Hebrew Thoughts

• breytonhartge

  26 Jun 07, 14:54

  Hebrew Thoughts is a weekly in-depth look at a Hebrew word or idea by the author of the Biblical Hebrew Made Easy course, Jonathan Went.
  
  Author Bio
  
  Jonathan Went teaches biblical Hebrew and Jewish background to Christianity. His "Biblical Hebrew made easy" course can be found at www.biblicalhebrew.com. He specialises in Hermeneutics, Judaica and Patristics (Early Church). He is the editor of the new Hebraic Roots journal, Roots and Branches (www.rootsandbranchespress.com) and also runs www.BMSoftware.com a biblical and multilingual software site.
  
  It is hosted on the excellent Christian Bible resources site Studylight.org which offers free online Bible study materials, weekly columns and discussion forums.
• breytonhartge

  26 Jun 07, 15:00

  'elôhîym 'God'
  
  "Elohim is for us a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:21)
  
  (lhye 'elôhîym (Strong's #430, pronounced elow-heem) 'God[s]' occurs more than 2600 times. (lhye 'elôhîym is a plural noun (-îm). The plural is probably to be understood of power and majesty (cf. the monarch's "royal 'we'" ) or possibly of triunity, although this would more than likely be reading too much into what is more probably a Hebrew idiom for greatness.
  
  In about 10% of its uses, some 244 times, (lhye 'elôhîym can mean mighty ones or gods with a small "g". Clearly the contexts do not refer to YHVH God.
  
  There is a further clear distinction for in the biblical Hebrew text the plural noun of majesty 'God' always occurs with a singular verb (e.g., br( bârâ' in Genesis 1:1) when referring to the one true God and conversely with a plural verb when it means 'gods'. In addition we have statements such as Deuteronomy 10:17 that speak of YHVH your Elohim as Elohim of Elohim(s).
  
  "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome..." (Deuteronomy 10:17)
  
  Jeremiah 10:10 additionally distinguishes YHVH Elohim as "But the LORD God is the true God, He is the living God...". The other gods are neither true nor alive.
  
  Looking up (lhye 'elôhîym in a Hebrew roots dictionary might lead you on a long journey. On turning to 'elôhîym you might be told that it is the emphatic plural (or plural of majesty) of (lwH 'elôwahh 'god' (Strong's #433, 57 occurrences) - so you turn to the entry for (lwH 'elôwahh and are told that it is probably from (l 'êl 'a strong, mighty one' (Strong's #410, 245 occurrences - about 230 of which mean 'God' or 'god', more common in poetry than prose; other times of mighty men, e.g., of Nebuchadnezzar). However, we are told that (l 'êl in turn is a shortened form of (yl 'ayil 'a ram, or door post, mighty man or tree, e.g., oak' (Strong's #352) and that this comes from the root verb (wl 'ûl or (yl 'îyl 'to twist or roll, be strong, preeminent' (Strong's #193).
  
  It is interesting that along this dictionary journey we encountered the word for 'ram'. This word is first used in Genesis 15 as part of the sacrificial procedures in making a covenant between God and Abraham. Its second and third occurrences are in Genesis 22:13 where God supplies a ram in the place of Abraham's son.
  
  For the messianic implications of these verses see my Difficult Sayings column.
  
  More, then, than a simple royal 'we' or Christian hint at trinity we have in (lhye 'elôhîym the idea of strength and unique superiority. Just as with the fabulous creature Behemoth, Job 40:15, which is merely a feminine plural (-ôth) of the Hebrew word for beast or cattle but clearly the texts where Behemoth is named are thinking of a large creature, the king of beasts, not just a field of cattle. Tying this is in with the lexical link to the strength of a ram or its horn we see (lhye 'elôhîym as embodying strength and superiority. The rabbis thought of this name of God as signifying his justice, power and might, rather than intimate relationship.
  
  Appropriately, then, (lhye 'elôhîym is "for us a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:21). There are numerous verses using Elohim as the name of God in the context of his strength, see for example: Ruth 2:12; 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 46:7; 48:3; 59:9,17; 62:7,8; 91:2; 94:22. Compare Deuteronomy 32:37 "where are their elohim, the rock in which they sought refuge" with Deuteronomy 33:27 "the eternal Elohim is your refuge".
  
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  'Hebrew Thoughts' Copyright 2002-2007 © Jonathan Went. 'Hebrew Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.studylight.org/col/ht/ 2) 'Hebrew Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
  
  
• breytonhartge

  27 Jun 07, 08:37

  Yâsha' 'salvation'
  
  "As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me." (Psalm 55:16)
  
  y#) yâsha' (Strong's #3467) is the Hebrew verb 'to save', occuring some 205 times, from which we get the name Jesus (y#w) Yeshu'a) and the word 'hosanna'. Yeshû'âh is the noun, 'salvation' derived from it. But neither of these words has the sense of being whisked away to heaven. Rather, they are salvation in the here and now words. Yâsha' can also mean 'to deliver', or 'liberate' from evil, setting free into a spacious rather than a constricted place. It is commonly translated by such terms as 'safety', 'welfare', 'prosperity', 'health' and 'victory'. Zephaniah 3:19 speaks of saving the lame but would clearly be better translated by 'heal'. Salvation is thus realistic and holistic, not only spiritual, it includes God's practical intervention in healing, deliverance and provision. Interestingly all the letters making up the Hebrew word are parts of the physical body: hand, tooth, and eye.
  
  The verb is first used in Exodus 2:17 of Moses in Egypt helping/saving the daughters of the priest of Midian who, whilst trying to draw water from a well, were bullied away by shepherds. The salvation he offered was practical.
  
  The very next use in the Bible and the first used of God is the Lord's salvation of the Israelites through the Red Sea, burying the Egyptians under water, and allowing Israel to pass through to the other side unharmed (Exodus 14:30). All kinds of spiritual typologies could be preached from this verse but to the Israelites then it was a physical salvation from pursuing enemies, it was only later they needed salvation from themselves! Salvation from one's enemies was an early promise of God to Israel (Numbers 10:9, Deuteronomy 20:4) but was conditional upon obedience for if they ceased to hear/obey his voice there would be no one to save them (Deuteronomy 28:15...29,31).
  
  The majority of 'salvation' verses in the days of the monarchy were to do with physical deliverence from enemies. The words of Psalm 18 are contextually spoken by David with regard to redemption in battle, not of the soul.
  
  "The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation (y#) yêsha', Strong's #3468 ), My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies." (2 Samuel 22:3-4 // Psalm 18:2-3 [3-4 Heb, 17:3-4 LXX])
  
  The only Old Testament verse apparently linking salvation to the soul is actually very practical rather than spiritual and speaks of social justice and deliverance from powerlessness, and again uses soul as a Hebrew synonym for the person's whole life:
  
  "For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.
  He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy.
  He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight." (Psalm 72:12-14)
  
  Key 'salvation' verses, all from Isaiah whose name means 'the salvation of [our] God' (Yesha'yâhu) and whose key word/verse, 45:17, is 'eternal salvation', are: 45:20; 59:16; 61:10; 63:5; 45:8 and linked with righteousness and justice: 46:13; 51:5,6; 56:1.
  
  The Greek words sôzô and sôter, to 'save', and 'salvation', have a similar breadth of meaning as yâsha'. They can be translated by 'deliver', 'protect', 'heal', 'save', 'preserve', 'do well' and 'be whole'. Sôzô is used of healing in Matthew 9:21-22, of deliverance and wholeness in Luke 8:35-36, of resurrection in Luke 8:49-55 and of care and provision in 2 Timothy 4:18.
  
  Thus, salvation in both testaments is not only of the soul, but of the whole person, life and liberty. Indeed, soul is a Hebrew euphemism for the whole person anyway - but that's another article in itself.
  
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  Copyright Statement:
  
  'Hebrew Thoughts' Copyright 2002-2007 © Jonathan Went. 'Hebrew Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.studylight.org/col/ht/ 2) 'Hebrew Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
  
  
• breytonhartge

  6 Jul 07, 21:50

  Bên 'son, offspring, descendant'
  Ba (Strong's #1121)
  
  Ba bên 'son, child, grandson' (Strong's #1121) from Bnh bânâh (Strong's #1129) would normally be a noun of the form Bnh bêneh but which has lost the weak final h 'h'. The very first use in Genesis 3:16 is the plural Bnye bânîym (as if the singular were Ba bân) meaning both 'sons and daughters'. [Arabic uses ’ibn, Phoenician b-n, but Aramaic has br bar (Strong's #1247), as in barmitvah - son of the commandments, from Br( ber⒠'to create/procreate'].
  
  'Sons and daughters' is more fully expressed by Bnye wbnwt bânîym ûbhânôwth (e.g., Genesis 5:4,7,10,13). The idea of a child in general is perhaps paramount since passages such as Jeremiah 20:15 speak of a Ba-zkr ben-zâkhâr 'a-son, a-male-one', as if a son could be female!
  
  'Son' could also be used for 'grandson', as in Genesis 29:5 where Laban is referred to as Ba-nxwr ben-nâchôwr the 'son of Nahor', whereas in fact he was the son of Bethuel and grandson of Nahor (Nâchôwr).
  
  'Grandsons' could also be pedantically described as Bny Bnye benêy bânîym the 'sons-of sons' since there was no specific word for them (e.g., Exodus 34:7; Proverbs 13:22; 17:6).
  
  More metaphorically Ba bên could be used of anyone under the authority of another, as a subject to its king, a son to his father; 2 Kings 16:7 speaks of Ahaz calling himself a servant and a 'son' to the king of Assyria in his plea for assistance. Genesis 15:2-3 uses the phrase Ba ... Byty ben...bêythîy 'a-son-of-my-house' to describe a steward or servant (Eliezer in Abraham's house).
  
  It could imply tutored discipleship as with the later rabbis and their disciples and in the Biblical period Bny-hNby(ye benêy-han'nebhîy’îym 'sons of the prophets' (e.g., 2 Kings 2:3-7). This idiom applies equally to non-human obeisance such as in the phrase Ba-mwt ben-mâveth 'a-son-of-death' (1 Samuel 20:31; 2 Samuel 12:5) or 'subject to death' translated as "doomed to die" in the AV.
  
  On the same principle 'a son of' a particular virtue or even vice describes a person or creature with that characteristic. For example 1 Kings 1:52 speaks of Adonijah showing himself to be Ba-xyl bhen-chayil 'a son of might/integrity' rather than wicked. Job 5:7 uses the brief phrase wbny-r#v ûbhenêy-resheph 'sons of fiery coals/darts' either to describe the swift and natural flight of birds (as the Greek Septuagint OT and some Jewish commentators think) or to depict the offspring of fire which may be 'sparks'. The king of Babylon (Lucifer) is called not 'morning star' but literally Ba-#xr ben-shâchar 'son-of-the-morning'.
  
  In the New Testament, literal Greek translation betrays the underlying idiomatic Hebrew use of 'son' in 'a son of peace' (Luke 10:6) and Jesus' description of the repentant Jew Zacchaeus as 'a son of Abraham' (Luke 19:9), he was already a son of Abraham by birth, but now he was a son by deed. Compare also, Jesus' apparently harsh words "you are [sons] of your father the devil" (John 8:44), in other words, 'you do his works' in character or deed. In the New Testament parable of the two sons, the true son was the one who 'did' the work required not the one who only 'said' he would. Ephesians 2:2 speaks of "sons of disobedience/unbelief".
  
  On this basis we could go down the path of suggesting that Jesus' divine sonship as 'son-of-God' was more his imitation of God's character and works rather than any familial tie or reference to Graeco-Roman offspring of the gods. Equally, Jesus' preferred title 'son-of-man' has been seen by some to mean simply 'a human one'. David was God's son when he exhibited trust and displayed God's mercy and character. Jesus as the messianic 'son-of-David' was both of David's line and was in character the true Davidic king; as Son of Man he was the figure of Danielic expectation rather than just a man; and as Son of God, he was committing heresy to his hearers in making himself equal and one with God. So, "son-of-..." as an idiom of character rather than childbirth does not really offer a way out of the "was Jesus God?" question, it simply adds another dimension to our understanding of his godlikeness.
  
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  Copyright Statement:
  'Hebrew Thoughts' Copyright 2003 © Jonathan Went. '' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each article, along with a link to www.biblicalhebrew.com and www.studylight.org/col/ht/ 2) 'Hebrew Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
  
• breytonhartge

  14 Jul 07, 14:22

  ’emûnâh 'faith?'
  
  Strictly speaking Biblical Hebrew has no word for "faith" as modern Christians understand the word, hence the question mark. "Faith" as Hebrew understands it is always an active verb, nor does it describe an action, but the characteristic of a person. The closest Hebrew comes to "faith" is (ÃmWa ’emûn (Strong's #529, x5) and (ÃmWnÓh ’emûnâh (Strong's #530, x49) meaning "faithful, true, steadfast, loyal" and deriving from the Hebrew (FmAa ’âman (Strong's #539, x108 ) as does (ÃmEt ’emeth (Strong's #571, x127). (ÃmEt ’emeth means "true, right" or "faithful" whilst the root verb (FmAa ’âman means "to confirm, support, uphold, establish, be faithful, be certain, believe, trust" or "have faith". Thus they can all signify something (or someone) which is steadfast, stable (e.g., Isaiah 33:6, "And He will be the security/stability of your times" ), firm, established and lasting. Possession of "faith" as an object rather than the characteristic of "faithfulness" just does not occur in Old Testament language.
  
  The first use of (ÃmWnÓh ’emûnâh is in Exodus 17:12 and describes the steadiness of Moses' hands lifted high over the Amalekites. Indeed, the idea of strong arms of support is seen in the picture and usage of a parent supporting an infant. Esther 2:7 and 2:20 use the root verb (FmAa ’âman) and a derived noun (Fm:nÓh ’om'nâh, Strong's #545) of Esther's upbringing, of her being trained and sustained by Mordecai. The rock-like image of certainty, stability and trustworthiness are met with in Deuteronomy 32:4 when we read that even God "is the Rock,... a God of truth (KJV) / faithfulness (JPS) ...", again using (ÃmWnÓh ’emûnâh.
  
  Thus, faith is not some ethereal or emotional vagary but something stable, concrete and lasting. A faith which is persistently rocked by circumstances is no faith at all, but an emotional "belief" during "the good times only" faith. Faith which is built upon the rock is thus stable and firm. As with Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance (hupostasis) of things hoped for", the idea of certainty, is paramount.
  
  In English we speak of people as being "pillars of faith" or "pillars of the establishment". Well, one Hebrew word for "pillar" is (m:nÓh ’om'nâh (Strong's #547; 2 Kings 18:16), derived from (FmAa ’âman again.
  
  In Isaiah 7:9 Ahaz is told that unless he is "certain" he will not be "established". Both English translations are from different forms of the Hebrew root verb (FmAa ’âman.
  
  Perhaps the most famous verse concerning faith in the Old Testament is Habakkuk 2:4:
  
  "And/but-a-righteous-one in/by-his-faithfulness will-live"
  
  Habakkuk 2:4 is used by Paul (curiously omitting the Hebrew word "his", Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11ff.; cf. Hebrews 10:37ff.) to substantiate justification by faith, but the verse has a double meaning in the Hebrew. "The just/righteous shall live by His faith/faithfulness". So, is the verse talking about faith or faithfulness? This is an issue that has divided the church into two camps, those of grace and those of works orientated salvation. Habakkuk could be saying that the righteous will live by their faith or because of their faithfulness. In the Dead Sea scrolls text of Habakkuk there is an accompanying pesher or interpretative commentary which reads:
  
  "This refers to all those who obey the Law among the Jews whom God will rescue from among those doomed to judgement, because of their suffering and loyalty/faithfulness to the Teacher of Righteousness"
  
  This Teacher of Righteousness was a mysterious figure, part present and part future, whom some have seen as either John the Baptist, James or Jesus.
  
  In the Jewish Babylonian Talmud (Maccot 24.1) there is a saying that all the laws and precepts of God were reduced to just one by Habakkuk, namely, "the just shall live by his faith/fulness".
  
  The New Testament saying of Jesus, Mark 11:22 can be translated as "hold to the faithfulness of God" or "be having the faith of God/Godlike faith" as well as "have faith [in] God". It is the quality of God's faith in us and to us, not the quantity of our own, and it rests upon God's ability to remain faithful, even when we are not (cf. 2 Timothy 2:13, "He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself" ). Yet our faith/faithfulness is the required response to His.
  
  (ÃmWnÓh ’emûnâh is paralleled with "righteousness" (c:dFqFh tsedhâqâh, Strong's #6666) in 1 Samuel 26:23; Isaiah 11:5, 59:4; Jeremiah 5:1,3; 7:28; 9:3, in some cases the words may be translated as justice and truth rather than righteousness and faith/fulness.
  
  God can be full of faith too, i.e., dependable and faithful. Isaiah 25:1 says His counsels are "faithful faithfulness" ((ÃmWnÓh (mEa ’emûnâh ’ômen). He is full of faith, i.e., faithful to all generations (Psalm 89:1), which is paired with grace/mercy/lovingkindness in vv.2,24,33. Hence we can "feed on His faithfulness" (Psalm 37:3).
  
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  Copyright Statement:
  
  'Hebrew Thoughts' Copyright 2002-2007 © Jonathan Went. 'Hebrew Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.studylight.org/col/ht/ 2) 'Hebrew Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
  
  
• Chin Eng

  14 Jul 07, 14:53

  just curious brey....
  
  how does all these relate to the studylight.org home page that shows their statement of faith which, in most parts, runs in conflict to your personal beliefs?
• breytonhartge

  21 Jul 07, 11:34

  Originally posted by Chin Eng:

  just curious brey....
  
  how does all these relate to the studylight.org home page that shows their statement of faith which, in most parts, runs in conflict to your personal beliefs?

  just also curious, where is the conflict in your opinion?
• Chin Eng

  23 Jul 07, 08:07

  Originally posted by breytonhartge:

  just also curious, where is the conflict in your opinion?

  ...the home page... reference to JESUS etc etc....
• breytonhartge

  31 Jul 07, 10:43

  Originally posted by Chin Eng:

  ...the home page... reference to JESUS etc etc....

  can't help it, see author bio at the start of the topic, unfortunately it is hosted on a website that uses Jesus instead of Yeshua... sigh...
• breytonhartge

  23 Aug 07, 09:34

  rûach 'spirit'
  
  Rûach 'spirit' rWxA (Strong's #7307, x378 ), is used of both the so-called highest element in man and of the wind and breath, as invisible, powerful and indicative of life. Some 60% (x232) of its uses are rendered "spirit", another 25% or so "wind" (x92), whilst "breath" accounts for another 27 occurrences. The violent exhalation of "breath" is used for anger, so at least in linguistic terms the "spirit" may be angry.
  
  The very first use of rWxA rûach is a translation issue itself. Should "the rWxA rûach of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2) be translated by "Spirit of God" or by "great wind"? Compare Ezekiel 37:9, the book in which it disproportionately occurs 52x:
  
  "Prophesy to the rûach, prophesy, son of man, and say to the rûach, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four rûachs, O rûach..."'"
  
  Which of these four instances of rWxA rûach should be translated by "spirit", which by "breath" and which by "wind". Certainly, with the penultimate one, "come from the four winds" seems appropriate, as it is similary used in Jeremiah 49:36. But the others? Should we prophesy to wind or spirit? The context from Ezekiel 36:26-37:8 seems to indicate "spirit" but could still be "breath".
  
  rWxA rûach's second occurrence is in Genesis 3:8, surprisingly it is omitted in the narrative of the creation of man, "they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day". The phrase "in the cool of the day" is actually l:rWxA hAYOe lerûach hayyôwm, literally "to-spirit-wind of the-day", thus "cool" represents a breeze of some kind.
  
  In Job 41:16 concerning the scales of Leviathan, they are described as being "so near another that no rWxA rûach can come between them", here "air" rather than "wind", "breath" or "spirit" seems the most appropriate translation.
  
  The rWxA rûach spirit is the divine gift which bestows and upholds life, it is God Himself in relation to man, sustaining, communicating. Genesis 2:7 (cf. Job 27:3; 33:4) describes God’s breathing the "breath of life" (using nE$AmAh neshamah, Strong's #5397; later in Genesis 6:17 rWxA rûach is used for the same idea) into man’s nostrils and his becoming a nEpE$ nephesh (Strong's #5315) "living being/soul". Without God's Spirit in us we return to the dust (Job 34:14; Psalms 104:29; Ecclesiastes 12:7).
  
  The Christian New Testament sees the overflowing fulness of that self same Spirit as given afresh to the believer in distinct ways pertaining to spiritual gifts and corporate unity. As the breathing of man is evidence of his vitality so his speaking in new tongues, prophesying or evangelising with boldness, is often an evidence of his renewed spiritual vigour, as they proceed from the mouth.
  
  Curiously, whilst spirit is often used to describe the source of prophetic utterance the same word is used to describe the empty vanity that is the speech of false prophets, "And the prophets become wind, For the word is not in them." (Jeremiah 5:13).
  
  When the spirit of man leaves at his death it is a not an individual entity which exits the body but an element of God's life which returns to Him. There is no world of disembodied human "spirits". In Ezekiel 37's dry bones it is the voice of prophecy which gives structure and flesh and skin to scattered bones from the grave and the rWxA rûach spirit/wind/breath which comes and gives life to those bodies.
  
  This said, the "spirit" also came to be used for the mental and intellectual capacities, perhaps because they were invisible or derived from God. Again, in Job (32:8 ), "spirit" is paralleled with "understanding" BIya bîyn (Strong's #995), given by the breath of God. Job 12:10 may parallel "the soul of all that live" with "the spirit of all flesh of man" (cf. Numbers 16:22; 27:16). Indeed, in the Greek Septuagint whilst on 277 occasions there is apparent consistency by translating rWxA rûach as pneuma pneuma, on another 52 occasions it is rendered by a;nemov anemos, and even yuch psuchê 'soul', x2, nouv nous 'mind' x1 (also qumov thumos x6, pnoh pnoê, x4, fronhsiv phronêsis x1).
  
  Genesis 7:15 records the entry of the animals into the ark, two of each kind of "all flesh in which is the spirit (rWxA rûach) of life". So even animals are sometimes described as possessing rWxA rûach (cf. Psalm 104:25). Perhaps the only distinguishing factor left to us is our direct creation by God rather than the animal proceeding forth, and our being made in God's image and likeness.
  
  Paradoxically, rWxA rûach can mean both "power" (1 Kings 10:5) and "powerlessness" or "breathless" (Jeremiah 5:13; Job 7:7; Isaiah 41:29).
  
  In the Psalms and Proverbs rWxA rûach is regularly used as a synonym for nEpE$ nephesh "soul" and "heart" l:bFb lebhâbh (Strong's #3824) and like these two words is five times rendered by "mind" (Genesis 26:35; Proverbs 29:11; Ezekiel 11:5; 20:32; Habakkuk 1:11).
  
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  Copyright Statement:
  
  'Hebrew Thoughts' Copyright 2002-2007 © Jonathan Went. 'Hebrew Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.studylight.org/col/ht/ 2) 'Hebrew Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
  
  
• breytonhartge

  6 Oct 07, 11:50

  Gebher 'mighty man'
  
  ""Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
  Are Your years like the days of a mighty man " (Job 10:5, NKJ)
  
  br gebher (Strong's #1397),emphasises man in his might and strength or warrior-like ability to fight, and occurs just 68 times. Other words for man such as (y# 'îysh (Strong's #376), occur 2180 times and (de 'âdhâm (Strong's #120) over 550 times, these concentrate on man generically, or in relation to woman, or in respect of man's origins - from the earth and in the image of God. In Job 10:5 another infrequent word for man, (nw# 'enôwsh (Strong's #582, is used in parallel with to emphasise man's humanity as opposed to divinity.
  
  Gbr gebher derives from the root verb Gbr gâbher (Strong's #1396) which means to be strong, to prevail, and to bind up and make strong. But the neutral concept of strength in some forms of the verb drifts over to the more negative concept of pride and insolence. That said, other derivatives of the verb could be used for 'soldier, hero' and in the archangel Gabriel's name Gbry(l 'mighty-man of God' (Strong's #1403).
  
  The word is used mainly in the poetic books, predominantly Job and also Psalms and Proverbs. The next most frequent usage is in the prophet Jeremiah. In Job the word usually emphasises man more as mortal than mighty, until the last few occurrences in Job 38:3, 40:7 where it is rendered in the context of "gird up your loins like a real man".
  
  The Psalms speak of the Gbr gebher man having to trust in God and not his own strength (Psalms 34:8, 40:4, 52:7).
  
  Jeremiah speaks similarly but goes on to encourage the might of man to put his trust in God's strength, not his own:
  
  "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD...Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." (Jeremiah 17:5,7)
  
  Psalm 88:4 describes the ultimate paradox, a mighty man without might:
  
  "I am counted with them that go down into the pit;
  I am as a man that hath no strength"
  
  But according to Proverbs 24:5 a man's true strength lies in exercising wisdom and knowledge:
  
  "A wise man is strong;
  yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength"
  
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  Copyright Statement:
  
  'Hebrew Thoughts' Copyright 2002-2007 © Jonathan Went. 'Hebrew Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.studylight.org/col/ht/ 2) 'Hebrew Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.