How Hebrew Addresses Delicate Matters-2

Posted by on Jan 6, 2022 in Hebrew Study

Hebrew language being set-apart from all other languages has no particular names for the terms of intimate relation between man and woman. Torah highly regards intimacy and carefully choose Hebrew words to describe things in a figurative manner to completely avoid vulgar language. In the following article, we will continue what we have started in the earlier article How Hebrew Addresses Delicate Matters and explain words and passages which have either been misunderstood or...

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How Hebrew Addresses Delicate Matters

Posted by on Dec 30, 2021 in Hebrew Study

We have a reason and cause for calling Hebrew language set-apart without any exaggeration, and this will not be an overstatement but a fact, as we will show it in the following. A careful reading of the Hebrew Scripture will show that the Hebrew language has no particular names for the private organ in males or in females, nor for the act of reproduction itself, nor for other things in that matter. Hebrew has no original words or expressions for these things, and only...

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Hebrew Word: the Asphalt in Babylon

Posted by on Oct 10, 2021 in Hebrew Study

In the ancient Babylon, the Scripture indicates that the Sumerians used natural bitumen (asphalt) deposits for mortar between bricks and stones, and for waterproofing. The Greek historian Herodotus further testifies that bitumen (asphalt) was first used as mortar in the walls of Babylon (Herodotus, Book I, 179). (Refer to the source for the complete quote). The elements of life or death Asphalt, also classified as a pitch, is a dark bituminous substance found in natural...

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Hebrew Word: Fear of the Lord

Posted by on Jul 14, 2021 in Hebrew Study

The phrase “the fear of the Lord” or “the fear of God” is quite common in the translations. But what is the Hebrew word for “fear”, as in “the fear of the Lord”? And what does it really mean to fear the Lord in the Hebrew mindset? In the following, we will explain what one needs to know about the Hebrew word and concept of “the fear of the Lord”. The wording “the fear of the Lord” is capable of two interpretations....

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The Bil’am Story Lost in Translation

Posted by on Jun 27, 2021 in Hebrew Study

There is a story in the Bible that is perhaps one of the strangest stories ever told: the Bil’am story. Bil’am the prophet was about to be killed by the messenger of Elohim for doing what he was told to do. Had the Bible been written in English, Bil’am would indeed have had the reason to be confused. However, if we read closely the English translation of Numbers 22 applying textual criticism, we must agree that it makes no sense at all. In the following, we will explain a...

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Textual Criticism of Translations: Contradiction

Posted by on Jun 21, 2021 in Hebrew Study

In the previous articles in the series Textual Criticism of Translations, we studied how the capitalization and punctuation can alter the original meaning of the Hebrew script. In the following, we will study how to detect and solve contradictions in the text. And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? (Mar 14:12 KJV) First, we should notice that...

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Textual Criticism of Translations: Context

Posted by on Jun 13, 2021 in Hebrew Study

In previous studies in the matter of textual criticism, we have already pointed out how the incorrect capitalization and punctuation (neither present in Hebrew) have altered and modified (intentionally or not) the Scriptural context. In this study, we will take the occasion to explain how the proper context can mend the incorrect punctuation in the script. Otherwise, the suggested punctuation below would be a matter of a personal opinion. As we stated previously, such...

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Textual Criticism of Translations: Punctuation

Posted by on Jun 3, 2021 in Hebrew Study

When do we get to heaven? Immediately after death or at the resurrection? It is the theological doctrine in Christianity that Paradise is the immediate reward for the Christian after death. This view is widely based on a translation like this, Verily* I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luk 23:43 KJV) *Greek has the Hebrew word “Amen”. Please, read what we have written in the article The accountability to say “Amen”. According...

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Textual Criticism of Translations: Capitalization

Posted by on May 25, 2021 in Hebrew Study

When reading a translation of the Scripture, we find various punctuation marks, capitalized words, and other tools of the modern languages used by the translators to “help” us understand the text, or simply “fix” it for us. But how many of those who read translations know that the Hebrew script is a continuous text with no punctuation marks, nor capitalized words. For example, the context and the syntaxes show where the sentence begins and ends, etc....

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Who is the satan in the Bible?

Posted by on May 12, 2021 in Hebrew Study, Q&A

Question: Who is the satan in the Bible? Answer: First, we need to understand what “satan” means. The first time the Hebrew word שָׂטָן satan (sah-tahn) appears in the Scripture is in Numbers referring to an angel of the Highest. But the displeasure of Elohim burned because he went, and the Messenger of Yehovah placed himself in the way as an adversary against him. (Num 22:22) Then “satan” appears in the Book of Job referring to an angel who tested...

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Clean food vs unclean food

Posted by on Apr 30, 2021 in Bible Study, Hebrew Study

The terms “clean food” and “unclean food” are very common terms, even though they cannot be found anywhere in the Scripture; they are invented terms. Moreover, if we think about it, “unclean food” is a contradiction in terms. If something is “unclean”, it is unacceptable for eating, and therefore not food at all. By the same token the opposite is also true: there is no such thing in the Scripture as “clean food”....

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Hebrew Word: Religion

Posted by on Mar 31, 2021 in Hebrew Study

There is no Hebrew word for religion. The concept of “religion” is a Greco-Roman dualism that divides a social life into religious and secular. However, this form of dualism is foreign to the Torah, which instead sees all aspects of life as one and the same: a righteous life. The word “religion” is actually the Latin word “religione”, which is of obscure etymology. The Latin term religio is first recorded in the 1 BC, in Classical Latin...

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