Hebrew Word Lessons

This past week I was invited to speak in Nova Scotia on the Biblical understanding of kindness. The talk focused on three Hebrew words, so I thought it would be fitting to share with you this week. I always appreciate the chance to speak to a group of people. It's good to keep up my… Continue reading Speaking of KINDNESS…

I’ve worked in libraries for thirty years. My first job was in a tiny library in Tiverton, Ontario, Canada and I never got it out of my system. Even after years of schooling, I still ended up working in six more libraries, both public and academic. The stereotypical image of a librarian is a spectacled… Continue reading Kharash: Revisiting SILENCE

Be/Become: Y'hee (Root: hayah), verb (Strong's 1961) Root: הָיָה Sounds like: haw-yaw, y'hee It occurred to me, recently, that we've looked at many Biblical Hebrew words on this blog, but we've never looked at the first word God uttered in the text. Today we will rectify that oversight by lookin at the word BE (as… Continue reading Y’hee: (Let there) BE!

El Shaddai  אֵ֣ל שַׁדַּ֔י Genesis 35:11-12 [God to Jacob:] “I am God Almighty [A'ni El Shaddai אֲנִ֨י אֵ֤ל שַׁדַּי֙]; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a multitude of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from you. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and I will give the land… Continue reading Revisiting SHADDAI: Provider, Sustainer, Defender

Heyakh: A-ha! Interjection word (Strong’s 1889) Root: הֶאָח Sounds like: hey'awkh I was a teenager in the mid to late 1980’s and I was drawn to new wave/synth pop artists such as Tears for Fears, OMD, Simple Minds, Eurythmics, Corey Hart, and the Norwegian band, A-ha. I recently made an ‘80s play-list and the A-ha… Continue reading Heyakh: An A-HA Moment.

HARD WORK/TOIL/GRIEF/SORROW: Atsav, verb (Stong’s 6087, 6088); masculine noun (Strong’s 6089, 6090, 6092, 6093); feminine noun (Strong’s 6094). Root verb: עָצַב Sounds like: atz-ahv One of the wonderful things about reading the Hebrew Bible in the original language is the discovery of long-held misinterpretations and its impact on the full story of the Gospel message.… Continue reading Atsav: TOIL & SORROW, and a New Look at Genesis 3:16

FLOURISHING/LUXURIANT/VIBRANT/GREEN: ra’anan, adjective (Strong’s 7488); Aramaic adjective: ra'anan (Strong's 7487). Root: רַעֲנָן Sounds like: rah-a'nawn Ra’anan is an adjective, which means it’s a descriptor word. It adds a description to the noun it is associated with, and in the Hebrew Bible it is always (with only one exception) associated with trees. For this reason, ra’anan… Continue reading Ra’anan: FLOURISHING Trees, VIBRANT Gardens

GALIL: the place of Galilee (Strong’s 1551);  from Galal, a verb meaning to roll or roll away (Strong’s 1556). Root: גָּלַל Sounds like: ga’leel When most people think of Galilee they think of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) ministry. This was the place where He grew up (Nazareth was in the region of Galilee) and the hub location… Continue reading Galil: Yeshua of Galilee and the Rolling Revolution

CONGREGATION/ASSEMBLY: Edah, feminine noun (Strong's 5712); Qahal, masculine noun (Strong’s 6951). Root: עֵדָה Sounds like: eh'da /a'da Root: קָהָל Sounds like: Ka'hal The concept for an assembly or a congregation is, simply, a group that assembles or congregates. It’s the result of gathering together and it’s strongly connected to community living. Just like in English, there… Continue reading Edah/Qahal: Living in CONGREGATION