This writing was first written in February-March 2022. Much has been learned since that time. Associated writings, such as the recently posted Blog 95, include areas of significant learning about Scriptural structure that are not included here. But this was background for more recent understanding.
Deuteronomy 32:7-12
7 “Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
Your elders, and they will tell you:
8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons (h1121. בֵּן ḇên) of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the children (h1121. בֵּן ḇên) of Israel.
9 For the LORD’s portion (is) His people;
Jacob (is) the place h2256. חֶבֶל (ḥeḇel) of His inheritance.
10 “He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed (h0995. בִּין ḇiyn) him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.
11 As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings,
12 So the LORD alone led him,
And (there was) no foreign god with him.
▸ h2256. חֶבֶל ḥeḇel
EDBH p.299. The ל indicates movement or return to an object (Gn10:10)
(EDBH p.299. The ע indicates motion: נוע moving; פסע stepping; עלה rising.)
EDBH p.299. The ח serves to restrict the very motion created by the ע: resting נוח; being lame פסח; being ill חלה.
If we look for roots with ע + ב + ל, there are three:
p.27 בלע swallow completely; enclose;; CM separate out completely (B28)
p.20 בעל master; take possession;; CM have/lack control (B11)
p.132 לעב mock; insult;; CM impact negatively (D41)
If we substitute the ע “motion” for the ל “movement,” roots would be ח + ב + ע:
There are none.
Permutations of חבל:
p.24 בחל abhor;; CM have/lack control (B11)
p.80 חלב change; convert to nourishment;; CM impact others (A36)
- Also, חלב one might think of ח + לב “heart stopping”
לב would be “movement toward” “in”
and חב would be “stopping motion” at “in” – חבל could then be “stopping movement at in,” which could mean “place.”
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Onward with looking at ב:
Recall that ב the the very first letter of Scripture, in בראשית Bereshit.
Genesis 1:1
בראשית
1 בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
בראשית could be ברא + שות
p.31 ברא open; actualize;; CM emerge from constraints (B37)
+
p.259 שות place; set up;; CM act surreptitiously/openly (E4)
It could also be ב + רא + שות
ב – in; in the place of; in the state of
+
p.237 ראה look; see and understand;; CM satisfy needs (E63)
+
p.259 שות place; set up;; CM act surreptitiously/openly (E4)
Very strong Tabernacle connection. See the verses in the screenshot from Olive Tree Bible Study.
Similarly, but the writer must show you:
See ② setting a firm foundation
Genesis 4:25-26
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son (h1121. בֵּן ḇên) and named him Seth (h8352. שֵׁת šêṯ), “For God has appointed (h7896. שִׁית šiyṯ) another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 And as for Seth (h8352. שֵׁת šêṯ), to him also a son (h1121. בֵּן ḇên) was born; and he named him Enosh. Then (men) began to call on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 4:25-26
25 וַיֵּ֨דַע אָדָ֥ם עוֹד֙ אֶת־אִשְׁתֹּ֔ו וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמֹ֖ו שֵׁ֑ת כִּ֣י שָֽׁת־לִ֤י אֱלֹהִים֙ זֶ֣רַע אַחֵ֔ר תַּ֣חַת הֶ֔בֶל כִּ֥יהֲרָגֹ֖ו קָֽיִן׃
26 וּלְשֵׁ֤ת גַּם־הוּא֙ יֻלַּד־בֵּ֔ן וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמֹ֖ו אֱנֹ֑ושׁ אָ֣ז הוּחַ֔ל לִקְרֹ֖א בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָֽה׃ פ
||
Genesis 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested (h7673. שָׁבַתšâḇaṯ) on the seventh (h7637. שְׁבִיעִי šeḇîy‘îy) day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed (h1288. בָּרַךְ ḇâraḵ) the seventh (h7637. שְׁבִיעִי šeḇîy‘îy) day and sanctified (h6942. קָדַשׁ qâḏaš) it, because in it He rested (h7673. שָׁבַת šâḇaṯ) from all His work which God had created and made.
Genesis 2:2-3
2 וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיֹּ֣ום הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתֹּ֖ו אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיֹּ֣ום הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתֹּ֖ו אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃
3 וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־יֹ֣ום הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹתֹ֑ו כִּ֣י בֹ֤ו שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתֹּ֔ו אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֹֽׂות׃ פ
Very complex, simply laced with Tabernacle connections. We will go in a stepwise fashion with some definitions. Simplest first, a straightforward definition:
Next is שבת. EDBH is clearly pointing to a connection between שות and שבת. For some (unknown) reason, שבת is not listed in the phonetic cognates under שות, but it clearly is a cognate. Similarly, שות is not listed in the שבת entry on pp.254-255 שבתstop work; curtail activity before completion;; CM act surreptitiously/openly (E4).
Both are listed under E4 on p.319. Perhaps they are “acting surreptitiously?”
A further step on שבת is to note that it could be a permutation of prefix ב “in” plus שתor שות (and שת is Seth, שות is the word we are looking into. This experience is definitely eye-opening for any new parent. Note that the word “men” is an added word in Genesis 4:26. How this verse could be read is: 26 And as for Seth (h8352. שֵׁת šêṯ), to him also a son (h1121. בֵּן ḇên) was born; and he named him Enosh and then began to call on the name of the LORD.
It may be saying that after Seth had a child (naming him Enosh, also the word for man/mortal), then he, Seth, began to call on the name of the LORD (יהוה). The Hebrew actually says “then calling on the name of יהוה was begun.” Pay attention to the fact that this “calling on the name” of יהוה was begun after he had a child בן. This is one of the words in our group we are trying to use to understand well the meaning of the letter ב. Recall we are looking at not only בית, but also two families, בנן and בהה. Here is the family of בן:
• בֵּן-Ben.
• בֵּן-child, son, young.
h1121. בֵּן ḇên (4906 occ.); from h1129. בָּנָה ḇânâ;
GV p.28 בנן understand; p.28 בנה build [form); p.23 בון mediate [be in between]; p.25 בין understand [penetrate to core]
DV p.2 אבן – p.28 בנן understand; p.28 בנה build [form]; p.23 בון mediate [be in between]; p.25 בין understand [penetrate to core] > p.2 אבן create by using special tool
DV בהן – p.28 בנן instruct [understand]; p.28 בנה build [form]; p.23 בון mediate [be in between] > p.22 בהן direct; enable
DV הבן – p.28 בנן understand; p.28 בנה build [form] > p.55 הבן build out of wood (Ek27:15 – ebony / Dedan) No באן DV
CM בנן grasp (B33); בנה join elements (B32); בון direct attention (B19); (בין no cognates); אבן form (A6); בהן be certain (B13); הבן form (A6)
Notice connections to understanding, penetrating to the core, building/forming, and creating. The writer is speculating that in Seth, as in any new parent, there is a great life-changing moment when one first has a child of one’s own. It is a great maturing moment. This thought is reinforced by the fact that he named his son “mortal,” as he recognized the miracle that is birth, and the contrast with the immortal and all-powerful Creator יהוה. The takeaway, again, as we try to understand ב, is the deep knowledge (understanding) within, that comes from the experience of such miracles in our lives. This experience is taking place “in Seth,” ב + שת.
Two more important words to dissect in Genesis 2:3, part of the parallel verse’s context: ברך bless and קדש sanctify/holy. – please feel free to look up all verses with context. In trying not to make the entry so long, a few isolated verses are shown. Please recall, as well, that Sanctuary is h4720. מִקְדָּשׁ miqḏâš – מ + קדש “from + holy/consecrated.”
ברך look at ב + both רכך and כרר/כרה/כור
ב = in; in the state of; in the midst of (ב as a prefix for ברך and בכר)
+
① softening
Isaiah 1:5-6
5 Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed (h7401. רָכַךְ râḵaḵ) with ointment.
- רכך appears eight times in NKJV Strongs, six of them modifying “heart.” Of those six, five are לבב, one is לב.
- We should be tender-hearted toward one another as God is to us.
- There are two Tabernacle connections right off, in this family:
כרר ⑤ rounded loaf
Exodus 29:22-25 – the section on the consecration of Aaron and his sons•••
22 “Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 one loaf (h3603. כִּכָּר ḵiḵâr) of bread, one cake (made with) oil (h8081. שֶׁמֶן šemen), and one wafer (h7550. רָקִיק râqîyq) from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD; 24 and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 25 You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the LORD. It is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
כור ③ basin
Exodus 30:17-21 – (ESV – The Bronze Basin)
17 The LORD said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin (h3595. כִּיּוֹר ḵiyyôr) of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
קדש look at ש + both דקק/דוק and p.244 קדד/קדה
ש = which is; this is; exist (ש as prefix for שדק or שקד)
+
Particularly I point out ⑤ veil; thin curtain
Isaiah 40:21-22
21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning (/h7218. רֹאשׁ rô’š)?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain (h1852. דֹּק ḏôq),
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
- Also FYI, דקק is a direct Tabernacle connection, as well:
Exodus 30:34-38 – (NKJV – The Incense Ex. 37:29)
34 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with (these) sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, (and) holy (h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš). 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine (h1854. דָּקַק ḏâqaq), and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be holy (h6944. קֹדֶשׁqôḏeš) holy (h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš) to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy (h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš) for the LORD. 38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
And
((Note relationship to עקדה Akedah, the binding of Isaac, by way of קד))
Under קדד, ③ peeled bark of low-growing scrub Tabernacle connection
Exodus 30:22-30 – (NKJV – The Holy Anointing Oil Ex. 37:29)
22 Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Also take for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty (shekels)), two hundred and fifty (shekels) of sweet-smelling cane, 24 five hundred (shekels) of cassia (h6916. קִדָּה qiḏâ), according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make from these a holy(h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš) anointing (h4888. מִשְׁחָה mišḥâ) oil (h8081. שֶׁמֶן šemen), an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy (h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš) anointing (h4888. מִשְׁחָה mišḥâ) oil (h8081. שֶׁמֶן šemen). 26 With it you shall anoint (h4886. מָשַׁח mâšaḥ) the tabernacle (h0168. אֹהֶל ’ôhel) of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin (h3595. כִּיּוֹר ḵiyyôr) and its base. 29 You shall consecrate (h6942. קָדַשׁqâḏaš) them, that they may be most (h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš) holy (h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš); whatever touches them must be holy (h6944. קֹדֶשׁ qôḏeš). 30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate (h6942. קָדַשׁ qâḏaš) them, that they may minister to Me as priests.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Since anointed/Messiah is so clearly prevalent in this passage, and we are sharing this technique of separating out by prefixes with permutations, let’s pause for just a moment to look at משח.
With מ “from” as prefix, could be משח and מחש
- This is the שח family:
GV p.259 שׁחח bow [low]; p.259 שׁחה bow [lower body to the ground]; p.257 שׁוחlower; p.111 ישׁח cramp
p.277 שׂיח grow and develop
GV שׂיח – p.276 שׂחח speak [carefully]; p.276 שׂחה swim; p.277 שׂיח grow [and develop]
CM שחח and שׂחח continue/curtail movement (E8); שחה and שׂחה continue/abort energetic movement (E2); שוח control movement/action (E5); ישח emerge and separate (C18); שׂיח heighten attention (E1)
- This is the חש family:
GV p.92 חשש feel; p.90 חשה quiet [refrain from expression or movement]; p.77 חושhurry [move swiftly]; p.154 נחש conjure [advance to future through magic]; ¿ p.103 יחשׂ relate to lineage ?
DV אחש – p.77 חוש hurry [move swiftly] -> p.8 אחש attend royalty with alacrity No other DVs
CM חשש strengthen/weaken (A56); חשה limit/expand activity (A24); חוש expedite/limit support (A7); נחש move quickly (D59); יחשׂ express emotion (C37); אחש establish (A29)
With ש “which is” as prefix, could be שמח and שחם.
- This is the מח family:
GV p.139 מחח [add] substance; p.138 מחה erase [strike]; p.138 מחא strike [clap]; p.136 מוח fatten // no DVs
CM מחח have/lack substance (B55); מחה and מחא increase/decrease (B49) [are these not the same, B49 & B55?]; (מוח no cognates)
- This is the חם family:
GV p.82 חמם glow [project extreme heat]; p.82 חמה protect; p.82 חמא churn [into smooth substance]; p.76 חום darken [blacken]; p.103 יחם warm; ¿ p.154 נחם change attitudes ?
CM חמם develop by agitation (A40); חמה and חמא protect/disturb (A38); חום limit (A22); נחם express restrained feeling (D58); (יחם – no cognates listed, but there is one phonetic cognate, p.223 קאם rise – Hosea 10:14, which BDB lists with eight occurrences of קם as a form of קום)
And if we think of ח as “stop motion,” we could look at חשמ and חמש
(Note that חשם would be a phonetic cognate of השם, “the name.”)
- This is the שם family:
GV p.264 שׁמם desolate [lay waste]; p.278 שׂמם contract [make small]; p.264 שׁמהidentify; p.258 שׁום place [arrange]; p.275 שׂום place [set down]; p.112 ישׂם place; p.163 נשׁם breathe [move air]
DV אשם – p.264 שׁמם desolate [lay waste] > p.18 אשם destroy inner self; self-destruct
DV שׁהם – p.264 שׁמה identify; p.258 שׁום place [arrange] > p.256 שׁהם identify No other DVs
CM שמם and שׂמם combine/separate small units (E22); שמה satisfy need (E21); שׁוםand שׂום place (E53); ישׂם maximize/minimize (C21); נשם move (D83); אשם hold back (A48); שׁהם impact positively/negatively (E9)
- This is the מש family
GV p.145 משש probe; p.144 משה draw out [of water]/Moshe; p.137 מוש move [away; move slowly]
DV אמש – p.145 משש probe; p.144 משה draw out [of water]; p.137 מוש move [away; move slowly] > p.12 אמש pass; change No other DVs
CM משש move slowly (B68); משה separate (B61); מוש forsake (B59); אמש effect gradual change (A41)
Many of these are helpful in thinking of the nature of Messiah. And think of Messiah as being in the place that the LORD (יהוה) instructed Moshe/Moses about on חרב, Horeb, p.88 חרב parch; lose vitality;; CM facilitate/restrain penetration (A49) ((a cognate is p.89 חרף make vulnerable/taunt (winter))).
חרב Permutation בחר ↔︎ חרב: look at:
p.24 בחר choose from many; select;; CM highlight; expose (B1)
And ב “in” + p.90 חרר and family:
There was a covenant into which God’s people, the Israelites, entered into upon accepting the land given to them by the LORD (יהוה). The agreement of the land of milk and honey is that same that is spelled out to Noah in Genesis 8:22, that there is balance, seedtime/harvest, cold/heat, summer/winter, day/night. They shall not cease while ארץ remains.
The terms of the covenant we have seen parts of before. Read through Deuteronomy 26, 27, and 28. In 26:12-13 the first mention of the “singular commandment,” and its explanation of support for those less well off than ourselves. The second mention of the singular commandment is in Deuteronomy 27:1. And then the all-important verses tied to this, Deuteronomy 28:47-48, serving with joyfulness and gladness of heart because of the abundance of all. The acceptance of the blessings also brings the acceptance of the “curses” ארר. It is the balance of life, the circle of life. As the Koholet says in Ecclesiastes 3, “To everything a season; a time for every purpose under Heaven.” Blessings and curses have purpose and are the balance.
Notice that upon entering הארץ, the people are to set up altar stones an plaster (h7874. שִׂיד śîyḏ) them with plaster (h7875. שִׂיד śîyḏ). We will get to this very important connection very soon. Please read and understand Deuteronomy chapters 26-28. Not things we want to hear, but this is the explanation of how God’s Creation works – actions and consequences of actions. And it is reflected in the imagery in the Tabernacle.
▸ h7875. שִׂיד śîyḏ; lime (as boiling when slacked): — lime, plaister.
AV (4) – plaister 2, lime 2;
lime, whitewash
made by burning bones
- The root is:
Notice some cognates
We saw שות above when we were looking at בראשית, and its connection with Seth and setting a firm foundation, as well as the parallel verses with שבת.
Now we go another large step to a major Tabernacle connection, which, since this writer saw it, has brought a much more clearly focused understanding. Hopefully it will for you, as well, or it may make you שׂוט, turn away, and not want to return here again. We will approach gently, but the warning is the end result will not be gentle. Recall that acacia wood is prevalent in the Tabernacle, e.g.:
▸ h7848. שִׁטָּה šiṭâ; feminine of a derivative (only in the plural שִׁטִּים shittiym; meaning the sticks of wood) from the same as 7850; the acacia — shittah, shittim. See also 1029.
AV (28) – shittim 27, shittah tree 1;
acacia tree, acacia wood
▸ h7850. שֹׁטֵט šôṭêṭ; active participle of an otherwise unused root meaning (properly, to pierce; but only as a denominative from h7752. שׁוֹט šôṭ) to flog; a goad: — scourge.
▸ h7752. שׁוֹט šôṭ; from 7751; a lash (literally or figuratively): — scourge, whip.
AV (11) – whip 6, scourge 5;
▸ h7751. שׁוּט šûṭ; a primitive root; properly, to push forth; (but used only figuratively) to lash, i.e. (the sea with oars) to row; by implication, to travel: — go (about, through, to and fro), mariner, rower, run to and fro.
▸ h1029. בֵּית הַשִּׁטָּה ḇêyṯ hašiṭâ; from 1004 and 7848 with the article interposed; house of the acacia; Beth-hash-Shittah, a place in Palestine: — Beth-shittah.
AV (1) – Bethshittah 1; Beth-shittah = “house of the acacia tree” or “place of the acacia”
- The variant family, including shin ש and sin שׂ:
GV p.261 שׁטט scourge; p.276 שׂטה deviate [from]; p.257 שׁוט roam [move swiftly]
NOTE free interaction here with שׁ and שׂ
CM שטט impact negatively (E38); שוט and שׂוט act surreptitiously/openly (E4); שׂטהsearch for sustenance (E39)
- Personal note: Some folks poked fun at the blog posts on the names of states, back in Blogs 17-19, but I’m going to follow up with one more. Blog 17 was even titled Let’s Have Some Fun. Maybe my perspective is off, but to me, it’s part of serving God with joy and gladness of heart, to be able to see the lighter side of some very serious issues. I will begin by saying the state of Colorado has had some very significant formative influence in my life. Think of Colorado as כל + רדand see the ideas that come forth. I’m going to tell you about two influences in my life that are Colorado based. They are not the most important Colorado links, but perhaps they are parables that remind me of important issues.
GV p.119 כלל complete [by including everything]; p.118 כלה strive [to attain]; p.118 כלאrestrain [prevent]; p.116 כול contain [a measured quantity]; p.104 יכל prevail; p.156 נכלplot [harm; endanger through veiled acts]
DV p.9 אכל – p.119 כלל complete [by including everything]; p.118 כלה strive [to attain] > p.9 אכל consume No other DVs – BUT see היכל just below
CM כלל encircle (C26); כלה and כלא contain/expose (C25); כול express control (C5); יכל (none listed); נכל (none listed); אכל move directly/circularly (A11)
+
GV p.239 רדד flatten [render pliable]; p.239 רדה dominate [humble to another’s control]; p.240 רוד humble; p.110 ירד descend; p.162 נרד overpower with scent /nard oil/ No DVs
CM רדד be compliant and susceptible (E76); רדה control (E77); רוד spread (E68); ירדremove (C39); (נרד no cognates)
- The first episode was from one of my summers spent in Colorado as a teen. Mind you, this was over fifty years ago, and I wish I had real photos of the time to share, but this from Etsy will have to do:
- I lived with and worked for a couple living in a cabin far from any other people. Just to go to the nearest village for some groceries was a half-day trek on dirt roads. Among many jobs we did (mostly ranch work) was being hired to strip old weathered boards from dilapidated barns and haul them to Aspen where ski lodges for the rich and famous wanted to use them for interior decor. (Now, it’s a “thing,” but it was not back then.)
- The second incident, when I was in Colorado on a hike with friends a few years ago, there were many, many dead pine trees where we were hiking. My friends were telling me of the pine-boring beetles that came as a “plague,” of sorts, a few years before. I recently had opportunity to buy a home with the interior walls of “beetle-kill pine,” from that same “plague.”
- Here are a couple of photos:
- The wood has a lot of character.
- I could tell you many more stories about how my dad used to carve by hand his own gunstocks and taught me how to appreciate the grains in wood. I could tell you many stories.
But the points to be made are a couple, by this parable about distressed wood, “scourged wood.” The distress, the scourging, brings out the grain, displays its true character. And to the right eye, that scourged wood is quite beautiful. You probably picked up on this already from the Strongs definitions above, but acacia wood is “scourged wood,” seen throughout the Tabernacle. And the derivation trail in Strongs leads you to this root, which is a phonetic cognate with those listed above, the plastered stones, turning away, and placing; setting up. Here it is:
First, the acacia wood in the Tabernacle, and then the part you likely don’t want to hear.
Read Exodus chapters 25-27 to see most of the occurrences of acacia wood. Note also in 26:15 that the primary structure of the Tabernacle, “the boards,” are of acacia wood. The word for wood is the word for tree.
▸ h6086. עֵץ ‘êṣ; from 6095; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks): — + carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.
AV (328) – tree 162, wood 107, timber 23, stick 14, gallows 8, staff 4, stock 4, carpenter + h2796 2, branches 1, helve 1, planks 1, stalks 1;
tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows
tree, trees
wood, pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax
▸ h6095. עָצָה ‘âṣâ; a primitive root; properly, to fasten (or make firm), i.e. to close (the eyes): — shut.
AV (1) – shut 1;
(Qal) to shut
▸ h6096. עָצֶה ‘âṣeh; from 6095; the spine (as giving firmness to the body): — backbone.
AV (1) – backbone 1;
spine, backbone, os sacrum
either spine or os sacrum
bone close to fat-tail
▸ h6097. עֵצָה ‘êṣâ; feminine of 6086; timber: — trees.
AV (1) – tree 1;
trees, wood
▸ h6098. עֵצָה ‘êṣâ; from 3289; advice; by implication, plan; also prudence: — advice, advisement, counsel(l-(or)), purpose.
AV (88) – counsel 79, counsels 2, purpose 2, advice 1, counsellors + h0582 1, advisement 1, counsel h3289 1, counsellor + h0376 1;
counsel, advice, purpose
① narrowing; closing
Proverbs 16:27-30
27 An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks (h6095. עָצָה ‘âṣâ) his eye to devise perverse things;
He purses (h7169. קָרַץ qâraṣ) his lips and brings about evil.
- Parallel is p.234 קרץ pinch off; cut;; CM sever (C41)
||
Exodus 5:12-13
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced (them) to hurry (h0213. אוּץ’ûṣ), saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.”
- Note this is the opposite of the שבת concept; p.254 stop work; curtail activity before completion – Sabbath/Shabbat.
OK, that is wood. To scourge wood or distress it might just be to slow it down. Or as with Jacob when he became Israel, he walked with a limp and let the weaker set the pace.
- As you read Exodus 25-27, notice first that the actual structure of the Tabernacle, what makes it stand, are frames and bars of acacia wood. Maybe the scourged wood is stronger, maybe it is more beautiful in some way, and definitely it is an image of the world being “held up,” “held together,” by those who are strengthened by scourging.
- The other places you see the acacia wood, it is overlayed. The ark and its poles, the table for the showbread and its poles, and the four pillars that are designed to hold the veil that separates off the ark are all overlaid with gold (h2091. זָהָבzâhâḇ). The altar is overlayed with bronze (h5178. נְחשֶׁת neḥšeṯ; from h5172. נָחַשׁnâḥaš).
- We have already touched on (and will more in the future) that the lampstand and the cherubim are “hammered work,” “hardened” (h4749. מִקְשָׁה miqšâ; from h7185. קָשָׁה qâšâ) of gold (h2091. זָהָב zâhâḇ).
Let’s look at gold and bronze with these new lenses, and then move on to the hard part.
Gold (h2091. זָהָב zâhâḇ) – ב “in” + זה “this.”
The root for h2090. זֹה zh, this, is:
“In this, inside this, is the scourging of concentrated energy to a goal.” There has been purification by this scourging (overlay on acacia), this hardening (hammered work). The experiences of life, the cycles of ups and downs, the summer and winter, night and day, purify us, brighten us. We cannot avoid them. They persist as long as the ארץ exists.
And bronze (h5178. נְחשֶׁת neḥšeṯ; from h5172. נָחַשׁ nâḥaš):
Bronze h5172. נָחַשׁ nâḥaš – ש “this is” + נח h5146. נֹחַ nôaḥ Noah, the one who built the altar in Gn8:20 and offered of all clean animals and birds as burnt offerings to the LORD (יהוה), and in Gn8:21, the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and made the covenant that never again would every living creature be struck down. As a result, since “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth,” the resulting cycles we have seen in Genesis 8:22
22 “While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
- The variant family for נח is:
• נֹחַ-Noah.
h5146. נֹחַ naḥ; h5118. נוּחַ nûaḥ; h5117. נוּחַ nûaḥ
GV p.153 נחח please [satisfy]; p.153 נחה satisfy [lead to self-endorsed goal]; p.151 נוחrest [stop movement]
¿ DV p.12 אנח – p.153 נחח please [satisfy]; p.153 נחה satisfy [lead to self-endorsed goal]; p.151 נוח rest [stop movement] > p.12 אנח sigh; voice complaint. ? No other DVs
CM נחח impact physically/emotionally (D76); נחה move to desired end (D57); move/rest (D62); אנח bring about (A44)
- Again, this is in line with the sabbath concept and against the “hurry” concept.
OK, now to the part none want to hear. But that we must hear. Just as the acacia is critical in many of the elements in the Tabernacle, it is a critical part of the design of creation. Two words to help you understand. The world pressures us to hurry, to move swiftly, just as Pharaoh pushed to “hurry,” in Exodus 5:13. And p.257 שוט roam; move swiftly;; CM act surreptitiously/openly is precisely what is noted in Job chapter 1:
Job 1:6-12 – (NKJV Satan Attacks Job’s Character)
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro (h7751. שׁוּט šûṭ) on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that (there is) none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his (person).”
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
So, that’s the first thing you don’t want to hear. The second is a reminder that (and we have given evidence before) Shin ש and Sin שׂ were once one (and perhaps the division is much more recent). And the letter Nun נ means descendent, perpetuation, offspring, or heir. So נ “spawn/offspring” + שט – as above,
GV p.261 שׁטט scourge; p.276 שׂטה deviate [from]; p.257 שׁוט roam [move swiftly]
NOTE free interaction here with שׁ and שׂ
CM שטט impact negatively (E38); שוט and שׂוט act surreptitiously/openly (E4); שׂטהsearch for sustenance (E39)
The descendant of deviation and moving swiftly is HaSatan, who scourges, impacts negatively, acts both surreptitiously and openly, and is a driver in our search for sustenance, when our sustenance should be in God (understand the entire book of Job!). But that one is a part of the design, critical in slowing us down, helping to keep ourselves from thinking we are gods. The writer was right, yes? You did not want to hear that Satan appears to be a necessary part of God’s Creation, in order for our spirits eventually to be able to live in God’s Realm. And, really, when one stops to think about it, avoidance of the Adversary is a strong motivator.
© June 2022 logandspeck.com please cite if copying