|
What does
Yah Want
efei -
hwhy-
יהוה -
YHWH
- YaHoWaH
All God Wants is for us
to be His Children in His Family And to come to Know Him to
come to Love Him to come to Trust Him As
Children do with their Mother and Father
That is All God Wants
6 Plus 1
- Six equals man, ONE equals GOD
GOD plus man equals SEVEN Yah's
favorite and most used number
-
man who was created on the sixth
day, in addition to God who is one = 7
-
In the Torah
Yahowah’s name is written 7000-seven thousand times
-
seven specific instructions Yahowah
personally scribed on two tablets of stone
-
Yahowah's Feast the seven Invitations to Meet God (Mow’ed Miqra’ey)
-
seven specific subjects; His Word,
Name, Teaching, Covenant, Terms, Invitations, Way.
-
His Name is used
an average of seven times per page
-
Yahowah's Sabbath Day of rest the Seventh
Day, dusk to dusk
YaHoWaH Saves - Yahowsha said
Mat 5:17 “Do
not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not
come to destroy but to complete.
Mat 5:18 “For truly, I say to you,
till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall
by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.
Audio's
about this subject
Source:
An
Introduction to God
This segment is an exerpt form Chapter Two
rbd
Dabar
– His Word
efei
As we approach our study of
the ancient Hebrew language and its alphabet, we must go back in time
and dig well beneath the surface. Understanding Hebrew requires us to
examine the roots of the letters themselves. Each alphabetic character
was originally drawn as a picture—one which conveyed the symbol’s
primary connotation. And it was by combining these forms that each
letter supplied additional meaning to
the words they were forming.
A 3,500-year-old cup was
recently unearthed in Yisra’el depicting in alphabetic order all
twenty-two Hebrew letters. As the oldest proof of a phonetic
conveyance, it serves to support the idea that Ancient Hebrew is the
word’s oldest alphabet. Archeologists have also discovered that each
character not only featured a name which conveyed something important,
but more critically, by design they each represented a specific
phonetic sound.
For your
edification, the following chart has been designed to present the
evolution of each of the twenty-two letters which comprise the Hebrew
alphabet. It reveals how they were first drawn circa 2,000 BCE in
Ancient Hebrew. Their progression to a Paleo-Hebrew script is
presented next, followed by the images most commonly seen on the Dead
Sea Scrolls. The presentation of Hebrew nomenclature then concludes
with the Modern Hebrew form. Each letter’s English equivalent and
phonetic, or transliterated, sound is depicted in addition to the
character’s current name. The last column describes the image revealed
by the original letter.
Ancient
Paleo
DSS
Modern
English English
Modern
Image
Script
Script
Script
Script
Letter Sound
Name
Description
a
a
a
a
A
a
e
Aleph
ram
b
b
b
b
B
b
bh
Beyth
tent
c
g
g
g
G
g
Gimal
foot
d
d
d
d
D
d
Dalet
door
e
h
h
h
H
ah
eh
Hey
man
f
w
w
w
W
o
u w
Wah
tent peg
z
z
z
z
Z
z
Zayin
plow
h
x
x
j
C
hh ch
Chet
wall
u
j
j
f
T
t
th
Theth
basket
i
y
y
y
Y
y
i
Yowd
hand
k
k
k
k ]
K
k
Kaph palm
l
l
l
l
L
l
Lamed
staff
m
m
m
m \
M
m
Mem water
n
n
n
n }
N
n
Nun seed
x
s
s
s
S
s
Samech
thorn
o
[
[
u
E
e
a
Ayin
eye
p
p
p
p [
P
p
ph
Peh
mouth
y
c
c
x {
T
ts
Tsade resting
q
q
q
q
Q
q
Qoph horizon
r
r
r
r
R
r
Rosh head
s
f
f
c
S
sh
Shin teeth
t
t
t
t
T
t
Taw signature
The first
two letter variations, Ancient and Paleo Hebrew, predate the earliest
Babylonian script by more than one-thousand years. This substantially
different lettering style first emerged circa 500 BCE during the
Babylonian captivity. A variation of it is found on the Great Isaiah
Scroll found in the hills above Qumran. The best we can tell, the
Ancient Script, also called “Early Semitic” and “Proto-Sinaitic,”
dates to around 2000 BCE. It is in all likelihood the alphabet used to
scribe the initial autograph of the Towrah. And I suspect that Yahowah
used Ancient Hebrew to engrave the two tablets of stone.
However,
it is also possible that both were written using Paleo Hebrew, in that
it first appeared around 1500 BCE. This form is often called
“Proto-Phoenician,” which isn’t surprising since these people lived
adjacent to the Hebrews. Some scholars refer to Paleo Hebrew as
“Moabite Stone.”
This Late
Semitic script is perhaps a millennia older than its Babylonian
replacement, and the pictographic form precedes it by as much as five
centuries. And then in the progression of things, it wasn’t until
one-thousand-five-hundred years later, around 500 CE, that diacritical
signs associated with the Masoretes were first used to depict vowel
sounds—ignoring the fact that there were five vowels among the
original twenty-two characters. These dots initially appeared in
manuscripts of the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms scribed and edited by
rabbis circa 1000 CE. Modern Hebrew publications use yet another
system, one known as “full spelling.”
While
there is some redundancy, the next chart is designed to present the
meaning behind each Hebrew character as it was originally scribed
nearly 4,000 years ago. In addition to reinforcing the imagery
associated with the Ancient pictographic form, you will find the
letter’s original name juxtaposed against its current name. I’ve
repeated the most common transliteration, or phonetic sound, for each
symbol. This is followed by a description of what the Ancient Hebrew
character was designed to depict. In this chart I’ve added each
letter’s numerical value, as well as the meaning behind the original
drawing – which is the primary purpose of the second presentation. You
will also find a transliteration and translation of the character.
As you
might expect, countless changes have been made along the way, many of
which serve to corrupt the original pronunciations and meanings of
many of the most important Scriptural names, titles, and words. So in
our quest to understand the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms, we will have
to be observant, circumspect, and discerning—especially as we seek to
understand what God actually revealed. So here for your consideration
is the linguistic pallet Yahowah deployed.
Orig.
Original
Babylon
Letter
Ancient-Hebrew Pictograph
Ancient-Hebrew Pictograph
Hebrew Name & Meaning
Form
Name
Name
Sound
Description / Number Value
Primary Image
Meaning
a
al
Aleph
a
e
ox / ram’s head 1
strength, power, might, authority
‘al – Almighty God
b
bet
Beyt
b
tent shelter home 2
ba – in a family,
home, shelter
beyth – family home
c
gam
Gimal
g
foot walking 3 to walk,
carry, gather together
gam – add emphasize
d
dal
Dalet
d
doorway 4
entranceway, doorway
dalet – door
e
hey
Hey
ah eh
man reaching up 5 ha –
reveal, observe, man, notice
hey – behold greatness
f
waw
Wah
ow
u
secure tent peg 6
wa – to secure,
increase, add
wa – and to add
z
zan
Zayin
z
plow 7
food, nourishment, harvest, cut
zan – to sort by kind
h
hets
Chet
ch
tent wall 8
to separate, protect
chets – wall
u
thet
Theth
t th
basket container
9 to
surround, enclose, store
equivalent to taw
i
yad
Yowd
y i
arm and hand 10 authority, ability, power, work
yad – hand
k
kaph
Kaph
k
open palm 20
to open, welcome, allow
kaph – palm of hand
l
lam
Lamed
l
shepherd staff 30
la – to lead, direct,
teach, protect
la – to move toward
m
mah
Mem
m
waves of water 40 water, life, cleansing
mah – water (mayim)
n
nun
Nun
n
sprouting seed 50
son, heir, continuance, generation
nuwn – to continue
x
sin
Samech
s
thorn 60
pierce, sharp, grab, shield
same as Sin of Shin
o
ayn
Ayin
e
a
eye 70
to observe, see, know, perceive
ayn – eye and sight
p
pey
Peh
p ph
mouth 80
to speak, communicate, language
peh – mouth and blow
y
tsad
Tsade
ts
man lying down 90 to wait, rest, be revived, renewed
tsad – side
q
quph Qoph
q
sun on horizon 100
time and light
qowah – wait and hope
r
resh
Rosh
r
head of a man
top, first, beginning, best
re’sh – first, head,
top
s
shin
Shin
sh
teeth
language, nourishment
shin – tooth
t
taw
Taw
t
pole and beam
doorway, sign, mark, signature
tow – signature, mark
(For additional information see:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/33329144/20/The-Samech-Shin-and-Sin)
Should
you be interested, there are five English letters without an
equivalent in Ancient, Paleo, or Babylonian Hebrew. Therefore, there
were no Scriptural Hebrew words containing the sounds made by the
English characters: c (apart from ch), f (apart from ph), j, v, or x.
And while an f can be approximated by the ph pronunciation of Peh,
every English variant of Hebrew names, like “Jehovah,” containing the
letters j, v, or both, is irrefutably inaccurate.
As I have
mentioned, originally there were twenty-two letters in the Hebrew
alphabet, just as there are today. But in both Ancient and Paleo
Hebrew we find greater similarity in the presentation of the Theth
u
and Taw
t than we do today, with them appearing as
ט and
ת.
Both letters convey the same “t” and “th” sounds. So there is every
indication that they were once a single letter. Further, while there
has always been a Samech (x)
and Shin (s), with the former pronounced as an “s” and the later conveying the “sh”
sound, the modern Sin (שׂ)
has no discernable antiquity, thereby eliminating the need to have a
pointed variation of the current Shin
שׁ.
These facts are important because when searching for accurate word
meanings, the whole truth can only be discerned when the Samech and
Sin, as well as the Theth and Taw, are considered as if they were once
one and the same.
While it
is less important, there is also some evidence that in Ancient Hebrew,
in addition to the letter Gam/Gimal, there was also a more guttural
Ghah. It was depicted by way of a small head over an oval body with
two short legs (appearing somewhat like the numeral 8 with an upside
down u beneath it (g)).
While the letter has been mostly lost to time, evidence for it is
retained in Gomorrah and Gaza, whose pronunciation was retained in the
Greek Septuagint, whereby the Ayin, seen today in the Masoretic Text,
was transliterated using the Greek Gamma. When we
compare the meanings of the parent roots of words which were
originally spelled with the
letter Ghah, we notice a similarity in meaning with
most of these words related to darkness, storms, clouds, blindness,
wickedness,
goats, and that which is bad or crafty. In that the letter’s shape
bears some similarity to the interwoven fibers of a rope, it also
conveyed twisted, confused, and convoluted.
To clarify an earlier
statement, in the Modern Hebrew alphabet, the letter Shin
ש
represents two different sounds:
“sh” and an “s.” To
differentiate between these, a dot is placed above the Shin
שׁ
on the right side to depict the “sh” sound, and on the left when
depicting the “s” sound conveyed by Sin
שׂ
(thereby changing the Shin to Sin). In most cases, however, words
currently spelled with the newly crafted Sin are more closely related
in meaning with
words which were originally
written using the Samech
x
s
s
ס. Moreover, Hebrew words currently spelled with the letter Sin are
still
written with a variation of
the Hebrew Samech in other Semitic languages.
Now all of this is vital to
our understanding because to ascertain the original meaning of the
words Yahowah used to convey His Towrah – Instructions, we must remove
the remnants of Masoretic and Rabbinic tampering. As I have mentioned,
and will soon prove, there is overwhelming and damning evidence that
these power-hungry religious clerics deliberately altered the
Scriptural text, changing many words and their meanings by their
diacritical marks, letter substitutions, and unorthodox vocalizations.
The greatest harm was
perpetrated by the vocalization process, because it not only gave the
false impression that the original alphabet lacked vowels and wasn’t
pronounceable, it gave the Masoretes the ability to alter the meaning
of most every word. For example, “‘edown
– the upright pillar and foundation of the tabernacle,” and “‘adown
– lord, master, and owner,” appear identically in the revealed text,
but as a result of the Masoretic vocalization process they are as
different as light is from darkness. So to reverse this damage, we
will have to consider the definitions of every word written using the
same characters, thereby peeling back the vocalization process.
Associated connotations were
lost with the separation of the letter Sin from Samech, and with its
unification with Shin. Similarly, we lose access to related word
meanings with the division of the Taw into two letters, creating the
Theth. An example of this is
Towrah, whereby some of the reasons Yahowah added “tow”
to “yarah – teaching” only
become clear when words beginning with Theth and Taw are both
considered.
There is yet another legacy of
Rabbinical tampering which has left a stain on Scripture. Unlike
Ancient and Paleo Hebrew, where all twenty-two characters were clearly
differentiated from one another, in Babylonian and Modern Hebrew, the
differences between the Hey
ה, Chet
ח, and Taw
ת, are minimal. Written by hand with unrefined implements, using
imperfect dyes, on uneven parchment and papyrus surfaces, the
distinction between them was routinely lost as scrolls were furled and
unfurled over time. One such example is the appearance of
mashyach in the Masoretic
variation of Daniel. Since neither of the two passages in which the
adjective appears are extant among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Rabbinic
corruption of this potential title has replaced the one Yahowah not
only chose, but also reinforced a score of times throughout His
Towrah, Prophets, and Psalms. The Savior’s actual title, “ha
Ma’aseyah – the Work of Yah,” not only associates Him with
Yahowah, but also defines His nature and purpose, the Set-Apart
Servant Doing the Work of Yah, while the Rabbinic variation
disassociates Him from God and from His work. And should you be
seeking proof, in the next section we will examine the evidence
demonstrating Yahowah’s preference for
ha Ma’aseyah over
Mashyach, and its popular
derivative the Messiah.
While it
is not germane to the etymology of the words themselves, while we are
on the subject of the Ancient Hebrew characters which originally
comprised the Hebrew alphabet, I’d like to dispel a common myth. What
we refer to as “Arabic Numerals” are actually Hebrew in origin. In
their Late Semitic script, the Hebrew Aleph is written almost
identically the numeral 1, especially as it is depicted in Europe with
the small diagonal line at the top left. The depiction of the Hebrew
Beyt is indistinguishable from the numeral 2 in the Late Semitic
evolution of paleo-Hebrew. The same is true regarding the Late Semitic
version of the Hebrew Gimal and our symbol for the number 3, as well
as the Hebrew Dalet and the number 4. Similarly, the Late Semitic
depiction of the Hebrew Hey is remarkably similar to the numeral 5.
While the
Waw represents the number six in Hebrew, its Late Semitic form is the
basis for the number 9. The reason for this slide is that the “ow”
sound was adopted by the Greeks and Romans using a letter shaped
similarly to the English “F” (our sixth letter), but this character
was subsequently dropped from their alphabets.
The Late
Semitic, pre-Babylonian form, of the Hebrew Zayin was written exactly
as the letter Z is now depicted in English, and thus serves as the
basis for the number 7. The Ancient Hebrew horizontal pictograph of
the dividing wall representing the letter Hets or Chet was rotated
vertically to form a straight-lined depiction of the numeral 8 in its
Late Semitic form. And finally, also in its Late Semitic form, the
Hebrew Theth was drawn in such a way that it was indistinguishable
from our current number 6.
And
please be aware, this pre-Babylonian adaptation of Hebrew preceded the
formation of written Arabic by just over one thousand years. This
reality thereby destroys the myth that our current representation of
numbers is “Arabic Numerals.”
One last
thought before we leave this discussion on the Ancient and Paleo
Hebrew letterforms and their subsequent meaning. As we move through
our evaluation of Yahowah’s Word, we will endeavor to deduce the
meanings of God’s favorite names, titles, and words using the
characters which originally comprised them.
So, in
this light, let’s consider “dabar
– word. The first letter, known as a Dalet (ד), was drawn as an entrance or doorway
d.
Affirming this, even today,
dalet means “door” in Hebrew.
The second letter of
dabar is Beyt (ב), which was depicted to reveal the floor plan of a tent shelter or
home:
b.
As a result beyth still means “family and home.” It serves as the basis for
Yahowah’s “beryth –
Family-Oriented Covenant Relationship”—arguably the single most
important word in the whole of God’s word.
The third and final letter of
the Hebrew word for “word” is Rosh (ר). It was drawn in the shape of a human head
r,
and conveyed the ideas of top, first, and best, in addition to
firstborn, leadership, and establishing a priority. So we should not
be surprised that even today, re’sh conveys all of these concepts. Further, a derivative of
re’sh, namely
re’shyth, is the first word in the Torah.
So collectively, by examining
the pictures drawn by the characters which comprise
dabar, we learn that God’s
“word” serves as the “doorway” to His “home,” and to participation in
His covenant “family.” Those who place Yah’s Word “above” all else,
making it their “top priority,” become our Heavenly Father’s
“firstborn” children.
Using
this same formula, let’s see what we can learn about Yahowah’s title:
‘elohym. It is the plural of
‘el, which is the contracted
form of ‘elowah. Written
right to left in the Hebrew form it looks like this:
efla.
Therefore, ‘elowah begins
with Aleph:
a
(א),
the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In its pictographic form it
represented a ram’s head which symbolized strength, power, might, and
authority.
The
second letter, Lamed
l
(ל),
was drawn in the shape of a shepherd’s staff. As a result, it conveys
leadership, direction, guidance, nurturing, and protection. Used
commonly as a prefix, the Lamed serves as a preposition in Hebrew,
communicating movement toward a goal.
The Wah
f
(ו),
which designates the “o” sound in
‘elowah, resembles a tent peg, which is important Scripturally
because they were used to enlarge and secure the temporary residences
of those who first heard Yahowah’s title. These study stakes also
secured the Tabernacle which represented God’s permanent home among
His people. Today, as then, the Wah is used as a conjunction, and
conveys the ideas of increasing, connecting, adding, and enlarging.
The final
letter, Hey
e
(ה),
like Wah, is also found in Yahowah’s name in addition to His title.
The Hey was among the most distinctive letters, in that it was drawn
in the form of a person pointing and reaching up to the heavens. It
screams, pay attention, be observant, and take notice of what God has
done and said. Today, hey
means “behold.”
Bringing
this all together, the characters which comprise
‘elowah, meaning “Almighty
God,” paint a picture of God as being supremely powerful, of being a
shepherd who cares for His flock, leading, nurturing, and protecting
them. He is focused upon enlarging His family and protecting those who
not only seek Him, but also observe His revelation and reach up to Him
for assistance.
There are
times in which the visual images provided by the Ancient Hebrew
characters convey insights we’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
Such is the case with ‘iseh
/ ‘isah, which was used as an example of a particularly challenging
word to translate. If you recall, ‘iseh (אִשֶּׁה)
is the feminine noun for fire, and ‘isah (אִשָּׁה) means “female
individual, woman, mother, and wife.” And adding to the confusion,
prior to the application of the Masoretic
niquwd system of diacritical
signs, these words were indistinguishable in the text.
By doing
some Scriptural research, we came to realize that
‘iseh / ‘isah spoke of our
Spiritual Mother, the Set-Apart Spirit. But now that we are equipped
with another tool, let’s see if the characters which comprise this
word agree. The first letter is an Aleph
a
(א),
which as we now know depicted a ram’s head, which symbolized strength,
power, might, and authority.
The
second letter in ‘iseh /
‘isah is Shin
s
(ש),
which was drawn in the shape of teeth, which were symbolic of
language and words, of
communication and understanding, of guidance and instruction, as well
as nourishment and the breath of life.
The third
and final letter is Hey
e
(ה),
which, as we have discussed, symbolized
humankind with our arms
reaching up and pointing to heaven, so as to say “look up, behold,
observe, reach out to, and rely upon God.”
Therefore, the picture painted by
‘iseh /
‘isah, this time written in
the English format of left to right,
ase, is of
the power and authority of God’s word working to nourish humankind,
imbuing those who are observant and who reach out to God, with
understanding and the breath of life. So the image is the same whether
we use our etymological tools, do Scriptural research, or defer to the
original alphabetic pictographics: we are looking at our Spiritual
Mother, and the role she plays in the lives of God’s children.
efei
In our
search for the truth regarding the Word of God, it was essential that
we investigated the nature of the textual evidence we will be
considering—as it is the vessel upon which we will be sailing and
relying. Becoming aware of the sordid history of bible translations,
and the propensity of publishers to corrupt God’s message, helps clear
our decks of clutter before we embark on this voyage of discovery. And
an appreciation for the process of translation, especially recognizing
some of these challenges, is the proper preparation for this mission.
But
there is something lacking. In the process of preparing to engage, we
have only considered a handful of Scriptural passages. So, I’d like to
remedy this omission and review some of the more interesting
references to the “dabar –
word.”
As we
will do again when we commence our discussion of the Covenant, we will
begin where Yahowah began, by transforming Himself into the living
embodiment of His “dabar – word” before Abram. But since we are just embarking on this
journey, I am going to initiate the process by encouraging you to
consider the passage bereft of serious amplification.
“After (‘achar)
these (‘el-leh)
conversations (dabarym), the Word (dabar) of Yahowah (efei
-
hwhy-
יהוה),
He came to exist as God
with (hayah ‘el)
‘Abram (‘Abram)
in the form of (ba) a personal, visual, and
illuminating manifestation which could be seen and experienced (machazeh) to say (‘amar):
‘Do not be awed, and be at rest while God renews you (yare’
‘al) ‘Abram. I am (‘anoky) a defender
and shield, a protective
covering (magen)
for you (la),
your exceedingly (ma’od)
great (rabah)
reward, your payment for
passage, your transit fee paid by a servant, shepherd, and generous
father (sakar).’” (Bare’syth 15:1)
This
modestly amplified version of this passage was presented for the
express purpose of making these two rather long sentences easier to
read and comprehend, and to facilitate your developing a proper
perspective of the broad strokes encapsulated in this profound
predictive promise. Within this framework, you’re now in a better
position to appreciate the fine details hidden in etymology as we
systematically dissect each message phrase by phrase. Also, if I can
encourage you to consider the bold portions of each passage first, and
then go back and evaluate the additional insights provided by the
Hebrew words, you will find the Scriptural portions of this
Introduction to God much
easier to read.
This
Scriptural introduction to the Word of God does a marvelous job of
explaining the nature and purpose of the “dabar
– word,” surrounded as it is with terms like
machazeh, ‘amar,
yare’, magen,
ma’od,
rabah, and sakar. But to
more fully appreciate the insights they provide, let’s dive deeper
into this revelation, deploying the full benefits of Scriptural
amplification…
“After
(‘achar – following and
pertaining to) these (‘el-leh)
conversations (dabarym –
communications), the Word (dabar) of Yahowah (efei),
He came to exist with (hayah
‘el – He was, is, and will always be with)
‘Abram (‘abram – father who uplifts)
in the form of (ba)
a personal, visual, and
illuminating manifestation which could be seen and experienced (machazeh – as a personal revelation of enlightening communication
which can be beheld and visualized; as a window or aperture
constructed for the purpose of flooding an area with light)
to say (‘amar –
promising and answering, claiming and avowing):
‘Do not be awed (yare’ ‘al
– do not be frightened or intimidated, rest and be at peace while I
renew you) ‘Abram. I am (‘anoky) a defender
and shield, a protective
covering (magen – I am
surrounding you, shielding and delivering you from harm; from
ganan, to defend and protect
by surrounding and covering) for you (la – on your
behalf), your exceedingly (ma’od
– your ultimately empowering, energizing, facilitating, abundant, and)
great (rabah
– increasing and uplifting, making you more than you currently are,
multiplicitous) reward (sakar – payment
for passage, transit fee paid by a servant or shepherd, by a generous
father and reliable doorkeeper).’”
(Bare’syth / In the
Beginning / Genesis 15:1)
God’s
Word is machazeh: “personal,
visual, and illuminating.” It is something which “can be seen and
experienced,” especially as we read Yahowah’s Towrah.
It serves as “a
revelation, as enlightening communication which can be beheld and
visualized.” God’s Word is “a window constructed for the purpose of
flooding our lives with light”—God’s light.
As is the
case throughout this
Introduction to God and Yada
Yah as well, the commentary
surrounding the text will be extensive, because each word God chooses
serves to color the overall portrait He is painting. Such is the case
with “yare’ – respect and revere.” God’s Word encourages us to
yare’ our Heavenly Father,
and it teaches us to “lo yare’
– not fear” Him.
The “dabar – Word” of “Yahowah”
serves as our “magen –
defender and shield,” as our “protective covering.” It is our “ma’od rabah sakar – exceedingly great reward”—providing our “payment
for passage,” our “transit fee,” which is “remunerated by” God
“serving us as a shepherd,” as “a generous father,” who opens the
“doorway” to heaven.
But there
is even more we can learn. Of the 2,500 times
dabar is found in the
Covenant Scriptures, it is used as a noun (usually rendered: “word”)
1,400 times, and as a verb (describing someone “communicating through
the spoken word”) 1,100 times. More amazing than this frequency, is
the diversity. There are more than 120 different English words
required to convey the full meaning of
dabar. Some are synonyms,
many are not. The only common denominator is that they all convey a
sense of “communication,” because talking with and listening to God is
the essence of His Covenant.
The “dabar – Word of Yahowah” is first and foremost “ha
Towrah – the Source of Instruction and Teaching and the Place from
which Guidance and Direction Flow: from
tow – the signed, written,
and enduring, towrah – way
of treating people, tuwr –
giving us the means to explore, to seek, to find, and to choose,
yarah – the source from
which instruction, teaching, guidance, and direction flow, that
tuwb – provides answers that
facilitate our restoration and return, even our response and reply to
that which is towb – good,
pleasing, joyful, beneficial, favorable, healing, and right, and that
which causes us to be loved, to become acceptable, and to endure,
tahowr / tohorah –
purifying and cleansing us, towr
– so as to provide an opportunity for us to change our thinking,
attitude, and direction.” The Towrah is the book responsible for
introducing and describing the Covenant. The Covenant ceases to exist
and becomes utterly unknown without it.
But the “dabar – Word” of Yahowah also includes the Prophets. For example,
the book known as “Ezekiel,” is comprised of
“the Word (dabar)
of Yahowah to Yachezq’el.”
To this,
we must add the testimony of the Ma’aseyah Yahowsha’, because Yahowah,
in Yashayah / Isaiah 40:5, not only promised that He would put His
dabar in His mouth, but also
that Yahowsha’ would be the living manifestation of His “dabar
– Word.” And that is why Yahowsha’ cited, affirmed, amplified,
extrapolated upon, explained, enabled, and fulfilled the Covenant
Scriptures with every word He spoke and every act He accomplished.
In the
section devoted to Yahowah’s Instructions, we will discover that He
introduces them with dabar.
“And (wa)
God (‘elohym) conveyed (dabar)
all of (kol)
these words (dabar),
providing perspective (‘eleh)
in our presence (‘eth),
saying (‘amar): ‘I am (‘anky)
Yahowah (efei
–
Yahowah)
your God (‘elohym)
who relationally (‘asher) brought you out and
delivered you (yasa’)
from the realm (min ‘erets) of the crucible
of Egypt (mitsraym),
out of the house (min beyth)
of slavery (‘ebed).
You shall not exist with (lo’
hayah la) other (‘aher)
gods (‘elohym) in relation to (‘al)
My presence (paneh).’”
(Shemowth / Names / Exodus 20:1-3)
More
fully amplified, this same introduction reads:
“And (wa)
God (‘elohym
– the Almighty) conveyed
(dabar – communicated, spoke, and wrote, provided instruction and
direction with) all of (kol)
these words (dabar
– conversations,
statements, warnings, and promises),
providing perspective (‘eleh
– from a relatively close vantage point)
in our presence (‘eth
– in association with us and in proximity to us),
saying (‘amar –
explaining, claiming, answering, counseling, warning, and promising):
‘I am (‘anky)
Yahowah (efei
–
Yahowah)
your God (‘elohym – the
Mighty One (suffixed in the second person singular))
who relationally (‘asher)
brought you out and delivered
you (yasa’ – descended
to serve, extending Myself to guide, lead, and carry you away)
from the realm (min
‘erets – out of the land and region)
of the crucible of Egypt (mitsraym
– the smelting furnace where metals are refined and tested (a metaphor
for judgment and oppression)),
out of the house (min beyth
– from the home, household, family and place)
of slavery (‘ebed
– servitude, bondage, and worship, even work).
You shall not exist with (lo’
hayah la – you shall not have)
other (‘aher – someone else’s, different, extra, or additional)
gods (‘elohym) in relation to (‘al
– near, before, or in proximity to, in addition to, or on account of)
My presence (paneh).’”
(Shemowth / Names / Exodus 20:1-3)
In this
treatise on His Word, God began by introducing Himself, spelling out
His name so that we might know it, etching “efei”
in stone. He said that His Word would provide us with the perspective
we would need to exist in His presence. He positioned Himself serving
us, working as our savior and guide, personally leading us away from
judgment and human oppression—from works-based salvation schemes. And
all He asked in return—at least of those who wish to live in His
presence—was to recognize that He alone is God.
Regarding this message, Moseh, the first to receive these words,
wrote: “These are the words
(dabar)
Yahowah (efei)
communicated, speaking (dabar)
to (‘el)
everyone (kol) assembled (qahal
– gathered together) beside
(ba) the mountain (har),
from (min)
in the midst (tawek)
of the fire (‘esh – radiant energy and light)
and the water-laden (‘araphel)
cloud (‘anan) with a great and
powerful (gadowl –
substantial and magnificent, important and distinguished, and
glorious) voice (qowl). He did not add
anything more (lo’ yasap).
He wrote them, engraving them
(y-katab-m – He inscribed
them using letters and words) on (‘al)
two (samaym) tablets (luwach)
of stone (‘eben)
and gave them (natan – prepared and bestowed them as a gift)
to me.” (Dabar / Words /
Deuteronomy 5:22)
Speaking of participating in Passover, Yahowah said…“You
shall observe (shamar –
you all shall closely examine and carefully consider, keeping your
eyes focused upon) this word
and its message (dabar –
this statement and communication)
as a clearly communicated
prescription of what you should do (choq
– as an inscribed thought and engraved recommendation)
and (wa)
as a witness (‘ed) to
your children (beny) forever (‘owlam).” (Shemowth / Names /
Exodus 12:24) Yahowah’s witness and testimony, His teaching,
instruction, direction, and guidance, the very Word of God, has a
name: Towrah. It is filled with “choq
– clearly communicated prescriptions of what we should do,” and most
especially, what we as parents should share with our children, now and
forever. And these choq are engraved in stone and inscribed in the written scroll of
the Torah.
God’s
Word and His Towrah were unified in the following declaration:
“And Yahowah (efei)
spoke (‘amar)
as God to (‘el)
Moseh, ‘Look at Me (hineh
– pay attention to Me and behold),
I will send down (matar
– I will provide and rain down)
to you bread (lehem – food)
from
the heavens (shamaym).
And the family members (‘am
– kin and related people) shall
go out (yasa’ – extend themselves)
and gather it (laqat –
glean it as in a harvest). This
message (dabar – this
word and the very essence of it)
exists
so that day in and day out
I may determine (nasah
– I can conduct a test to distinguish)
if (‘im
– whether) they walk (halak)
in
My Towrah (Towrah
– My Instruction and Teaching, Guidance and Direction)
or not (lo’).” (Shemowth / Names /
Exodus 16:4)
This
next conversation regarding Yahowah’s “dabar
– word” will be dissected in the Towrah section. But because it is
also enlightening relative to God’s Word, here is a sneak preview:
“And Moseh’s father-in-law said to him, ‘It is not good (lo’
towb – beneficial) to share
the Word (dabar – to communicate the message)
as you are now doing.
You will completely wither away
and totally shrivel (nabel
nabel – you will wear out and die).
Not only you, but also
these family members (‘am
– related people) who are with
you. Indeed this is because
from you (min – by means of you being used as an implement),
the Word (dabar – the Message) is very
significant and valuable (kabed
– worthy and massive, distinguished and honorable, glorified and
rewarding),
and you are not able (yakol
– you are not capable of continuing)
to
accomplish this (‘asah – engage and prevail in this)
goal by yourself (bad
– alone).” (Shemowth / Names /
Exodus 18:17-18)
“So now then, listen to and
receive this (shama’
– hear and understand this) in
my voice. I am proposing
a plan (ya’as – I am
suggesting a course of action)
whereby God
will choose to continue to be
with you (‘im – in a
continued association with, near, and alongside you).
You represent (hayah
– come to exist and be for) the
people (‘am – family) before
the Almighty
and you come back, returning
(bow’ – arriving)
with
God, the Almighty’s words
(ha dabarym – the
statements, messages, sayings, and communications).”
(18:19) “And
you can warn and be a shining light (zahar – you can teach and admonish, being a beacon)
among them
with the clearly communicated
prescriptions of what someone should do
and with regard to the Towrah
teachings and instructions (Towrah).
And then you will make known (yada’
– you will reveal and provide information which leads to understanding
and awareness) to them
the Way (ha derek – the Path (singular and absolute))
in which they should walk
(halak – they should follow,
travel, and go about their lives),
and the work (ha ma’aseh – the preparation, pursuits, and actions)
which relationally
they should pursue (‘asah
– they should do, endeavor to undertake, act upon, actively engage in,
celebrate, and profit from).”
(Shemowth/ Names /
Exodus 18:20)
And
therein lays the value and purpose of God’s Word. It reveals the Way.
The
following excerpt is also from the Towrah section. But, like the
previous discussion, it is equally at home in the midst of our review
of the “dabar – word.” Here we discover that the Word and the Torah are
synonymous. “And
it came to exist (hayah) just when (ka)
Moseh completely finished (kalah)
writing (katab) the words (dabar)
of the Towrah (ha
Towrah) upon this, the Almighty’s (ha
ze’th ‘al) written scroll
(sepher), successfully completing (tamam)
the Eternal Witness (‘ad/‘ed), Moseh directed (sawah)
the Lewy (ha lewy) lifting up and
carrying (nasa’)
Yahowah’s (YaHoWaH’s) Ark (‘arown)
of the Covenant (beryth),
saying (‘amar), ‘Accept and grasp
hold of (laqah)
the
written scroll (sepher)
of the Towrah (ha Towrah) and place (sym)
this alongside (‘eth
min sad) Yahowah’s (YaHoWaH’s)
Ark (‘arown) of the
Family-Oriented Covenant Relationship (beryth).
Your God (‘elohym), He will always
exist (hayah)
there
for you in
the Eternal Witness and
Enduring Testimony (‘ed/‘ad).” (Dabarym / Words /
Deuteronomy 31:24-26)
For
those who would protest that the veracity of Scripture cannot be
completely tested because the copy of the Towrah dictated to Moseh was
lost to the ravages of time; this is good news. The original autograph
of the Towrah resides to this day beside Yahowah’s Ark of the
Covenant, which itself sits in the shadow of Golgotha upon Mount
Mowryah in Yaruwshalaym. And rest assured, it will not only be
revealed upon Yahowsha’s return, Yahowah, Himself, will write its
every word upon our hearts.
This
same passage, more fully amplified, reads:
“And (wa)
it came to exist (hayah)
just when (ka) Moseh completely finished
(kalah – concluded)
writing (katab – inscribing using a written alphabet to communicate)
the words (dabar) of
the Towrah (ha Towrah – the Torah Instruction and Teaching, Guidance and
Direction) upon this, the
Almighty’s (ha ze’th ‘al)
written scroll (sepher –
engraved letter and inscribed document designed to recount, relate,
rehearse, and declare),
successfully completing (tamam
– totally and perfectly finishing)
the Eternal Witness (‘ad
/ ‘ed – Enduring Testimony),
Moseh directed (sawah – instructed) the Lowy
(ha lowy – those who join
and unite; transliterated: Levites)
lifting up and carrying (nasa’
– raising and bearing)
Yahowah’s (efei
-
hwhy-
יהוה –
Yahowah)
Ark (‘arown – source of light, enlightenment, and choice)
of the Covenant (beryth – Family-Oriented Relationship), saying (‘amar),
‘Accept and grasp hold of (laqah
– obtain and receive) the
written scroll (sepher –
the written letter and inscribed document designed to recount, relate,
rehearse, and declare) of the
Towrah (ha Towrah)
and place (sym – put)
this (zeh) alongside (‘eth
min sad – near, and beside)
Yahowah’s (efei)
Ark (‘arown
– source of light, enlightenment, and choice)
of the Covenant (beryth
– Family-Oriented Relationship).
Your God (‘elohym), He will always
exist (hayah – He was,
is, and will always be) there
(sham)
for you (la)
in (ba)
the Eternal Witness and
Enduring Testimony (‘ed /
‘ad).” (Dabarym
/ Words / Deuteronomy 31:24-26)
Using
the Strong’s reference numbers as a guide, here is the definition of
Towrah based upon the words which comprise this title:
“Towrah (8451)
– from tow (8420) – signed,
written, and enduring, towrah
(8452) – way of treating people,
tuwr (8446) – giving us the means to explore, to seek, to find,
and to choose, yarah (3384)
– the source from which instruction, teaching, guidance, and direction
flow, which tuwb (8421) – provides answers which facilitate our restoration and
return, even our response and reply to that which is
towb (2895) – good, pleasing, joyful, beneficial, favorable,
healing, and right, and that which causes us to be loved, to become
acceptable, and to endure,
tahowr (2892) and tohorah
(2893) – purifying and cleansing us,
towr (8447) – so as to
provide an opportunity to change our thinking, attitude, and
direction.”
God
will always exist for us in His Word, in His Towrah, in His Witness.
His Enduring Testimony is in writing, and His words explain how we may
go about choosing to participate in His Covenant. The words of the
Towrah teach us how to become reconciled unto God through the process
of receiving His purifying and protective covering. But most of all,
if we look to the Towrah, we will find God.
The
addition of a “New Testament” or “Oral Law” would be a violation of
this instruction, as would be the “Qur’an” and the “Book of Mormon.”
“You should not ever add to (lo’
yasap ‘al) the
Word (ha dabar) which relationally
and as a blessing (‘asher)
I (‘anky)
am
instructing you all with (tsawah
‘eth), and you should never
subtract (wa lo’ gara’)
from it (min)
to properly observe (la
shamar) the terms of the covenant (mitswah)
of Yahowah (efei),
your God (‘elohym),
which as a favor (‘asher)
I am (‘anky)
directing you all with (tsawah
‘eth).” (Dabarym / Words /
Deuteronomy 4:2)
God
told us all we need to know. His Word is sufficient to instruct and
direct us. We are advised to observe it.
More
revealing still, “sawah –
guidance, instruction, teaching, and direction,” was scribed twice in
this passage to proclaim what may well be the single most important
lesson provided in this
Introduction to God. The Almighty’s Word, His Torah, is God’s
“teaching, instruction, guidance, and direction.” It is not His “law.”
We are compelled to comply with laws. We are invited to consider
instruction. A judge enforces laws, while a father offers guidance.
One observes laws by keeping them. One observes teaching by evaluating
it. If you learn nothing more from this book than that, it will have
been worth the investment of your time. This reveals the proper
perspective on how to approach the Torah, and indeed, Yahowah,
Himself.
But
Yahowah was not finished guiding us. He would go on to teach us to be
concerned about our “nepesh
– soul,” as opposed to our body or spirit. As we shall discover, our
soul is all that matters to Yahowah, and therefore should be of great
consequence to us. “Only (raq – exclusively
without exception) be observant
(shamar – pay attention,
closely examine and carefully consider everything)
as your goal.
And pay very close attention to
(ma’od shamar – very
carefully consider and be especially aware of, caring about)
your soul (nepesh – your individual consciousness)
lest you forget (sakah
– you overlook, ignore, or are no longer mindful, and cease to care
about) the words (dabarym
– written statements and testimony)
which
you have seen
with your eyes. And lest they
are removed from
your heart. All of the days
of your life, you shall make
them known (yada’ – you
shall acknowledge, respect, and reveal them)
to
your children
and to your children’s
children.” (Dabarym 4:9)
Just as
the single most important thing our Heavenly Father could do for us
was to reveal His Word, the most important thing we can do for our
children is to share it with them.
“The day
which you were present,
standing (‘amad – you
were upright on your feet)
before (paneh – and
facing) Yahowah, your God, in Horeb,
in which
Yahowah said to me
for me to summon and assemble
(qahal – for me to gather
and call together) the family
(‘am – people who are
related) so that I can have
them hear (shama’ – so
that I may have them listen to)
the words (dabar) which relationally
will cause them to learn (lamad
– will teach and instruct them)
to revere, respect (yare’
– admire, value) and accompany
Me all of the days
which as a result of the
relationship they
shall live (chay – shall
exist) on
the earth (‘adamah –
ground and soil, speaking of the material realm), and so that they might teach (lamad
– share this information with and educate)
their children.” (Dabarym
4:10) Had this been adhered to, the world would be like the Garden of
Eden.
Our
Heavenly Father revealed His Word to us because He wants us to learn
about Him. He realizes that when we come to know Him as He really is,
we will come to “yare’ –
respect and revere” Him. Doing this, and encouraging our children to
do the same, is the entire purpose of the days we spend in this
material realm we call the earth.
Moseh
would remind us: “And
Yahowah (efei)
spoke the word (dabar
– communicated) as God to
you (‘el)
from
the midst of the fire (‘esh
– radiant energy and light),
words (dabarym) the sound of which
(qowl – audible nature and
sound waves) you heard (shama’
– you received and listened to).
But a visual form (tamuwnah –
image, likeness, representation, or material manifestation), you did not see—but only (zuwlah
– exclusively) heard
the sound.” (Dabarym 4:12) The Towrah is therefore the Word of God—literally: the
very breath of God.
The
first thing God spoke about was His Covenant. Nothing is more
important to our Heavenly Father. It is the reason we exist.
“And He told you all
about (nagad
la – He informed and reported to all of you regarding)
His Family-Oriented Covenant
Relationship (beryth –
mutual agreement based upon building a
beyth – family and home)
with you. Which, as a result of the relationship,
He instructed and directed
(sawah – He guided)
you accordingly
to act upon and actively engage
in (‘asah la – to do and
follow, to celebrate, observe, and profit from)
the Ten Statements (dabar
– Words). And He wrote them
(katab – He inscribed and
engraved them in writing) on
two tablets
of stone.” (Dabarym 4:13)
According to Yahowah, His Covenant is explained in the Ten Words which
were written on the two tablets of stone. By observing the words He
wrote, we learn all about the relationship He is proposing.
Especially relevant, a relationship requires both parties to
participate. Therefore, God has encouraged us to “‘asah
– act upon” His Covenant, and to “‘asah
– actively engage in it.” With regard to the Torah, this is the single
most important thing we can “‘asah
– do.”
This
conversation concluded with these words:
“And Yahowah (efei)
instructed and guided (sawah
– directed) me accordingly
at this time (‘eth
– in this context, and place)
that She (hy’ – speaking of the
Set-Apart Spirit, our Spiritual Mother and Counselor)
would teach (lamad –
provide the required information to instruct and guide)
you regarding the clearly
communicated prescriptions (choq
– engraved thoughts and inscribed recommendations)
and the means used to achieve
justice and resolve disputes (mishpat
– the basis upon which judgment will be exercised and sound decisions
are made) so that
you might
celebrate, observe, and profit
from them.” (Dabarym 4:14)
The “dabar
– word” of God is always important, but never more so than…“During
the time of adversity and
emotional distress (tsar
– turmoil, anguish, oppression, and tribulation imposed by the
Adversary and enemies), when
all of these words (ha dabar
– the things included in this message)
find you, especially those
in
the last (‘acharyth
– the final and end) of days,
then you will return
and you will be restored (suwb
– you will turn around, change, come back, recover and are reconciled)
forever and eternally to
Yahowah, your God.” (Dabarym
4:30)
The
following is equally at home in a discussion of the Word and the
Towrah. “From
the heavens (ha shamaym –
the spiritual abode of God) He
has individually and deliberately prepared you to hear (shama’ – He has purposefully created you to use your sense of
hearing to receive and process this message, this news; He actually
conceived you to understand by listening to)
His voice (qowl
– His call, summons, and invitation)
for the explicit purpose of
instructing you (la yacar
– with the goal of teaching, admonishing, correcting, and disciplining
you). And
upon the Almighty’s earth, He
enabled you to see (ra’ah
– He made it possible for you to witness)
His magnificent light (gadowl
‘esh – His great fire, radiant energy, and warmth)
and His words (dabar
– His testimony and message)
which you heard (shama’ – you listen to and received)
from the midst
of the fire (‘esh – light and expression of radiant energy and warmth).”
(Dabarym 4:36)
Yahowah’s Word is personal, it is important; it underlies everything
God has done for us. “And
truthfully, underlying this
is His love (‘ahab – His close, friendly, and affectionate relationship)
for your fathers. And
He has chosen to favor (bahar
– He has selected and preferred)
their descendants
after them. And He has
descended to serve, leading you (yasa’
– He has diminished and extended Himself to bring you)
into His presence, into and
with His magnificent,
intense, and enormous power (gadowl
– His great, important, extensive, and distinguished authority and
strength, ability and might),
away from (min – out of)
the Crucible of Egypt (Mitsraym
– serving as a metaphor for human religious, political, economic, and
military oppression and judgment).”
(Dabarym 4:37)
The
best advice in the world is to “yada’
– know” what God revealed to us in His Word.
“And
you should acknowledge and
respect (yada’ – you
should be familiar with, be aware of, care about, and understand)
this day, and you should return
your heart
to God, because indeed (ky
– truthfully and reliably)
Yahowah (YaHoWaH),
He is the Almighty God (huw’
ha ‘elohym) in the heavens (ha
shamaym – the spiritual realm)
above, and
the earth (ha ‘erets – the
material realm) below.
There is no other.” (Dabarym
4:39)
Yahowah
recognizes that our hearts must follow our minds, or else we risk
falling for false deities and unreliable religious schemes. Few
spiritual lessons are as important as this one:
“And
you should observe (shamar
– you should closely examine and carefully consider, you should open
your eyes, be diligently observant, and thoughtful, revering,
respecting, and clinging to) His clearly communicated
prescriptions of what we should do (choq
– His engraved thoughts and inscribed recommendation), and the terms and
conditions of His binding contract (mitswah
– His authorized directions and written instructions), which relationally I
have
instructed and directed you (sawah
– guided you) this day.
Because, as a result of the
relationship, He is good to
you and beneficial for you (yatab
la – He is cheerful and will make you beautiful, pleasing, better,
and joyful), and also for your children
after you,
for the express purpose of
elongating your days.”
(Dabarym 4:40) God’s Word
affirms that God is good for us. His goal is to make us happy and
extend our lives.
“This is (ze’th)
the Towrah (ha Towrah –
the Instruction and Teaching, Guidance and Direction)
which as a result of the relationship
He placed before Moseh (Moseh
– the one who draws us away from oppression and judgment)
and the Children of Yisra’el
(ben Yisra’el – the children
who want to live and endure, strive and persist with God).”
(Dabarym 4:44)
Speaking again of the Word of God, we read:
“This is
the Witness and Testimony, the
clearly communicated
prescriptions, the means used to achieve justice and resolve disputes,
which God
spoke to (dabar –
communicated using words to)
Moseh and the Children of
Yisra’el (ben Yisra’el –
to the children who want to endure and persist with God)
when
He led them (yasa’ – He descended and extended Himself to serve by bringing them)
away from
oppression and judgment (mitsraym
– the crucible of Egypt).”
(Dabarym 4:45)
The
words we are reading comprise Yahowah’s Witness, His Testimony, His
clearly communicated prescriptions. These words provide the means God
will use to decide our fate. And most important of all, these words
enable us to escape oppression and judgment.
Deep
within our discussion of the Towrah, we will delve into the following
dissertation on the Word of God. But now I’d like you to consider this
excerpt from “Dabarym –
Words” in summary form, because these words are not only unequivocal,
they represent the very essence of Yahowah’s written instructions.
“These are the terms and the
conditions of the binding contract, the clearly communicated
prescriptions, and the means used to achieve justice and resolve
disputes, which as a result of the relationship, Yahowah your God,
instructed you to
learn and teach
what should be done
in the land into which
you all
are going to pass over into
as an inheritance (6:1) for
the intent and purpose that
you really come to revere and respect
Yahowah your God
by observing all of
His
clearly communicated prescriptions, and
terms and conditions, which I
have guided you
individually, your children,
and your children’s children
all
of the days
of your lives, for the
purpose of elongating
your days. (6:2)
And so that you listen and hear
Yisra’el – those who strive and
persist with God—and so
that you are observant,
closely scrutinizing and examining, carefully exploring and
considering, thereby
engaging in that which relationally is
good and beneficial for you, and which
will cause you to substantially
increase, grow, and become exceedingly great, consistent with
that which
Yahowah, your God,
promised and affirmed in words (dabar)
to
your fathers on your behalf.
(6:3) Yisra’el – those who
persist and endure with God—listen
to and hear Yahowah, our God. Yahowah
is one, certain, and unique.
(6:4) You should truly and
totally love Yahowah, your
God, with all
your heart and emotions, with all
your soul, and with all your
capability, to the greatest extent of your cognitive aptitude.
(6:5)
And these words (dabar) which
I am
guiding and directing you with
this day, they shall come to
exist, and they should always be,
on
your heart, guiding your
feelings. (6:6) And your
goal should be to teach
them by rote by reciting them to prepare and equip your children. You
should consistently speak about them
during
your life, inside your home,
and with your family, and as you walk along the Path, and when you lie
down and rest, pausing to reflect,
and when you stand up and are
restored. (6:7) You shall
closely associate yourself with them by affixing them
as a sign, as proof, and as a
reminder upon your hand to
influence your actions, and they should come to exist
between your eyes to provide
perspective and enhance your thinking. (6:8)
And you should write them upon
the doorframes of your
home, and upon the gates to your community.” (6:9)
While
the words we have just read are found toward the beginning of “Dabarym – Words,” and serve as an introduction, the words we are
about to read are found toward the end of the book and serve as a
summation.
“The
covered and concealed (satar
– the sheltered and hidden [speaking of God’s children whose sins can
no longer be seen because they are adorned in the Set-Apart Spirit’s
Garment of Light]) belong to
Yahowah (la Yahowah), our God (‘elohym), and those things which are revealed and made known (galah
– things which are uncovered and exposed [speaking of God’s Word])
belong to us (la), and are for (la)
our children (ben)
eternally and forever (‘ad
‘olam – throughout all time),
to conduct ourselves in accordance with (‘asah
‘eth – to engage in, to act upon, to benefit from, and to
celebrate) all (kol)
the words (dabar)
of
this (z’eth), the Towrah (ha Towrah:
from tow – the signed,
written, and enduring, towrah
– way of treating people, tuwr
– giving us the means to explore, to seek, to find, and to choose,
yarah – the source from
which instruction, teaching, guidance, and direction flow, which
tuwb – provides answers
which facilitate our restoration and return, even our response and
reply to that which is towb
– good, pleasing, joyful, beneficial, favorable, healing, and right,
and that which causes us to be loved, to become acceptable, and to
endure, tahowr / tohorah –
purifying and cleansing us, towr
– so as to provide an opportunity to change our thinking, attitude,
and direction).” (Dabarym
/ Words / Deuteronomy 29:29)
“Indeed (ky – truly and surely),
you should actually listen to
(shama’ ba – you should
receive the message and really hear)
the voice (qowl – the
call, invitation, and summons)
of Yahowah, your God (Yahowah
‘elohym), for the purpose
of closely examining and carefully considering (la
shamar – so that you observe and thoughtfully scrutinize and
study) the terms and conditions
of His binding contract (mitswah
– His authoritative instructions and written legal conditions)
and His
clearly communicated
prescriptions and inscribed recommendations of what we should do in
this life to live (wa
chuwqah – His written rules
regarding life; from choq –
His shared and nourishing thoughts regarding an allocation of
something from Him by way of one who is set apart which is designed to
cut us in on the Covenant agreement),
which are inscribed (ha
katab – that which is written, engraved, and permanently
memorialized) in (ba)
the written scroll (ha seper
– the written document) of
this (ze’th),
the Towrah (ha Towrah – the Instruction and Teaching, the Guidance and
Direction). And that is because
(ky – truly and surely)
you will really return and be
restored (suwb – you
will actually be changed and transformed, turning back)
to (‘el)
Yahowah, your God (Yahowah
‘elohym), with all (ba
kol) your heart (leb – your
emotions and feelings), and
with all (wa ba kol)
your soul (nepesh –
individual consciousness).”
(Dabarym 30:10)
“For indeed (ky), the utterly powerful and exceedingly great (ma’od – the unequivocally mighty and extraordinarily magnificent)
Word (dabar) of your God (‘el)
facilitates your approach and brings you near (qarowb – enables you to engage in a close and personal
relationship)—ingrained in your
speech (ba peh), and in your heart (wa ba leb
– influencing your feelings and emotions)—to engage with, capitalize upon, and celebrate with Him (la
‘asah – to actively associate with and benefit from Him).”
(Dabarym 30:14)
That is
about as clear a depiction of Yahowah’s “ma’od
– utterly powerful, exceedingly great, and extraordinarily
magnificent” “dabar – Word,”
as you will ever read. His dabar
is the means by which God is known. His Word enables us to engage with
Him. The Word is God’s means to restore us so that we can return to
Him.
Thus
far, every citation regarding the “dabar
– word” has come from the Towrah. And that is because the Word of God
and His Towrah Instructions are synonymous and inseparable. But did
you know that Yahowsha’ not only recited the words of the Towrah; He
completed it?
“Later (‘achar)
therefore (ken), he recited and
proclaimed (qara’ – he
[Yahowsha’] read aloud and called out, inviting and summoning everyone
to enter the presence of and embrace)
all of (kol
– every one of) the words (dabar – statements and messages)
of the Towrah (ha
Towrah), the blessings of peace and prosperity (ha barakah – enriching
gifts and loving benefits) and
also the
slights and denunciations (ha
qalalah – vilifications and abominations, anathemas, abhorrences,
blasphemies, condemnations, curses and damnations; from
qalal – to slight and trifle with, to view as unworthy and
insignificant, to lightly esteem),
just as (ka)
all of these things (kol)
were written (katab – permanently inscribed and engraved)
in (ba – within)
the written scroll (seper
– the inscribed documentation, the permanently engraved letter,
communication, and message) of the Towrah (ha
Towrah – the Instruction and Teaching, Guidance and Direction).”
(Yahowsha’ / Yah Saves /
Joshua 8:34)
“There did not exist
(lo’ hayah – there was not,
is not, nor ever will be) a Word (dabar – statement
and message) from (min)
all (kol – everything)
that which (‘asher – as a result of the relationship)
Moseh (Moseh – the one who
draws us away from oppression and judgment)
had instructed and directed
(sawah – had guided)
which (‘asher – relationally)
Yahowsha’ (osfei
or
[fwhy
– Yahowsha’:
a compound of Yahowah and yasha’ –
saves) did not (lo’) read, recite, call out,
and proclaim (qara’ –
provide as an invitation to meet and summons to encounter God)
in a straightforward manner in the presence of (neged
– directly before, face to face and in sight of)
the entire (kol
– whole) assembled community (qahal
– gathered congregation) of
Yisra’el (Yisra’el – those ‘ysh –
individuals, who sarah –
strive and contend with, engage and persist with, are set free and are
empowered by ‘el – God), including the women (ha
‘isah – the females) and
the little children (tap
– young people), as well as (wa)
the foreigners (ger – visitors from different races and places)
who were walking (halak – traveling) among them
(ba qereb – in their midst).”
(Yahowsha’ 8:35)
“And then Yahowsha’ (osfei
or
[fwhy
– Yahowsha’:
a compound of Yahowah and yasha’ – saves
= Yahowah Providing Salvation)
wrote (katab –
inscribed, making an enduring and permanent record of)
these (‘eleh)
words (dabar – statements)
in (ba) God’s (‘elohym)
Towrah (Towrah – signed,
written, and enduring means to search for, find, and choose
instruction, teaching, guidance, and direction which provides answers
that facilitate our restoration and return, which are good, pleasing,
beneficial, favorable, healing, and right, even purifying and
cleansing, thereby giving us the opportunity and means to change our
thinking, attitude, and direction).” (Yahowsha’ 24:26)
Yahowsha’ is the Word. He is the living embodiment of the Towrah. He
not only recited the words which comprise the Towrah, and wrote the
words found within the Towrah, He enabled them.
efei
While
we could easily continue this discussion on the “dabar
– Word” of God for the next hundred pages, I’d like to conclude by
sharing what is perhaps the most often quoted passage on this
topic—although I’ll do so in context. Christian pastors cite a tiny
slice of what we are going to consider to infer that God has
intervened to keep their bibles from being corrupted. But that isn’t
what God is saying. In actuality, He will be comparing His Word to our
character.
But
before we consider Yahowah’s perspective on His Word, let’s listen to
what He has to say about us. This presentation is found in my favorite
book, one which begins: “The
revelation (hazown – the divine communication)
to Yasha’yahuw (Yasha’yahuw
– Yahowah Saves, commonly (mis)transliterated Isaiah), the son (ben)
of Amowts (‘Amowts – the alert and bold, the strengthened and secure, commonly
(mis)transliterated Amoz),
which by way of the
relationship (‘asher)
he received prophetic information (hazah – observed the future)
regarding (‘al)
Yahuwdah (Yahuwdah – Yah is Abundantly Sufficient, Of Yah, From Yah, and Those
Who Are Related to Yah; commonly (mis)transliterated Judah)
and Yaruwshalaym (Yaruwshalaym – the source of salvation, commonly (mis)transliterated
Jerusalem) in the day (ba
yowm) of Uzyahuw (‘Uzyahuw –
Yahowah Strengthens, commonly (mis)transliterated Uzziah), Yowtham (Yowtham
– Yahowah Vindicates, Perfects, and Completes, commonly
(mis)transliterated Jotham), Achaz (‘Achaz – grasp
hold of him and seize the opportunity),
and Yachizqyah (Yachizqyah
– Grow and Prevail with
Yahowah, commonly
(mis)transliterated
Hezekiah (this spelling of the name was derived from the Dead Sea
Scrolls)), kings (melek
– rulers) of
Yahuwdah (Yahuwdah).” (Yasha’yahuw / Yahowah
Saves / Isaiah 1:1) When the names are changed, as they are in every
English translation, the essence of the message, and the identity of
its Source is lost.
Yahowah’s prophetic testimony is grounded in time, but not limited in
time. The circumstances this revelation describes were prevalent when
they were recorded, just as they are now. The message was true then,
just as it is today.
This
prophetic document was scribed around 700 BCE, during the reign of
King Yachizqyah, seven centuries before Yahowsha’ would fulfill its
predictions. This king, and his (actually God’s) defeat of the
Assyrians, has recently been documented in secular texts, affirming
that the historicity of these words is as accurate as were the
predictions they made.
Particularly interesting in this regard, there was but one complete
scroll found in the Qumran caves above the Dead Sea:
Yasha’yahuw – Isaiah. The
Great Isaiah Scroll, as it is known, was most recently carbon-14 dated
in 1995 by the University of Arizona. They calibrated its origin to
between 335-324 BCE. Therefore, God has provided us with a written
record which predates the events He predicted by three hundred years.
In that
every prediction made on this scroll has been, or soon will be,
fulfilled precisely as promised, it serves to prove that Yahowah is
God and that He inspired His Word. There is no other possible informed
or rational conclusion. The probability of chance fulfillment of the
predictions made through Yasha’yahuw exceed one in ten to the sixtieth
power. That is greater than one chance in sixty billion billion
billion billion billion billion. And that is why there is an entire
volume of Yada Yah entitled
“Salvation,” which is dedicated to these predictions.
One of
the most famous prophets who ever lived, wrote:
“Listen (shama’)
heavens (shamaym – in the
spiritual realm), and listen
(shama’)
earth (‘erets – in the
material realm), for indeed
(ky – surely and truly),
Yahowah (efei
-
hwhy-
יהוה –
Yahowah (God’s personal and
proper name, commonly replaced with Satan’s title: “the LORD”)) has spoken (dabar
– communicated the word). ‘I
reared the children and caused them to grow (gadal
benym – I nurtured the family and made them great)
and I lifted them up to a place
of honor (ruwm – I
raised them, causing them to grow up),
and they (hem)
rebelled against Me (pasa’
ba – revolted against and offended, were indignant and defied Me).’”
(Yasha’yahuw 1:2)
Our
Heavenly Father honored His end of the Covenant, whose stated goal was
to help us grow, but His children have disavowed their responsibility.
Thinking themselves wise, God’s children were actually unaware.
“A bull (sowr – a cow)
knows and acknowledges (yada’
– is aware of and respects) the
one who caused him to be born (qanah
– the one who conceived, created, and bore him, bringing him forth),
and an ass (hamowr –
donkey) his lord and master
(ba’al – owner who possesses
and controls him). Yisra’el
(Yisra’el – individuals who contend with God)
does not know or understand
(lo’ yada’ – is not
acquainted with and does not acknowledge, is unaware, undiscerning,
and indiscriminating), and
(wa) My family (‘am
– My related people and kin)
does not realize or apprehend this information (lo’
byn – is not observant, does not pay attention, is not discerning,
and does not understand).’”
(Yasha’yahuw 1:3)
These
were loaded terms. The “bull” was Satan’s favorite guise. Its image
permeates every early pagan religious cult, from
Babel / Babylon to Egypt.
The Children of Yisra’el had made a golden calf in honor of this false
deity as the Torah was being revealed. So, Yahowah is saying, “Even
Satan knows who created him.”
An
“ass” is the epitome of a dumb, stubborn animal with a nasty,
independent, attitude (as are far too many men). Yahowah had called
Ishmael’s descendants, today’s Muslims, “wild asses of men.”
Ba’al, meaning “lord and
master,” is the Devil’s most prevalent Scriptural title—vastly more
common than “ha Satan – the
Adversary.” So, Yahowah is saying, “Even dumb asses know that Satan is
their lord and master, the one who owns and controls them.”
But not
Yisra’el. They were lost. But the same could be said for Christians,
Muslims, and Socialist Secular Humanists. The evidence is available,
as is the proof, but they are unwilling or unable to process it
rationally.
And
that is why this next admonition widens the scope of the audience
being critiqued to include “gowy
– Gentiles” in addition to Yisra’el.
“Woe (howy – alas, expressing a warning, sorrow, and regret),
the people from different races and places (gowy
– the Gentiles, the nation of heathens and pagans)
bear blame and are guilty (hata’
– they do the wrong thing, miss the way, wander off the proper path,
fail to reach the goal, and bear the consequences of their sin). The people’s (‘am
– the family’s) distortions and corruptions (‘awon
(actually ‘aown) –
propensity to warp, alter, and twist, perversity and depravity,
iniquity and liability, wickedness and wrongdoing, guilt and
punishment; from ‘awah – to
bend, twist, distort, pervert, and corrupt)
are numerous and significant (kabed
– are burdensome, weighty, voluminous, troubling, grievous, severe,
and harsh), offspring (zera’ – seed and descendants)
of those who have done wrong (ra’a’
– immoral individuals who have brought harm upon themselves and their
children, troubling and mistreating them so that they suffer calamity,
misfortune, and ruin), children
(benym)
of those who corrupt (shahat – of those who ruin, ravage, devastate,
and destroy, perverting and injuring others, causing them to decay).
They have rejected and
abandoned (‘azab – left
their previous association with, deserted and forsaken)
Yahowah (hwhy-
יהוה –
Yahowah).
They have spurned, rejected,
despised, and blasphemed (na’as – they strongly dislike and feel contempt for, they revile and
abhor, they have provoked, libeled, slandered, maligned, insulted,
disparaged, and defamed) the
Set-Apart One (qadowsh ‘eth)
of
Yisra’el (Yisra’el
– a compound of ‘ysh –
individuals, who sarah –
strive and contend with, engage and persist with, are set free and are
empowered by ‘el – God).
They are strangers who have
gone astray (zuwr – they
having turned away, have become estranged and alienated, abandoning
the relationship), having
turned their backs (‘ahowr
– having walked backwards away from an association, hindering
themselves in the process).’” (Yasha’yahuw 1:4)
‘Awon, which more
accurately is transliterated
‘aown, is from ‘awah.
That is important because it describes the specific kind of wrongdoing
of which the gowy and
‘am were guilty. They “distorted and corrupted, altered and twisted,
Yahowah’s Word, perverting it. As proof, compare this or any passage
to a modern bible translation.
What
this means is that God not only allowed people to corrupt His Word, to
alter and to twist it, He told us that Jews and Gentiles alike would
do this very thing. Therefore, the “I can’t believe God would allow
anyone to corrupt His Word,” protestation mouthed by the ignorant and
irrational victims of religion is a direct contradiction of God’s
Word.
The
consequence of perverting Yahowah’s message is the corruption of our
children and their children. Those who have rejected and spurned
Yahowah breed the same response in their offspring. Indeed, the seed
of distorting the Word of God is contempt for God.
I have
said, and will say again, religious leaders, Jewish, Christian, and
Muslim, don’t respect or revere Yahowah’s name. They despise it. And
this is not my opinion, but instead Yahowah’s conclusion. To blaspheme
is to bring God’s name to naught, to negate it by hiding it.
Yahowsha’ is the “qadowsh ‘eth
– Set-Apart One” of Yisra’el, as He is the One who is “set-apart” from
Yahowah. The Ma’aseyah Yahowsha’ is not the second or third person of
a Trinity, because God is One. He is part of Yahowah, set-apart from
Him.
Religious Jews long for ha
Mashiach who is disassociated from Yahowah, who is human, not
Divine, who will conquer, not reconcile. They have spurned and
continue to despise the Ma’aseyah Yahowsha’, the Set-Apart One of
Yisra’el. And in this way, they have gone astray.
Fortunately, Yahowah’s commitment to this relationship is far greater
than our own. As evidence of this, even while His children were
rebelling against Him, God announced His plan to reconcile the
relationship. What follows, indeed most all of Yasha’yahuw, is devoted
to not only depicting the awful mess man has made, but also to
describing precisely how Yahowah will achieve His goal.
Now
that introductions have been made, let’s journey deeper into this
prophetic text to ascertain Yahowah’s perspective on His Word. This
discussion begins: “‘Comfort
and console My family and
encourage My people to change their attitude, thinking, and
perspective (nacham nacham
‘am – reconsider, relent, and repent My people, acknowledge that
you were wrong and change your mind My family),’
God (‘elohym)
said (‘amar – responded and declared).”
(Yasha’yahuw / Yahowah
Saves / Isaiah 40:1)
The
thing that Yahowah wanted His people to change their attitude,
thinking, and perspective about, was His summons to them, His Way, and
His Ma’aseyah. “A voice (qowl) will actually call out
(qara’ – will really
summon, proclaim, and recite)
in the wilderness (ba ha
midbar – in the place without the Word (from
dabar)),
‘Turn around, clear away the clutter, and face (panah
– change direction and turn to)
the Way (derek – the
path, way of life, and steps)
of Yahowah (hwhy-
יהוה –
Yahowah),
and (wa – extant in the Dead Sea Scrolls, thereby connecting these
thoughts) do and consider what
is right and become upright (yashar
– be straightforward and become agreeable and acceptable, in
accordance with the law, and consider what is right in association
with the standard) in the
wasteland (ba ha ‘arabah – in
desolate darkness), a highway
(macilah – a thoroughfare, a
main road and causeway, be an elevated ramp, a stairway, and a
walkway; from calal – be
that which provides a way to lift people up (singular))
to (la)
our God (‘elohym).’” (Yasha’yahuw / Yahowah
Saves / Isaiah 40:3) If this is familiar to you, it is because
Yahowchanan the Immerser quoted it as Yahowsha’ was approaching the
Yarden River.
It is
amazing how much more revealing this passage is in Hebrew, than it is
in every English bible translation. God is asking us to change our
thinking, and to clear away the clutter which is disrupting our
ability to recognize Him—to face Him. He wants us to acknowledge His
Way—singular. And most important of all, by using His name in this
context, He is telling us that He, Himself, is Yahowsha’, God in the
flesh.
Central
to this instruction is “panah
– turn around and change direction,” which is indistinguishable in the
revealed text from paneh,
which speaks of “entering into God’s presence, appearing before Him,
and facing Him.” To achieve this, those who have been beguiled by
religion must change direction, walk away from their religion, clear
their minds, hearts, and souls of its clutter, and then walk along the
Way God has provided. It is only in this way that we are prepared to
enter Yahowah’s presence, and gaze upon His face.
Further,
Yahowah is reinforcing one of the pillars of the Covenant, that He
wants us to stand upright in His presence, not bow down, to be
straightforward as opposed to feigning faith or praise, and to be in
accord with His standard, the Towrah. If we do these things, we become
a thoroughfare to God – our witness and example serving as an elevated
path from earth to heaven.
Reinforcing this, yashar,
translated “do and consider what is right and become upright,” in this
verse, was scribed in the piel imperative. The piel stem conveys the
grammatical voice of relationships, and tells us that the object of
the verb (and that would be us in this case), is influenced and
affected by the verb’s action, meaning that by considering what is
right, and doing what is right, we will become upright and agreeable
in God’s presence. Further, the imperative mood of the verb expresses
a command or exhortation which encourages volition. That is to say,
God is instructing and inspiring us in the hope that we choose to do
the right thing.
Before we
move on, and especially because this section is devoted to God’s Word,
it’s important that we confront a very troubling, albeit irrefutable
fact. Recognizing that I’ve translated this passage as it appears in
the Great Isaiah Scroll, it is essential that we compare what we have
just read to what we find in the Christian “New Testament.”
Once
again, Yahowah inspired: “A
voice (qowl) will actually call out
(qara’)
in the wilderness (ba ha
midbar), ‘Turn around,
clear away the clutter, and face (panah)
the Way (derek) of
Yahowah (YaHoWaH), and (wa)
do and consider what is right
and be upright (yashar) in the wasteland
(ba ha ‘arabah), a highway (macilah)
to (la)
our God (‘elohym).”
“This (outos) for (gar)
is (estin) the (o)
word having been spoken (lego)
through (dia) Esaias (Esaias
– a rather pathetic attempt to transliterate Yasha’yahuw),
the (tou)
prophet (prophetes),
saying, ‘A voice (phone)
crying out (boao)
in (en)
the (te) uninhabited (eremos), “Prepare (hetoimazo)
the (ten)
way (hodos) of
ΚΥ (ΚΥ
– used as a Divine Placeholder),
straight (euthys) make (poieomai)
the (tas)
paths (tribos) of Him (autos).”’” (Mattanyah / Yah’s Gift / Matthew 3:3)
Esaias (Ἠσαΐας)
isn’t a credible transliteration of Yasha’yahuw. “Calling out” and
“crying out,” are not the same thing. There is no pain or anguish
associated with qara’, and
yet that is the primary connotation of
boao.
“Eremos – uninhabited” and “midbar
– wilderness” are somewhat related, but hardly identical. The Hebrew
panah is focused on “turning
around and facing” someone, and on “removing obstacles to facilitate
entering their presence.” It is a far cry from “hetoimazo
– prepare.”
Since
Yahowah cannot be transliterated using the Greek alphabet, a system of
placeholders was deployed. So while we cannot fault the Greek
translator of Mattanyah for not scribing Yahowah’s name, the KY
placeholder was a poor substitution because it is based upon
kurios, which means “lord,
master, and owner.” But since inaccuracy is currently the issue, let’s
table this discussion until the next section.
God asked
us to “yashar – do and
consider the right thing, and become upright” and yet Mattanyah wrote
“euthys poieomai – straight make.” Once again, these are very
different concepts. But it gets worse, because Mattanyah completely
left out the parallelism of “‘arabah
– in the wasteland.” Worse still, “tribos
– paths” is plural in the Greek text, which is not only in conflict
with the singular derek and
macilah, but also
incorrectly suggests that there is more than one way to God.
But
that’s not the last of the serious issues. Yahowah, as a result of
summoning us in the wilderness, of us turning around, clearing away
the clutter, and preparing to face the Way to Yahowah, and becoming
right and upright, wants us to be “macilah la ‘elohym – a highway to our God.” But Mattanyah’s account
has been corrupted to the point that this instruction was changed to “euthys
poieomai tas tribos autos – straight make the paths of Him.” These
thoughts bear no resemblance whatsoever.
Taken
collectively, these deviations from Yahowah’s Word lead to a sobering
conclusion. What Mattanyah wrote is not reliable. Either it was not
inspired by God, or what he wrote has been so badly corrupted by
subsequent scribes that it no longer resembles the original. Either
way, what we have today is not the Word of God.
In the
book ascribed to Mark, we find the same errant citation of Yahsa’yahuw
40:3. “A voice (phone)
crying out (boao) in (en)
the (te)
uninhabited (eremos),
‘Prepare (hetoimazo) the (ten)
way (hodos)
of
ΚΥ
(ΚΥ),
straight (euthys)
make (poieomai) the (tas)
paths (tribos)
of Him (autos).’” (Mark 1:3)
To a
large extent, the reason that these differ in identical ways to the
statement Yahowah made in Yasha’yahuw, is that they were quoted out of
the Septuagint—proving that it was also unreliable. Further, Christian
scribes had a bad habit of unifying texts, and removing differences
which called the testimony of these witnesses into question.
The
letter which bears Luke’s name repeats all of the same mistakes. But
Yahowchanan’s testimony is a little different because the quotation
was put in Yahowchanan the Immerser’s voice. So the Disciple wrote:
“He declared (phemi), ‘I am (ego)
a voice (phone)
crying out (boao) in (en)
the (te)
uninhabited (eremos),
‘Make (poieomai) straight (euthys)
the way (hodos)
of
ΚΥ
(ΚΥ),
just as (kathos)
said (lego) Esaias (Esaias), the (tou)
prophet (prophetes).’”
(Yahowchanan / John 1:23) And while it is good that multiple paths
were constrained to a singular way, this is not “kathos
– just as” Yahowah dictated this prophecy to Yasha’yahuw.
Beyond
recognizing and acknowledging the obvious, that God did not inspire
these words found in the books named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
where does this evidence leave us? At the very least, it means that we
must question the veracity of everything we find in the Greek text.
And it means that apart from Yahowsha’s own words, we must consider
the remaining commentary and chronologies found in the so-called “New
Testament” to be the product of human recollections. And even with
Yahowsha’s testimony, it is only reliable to the extent that it has
been accurately translated out of Hebrew and Aramaic and into Greek,
to the extent that it has been accurately maintained, to the extent
that we possess early witnesses of His statements from the first or
second centuries, and to the extent these manuscripts are accurately
translated into a modern language like English. And, sadly, a thorough
investigation of the evidence reveals that most of these things seldom
occurred.
I wish we
had an original autograph scribed in Hebrew and Aramaic from the hand
of Mattanyah and Yahowchanan upon which we could rely. But we don’t
have anything even remotely close to this. So it is long past time we
all deal with the facts: The Word of God is limited to the Torah,
Prophets, and Psalms. Yahowah proved that He inspired them. Men
demonstrated that they inspired everything else.
So as a
good rule of thumb, unless what you read in the “New Testament,” can
be verified in the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms, don’t believe it. Do
not base your understanding of God, the relationship He established,
or the path of salvation He delineated, on anything apart from that
which is affirmed in His Word.
Speaking of Yahowsha’, the 5th
verse of the 40th chapter of Yahsa’yahuw proclaims:
“Then (wa) He shall reveal (galah)
the glorious presence and
manifestation of power (kabowd
– the glory, attribution, status, and gift)
of Yahowah (hwhy).
And all (kol)
living creatures (basar –
humans and animals, the physical nature of living beings), they will see (ra’ah –
they will be shown) Yahdow –
the Unity of Yah (Yahdow
– the Oneness of Yahowah (יַחְדָּו)).”
(Yasha’yahuw 40:5)
Yahowsha’ is the corporeal manifestation of Yahowah. He is one with
Him in that He is set-apart from Him. Nothing more. Nothing less.
So that
you better appreciate what is being said here, it is helpful to know
that God experiences all of time at the same time. For Him, the past,
present, and future exist simultaneously. To reinforce this, He often
juxtaposes His most recent arrival, the one heralded in the third
verse, with His next visit to the earth, which will be His glorious
return. They are often presented side by side—just as they are in the
famed 9th chapter of Yasha’yahuw, and again here in this
verse. Here, God is speaking about what will occur on the Day of
Reconciliations, when He will return so brilliantly, He will look like
the stars. On that day, those who survive to witness His return will
know what you will soon discover, that Yahowsha’ is part of Yahowah,
set apart from Him to serve us in our material realm. They will see
Yahdow—the Unity of Yahowah.
Since it
is germane to this discussion, please do not miss the fact that “basar – living creatures” will coexist in the presence of God. Flesh
will see Him, but not in heaven, instead on earth. What’s happening
here, and indeed with all of the references to a physical human
existence in proximity to God, is that the entire Earth will become
like the Garden of Eden during the Millennial Sabbath. For one
thousand years, the relationship God intended between Himself and Adam
will be enjoyed by all of those who populate the final
Sukah – who are privileged
to Campout with God.
Along
these lines, it is also interesting to note, that if we were to take
God’s Valley of Dry Bones illustration literally, and not just
symbolically, the Children of Yisra’el who relied upon the Way Yahowah
provided, will be physically resurrected, so that they can walk in the
Promised Land side by side with their God during the thousand-year
celebration of the Shabat.
Affirming
that Yahowsha’ is “the Word of God in the flesh,” although seven
hundred years before Yahowchanan (meaning Yahowah is Merciful, but
commonly (mis)transliterated John) drafted the opening lines of his
eyewitness account, Yasha’yahuw was inspired to scribe the same thing:
“Indeed (ky), He is the Word (ha
dabar – He [speaking of Yahowsha’] is the spoken and written Word
(scribed in the piel perfect, indicating the relationship is whole and
complete throughout time; in the third person, masculine singular,
identifying the pronoun He) is), the verbal spokesman (peh –
literally: the mouth) of
Yahowah (hwhy-
יהוה).”
(Yasha’yahuw 40:5)
The Word
of Yahowah would become flesh and tabernacle (indicating that He would
arrive on the Called-Out Assembly Meeting of Shelters) with us. The
Author of these words, and the Divine manifestation of the Word, would
campout with mankind. Therefore, we should not be surprised that
Yahowsha’ not only observed the Torah, and affirmed every jot and
tittle scribed within its words, His life and sacrifice served to
announce the Way, He, Himself, becoming the stairway from our physical
mortal existence to Yahowah’s eternal and spiritual realm.
This is
followed by something which establishes a contrast between our
character and God’s, between our physical mortality and the enduring
existence of His Word. “A voice (qowl)
is saying (‘amar), ‘Call out (qara’
– summon and invite, read and recite, proclaim and announce the news,
and arrange a meeting)!’ So
(wa) I asked (‘amar
– I questioned (as it is presented in the Dead Sea Scrolls where the
query is from Yasha’yahuw, but not the Masoretic Text were “he,” as in
the manifestation of God, is asking)), ‘What (mah)
shall I announce (qara’ – shall I call out and summon people to encounter)?’
‘All (kol) humankind (basar
– living creatures, human and animal nature, flesh)
is grass (chasyr
– a common plant which spreads out, lives for a while, and then
becomes food for other animals),
and the totality of (kol)
his loyalty and love (chesed
– his unfailing kindness, goodness, faithfulness, devotion, and mercy)
is akin to (ka – can be compared to) the
flower (sys – the
blossom of a plant) of the
field (sadeh –
cultivated ground).
The grass (chasyr)
withers (yabes – dries up and is gone),
and the flower (sys – blossom of the plant)
fades away (nabel –
shrivels, decays, and is senseless).”
(Yasha’yahuw 40:6-7)
This is
an apt depiction of our brief mortality, as well as the fate of our
flesh. But more than this, it is a hauntingly accurate portrayal of
our character. Our mortal souls are not any more reliable or durable
than our bodies. Most will wither and fade away, because our soul, our
consciousness and character, is neither loyal nor loving, faithful nor
devoted to God.
But there
is hope. There is a way to transcend our mortal existence. There is a
means to avoid fading away, to prevent our souls from dissipating into
nothingness and ceasing to exist.
“But indeed (ky – however by contrast, truthfully and reliably this is very
important),
the Spirit (ruwach – the
eternal, and thus not mortal or material, presence and power, the
maternal manifestation (a feminine noun))
of Yahowah (hwhy-
יהוה
– Yahowah), She
is actually dispersed (nashab
– She is exhaled as breath and is blown (scribed in the qal perfect,
indicating a relationship which is totally real, and one which is
whole and complete, without interruption, throughout time, with the
third person, feminine, singular suffix, identifying She))
truthfully and reliably (‘aken
– indeed and in fact, surely and truly, this is important)
in him (baw
– inside of him) who is
surely of (‘aken
– who is indeed of) the family
(ha ‘am – of the related people)
of grass (chasyr).”
(Yasha’yahuw 40:7) Once
again, to translate this passage correctly, we must turn to the
2,300-year-old Great Isaiah Scroll. The Masoretic Text isn’t even
remotely reliable when the Ma’aseyah Yahowsha’ is the subject of the
discussion.
In our
mortal and material bodies we may be nothing more than grass, as
common as a plant which spreads out, lives for a while, and then
becomes food for other living things when it withers and decays. But,
and this is the most important contrast in all of creation: the Spirit
of Yahowah, when She is dispersed truthfully and reliably in him, such
grass becomes family.
Also
interesting, as Yahowsha’, Yahowah set apart part of Himself to become
human. This diminished manifestation of God, known as the Son of God,
was not only part of God’s family, but also embraced the limitations
of grass, and became one with the grass for a time. So since the
pronoun “He” has been associated with Yahowsha’ throughout this
discussion, God is predicting that His Spirit would be blown upon
Yahowsha’ as He approached His symbolic immersion in the Yarden.
Even
Yahowsha’s body withered on the upright pole of Passover and faded
away. But His soul endured the separation of Unleavened Bread, and was
reunited with His Spirit, so that the Word of God would stand once
again on FirstFruits, thereby enabling us to stand forever with Him.
That is not my opinion, but instead Yahowah’s prediction…
“The
grass (chasyr – the
common plant which spread out, lives for a while, and then becomes
food for other animals) withers
(yabes – dries up and is gone),
and the flower (sys – blossom of the plant)
fades away (nabel –
shrivels, decays, and becomes senseless),
but (wa)
the Word (dabar)
of our God Almighty (‘elohym)
stands, establishes, uplifts, and endures (quwm
– He and it is upright, fulfills, confirms, restores, rises up,
uplifts, and validates (scribed in the qal imperfect, speaking of an
unfolding relationship, and in the third person masculine singular,
depicting the pronoun: He) forever (la ‘owlam – into
infinity, time immemorial).”
(Yasha’yahuw 40:8)
We have
arrived at our destination; the reason we turned to this passage. The
Word of our God endures forever. So, if rather than withering and
decaying, you want your soul to endure forever, to be established,
restored, and to be lifted up to heaven, trust and rely upon the
eternal Word of God—the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms.
The
religion of Christianity dies with this verse, so it is a wonder that
so many preachers cite it, although out of context and errantly
translated. God’s Word, His Torah, Prophets, and Psalms, endures
forever. A “New Testament” did not replace an “Old Testament.” The
Torah has not been annulled; its usefulness has not come to an end, as
Paul would have Christians believe. The “dabar
‘elohym – Word of God” is the power of God to save us, now and
forever. It is manifest in the flesh by Yahowsha’ and in the spirit by
the Ruwach of Yahowah.
And what
are we to do with this information:
“Ascend (‘alah
– climb up) unto God’s (‘al – upon the
Almighty’s) exalted and high
(gaboah – official and
lofty) mountain (har) to proclaim the good
news (la basar – to
herald and announce a favorable message, to bring glad tidings).” (Yasha’yahuw 40:9)
Basar is a play on
words. The same three Hebrew letters we have been translating “basar
(בָּשָׂר)
– humankind, human nature, and the flesh” can be pointed to mean: “baser
(בָּשַׂר)
– proclaim and herald the good news.” In other words, as mortal
beings, as flesh, we can deliver a message which will cause those who
receive it with an open mind, who come to trust it and rely upon it,
to become immortal. That is good news indeed.
Even in
this mortal and material realm of rotting flesh, we can become a
“sign” which directs people along the path which leads to immortality.
“Lift up (ruwm)
Zion (Tsyown – the sign
and the signpost in the desert, the memorial, the monument, the marker
on the Way) in the power and
strength (koah – the
physical and muscular capability)
of your voice (qowl
– the physical sound of your speech),
proclaiming the good news (basar
– bringing and announcing the favorable and agreeable message and
greeting).” (Yasha’yahuw
40:9)
The “Tsyown – Sign” is the Word of God, which “tsyown – marks the way” to God. The “Tsyown – Signpost” is Passover’s Upright Pillar upon which the Lamb
of God was nailed, making this “tsyown
– monument and marker” the Doorway to Heaven.
Tsyown, of course, is
in: “Yaruwshalaym (yaruwshalaym
– the source from which salvation flows)
be uplifted (ruwm). Do not be intimidated (lo’
yare’ – do not fear or be afraid).
Say (‘amar)
to the inhabitants (‘uyr –
the population) of Yahuwdah
(yahuwdah – Yah is
Abundantly Sufficient, Of Yah, From Yah, and Those Who Are Related to
Yah), ‘Behold, look here, now, and see (hineh – observe and listen, pay attention to every detail)
your God (‘elohym).” (Yasha’yahuw
40:9)
This is
where Yahowah affirmed God’s Word and enabled its promises on
Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits in 33CE (year 4000 Yah).
And this is where He will return to fulfill the Day of Reconciliations
and Shelters forty Yowbel (meaning Yahowah’s Lamb is God, but known as
Jubilees) later, as the sun sets on October 2nd, 2033 (year
6000 Yah).
And
speaking of Yahowah, our Foundation and Upright Pillar, Yasha’yahuw
told us that He, Himself, is the Passover Lamb, the Sacrificial Lamb
of God, our Savior and Redeemer. Therefore, it is Yahowah who is
returning. “Look and see (hineh
– pay attention, observe and behold)
Yahowah (hwhy-
יהוה
– Yahowah), our Upright One (‘edownay
– our Foundation and Upright Pillar of the Tabernacle [a.k.a., the
Tsyown – Signpost]), who arrives (bow’
– comes and returns) with
the blast of a trumpet (ba
hazaq – in might, power, and authority).
He is the Sacrificial Lamb (zarow’a – the shoulder of a
lamb, from zera’, the seed
who sacrificially shoulders our burdens (scribed with the third person
masculine singular suffix, designating the pronoun He). He is the Proverb and the Parable (law masal – He is the
picture of the Word which is vivid, easy to see, and easy to remember,
He is the One with Authority and Dominion).
Behold (hineh
– look and see) Him, our
recompense and fare for the passage (sakar
– He is the offering, the payment of the voucher for transporting us
by way of a service rendered which provided a just payment and ransom,
and these rewards) are
associated with Him (‘ethow). He does the work to pay our debt (pa’ulah – He performs the labor which is required to provide
recompense, to make amends, and to compensate for us so as to spare us
from injury and loss) to clear
the way to appear before
His presence (la paneh –
to turn around, to approach, and to see His face).”
(Yasha’yahuw 40:10)
This is
the Good News! God has done everything which was required to pay our
debts so that we might live in His presence. Therefore, it isn’t per
chance that a masal is both a “visual portrait or word picture, a proverb, and a
parable.” It is the identity and the explanation of the Word. And it
is why there never was any need for a “New Testament.”
Further
describing Yahowsha’, the physical manifestation of Yahowah, and His
Word, the prophet Yasha’yahuw was inspired to write:
“As a Shepherd (ka
ra’ah – as a friend and companion)
shepherds, leads, protects, and
feeds His flock (ra’ah ‘eder),
the Sacrificial Lamb (zarow’a
– the One who shoulders our burdens)
will gather (qabas
– assemble and collect) His
sheep (tala’ym).
And in His chest (ba
cheyq – garment, bosom, and midst),
He will lift them up (nasa’
– carry them away, forgiving them by removing their guilt), nursing, nurturing (‘uwl
– feeding the young children)
and guiding them (nahal
– leading, directing, and sustaining them, helping them by caring for
them).” (Yasha’yahuw
40:11)
God has a
great deal more to say about this harvest of saved souls, of His
return, and about His renewed relationship with His children. But as
we move from the Word to the Name, we would be remiss if we didn’t
consider the conclusion and result of this work.
“And those who wait for and place their trust in
(qawah – who look forward
with confidence, awaiting and anticipating the benefits of)
Yahowah (hwhy-
יהוה –
Yahowah),
they move on, are renewed, and
grow (halap – they are
changed, transformed, adorned anew, and pass over the obstacles and
through the doorway).
Empowered and strengthened
(koah – invigorated and
enriched, enabled and authorized),
they ascend (‘alah – are
lifted up and rise) as with
(ka) the wings of eagles (‘eber
– having the freedom of flight),
quickly darting about (ruwsh
– rapidly moving from one place to another),
and they do not grow weary (lo’
yaga’ – they do not expend our energy to accomplish the task of)
moving about (halak
– walking or traveling) nor
(lo’) fall or fail (ya’ep
– never tripping, fainting, being destroyed or decaying).”
(Yasha’yahuw 40:31) We
will become spiritual beings, with all of the rights, privileges, and
power inherent therein. We become God’s children.
To see the entire Chapter Two, click this link
Dabar
– His Word
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