Hebrew Word Lessons

IMAGE: tselem. Masculine Noun. (Strong’s 6754). Root: צֶלֶם Sounds like: tzelem. There has been significant controversy regarding the phrase “made in God’s image”. I’m uncertain whether this blog posting will simplify the debate or bring a whole new spin to it, but perhaps focusing in on the Hebrew word for image, tselem, will, at the very… Continue reading Tselem: Being IMAGE bearers

LOOK, SEE, PERCEIVE: chazzah. Verb. (Strong's 2372). Root: חָזָה Sounds like: khazzah! I live along the beautiful South Shore of Prince Edward Island, on the edge of the Northumberland Strait. It takes me about 30 minutes to drive to work which is in PEI’s capital city of Charlottetown. And even after almost five years of driving… Continue reading Chazzah: It’s a Vision… Look and See!

CLING: davaq. Verb. (Strong’s 1692). Root: דָּבַק Sounds like: da-vawk or da-bawk. My youngest daughter, Bridget, gives the best hugs. Although she's slight, it feels like she's as heavy as a rock as she throws her arms all the way around you and holds on tight. There's no letting go, and nothing will break the… Continue reading Davaq: Cling/Cleave/Keep Close… Hug?

WINE: yayin. Masculine Noun. (Strong’s 3196). Root: יַיִן Sounds like: yah-yeen. I have a sensitivity to alcohol and am unable to drink wine, but I'm told by many friends that there's nothing like a glass of wine after work to sooth the soul. Certainly our culture has connected wine with relaxation and decadence. The cup… Continue reading Yayin: the WINE of our Salvation

BREAD: lechem (Strong’s 3899) Root: לֶחֶם Sounds like: lekhem There’s something about freshly baked bread… it is warm and inviting and satisfying. When I was an undergrad student at the University of Waterloo I lived in the Mennonite supported student residence, Conrad Grebel College. By reputation it housed the best dining experience on campus. A… Continue reading Lechem: BREAD of Life

DREAM- khalom- (2472 & 2492) Root: חֲלוֹם Sounds like: kha-lohm (rhymes with shalom) A co-worker of mine recently told me she had a dream about me: She was feeling anxious and ran outside of her home in distress. Suddenly she was knocking on my door. I opened it up, invited her in, and offered her… Continue reading Khalom: Speaking of DREAMs

HEART: Lev (masculine noun). (Strong's 3820 and  3824 (Levav)). Root: לֵב Sounds like: lev/leb or le’vahv.  The heart is a symbol that you find everywhere this time of year. It seems as soon as Christmas is over, the stores fill up with red and pink candies and chocolate filled hearts. And, just like that, “love" is in the… Continue reading Lev: the HEART of who you are

SILENCE: kharash (Strong’s 2790, 2791); khashaw (Strong’s  2814) Root: חָרַשׁ Sounds like: khah-rash Silence has an interesting reputation. We often say silence is good! But it is also noted that not speaking up is bad. We should be silent and listen for the voice of God, but once we hear it we should not be… Continue reading Kharash: SILENCE speaking volumes

SORROW: yagon (masculine noun). (Strong’s 3015). Root: יָגוֹן Sounds like: ya-gohn.  The Hebrew word yagon is most often translated as sorrow, and sometimes grief. It is a fitting word for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Many of us will see the hashtag #WeRemember as we scroll through social media today. And although we did not personally experience… Continue reading Yagon: SORROW in Exile

LIFT/CARRY/BEAR: nasa (verb). (Strong’s 5375). Root: נָשָׂא Sounds like: naw-saw. This week's Hebrew word is near the top of my list of favourites, because it is central to the entire Biblical story. In an attempt to save time here's the Bible in a nutshell: In the beginning humans made a terrible choice and in doing… Continue reading Nasa: Lift, Carry, and Bear the Weight