- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on May 29, 2018 22:30:52 GMT -8
Hebrew has a lot of ambiguities built into the language. With no vowels often different words are spelled the same, and sometimes the same word can mean several things. Everything depends on context, however context does not always adequately indicate which meaning is correct. I have to believe though that God knew what He was doing in creating the language and the people who spoke it. Many times the ambiguity is the point. Take the story of Jacobs Ladder:
Genesis 28:13 (ESV) And behold, the Lord stood above it [beside him] and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.
יג. וְהִנֵּה יְהוָה נִצָּב עָלָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיךָ וֵאלֹהֵי יִצְחָק הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שֹׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֶך
“The Lord stood above it [beside him].” So why does it say this can mean above or beside? In fact, many translations interpret this differently, but (almost?) always either above or beside.
The term in question here is עָלָיו alav, and it is unfortunately a hapax legomina; a word which appears only once in the entire Bible. Words used frequently give us a better idea of their meanings and usage. However there is nothing with which to compare this word.
עָלָיו alav can mean either ‘upon him’ or ‘upon it.’ Upon him (Ya’akov/Jacob) is beside him, while upon it (the ladder) would mean above him. This gives two very different ideas of where the Lord is in Jacob’s life. Is He above, looking down on Ya’akov and all mankind? Or is He beside Ya’akov, walking with him much as He did with Adam? The text is probably purposefully ambiguous here, and God is both at the top and the bottom of the ladder! He has control of the entire ladder, Ya'akov's life and his destiny at once.
Another example of this kind of ambiguity occurs just before the above one:
Genesis 28:3 (ESI) And God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a multitude of people;
ג. וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יְבָרֵךְ אֹתְךָ וְיַפְרְךָ וְיַרְבֶּךָ וְהָיִיתָ לִקְהַל עַמִּים
This verse invokes the name of Abishter as אל שדי El Shaddai. The etymology of this name is uncertain, though there are several theories. One is it means God Almighty from the verb שדד shadad, ‘robbed, pillaged, destroyed.’ Another (unlikely) theory speaks of the Akadian shadau, ‘God of the Mountains,’ the high places where worship often occurred. The letter ש shin may just be a prefix meaning ‘then,’ in which case די dai means ‘enough, plenty, sufficiency.’ The most likely is a connection to the word שד shad, the female breast. This is a clear symbol of comfort and provision. Yet this speaks of an infinite Elohim, an Elohim unlike any of the pagan gods of Canaan. The term Elohim itself is plural, pointing perhaps to this plurality of meanings; He is all of these.
It pays to research the original Hebrew in scripture. Often you will make connections and see meanings that simply cannot be put in the Greek or English translations.
Dan C
Genesis 28:13 (ESV) And behold, the Lord stood above it [beside him] and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.
יג. וְהִנֵּה יְהוָה נִצָּב עָלָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיךָ וֵאלֹהֵי יִצְחָק הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שֹׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֶך
“The Lord stood above it [beside him].” So why does it say this can mean above or beside? In fact, many translations interpret this differently, but (almost?) always either above or beside.
The term in question here is עָלָיו alav, and it is unfortunately a hapax legomina; a word which appears only once in the entire Bible. Words used frequently give us a better idea of their meanings and usage. However there is nothing with which to compare this word.
עָלָיו alav can mean either ‘upon him’ or ‘upon it.’ Upon him (Ya’akov/Jacob) is beside him, while upon it (the ladder) would mean above him. This gives two very different ideas of where the Lord is in Jacob’s life. Is He above, looking down on Ya’akov and all mankind? Or is He beside Ya’akov, walking with him much as He did with Adam? The text is probably purposefully ambiguous here, and God is both at the top and the bottom of the ladder! He has control of the entire ladder, Ya'akov's life and his destiny at once.
Another example of this kind of ambiguity occurs just before the above one:
Genesis 28:3 (ESI) And God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a multitude of people;
ג. וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יְבָרֵךְ אֹתְךָ וְיַפְרְךָ וְיַרְבֶּךָ וְהָיִיתָ לִקְהַל עַמִּים
This verse invokes the name of Abishter as אל שדי El Shaddai. The etymology of this name is uncertain, though there are several theories. One is it means God Almighty from the verb שדד shadad, ‘robbed, pillaged, destroyed.’ Another (unlikely) theory speaks of the Akadian shadau, ‘God of the Mountains,’ the high places where worship often occurred. The letter ש shin may just be a prefix meaning ‘then,’ in which case די dai means ‘enough, plenty, sufficiency.’ The most likely is a connection to the word שד shad, the female breast. This is a clear symbol of comfort and provision. Yet this speaks of an infinite Elohim, an Elohim unlike any of the pagan gods of Canaan. The term Elohim itself is plural, pointing perhaps to this plurality of meanings; He is all of these.
It pays to research the original Hebrew in scripture. Often you will make connections and see meanings that simply cannot be put in the Greek or English translations.
Dan C
