SULLAM (ladder), masculine noun (Strong’s 5551); M’SILLAH (highway), feminine noun (Strong’s 4546); SALAL (to raise up/build up), verb (Strong’s 5549).
Root verb: סָלַל
Sounds like: soo’lawm; m’see’lah; sa’lawl
This week we’re going to look at three Hebrew words that are closely related. One of those words only makes a single appearance in the Bible. It is the Hebrew word sullam, meaning a ladder. The other two words we’ll look at are m’sillah, meaning a highway, and salal, which is the root verb meaning to raise up or build up. These words have the same premise… something is being elevated.
Jacob’s Ladder
The Bible isn’t the only source that tells us that ladders were part of the common tools in the ancient age. Neolithic cave paintings in Valencia Spain show an individual using a ladder to reach a bee hive in order to extract honey. Also, archaeologists recently found rings of a neolithic ladder at an excavation site in Çatalhöyük Turkey. This would be the oldest physical remains of a ladder found in the world.
The ladder that we read about in the Bible was actually part of a dream:
Genesis 28:12-17
And he [Jacob] had a dream, and behold, a ladder [sullam סֻלָּם֙] was set up on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Then behold, YHWH was standing above it and said, “I am YHWH, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “YHWH is certainly in this place, and I did not know it!” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Jacob went on to name the place Beth-el, meaning House (Bet) of God (El) because YHWH’s Presence was at this place and the revelation that YHWH was attainable was a theological ‘ah-ha’ moment. In his dream, Jacob saw the heavenly realm coming down to the earthly. There was an interaction between God-space and human-space, and to Jacob it felt like a gateway. YHWH’s Messengers (Angels) could come and go. Heaven was reachable from both directions. We have the chance to go up… and they had the ability to come down.
Yeshua was one who came down to earth in the most miraculous way. YHWH could have sent Him as a heavenly messenger (angel), but there was much more to Yeshua than just one of YHWH’s Council members. Yeshua was the full inhabitation of YHWH but to really face death He had to fully inhabit humanity. He came to earth, not by a ladder, but in the same way every human takes their first breath on this planet. Yeshua was born by a woman. During his ministry, Yeshua reached back to this story about Jacob’s dream when he spoke to Nathanael, one of his new disciples:
John 1:45-51
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!”
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Yeshua had descended to earth as a man. He lived amongst the people and He died amongst the people. And He knew His fate. The grave would not hold Him down. Angels would come down and sit by His gravesite and Yeshua, Himself, would ascend to Heaven. Nathanael would see it all. Heaven would come down in order to save earth… and that made Heaven reachable.
Raise Up, Build Up, Exalt
Closely connected to the word sullam (ladder) was the verb salal, which meant to raise up or build up.
One kind of raising up was the concept of personal exultation. Human leaders, such as the Pharaoh of Egypt, were often guilty of raising themselves up and above other human beings. Here’s what YHWH said to the Pharaoh of Egypt, after the plague of boils:
Exodus 9:17
Still you exalt [raise: mi-s’tohlel מִסְתּוֹלֵ֣ל] yourself against My people by not letting them go.
Pharaoh tried to raise himself up and over YHWH, but he was out of his league. He could not exalt himself above the Creator of the Universe, no matter how hard he tried!
For humans exaltation was available only by receiving God’s wisdom and understanding:
Proverbs 4:5-9
“Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not abandon her, and she will guard you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your possessions, acquire understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you [raise you up: sal’s’leha סַלְסְלֶ֥הָ]; she will honour you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace; he will present you with a crown of beauty.”
The Spirit of YHWH would bring exultation to all who followed Him… and it was up to all who follow Him to return the exultation back to YHWH:
Psalm 68:1-4
May God arise, may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before a fire, so the wicked will perish before God. But the righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God; yes, they will rejoice with gladness. Sing to God, sing praises to His name; exalt [raise up: sollu סֹ֡לּוּ] Him who rides through the deserts, whose name is YHWH, and be jubilant before Him.
More commonly the verb salal meant that got you a little closer to the heavens:
Isaiah 57:14-19
And it will be said, “Build up, build up [sollu sollu סֹֽלּוּ־סֹ֖לּוּ], prepare the way, remove every obstacle from the way of My people.” For this is what the high and lifted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before Me, and the breath of those whom I have made. Because of the wrongful act of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, and he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far away and to him who is near,” says YHWH, “and I will heal him.”
YHWH was in His high and holy place. It was up to humanity to build upwards, always striving to reach YHWH. However, this wasn’t a case of always trying to reach God, but never quite getting there. According to the prophet Isaiah, building up was a continual process needed to prepare the way. If every part of our life was directed towards elevating God’s Kingdom on earth, then every build was one step closer to YHWH’s final plan for human salvation, redemption, and homecoming.
YHWH promised to be reachable and it was in His best interest to do so. He wanted a relationship; He wanted to have a real and accessible connection with His earthly family. YHWH was not like the gods of the other nations… elitist and unattainable. If we looked for YHWH, we would find Him:
Jeremiah 29:13-14
[YHWH:] “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will let Myself be found by you,” declares YHWH,“ and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,“ declares YHWH ”and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.”
Building upwards and clearing the way to YHWH meant the road to Salvation was reachable. We have a part to do… we have to clear the way for ourselves and others.
The Highway
Sullam was a ladder, salal was verb meaning to raise up, and from these words came the noun m’sillah, meaning, highway:
Isaiah 62:10-12
Go through, go through the gates, clear a way for the people! Build up, build up [sollu sollu סֹ֣לּוּ סֹ֤לּוּ] the highway [ha-m’sillah הַֽמְסִלָּה֙], remove the stones, lift up a flag over the peoples. Behold, YHWH has proclaimed to the end of the earth: say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation is coming; behold His reward is with Him, and His compensation before Him.” And they will call them, “The holy people, the redeemed of YHWH”; and you will be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Abandoned.”
This was the Biblical concept of a “high” way. Literally it was a raised up road:
Proverbs 15:19
The way of the lazy one is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway raised up [s’lulah סְלֻלָֽה].
This Proverb used the verb salal, highlighting that the upright person was someone who took a raised up path. In the following set of Proverbs we hear a similar motto:
Proverbs 16:17
The highway [m’sillat מְסִלַּ֣ת] of the upright is to turn away from evil; one who watches his way protects his life.
The direction of the highway (noun) leading to YHWH was a departure from evil. You could take the highway that led to YHWH or the highway that went away from YHWH, towards evil. Isaiah spoke of those who took the highway in the wrong direction:
Isaiah 59:7-8
Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of wrongdoing. Devastation and destruction are in their highways [bi-m’sillohtam בִּמְסִלּוֹתָֽם]. They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks; they have made their paths crooked, whoever walks on them does not know peace.
The prophet Jeremiah gave instructions for following the good-direction highway:
Jeremiah 31:21
“Set up roadmarks for yourself, place guideposts for yourself; direct your mind to the highway [la-m’sillah לַֽמְסִלָּ֖ה], the way by which you went. Return, O virgin of Israel, return to these your cities.”
God’s message through Jeremiah was simple: be careful and always direct your mind to the right highway, the way that reaches towards God in His heavenly Kingdom.
Choosing the right Highway and Coming Home
During the Roman period of history there was a phrase, “All roads lead to Rome”. This was because the Roman road system was created to put Rome at the centre. Every path had a direction back to Rome. Today this phrase is used to denote the idea that every action or choice will eventually find its way to the same conclusion. That phrase is debatable. Our choices, as YHWH’s children, mean something. We can choose the wrong direction and we won’t end up where we’re meant to be. Every path may lead to Rome, but not every path leads to home.
YHWH had a plan to bring His people home, no matter where they were scattered. He would provide a raised-up road, a highway that would lead them back to the place where they were meant to be… at home, in the Kingdom, with God. Every time the Hebrew people were torn away from YHWH through war and exile, He found a way to bring them back, but it was their choice to follow:
Isaiah 11:16
And there will be a highway [m’sillah מְסִלָּ֔ה] from Assyria for the remnant of His people who will be left, just as there was for Israel on the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.
The people gathered together when they escaped Egypt. When Babylon tore down Jerusalem and exiled its people, YHWH made a way for them to return and rebuild. When Assyria marched into Northern Israel and scattered the people, YHWH promised to build a highway for them to return to Him. YHWH always kept His promises, but He would not force anyone to stay on the good highway. Many chose the wrong path:
Jeremiah 18:15-17
[YHWH:] “For My people have forgotten Me, they burn incense to worthless gods. And they have stumbled in their ways, in the ancient roads, to walk on paths, not on a highway not raised up [lo s’lulah לֹ֥א סְלוּלָֽה], to make their land a desolation, an object of perpetual hissing; everyone who passes by it will be astonished and shake his head. Like an east wind I will scatter them before the enemy; I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their disaster.”
Choosing the right path was imperative to good living:
Psalm 84:5
Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on the highway [m’siloht מְ֝סִלּ֗וֹת].
And the good news was… not every path led to Rome (destruction). Even the most committed enemies of YHWH had a chance to turn around on the highway and worship YHWH as the One and Only true God:
Isaiah 19:22-25
And YHWH will strike Egypt, striking but with healing; so they will return to YHWH, and He will respond to their pleas and heal them.
On that day there will be a highway [m’sillah מְסִלָּ֤ה] from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
On that day Israel will be the third party to Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom YHWH of armies has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
YHWH was not just for the Hebrew people; He was for the entire world. Every human is an image bearer of God and worthy of entering their heavenly home and re-connecting with their Creator:
Isaiah 40:3-5
The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for YHWH in the wilderness; make straight in the desert a highway [m’sillah מְסִלָּ֖ה] for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the uneven ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; then the glory of YHWH will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of YHWH has spoken.”
All flesh, every creature on this planet will see the glory of YHWH and they will be given the ability to find their way home!
But it would be centuries after Isaiah’s words that YHWH’s plan for salvation would take a crucial step. John the Baptiser announced it and quoted Isaiah 40 in the process:
John 1:19-23, 29-34
This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: “I am not the Messiah.”
And so they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
And he answered, “No.”
Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
He said, “I am the voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘make the (high)way of the LORD straight,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
…The next day he [John] saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’ And I did not recognize Him, but so that He would be revealed to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”
And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
The descending dove from heaven brings to mind Jacob’s ladder story, where the heavenly hosts descended and ascended from heaven. But this Spirit of God remained on Yeshua. It stayed with Him all the days of His visitation.
But His time on earth was short. He was in His early 30’s when he was executed by Rome. But He kept the highway open to God’s garden Kingdom. In fact, it was Yeshua’s death, and his defeat of death, that paid the entrance fee back into God’s House for everyone who asked for a ticket.
The highway leading to YHWH wouldn’t be an easy path for the followers of Yeshua, but He did not leave them on their own. When it was time for Him to return to the Heavenly realm, Yeshua passed on the True Spirit to all who desired to followed Him.
John 14:16-21
[Jesus:] “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.
I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. After a little while, the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”
A part of God’s heaven realm is always in us! The Spirit of YHWH, His very breath, is our highway guide! We are not alone because the Spirit of God is activated within us.
Life is short. We’re only one ladder rung away from entering the Kingdom. So let’s use our time well. Let’s clear the path, remove the roadblocks, and wander up the highway, bringing everyone we can find to come along. There’s something pretty spectacular waiting at the end of the raised road… and no one should miss it!
Next week: The Gihon (Spring/River)
Hebrew Word Lessons 