Hebrew Word Lessons

Scarlet: shani (Strong’s 8144) Root: שָׁנִי (shin, nun, yod) Sounds like: shaw’Nee There are many words that we associate strongly with the Judeo-Christian beliefs: love, hope, faith redemption, wisdom. Not many people think to associate the word shani (scarlet) with their faith, but it really does have an interesting footprint in the Bible.  The decadent… Continue reading Shani: Tracing the SCARLET thread

Glory: kevod (Strong’s 3519, 3519a, 3519b) Root: כָּבַד (kaf, bet, dalet). [Sounds like k'vohd] The root word for glory actually comes out of the word honour (kavad). It also carries with it the idea of weight and heaviness. It means that glory is almost palpable… you feel the heaviness of it. Isaiah’s vision of the… Continue reading Kevod: Unveiling the King of GLORY (Melek ha-kevod).

Holy: kadosh, kodesh (Strong’s 6918, 6944) Root: קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qof, dalet, shin) [sounds like k’desh/k'dosh] The root word kodesh actually means “to consecrate”. So the word Holy means consecrated, dedicated, set apart… Holy in Triplicate Perhaps the most famous passage regarding the Hebrew word Holy is found in the writings of the prophet Isaiah. He had… Continue reading HOLY: Kadosh! Kadosh! Kadosh!

Gift: mattan, masculine noun (Strong’s 4976); matt'na, Aramaic feminine noun (Strong's 4978); mattanah,  feminine noun (Strong's 4979). These come from the verb nattan (natten in Aramaic) (Strong's 5414/5415) meaning to give.  Root: מַתָּ֣ן Mem Tav Nun Sounds like: mah'tahn This week, on Thursday March 1st, marks the beginning of Purim. In the Jewish calendar the… Continue reading Mattan: GIFT- A Purim tradition

Courage: amats (Strong’s 553) Root: אָמַץ (aleph, mem, tsade) [Sounds like aw-mawtz] We all have days when we feel hopeless and without courage, and it’s difficult to face even the simplest things in life. But one of the greatest things about having a faith in YHWH is the freedom you get in putting your trust in… Continue reading Amats: Living with COURAGE

Wonder: Pele (Strong’s 6382. See also 6383) Root: פֶּ֫לֶא (pey, lamed, aleph) [Sounds like: peh-leh] It’s Olympics time, which for me means a double figure skating season: Olympics followed by the World Championships in March. I’m a big fan of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. I find their skating wonderful. To have “wonder” is to be overcome with… Continue reading Pele: Being WONDER-filled

Soul: nefesh. (Strong’s 5315). Root: נָ֫פֶשׁ (nun, pey, shin) Sounds like: na-fesh The Hebrew word “nefesh” is usually translated in the Tanakh (Old Testament) as “soul”, but also can be translated as living being, life, creature, himself, herself, mind, desires, appetite, persons… All these varied translations muddle up the process of trying to define the word. In… Continue reading Nefesh: Everything you wanted to know about “the SOUL”.

Spirit/Breath/Wind: Ruakh (Strong’s 7307) (resh, vav, chet) Root: ר֫וּחַ (resh, vav, chet)  Sounds like: Roo-akh. (Rhymes with Bach). The word ruakh can be translated in 3 different ways: breath, spirit and wind. Although sometimes it is clear that one word is the better translation, for the most part these words are interchangeable, starting with the… Continue reading Spirit/Breath: Is your “RUAKH” activated?

Life, alive, living: khayim (Strong’s 2416)  Root: חָי (chet, yod) [Pronounced khah'-ee] Sounds like: kha'yeem Forty-five years ago today I took my first breath on this planet. My mother’s womb was my first abode, the planet earth was my second… and so it is for every human. The Genesis account of human creation reads like… Continue reading Khayim: LIFE- What is the point of you?

Valour/Valiant: Khayil (often spelled chayil) (Strong’s 2428) Root: חָ֫יִל (chet, yod, lamed)  [Pronounced kai-EEL] Valour or valiant is one of the most prevalent words in the Old Testament and it has an complicated translation history. Here is what thefreedictionary.com says about valour: VALOUR - the qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage… Continue reading Valour: How Biblical translation has failed the “KHAYIL” woman.