I know it had been quite some time since I made an entry. And future timing will probably also be stretched out, as well. A great deal has happened, both in life and in Word study since I have made an entry. Do not think of it as my not writing, or as not getting inspiration. Think of it, rather, as things having exploded, “come to life.” It is such that I’m learning so much that I have a challenge slowing it down to the point I can make a semi-organized entry.
The learning curve brought two things to mind, asymptotes and Buzz Lightyear.
Asymptotic because, though it feels as if tyere are ”g-forces” involved and the traject must be vert, one can never quite reach that line, always ”approaching.”
The learning curve has skyrocketed for me. So, I’m going to share this, and I’m going to say that much of the purpose of LogAndSpeck has been accomplished, the purpose of sharing Tools for Understanding the Revelation of Life in Scripture. I am not saying there will be no more sharing. I am saying that the time between shares will probably be longer. And to continue your learning, you may want to spend some dedicated time concentrating on some parables of our time. Recall that the teacher, the rabboni, said, in response to the question, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
Most very successful movie series (and some individual movies) are parables of Scripture, if you look at them with open eyes — and of course most movies are based upon books, if you prefer books over movies. Two very obvious ones, but far from the only ones, are the Star Wars series and the Lord of the Rings series. Partake of these with your new Scriptural eyes, and as you see things in the movies or books, perhaps with those same eyes, you will begin to see God’s working in your own life, the “hints,” the”messengers,” that you may not have been aware of before. God is always speaking. It is we, the receivers, that are not always listening.
So, we will launch into this topic, which will be using the tools we have shared. I encourage you to keep studying God’s word, weave in some modern parables, and keep your eyes open to your own corner of the world.
“And it happened,” also often translated as “It happened,” “It came to pass,” “And there was,” “Then,” and many time just ignored as not important for the meaning of the verse. I hope to get you interested enough to look for it. If you have a Strongs enhanced Bible, don’t expect it always to show up, because it is often just skipped over.
Here are the first few occurrences:
You can look them up in your current version. You can see it is all over the Creation story. Feel free to accept or reject what I say here, but I will encourage you to keep an open mind to the meaning of “as a consequence,” for this word. And if you have followed to this point, and have understanding of all shared here that God is involved in the everyday happenings of our lives, in a large part because of the design of Creation, then perhaps you will see what Scripture is telling us with this word. It is important to point out that it must occur with the Vav prefix, “And” it happened. (I will also point out to you that its usage continues in the Greek Scriptures, and one strong reason to connect them to Hebrew origins.)
We will first go to the history of a man whose life was shared with us through much of Genesis, Jacob יעקב —
Genesis 25:24-26
24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel (h6119. עָקֵב ‘âqêḇ), so his name was called Jacob (h3290. יַעֲקֹב ya‘ăqôḇ). Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
Genesis 27:36
36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated (h6117. עָקַב ‘âqaḇ) me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
Think of it as “what follows after.” Esau had no perception that his choice(s) to give up his birthright for some red stew brought about the consequence of truly losing the birthright (and later the blessing). (Gn25:30)
Look at this variant family:
•קַב-cab.
וְקָבְנוֹ־לִ֖י Two-letter קב h6894. קַב qaḇ; from h6895. קָבַב qâḇaḇ; 2 Kgs. 6:25 (note the verse begins with ויהי).
GV p.223 קבב hollow [out]; p.225 קוב remove essence; p.161 נקב penetrate [perforate; set firmly]; p.109 יקב crush [grapes; press] Nm23:13 Barak curse / bless ברך [power growth; spur prosperity] // no DVs
also 2K6:25 ESV note: “A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams; a kab was about 1 quart or 1 liter” – thus about half an omer ||SEE HALF-MEASURE DISCUSSION UNDER ELIJAH SECTION||. also see h6899 kibbutz and h6908
SEE Pr11:23-28, especially 26
CM קבב and קוב enclose (C4); נקב thrust and penetrate (D67); יקב prepare (C46).
We have used the cognate permutations enough now that you can see the interaction between עקב/קב and ויהי. In the homorganic consonants, י and ק interchange and וand ב interchange. Thus you can see “consequences” in both, “what follows after.” When יו or וי occur together in the same word, we should be thinking “consequences.” Of course we do not dissect the name of the LORD, but you might be constantly aware of the presence of the two there. Two more pieces I will throw in, and then will leave it to you, the reader, to enlighten yourself further.
Genesis 2:18
18 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹא־טֹ֛וב הֱיֹ֥ות הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדֹּ֑ו אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־לֹּ֥ו עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדֹּֽו׃
Genesis 2:18
18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
This verse is familiar to you, we’ve discussed several times. Some new perspectives – first, “should be,” as highlighted is one of those “consequence” words. In addition, we have spoken of the עזר כנגדו, “helper comparable,” or “help meet.” This is both a helper and and opponent, one to keep him “in check.” In the woman, the “help meet,” עזר כנגדו, ezer kenegdo, we see that כ and ו both appear in kenegdo, and we should be thinking of consequences. So we have this hint at consequences in two “witnesses” in the same verse. A consequence of what? That man is alone? That would be the suggestion, but in what way is the woman the consequence — only that man has one alongside him that is “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh?” (Of course there is more to that, perhaps for another time.) Or is there more to it?
Look at the word לבדו, translated here as “alone.” Note first that the prefix/preposition “to,” ל is not translated. The underlying word is בד. If we look to the variant family for בד, we see:
• בַּד-alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.
• בַּד-linen.
• בַּד-liar, lie.
h0905. בַּד ḇaḏ (56 occ.); from h0909. בָּדַד ḇâḏaḏ; h0906. בַּד ḇaḏ (23 occ.); perhaps from h0909. בָּדַד ḇâḏaḏ
GV p.20 בדד separate [isolate]; p.21 בדה exaggerate; p.20 בדא fabricate [create untruths]; ¿ p.149 נדה distance ? – בדד, בדה, and בדא all list נדה, but it does not fit the pattern. And if one goes to p.149 נדה, it is listed under a different family of variants
DV אבד – p.20 בדד separate [isolate] > p.1 אבד lose valuable possession No other DVs
CM בדד isolate components (B6); בדה and בדא react to externals (B5); אבד constrain by external force (A2) (¿ נדה establish/separate (D74) ?
Notice that there is an element of lying, exaggeration, fabrication, as the separation/isolation might be from “the truth.” Under the entry for בדה, p.21, EDBH includes, among other definitions, “idle talk.” Can part of the sense of the consequences be to keep man in line from exaggeration, fabrication, idle talk, even lying? “It is not good that man should be “to exaggerate/fabricate…”
One more aspect to this is to point out the root listed above in the קב variant family above, נקב, which obviously includes קב and should therefore be considered as “consequence.” That root shows in the other description of the creation of mankind, in Genesis 1:27
27 So created God the man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
27 וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמֹ֔ו בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹתֹ֑ו זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃
Three things to see in this verse. First God is spelled here without the Vav, using only the added Masoretic vowel for “o,” and thus not part of the comment earlier. Second, the word for female is based on the root נקב. And third, “So created” includes a palatal and a labial, just as קב does, so one might think of a consequence here, which may tie together the two mankind creation stories.
Another word I want to point out to you that fits this “consequence” pattern, is Vayomer,ויאמר, “And he said.”
You can see it occurs even much more often than “And it happened.”
One more important aspect of this teaching is to go back to the verse before the birth of the twins Esau and Jacob. It makes very clear the nature of Creation — cycles and consequences. Note it is not just speaking of two boys, but much more. And one “people” will always be greater than the other, and the greater will always serve the lesser. It speaks of any “peoples,” rich and poor, majority and minority, any situation in which two are separated/divided. One will always be stronger (cyclically), and the greater will serve the lesser. When the cycle reverses, and the weaker becomes the stronger, still it will be the consequence of the greater serving the lesser. The faces change, but not the consequences.
Genesis 25:23
23 And said the LORD to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be divided;
the one will be stronger than the other,
the greater will serve the lesser.”
Genesis 25:23
23 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י גֹייִם֙* בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃
Consequence words are bolded. I’ve not even shown where cognate permutations might span more than one word.
* KגֹיִיםQגֹויִם֙ note, in Jewish tradition “nations” is read (qere) as a “consequence” word.
Think about the God of consequences, the God of Jacob, and the House of Jacob. Do some investigation and 🤔.
Oh, and to be consistent with recent Blogs, we should include something related to the Tabernacle. This is the beginning of the Tabernacle passage. Once again, I’ve only bolded the single words with cognate permutations of קב, consequence:
Exodus 25:1-2 – (NKJV – Offerings for the Sanctuary Ex. 35:4–9)
1 Then spoke the LORD to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring to me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take my offering.
Exodus 25:1-2
1 וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
2 דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבֹּ֔ו תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃
Sometime, in your spare time, if this has piqued your interest, you might want to look up this word and consider its implications in your life.
Ⓒ Copyright LogAndSpeck September 2022. Please cite if copying.