🅐 Exodus 12:42 is our index verse above.
🅑 Numbers 3:38-39 Tabernacle connection
38 Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) charge (h4931. מִשְׁמֶרֶת mišmereṯ) of the sanctuary (h4720. מִקְדָּשׁ miqḏâš), to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but the outsider who came near was to be put to death. 39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand. שמר is the root for משמרת.
🅒 Isaiah 25:6-8
6 And in this mountain
The LORD of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees (h8105. שֶׁמֶר šemer),
Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees (h8105. שֶׁמֶר šemer).
7 And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.
- NKJV footnote: “wines matured on the sediment”
▸ BDB שֶׁמֶר
GLOSS dregs
PARSING Hebrew, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute
- See the discussion below ♼ on “settling on the lees” from a slide presentation at our school in October 2017. Still much important there, but there has been much learned since then, as well.
🅓 Isaiah 62:6-7
6 I have set watchmen (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never {hold their peace} (h2814. חָשָׁה ḥâšâ) day or night.
You who make mention of the LORD, do not {keep silent} (h1824. דְּמִי ḏemîy),
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
🅔 Jeremiah 51:11-14
11 Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan (is) against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it (is) the vengeance of the LORD,
The vengeance for His temple (h1964. הֵיכָל hêḵol).
12 Set up the standard (h5251. נֵס nês) on the walls of Babylon;
Make the guard (h4929. מִשְׁמָר mišmâr) strong,
Set up the watchmen (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar)
Prepare the ambushes.
For the LORD has both devised and done
What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O you who dwell by many waters,
Abundant in treasures,
Your end has come,
The measure of your covetousness.
14 The LORD of hosts has sworn by Himself:
“Surely I will fill you with men, as with locusts,
And they shall lift up a shout against you.” שמר is the root for משמר.
🅕 Malachi 2:7-9
7 “For the lips of a priest should keep (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) knowledge,
And (people) should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
8 But you have departed from the way;
You have caused many to stumble at the law.
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
9 “Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) My ways
But have shown partiality in the law.”
🅖 Psalms 130:5-6
5 I wait (h6960. קָוָה qâwâ) for the LORD, my soul waits (h6960. קָוָה qâwâ),
And in His word I do hope (h3176. יָחַל yâḥal).
6 My soul (waits) for the Lord
More than those who watch (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) for the morning—
(Yes, more than) those who watch (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) for the morning.
- parallels קוה and יחל and שמר (see below) ◈
🅗 Nehemiah 12:25
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers (h7778. שׁוֹעֵר šô‘êr) keeping the watch (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) at the storerooms of the gates (h8179. שַׁעַר ša‘ar). see gate h8179. שַׁעַר ša‘ar below ▣
🅘 Nehemiah 13:22
22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) the gates (h8179. שַׁעַר ša‘ar), to sanctify (h6942. קָדַשׁ qâḏaš) the Sabbath day.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy! see gate h8179. שַׁעַר ša‘ar below ▣
🅙 1 Chronicles 12:28-29
28 Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father’s house twenty-two captains; 29(30H) of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then the greatest part of them had remained (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) loyal (h4931. מִשְׁמֶרֶת mišmereṯ) to the house of Saul);
🅚 2 Chronicles 13:11-12
11 And they burn to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep (h8104. שָׁמַרšâmar) the command (h4931. מִשְׁמֶרֶת mišmereṯ) of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken Him. 12 Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”
♼
Zephaniah 1:12 NKJV Seen in slide 35 above
12 “And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are settled (h7087. קָפָא qâp̱â’) in complacency (h8105. שֶׁמֶר šemer),
Who say in their heart,
‘The LORD will not do good,
Nor will He do evil.’
▸ h7087. קָפָא qâp̱â’; a primitive root; also קִפָּאוֹן qippā’ôn; to shrink, i.e. thicken (as unracked wine, curdled milk, clouded sky, frozen water): — congeal, curdle, dark, settle.
AV (5) – congeal 1, settled 1, curdle 1, variant 1, dark 1; v
to thicken, condense, congeal, settle, become dense
(Qal) to be condensed
thickening (participle)
(Hiphil) to cause to curdle n m
congelation
▸ h8105. שֶׁמֶר šemer; from 8104; something preserved, i.e. the settlings (plural only) of wine: — dregs, (wines on the) lees.
AV (5) – lees 4, dregs 1;
lees, dregs
GV p.231 קפף circle; p.231 קפא coagulate [congeal]; p.226 קוף cycle; p.161 נקף chop off No DVs
CM קפף and קוף enclose (C4); קפא concentrate (C3); נקף thrust and penetrate (D67)
- Exodus 34:22 is the listing for קוף, a noun h8622. תְּקוּפָה ṯeqûp̱â:
- The nuances in this קף family seem to be moving or not moving. The connecting thread seems to be limitation or degree of limitation. Only the LORD (יהוה) knows the right measure – the correct “boundary;” we seem to have a tendency to “congeal,” become complacent. Therefore the necessity of cycles. And I point out that a phonetic cognate of נקף is נקב the word designated as “female.”
- Hopefully you get the picture from the slides above that complacency is not a favorite of the LORD. Perhaps that relates to why the LORD (יהוה) said it is “not good for man to be alone.” The solution was to bring for אדם an עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדֹּֽו, ezer kenegdo.
- p.183 עזר help in a manner that reduces another’s responsibilities
- -כ “as” or “like”
- p.147 נגד isolate; oppose just to be sure this is clear:
God’s vision of what is good vs.evil is different from ours. We, in our self-loving idol worship of “me” get complacent. We need ones who “express the opposite view,” whether it is a spouse, a co-worker, a boss, or a parent. We become intolerable to God and to other people if we have no opposition. And God knows that the solution is the cycles that came after the flood. It is built-in, so that there is not a need for another destruction of all living.
- One kind of opposition is “a limp.” פסח Pesach/Passover, is p.203 skip; walk unevenly;; CM reveal (B21). After Jacob wrestled with God and man and was named Israel, he limped צלע (h6760. צָלַע ṣâla‘). p.217 צלע reel; turn to side;; CM move in a balanced way. Interesting that is also the root for h6763. צֵלָע ṣêlâ‘, what the LORD (יהוה) took from אדם to make woman h0802. אִשָּׁה ’iššâ. We need opposition. It will come in one form or another, especially when we become complacent, as America had recently become. Cycles. Cycles will come•••
I do not want you to leave with the wrong impression, that שמר is always bad. If you go back through the translations above, you see one is remaining loyal. Loyalty is a positive trait. And we were put in the Garden to שמר:
Genesis 2:15
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep (h8104. שָׁמַר šâmar) it.
No, the point, as has been alluded to numerous times, is the balance of knowing when to hold onto convictions and when to back off on convictions. Back to the thoughts of assumptive reasoning. And back to the all-important aspect of listening to that guiding voice inside in combination with the witnesses around us.
There were numerous other directions I had intended to go, as you can see from the markers above, but this seems like a good stopping point for now. Intending to come back to שמר in the near future. And you can connect back to this discussion.
© March 2022 logandspeck.com please cite if copying