Category Archives: Bereshith (Genesis)

Bereshith (Genesis) 11 — “One language and one speech”

Lesson date: 12/24/5854AA

Verse 1 – Having one language and one speech sounds great. Think of how easy it would be to travel to foreign lands and to be understood by everyone. It would certainly put Berlitz and Rosetta Stone out of business. In fact, the Rosetta Stone was on the “badge” we wore at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Cal. while I was there, shortly after the Earth cooled and dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Remember too, one of the attributes given to Joseph was that he spoke all 70 languages of the Earth.

Verse 2 – It sounds confusing “as they set out for the East” but it is just the relative position of the writer. Moshe was west of the land of Eden/Mt. Ararat so he is giving a relative point: H6924 – קדמה / קדם – qedem / qêdmâh – BDB Definition: 1) east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime (noun masculine) 1a) front, from the front or east, in front, mount of the East

Verse 3 – “And they had brick for stone”. What do bricks symbolize? Man’s creation, also slavery.

Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 11 — “One language and one speech”

Bereshith (Genesis) 12

Lesson date: 13/01/5854AA

Verse 1 – לֶךְ־לְךָ – leḵ leḵa. This is a Hebrew contraction of two words. The first Lek is for H1980 – הָלַךְ – hâlak – haw-lak’ – Akin to H3212; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively): and the second leka is lek plus attah from attah – Strong’s H859 – H859 – אַתֵּנָּה –  אַתֵּנָה –  אַתֶּן –  אַתֶּם אַתִּי- אַת – אַתָּ – אַתָּה  – ‘attâh ‘attâ ‘ath ‘attı̂y ‘attem ‘atten ‘attênâh ‘attênnâh – at-taw’ at-taw’ at-tee’ at-tem’ at-ten’ – A primitive pronoun of the second person; thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you: – thee, thou, ye, you. In order to translate this into the modern standardized Texas dialect we would say, “Y’all go on and git on outta hyunh”. Anyway, halak is used twice and together so it must be important for us to focus on halak.

E         = behold

l         = shepherd’s staff, authority

k         = palm, open hand, greeting

“Behold the sign of authority(shepherd’s staff/nail scarred hands) in His hand”

All joking aside this is an imperative command form being used. This is not a suggestion to be done at some future date but is said in an imperative voice which could be expressed in English, “Now, get up and get out of here”. Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 12

Bereshith (Genesis) 13 — Living by faith, not sight

Lesson date: 13/08/5854AA

It was 46 years ago that I first studied Egyptian Arabic. It seems like yesterday. One of the peculiarities of Egyptian is that the Nile River flows from South to North so, if you go down the river in a boat you are actually ascending on a map from South to North. Here in the US we would something like “Down South” or “Up North”, this doesn’t work in this part of the world. The southern border of Israel is the Negeb(v) desert and the southern most point is the River of Egypt or, the Brook of Egypt or as it is known today as Wadi El ‘Arish.

Verses 1-3 – Here we see the description of Abram’s travel sound a little confusing but actually it is correct. Abram has just left the Fortress of On in the Land of Goshen, where his descendants would one day find sanctuary and is now moving northward into the Negeb(v). Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 13 — Living by faith, not sight

Bereshith (Genesis) 14

Lesson date: 13/08/5854AA

Verse 1 – 4 Kings:

אַמְרָפֶל Amraphel – Strong’s H569 – sayer of darkness: fall of the sayer*

king of שִנְעָר Shinar – Strong’s H8152 – country of two rivers

אַרְיוֹךְ Aryoḵ – Strong’s H746 – lion-like

king of אֶלָסָר Ellasar – Strong’s H495 – El is chastener

כְדָרְלָעֹמֶר Keḏorlaʽomer – Strong’s H3540 – handful of sheaves

king of עֵילָם Elam – Strong’s h5867 – eternity

תִדְעָָל Tiḏal – Strong’s H8413 –great son

king of גוֹיִם – ‘goyim’ – plural of גוֹי goy – Strong’s H1471 – nation, people Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 14

Bereshith (Genesis) 15 — The Word of YHVH and the Covenant

Lesson date:04/23/5858AA

Why did I entitle the study the way I did? Because in the English translation of the Hebrew Tanakh this is the first time that the term Word is used. We have looked at it in the past but that was according the the Aramaic Targums and the use of the word Mamre or Memra(h), which is Word.

Remember wat had just happened: Lot had been kidnapped, Abram took his men against four tough kings, did battle and chased them all night and recover everything and everyone that had been taken. On the way home he meets Malkitseḏeq and he is offered all the treasure taken and he refuses it because he said he wants no on(person/man) to be able that they made Abraham rich. Instead, he puts all his faith in YHVH.

Verse 1 – Look at it closely and imagine what is taking place: the Word of YHVH is coming to Abram in a dream and makes the promise of a covenant and that as a sign of the fulfillment of the covenant YHVH would give him descendants as numerous as the stars. Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 15 — The Word of YHVH and the Covenant

Bereshith (Genesis) 16 — “I’ll do it my way”

Lesson date: 13/15/5854AA

Have you ever stopped and thought about Burger King’s motto “Have it Your Way” is our approach to Yah’s Word? Being raised Baptist is a perfect example of that, we hear a “prophecy” spoken and then the next thing we do is form a committee, take up an offering and then do what we heard was Yah’s Will. But I can assure you Baptists won’t wait 10 years like Abram and Sarai have done. By golly, we are going to get it done at the next business meeting. Let me give you an example.

Verse 5 – “I screwed up and it is your fault!” That is not what Sarai said but it is what she meant. Imagine what Hagar must have felt, “YHVH has promised the master of the house a son and I am now carrying it. I am now the mistress of the house. Why do I have to listen to that barren old woman?”

Verse 6 – Abram, probably afraid of Sarai’s wrath, simply told her, “She is your servant do what you want.” This was not the “grownup in the room” approach but simply a dodge. He might as well have told her, “You did it your way now, deal with it.” No matter what, Sarai mistreated Hagar and she fled into the wilderness.

Verse 7 is a very important verse because it begins a construction in Hebrew phraseology. Let’s disect it: “a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur”. This is huge. The word for spring is: H5869 – עין – ‛ayin – BDB Definition: 1) eye

So this spring is not the spring on the way to Shur but a spring near the spring on the way to Shur. We are given the impression that is spring is new or previously unknown. What does water represent? People. We now have an “eye” of people, not previously known to exist on the way to Shur = wall(end).

Verses 8-13 – The Angel of YHVH informs Hagar, at the previously unknown spring in the “wilderness” /midbar **((Bells and whistles should be going off right now.)) that the child she is bearing will become a people too numerous to count and that her son will be a wild man whose hand will be against everyone. Wild = H6501 – פּרה / פּרא – pere’ / pereh – BDB Definition: 1) wild ass ((In the sense of running wild”))

Look at Hagar’s response: “You are the Ěl who sees,” for she said, “Even here have I seen after Him who sees me?”

Let’s put our construction together: Near the spring of people previously unknown in the Word/midbar on the way to the wall/end, this people will be numerous, the children of a wild man(running wild) and against everyone and will spring up between the holy place/Qadesh/sanctuary and Hail/Bered.

Sound like anyone you know?

Where else do we see a woman flee into the wilderness, a large group of water(people) and an “eye” or hole open up in the wilderness(Word)? Maybe Revelation 12?

Verse 14 – A transformation takes place in this verse, “That is why the well”. A spring pops out of the ground and can be random but now this is a well = established. What does the name mean? “The well of the Living One seeing me.” An eye.

Verse 15 – Ishmael = H3458 – ישׁמעאל – yishmâ‛ê’l – BDB Definition: – Yishma’el = “God will hear”.

Verse 16 – All of this happened when Abram was 86 years old. Remember, all this began when Abram was 75 years old (Ber. 12:4)). Chapter 16 began after 10 years (85) and now Yishma’el is born when Abram is 86.

Ahavah vberakhot

Bereshith (Genesis) 17 — “Covenant, covenant, covenant”

Lesson date: 05/07/5858AA

Verse 1- Thirteen years have passed since Yishma’el’s birth. And Abram is now 99 years old. I have had many men in my family live to be 99 and beyond but none of them fathered a child at that age. Also, we see, once again, the use of the word וַיֵרָא  – vayyerah like we did in Chapter 12. It comes from the root word  H7200 – ראה – râ’âh – which is being translated as “appeared” but actually means “to make visible.”

“I am Ěl Shaddai – walk before Me and be perfect.” ((I AM the Almighty walk before my face/H6440/paneem and be without sin. This is the literal translation of this phrase.)) Where have we seen this before?

Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 17 — “Covenant, covenant, covenant”

Bereshith (Genesis) 18 — “The Messenger of YHVH” or “And He appeared”

Lesson date: 13/22/5854AA

Verses 1-2 – Bereshith 18 & 19 have a very special meaning to me. One day, while reading them, I had to stop and ask a question, “Who is the Messenger of YHVH”? Like we have talked about many times, I came to Hebrew through Arabic and Aramaic, so as I read these chapters I kept getting slapped in the face by the word Mamre. Mamre in Aramaic means word, or actually Word! So, look at it for my standpoint, “Vayyera” = H7200 – which is written in the niphal verb form of ra’ah which means “He appeared” or better yet, “He presented Himself before” Abraham beside the strong, mighty tree of “the Word”. I was completely blown away. In actuality it is saying, “He made Himself visible to Abraham”.

Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 18 — “The Messenger of YHVH” or “And He appeared”

Bereshith (Genesis) 19

Lesson date: 05/21/5858AA

In John Milton’s book (epic poem) Paradise Lost – Book II he has Lucifer justifying what he did with the following, saying, “it is better to rule over – be like a king in hell than to serve somebody as a slave in heaven”. I have often wondered if that is where Lot is at this point in his life. He came to Sedom as an outsider and at first dwelt outside the city in his tents. It was obvious to the people of the city that he was a wealthy man. He had many flocks and herds and it was his uncle that had rescued the people of the city and the wealth of the city from the hands of Amraphel (Nimrod).

At the very beginning of Chapter 19 we see Lot sitting at the gate of Sedom, which means he is now a judge over Sedom and now resides in the city: 1Co 15:33 Do not be led astray, “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

I’m just speculating, that Lot feels that he has finally “arrived”.

Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 19

Bereshith (Genesis) 20 — Abimelek the righteous

Lesson date: 13/29/5854AA

Verse 1 – Abraham “set out” –  H5265 – נָסַע – nâsa‛ – naw-sah’ – A primitive root; properly to pull up, especially the tent pins, that is, start on a journey:

Nasa’ means to pull up the tent stake: Mat 10:38  “And he who does not take up his stake and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Mat 16:24  Then יהושע said to His taught ones, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow Me.

Mar 10:21  And יהושע, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One matter you lack: Go, sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me, taking up the stake.”

Gerar. קָדֵּש Qaḏĕsh – Strong’s H6946 means,set-apart

Yehuḏah. שוּר Shur – Strong’s H7793 means, wall

Gerar – Strong’s H1642 means, a lodging place

Continue reading Bereshith (Genesis) 20 — Abimelek the righteous