I thought this week we could revisit the blog word that has been given the least amount of attention. Of all the words/phrases this blog has dived into, en kequer has the fewest amount of views. But I think it’s one of the most fascinating words and worth a second glance. First and foremost it highlights the amazing character of God… the Creator who is awe-inspiring, unfathomable, not fully explainable, but yet still searchable.
Kheqer is a word that denotes a kind of scientific investigation. It means to evaluate, examine and seek quantitative answers. The opposite of kheqer is en kheqer, which means something that can’t be fully measured, something that is beyond understanding.
Jeremiah 31:37
This is what YHWH says: “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out [examined: w-yeh-khaq’ru] below, then I will also reject all the descendants of Israel For everything that they have done,” declares YHWH.
This was a safe statement for YHWH to make. Heaven and earth can never be fully examined and understood and so the promise was easy for YHWH… He will never reject His people.
Although we cannot fully comprehend the Universe or the God who created it, the Bible consistently encouraged its readers to search for YHWH and meditate on His incomprehensible glory:
Psalm 145:3-5
Great is YHWH, and highly to be praised; and His greatness is indescribable [en kheqer].
One generation will praise Your works to another, and will declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendour of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
It seems counterproductive to seek something which cannot fully be understood, but that is the joy of scientific investigation. We may never fully find the answers we seek, but we discover an awful lot along the way. Paul put this into perspective in his letter to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 3:8-10, 17-19
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable [Greek: anexichniaston] riches of the Messiah, and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is, which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places…
…so that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of the Messiah which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.
We might not fully understand the mysteries of God, but if we seek Him we can understand the gist of His unfathomable love. We get that He loves us, but we can’t measure the amount because it’s incalculable, incomprehensible, immeasurable and mystifying. But what we can count on is His loving loyalty which has no end… and that is worth searching for. It’s yours to find and it’s yours to take.
To get a fuller analysis of en kheqer you can view the original posting below:
UNEXPLAINABL/UNFATHOMABLE
Next week: Myrrh
Hebrew Word Lessons 
Between Jewish tradition and Christian tradition, I’ve always understood it as God/YHWH was the creator but he was distant and not personal enough. So along came Jesus Christ who was a personal saviour we could relate to. God the Father, and God the Son.
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