From the Desk of Jeff King

Lost in translation

When verbal communication of a thought, idea or command is not received or understood, the exasperated speaker might use the expression, "Do I have to draw you a picture?" God drew the ancient Israelites pictures so they would not miss what He was communicating to them through the Torah. He introduced a 22-letter alphabet in pictographic script, using letter symbols or word pictures that a Semitic, tent-dwelling society would understand.

Over time the Hebrew alphabet evolved and the pictographs became a lost language. But a few Bible scholars, including Jeff Benner of the Ancient Hebrew Research Center, are revisiting this ancient script to help translate the Hebrew Scriptures more accurately. Without an understanding of the near-eastern mindset of the people who penned God's Word, the Tanach (Old Testament) gets lost in translation.

Using Benner's Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, I looked at the Hebrew words for "creator" and "redeem." I constructed the pictograms, applied Benner's Biblical interpretation and uncovered these nuggets. Hebrew is read right to left.

The ox head (AL) as well as the combination of the ox head (AL) and shepherd's staff (LAM) represent "El" or "God." The ox symbol can identify a chief, leader or father. When ox are yoked together to pull a wagon or plow the animal with more experience leads. Within the tribe the chief is seen as the elder yoked with others to lead or teach. The modern name for the letter AL is Aleph. The shepherd staff represents authority. Combined, AL and LAM mean "strong authority."

As seen above, the identity of the Creator is embedded in the Hebrew word bara.' The combined letters BEYT and RESH form the word "ben" when used in the possessive, meaning "son."

The Hebrew rendering of "redeem" starts with the letter GAM, which is a picture of a foot. In the mind of an ancient Israelite, words represented actions rather than abstract thoughts. Walking with another person was a sign of relationship or friendship. Scripture identifies Yeshua of Nazareth as God's agent of mercy and redemption. Our salvation is sealed by having an intimate, personal relationship with Messiah. Adam walked with God in the Garden of Eden, but after the fall only those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb were eligible to walk with Him.

Posted by Jeff King at July 8, 2008 09:55 AM