Hebrew Word Lessons

Hover: rakhaph, verb (Strong’s 7363). Root: רָחַף Sounds like: rah-kawf I’m on vacation! …a road trip with my parents! On Tuesday we headed south of the border into the United States of America. We had a wet evening in Peekskill NY, with a lightning storm that took out the power for an hour, and then… Continue reading Rakhaph: The HOVERING Wings

The PIT/CISTERN: shakhat (Strong’s 7845), shukhah (Strong’s 7745) from verb shuakh (to sink down) (Strong’s 7743); bohr (Strong’s 953), b’ehr (Strong’s 875), bor (Strong’s 877) There are two major Hebrew root words that are connected to the image of a pit: shuakh and bohr. The noun shakhat/shukhah comes from the verb shuakh which means to… Continue reading Bohr/Shakhat: Getting out of the PIT

Last week I announced that this week's word would be the PIT. After diving into the PIT (haha) I found it far too deep to accomplish a full word study with the time I had. It has been a very busy week. I'm a full time university library employee, a part-time Doctoral student, an interim-President… Continue reading Revisiting SHEOL (before going to the Pit)

COUNCIL: sohd, masculine noun (Strong's 5475), from verb yasad (Strong's 3245) What do you think of when you hear the word “council”?  It is helpful to understand the difference between council and counsel. A council is a group of advisors. It is always plural. A council can give counsel. To give counsel means to give… Continue reading Sohd: A COUNCIL to COUNSEL

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