Plagues of Egypt

Plagues of Egypt Versus Egypt’s Gods

Document by Ann Miller

First Plague: Water into Blood

Exodus 7:17 Thus saith Yehovah, “In this shalt thou know that I am Yehovah. Behold, I will smite upon the water that is in the river with the staff that is in my hand. And it shall be turned into blood. ¹⁸And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink. And the Egyptians shall loathe to drink the water out of the river.” ¹⁹And Yehovah said to Moses, “Say unto Aaron, ‘Take thy staff. And stretch out thy hand upon the waters of the Egyptians upon their streams, upon their rivers and upon their ponds, and upon all their reservoirs of water that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout the land of Egypt in both vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ”

The Egyptians worshipped the Nile River under various names and symbols. It was called the father of life and the father of the gods. Thus, the first public miracle was a blow to a god of Egypt. The Egyptians abhorred blood. Their horror must have been extreme when they saw their sacred river and all other water in their country turned to blood.

Another source [What source?] says:
Anuket
Other Names: Anket, Anqet, Anukis.
Patron of the Nile and its inundation.
Appearance: a woman wearing a crown of reeds and ostrich feathers, often accompanied by a gazelle.

Description: Anuket was most likely an imported goddess from Nubia, and was worshipped as the ‘nourisher of the fields’, referring to the annual inundation of the Nile that deposited a layer of rich silt on the agricultural areas. She formed a triad with Khenmu and Satis, and in later times was identified with Nephthys. Her name means embrace, and may refer to the banks of the Nile that yearly would embrace the fields to bring fertility to the land.

Second Plague: Frogs

Exodus 8:5 And Yehovah said to Moses, “Say unto Aaron, “Stretch out thy hand with thy staff over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” ⁶And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt. And the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

Heqet (Heket) was a goddess of childbirth, creation and grain germination. She was depicted as a frog or a woman with the head of a frog, betraying her connection with water.

As a water goddess, she was also a goddess of fertility where she was particularly associated with the later stages of labour. In this way, the title of Servants of Heqet may have been a title applied to her priestesses who were trained as midwives.

Third Plague: Lice

Exodus 8:16 And Yehovah said to Moses, “Say unto Aaron, ‘Stretch out thy staff and smite the dust of the earth. And it shall become lice throughout the land of Egypt.’ ” ¹⁷And they did so. And Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff. And he smote the dust of the earth. And there arose lice on man and on beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout the land of Egypt.

Geb (another god) was thought to represent the earth. He is pictured as reclining beneath the sky-goddess Nut. Geb, ‘the Great Cackler’, was represented as a goose. He was said to have laid the egg from which the sun was hatched.

Instead of the sky and the earth laying an egg representing the sun, the dust of the earth brought forth lice, which would in turn lay louse eggs on the Egyptians. They were big on being clean. Body lice don’t go along with being clean. They certainly don’t render priests clean.

Fourth Plague: The Swarm

Exodus 8:20 And Yehovah said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh. Behold, he will go out to the water. And say to him, ‘Thus saith Yehovah, “Send my people! And they have served me! ²¹For if thou will not send my people, behold I will send a swarm upon thee and upon thy slaves and upon thy people and into thy houses! And the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of the swarm, and also the ground on which they are! ²²And I will distinguish the land of Goshen in which my people dwell in that day. And no swarm shall be there. And thou shalt know that I, Yehovah am in the midst of the land. ²³And I will segregate between my people and thy people! This sign shall be tomorrow!” ’ ” ²⁴And Yehovah did so. And the swarm came in a multitude into the house of Pharaoh and into the houses of his slaves and throughout the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted by the swarm.

The swarm corrupted the land. This attack was against every god that made the land (soil) profitable and productive.

5th Plague: Dead Cows

Exodus 9:4 And Yehovah will distinguish between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that the children of Israel have. ⁵And Yehovah appointed a set time, saying, To-morrow will Yehovah do this thing in the land. ⁶And Yehovah did this thing on the following day, and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

This is also directed against the gods of Egypt who were supposed to be manifest in the various forms, all of which were considered sacred. Egyptians held every animal sacred. They worshipped almost every form of nature, sun, moon, stars, and rivers. Jupiter was adored in the form of a ram, Apollo a crow, Bacchus a goat, Juno a heifer, Diana a cat, Venus a fish, Mercury an ibis.

This attack was especially against Hathor, the cow goddess.

Sixth Plague: Boils

Exodus 9:8 And Yehovah said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take to yourselves handfuls of ash of the furnace. And Moshe shall scatter it toward the heavens before the eyes of Pharaoh. ⁹And it shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall become boils on man and on cattle breaking out with blisters throughout the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses sprinkled it toward the heavens. And it became boils with blisters breaking out on man and on cattle. ¹¹And the scribes could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the scribes, and on all the Egyptians.

Ash from a furnace makes lye; lye is used in making soap. Soap cleans. Boils picture the opposite of a clean body.

The goddess Qadshu (alternately spelled Qudshu, Qodesh, Qadesh, Qadashu, Qadesha, Qetesh, Qedeshet, Kedesh) was a latter Egyptian goddess of sexuality. (The Hebrew word kedesh means holy-one, and also refers to temple whores in this form of the word.) They were considered clean ones. They would have been unable to do their sexual functions with boils in the worst places.

Seventh Plague: Hail

Exodus 9:22 And Yehovah said to Moses, “Stretch out thy hand toward the heavens that there may be hail throughout the land of Egypt upon men and upon cattle and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.” ²³And Moses stretched out his staff toward the heavens. And Yehovah gave voices and hail. And the fire ran along the ground; and Yehovah rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴And there was very grievous hail and fire mingled with the hail such as there had been none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵And the hail smote all that was in the field, both men and cattle throughout the land of Egypt. And the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. ²⁶There was no hail only in the land of Goshen where the children of Israel were.

The Egyptians had at least one god that controlled weather, and another god that dealt with chaos. Hail gave the Egyptians a taste of their gods as they had never seen. Yehovah controlled both the weather and the chaotic attacks.

Eighth Plague: The Locust

Exodus 10:4 “If thou refuse to send my people, behold, I will bring locusts into thy borders tomorrow. ⁵And they shall cover the face of the land so that ye will not be able to see the land. And they shall eat the residue of what escaped that ye have remaining from the hail, and shall eat every tree that ye have growing in the field. ⁶And they shall fill thy houses and the houses of all thy slaves and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither thy fathers nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day!” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

This plague was directed against the god Serapis who was supposed to protect the land from locusts and from Shu, god of the air. The creatures came at the command of Yehovah and went when He commanded them to go, proving He was the God of gods, and that the gods of Egypt were false and powerless.

Ninth Plague: Darkness

Exodus 10:21 And Yehovah said to Moses, “Stretch out thy hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness in the land of Egypt so that one may feel darkness. ²²And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens. And there was a thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt three days. ²³They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

This plague was directed against Re the sun god who was supposed to protect from any curse of the sun and bring natural blessings of light, warmth, and fruitfulness and Thoth and Chons the moon gods. It pitted these gods against Set, the god of chaos and Bes guarding against evil spirits and misfortune.

One plague attacked multiple gods by showing their impotence or by making them stink.

Re (Ra) was the Egyptian sun god who was also often referred to as Re-Horakhty, meaning Re (is) Horus of the Horizon, referring to the god’s character. The early Egyptians believed that he created the world. The rising sun was the symbol of creation. The daily cycle of sunrise and sunset was obliterated during those days of felt darkness.

Tenth Plague: Slaughter of the Firstborn

Exodus 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne even unto the firstborn of the slavewoman who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of cattle.

The death of the first born was a blow against all the gods of Egypt since they were worshipped as different animals. Slaying the firstborn of beasts as well as men was literally bringing judgment on the gods. When any idolatrous nation was destroyed, folks placed the blame on the gods who abandoned that nation or who were overcome by stronger gods.

Several gods of Egypt were supposedly protectors of the lives of men and beasts. The Pharaoh was considered a god, and his son the next god. No god of Egypt had the power to stand against the God of the Hebrews.

The Egyptian occult leaders spoke of the strength of the Gods of the Hebrews when they declared during the lice plague, “This is the finger of the Gods” (Exodus 8:19). If the finger of the Gods of Israel could do this, what could the hand of the Gods do? What could the arm of the Gods do? What could Yehovah the Gods of the Israelis do?

Thus, Yehovah used only ten smitings to undermine every Egyptian god and goddess. He even undermined the gods and goddesses of the dead whose services included transporting and protecting the dead to their resting places awaiting the next life. So many deaths and so much chaos didn’t permit ritual offerings and preparations to occur in their prescribed manners. Pharaoh himself was drowned in the sea before a slave population that didn’t touch him; the sea god killed the Pharaoh god. What shame would have been brought on the greatest power in the region! Not a single weapon was used against the Egyptians; yet their army was totally defeated by their gods — or was it by the Gods of Israel?

February 20, 2009July 5, 2017

The Other Flood of Genesis

The Other Flood: Genesis 1:1-1:2

Genesis starts out in the following manner (translated literally):

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the land. 2And the land became chaotic and a mess. And darkness is upon the faces of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim brooded over the faces of the waters. 3And Elohim said, “Be, light!” And light was.

This simple beginning gives information that requires much thought. Please consider this with me as I express thoughts that I had. (Feel free to challenge all or any part of those thoughts.)

Beginning

The term beginning is unspecified. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t specific. Its timing is most certainly specific, but Yehovah did not give that information in this text. The reader therefore must consider the question, “What beginning is this?” It was the beginning of the heavens and the land, of course. The Bible refers to land as one of two types: a specific area of habitable (or inhabitable) soil not including any seas or oceans (like the Land of Israel), or the entirety of habitable (or inhabitable) soil on the planet. Thus, land doesn’t include what is on Mars or the moon. Planet earth is in mind.

While the heavens and the land began at this time, that still doesn’t explain the beginning, because a beginning describes a series of events, not a series of objects. I have thus far concluded that this was the beginning of the plan of Yehovah for humans; I haven’t yet found evidence to change this perspective.

Creation

I next considered creation. This word means to cause something to come into existence. It can including making and forming things, but it normally indicates a finished product’s new existence. (Texts would specify if anything created were unfinished.) Thus, Elohim caused the heavens and the land to exist where they previously did not.

Was and Became

The next verse starts, “And the land became chaotic and a mess.” The verb I rendered became normally means to be (including was, will be, is, are, am, etc.). Lot’s wife was not a pillar of salt before she peered after her; she became a pillar of salt (the text uses the same verb). I therefore saw that this verb can indicate a change of state. That doesn’t prove that it does. I needed more evidence before arriving at that conclusion.

The same word translated chaotic (Tohu) is used in a related text:

Isaiah 45:18 For so said Yehovah Creator of the heavens─He is the Gods, and the Former of the land and her Maker. And He ‘foundationed’ her. He didn’t create her chaotic. He formed her to dwell.

I knew from this that Yehovah didn’t create her (the land) chaotic. Thus, I knew that Genesis 1:2 was not describing the form of the land at the beginning, but something that it became. Thus, I had what was proof for me. My connections with Isaiah 45:18 were the following:

Both spoke of the Creator creating.
Both spoke of the creation of the heavens.
Both spoke of the land.
Both spoke using chaotic—the very same word.

Thus, I had four points of reference, and I knew that both texts referred to the same event.

Darkness

I thus considered the darkness. I did not disregard verse 3 and the only event that Yehovah did on Day 1: He caused the light to be. (Verse 4 states that He saw the light; it does not mention the heavens and the land. Thus, I knew that the creation of the heavens and the land were not on Day 1.) I therefore concluded that He did not appreciate that darkness that was upon the faces of the deep. I now had three negatives: chaos, mess, and darkness. I could tell that Elohim was not pleased with the situation in verse 2.

Brooding

I now encountered a fourth negative: “The Spirit of Elohim brooded over the faces of the waters.” I was curious about the meaning and flavour of this term. According to William Gesenius, the brilliant (and rarely incorrect) lexicographer, the word mrakhefet “is used of birds which brood over their young; of a mother cherishing her infant; of Elisha cherishing the dead body of the child; also of a voice descending from heaven and hovering in the air; also to pity.” I thus saw emotion in this word, not merely a positioning (as in hovering). Elohim reacted to what He saw, and His reaction was listed in the rest of the chapter. He determined to change what He saw into something else: something alive.

No Land

I also noted that no land was visible. (I looked ahead to verses 9 and 10.) Only later did land appear. Yet, land had been there in verse 1. I therefore concluded that verse 2 described a flood.

Violence

Since I knew about another flood (in Genesis 6), I began connecting both together to obtain a reason for this first flood. Yehovah hates violence, and He reacts to rampant violence. He killed every land animal and human in Noah’s flood. I noted that He killed every land animal (except those that went into the Ark). He didn’t kill the animals because they sinned, but to instruct man.

I saw fossilized bones of extinct animals. (I also saw reconstructions of bones, skin, hair, etc. that were from man’s imaginations.) I could not ignore the fossilized bones. Yehovah left them there for a record and for a warning. (The stars also are a record and a warning, and the firmament will also be.) Archaeologists found victim’s bones inside the jaws of larger creatures in some of their digs. Those records show a type of violence that seems like what one would expect from a wolf that attacks a sheep, but that isn’t the case. There is a difference between killing and obtaining food, and just killing. I could not prove this, but I noticed it.

Extinction

I also noted that many animals became extinct. They were extinct before the flood of Genesis 1:2. (They would have had to survive that flood had they been alive afterward, or they would have had to be created in one of the days listed in the rest of Genesis 1.) Elohim makes things right. Why were they extinct? The only way all of the land animals would be extinct at one time, while the sea life was not extinct, would be Yehovah doing what He did in Genesis 6.

Some have held that all the land dinosaurs were represented on Noah’s Ark along with the other species present today. They obviously did not do the measurements. The Ark was three stories tall. Some dinosaurs have been at least that tall. Some of those same persons have held that babies of all the animals were on the ark. Babies eat quite a bit, some more than their parents while they grow, and the animals were on the Ark for a little over one year. The volume of animal matter would far exceed the Ark’s volume if prehistoric species are included. Then those who hold such ideas would have to have a mass extinction after the animals left the Ark. This would show Yehovah as having little sense, since humans would not bring the extinction of most species, but would instead use them for various work animals.

No Fish Extinction

As I noted above, no fish were harmed in the flood in Noah’s day. Scientists found fossils of sea creatures, and they studied them for their ancient designs. Then a man caught one of these extinct sea creatures (the coelacanth) off of Africa; it was enjoying life, quite alive: “The coelacanths, which are related to lungfishes and tetrapods, were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period, until the first Latimeria specimen was found off the east coast of South Africa, off the Chalumna River in 1938.” (Wikipedia) Yehovah made a distinction between sea life and land life in Noah’s flood, and I was now convinced that the same was true in the Genesis 1:2 flood.

Time

I therefore considered the amount of time that elapsed between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. If Genesis 1:2 described a flood and its destruction, I knew Yehovah would wait to do this since He always waited in Biblically described destructions. Time would also be required for His peaceful creation to become entirely violent (since entire violence alone is enough for Yehovah to destroy a place). I had no way to tell how long this would be. I do not believe in Carbon Dating, since that assumes a certain initial quantity of radioactive carbon, and I don’t care for data drawn using assumptions. Since fossil records can be plentiful, I considered that many years would have passed. When scientists speak of multiple millions of years, I don’t have reason to argue. I know that the stars, sun, moon, humans and other things created in the six days of Genesis 1 are only about 6,000 years old, and that Yehovah created the stars’ lights already arriving to the earth. (Otherwise, we would not be able to see stars that are more than 6,000 light years away.)

Evolution

Some equate dinosaurs with evolution. In their views, if one believes in dinosaurs, one espouses evolution; and if one believes in evolution, naturally that person believes in dinosaurs. I am not of these perspectives. I know there were dinosaurs. I know that scientific evolution that involves species turning into completely different species is not true. Species can adapt to new environments.

I hope these considerations have been helpful. Yehovah has always given man warnings, and has sometimes used animals for that very purpose. Wise humans will study animals (living and extinct) to obtain these warnings.

February 12, 2009March 27, 2018

Genesis 28:10 – Jacob’s Vow

Jacob’s Vow

Background and Printed Text: Genesis 28:10-22

Genesis 28:10 And He-Will-Heel (Jacob) exited from Well-Of-Oath (Beersheba). And he walked toward Charred (Haran). ¹¹And he reached in a place. And he lodged there because the sun came. And he took from the stones of the place. And he put his headings. And he lay down in that place.

Continue reading “Genesis 28:10 – Jacob’s Vow”

February 9, 2009July 5, 2017

Psalm 001 Literal Text

Psalm 1

Literally Rendered with footnotes

(See Psalm 001 Footnotes document)

1. Happy¹ is the man who didn’t walk² in the counsel ³ of culpable-ones,⁴ and didn’t stand in the way⁵ of sinners,⁶ and didn’t sit in the settlement⁷ of scorners.

2. But rather his delight⁸ is in the Teaching⁹ of Yehovah.¹⁰ And he will meditate daily and night¹¹ in His Teaching⁹.¹²

3. And he shall be like a tree planted upon splittings¹³ of waters whose fruit he will give in his time. And his leaf will not wither. And all that he will do will prosper.¹⁴

4. Not so¹⁵ are the culpable-ones,⁴ but rather are like the chaff¹⁶ that the wind will drive-away.

5. Therefore the culpable-ones⁴ will not stand¹⁷ in the judgment,¹⁸ and sinners in the congregation of righteous-[ones].¹⁹

6. For Yehovah¹⁰ knows the way²⁰ of righteous-ones. And the way of culpable-ones shall perish.²¹

February 9, 2009July 5, 2017

Psalm 003 with footnotes

Psalm 3 with footnotes

1. A serenade¹ to² Beloved³ in his fleeing from the faces of Father-Of-Peace⁴ his son.

2. Yehovah! ⁵ How many are my tribulators! 6 Many are arising⁷ upon⁸ me!

3. Many are saying to my being,⁹ “Her¹⁰ Salvation¹¹ is not for him¹⁰ via Gods!” ¹² Cast-up! ¹³

4. “And Thou, Yehovah, art a shield¹⁴ for my sake–my importance¹⁵ and the elevator of my head! ¹⁶

5. My voice is unto Yehovah! I will call. And He answered¹⁷ me from the mountain of His holy-[One]!” ¹⁸ Cast-up! ¹³

6. I–I¹⁹ laid down. And I slept. I awoke because Yehovah sustained me.²⁰

7. I will not fear from myriads²¹ of a people who have set themselves around upon²² me.

8. Arise,²³ Yehovah! Save me, my Gods! For Thou struck all my enemies, jaw! ²⁴ Thou broke teeth²⁵ of culpable-[ones]! ²⁶

9. To Yehovah is the Salvation! Thy blessing²⁷ is upon Thy people!” ²⁸ Cast-up! ¹³

NOTE: Some footnote topics cover numerous texts. They have been recorded, and will be copied into documents discussing those topics. If you see footnote repetition from one text to another, this will explain why.

¹ A Serenade is a story in song that tells of a person’s acts. While serenades can be mythical, Biblical serenades are never mythical, giving infallible information in their stories. Biblical serenades are nearly always future events, recorded as if they have already occurred.

² To indicates possession. This serenade was prophetically given to David to give to Israel and to all readers.

³ David literally means beloved, but comes from a root supposedly meaning to boil. It is more like a lover, showing intense passion (not necessarily bad if the relationship is appropriate).

⁴ Literally rendering names is very important. Biblical ‘mysteries’ (things that are solvable in the Bible, but are usually unknown because most readers haven’t considered) can be solved using name meanings.

⁵ Yehovah is a contraction (abbreviation) of the three tenses of the Hebrew verb, to be:

He will be, He is, He was

Yēhēyĕh+Hōvĕh+Häyäh

Take just the bold letters (if your program allows you to see bold), and you will have

Yĕhōväh

which is the correct pronunciation of His Name, and which means He will be, is, was. This also defines part of His Character (changelessness) and existence status (He always was, is and always will be).

⁶ A tribulator is one who puts others into a squeeze (like in the expression, ‘putting the squeeze on’ someone). One who is suffering tribulation is under continuous pressure to live and do what is not pleasant (like run, hide, withstand terrible treatment or die, etc.). While persecution can be intermittent, tribulation continues day and night until it ends.

⁷ Arising or standing takes on a particular flavour in the Bible. The word is a childism, an expression that a child can best understand. When two are on the floor and playing together, they are equal in some ways. When one of the two (like an adult) stands up, the differences become apparent. Whoever stands up against another is attempting to (or succeeding in) being victorious over the other(s).

⁸ The English language would normally use against instead of upon, but this lessens the intensity. The idea of upon shows direct physical attack.

⁹ The being comprises the body, soul and spirit. It refers to all three in some texts, to two of the three in other texts, and mainly to only one of the three in a few texts. Most translators thought it primarily referred to the soul, but another Hebrew word covers just the true soul alone. This word being is like that used in English in the expression, “She is a human being.” It is not akin to being in the expression, “He challenged my existence and argued against my being.” The being comprises a person (and locations that the Bible shows are alive, as well as animals).

The being in this case is treated almost as a separate entity from the speaker! This is intentional (on Yehovah’s part).

¹⁰ Can you identify the objects of these pronouns? I will give one clue: being is feminine.

¹¹ Salvation is usually feminine in the Bible. It is spelled the same as Yeshua’s Name except for the letter hey on the end that makes it feminine.

¹² Elohim means gods. When Elohim refers to Yehovah, it is describing Him as being all the true Gods there are. He is God of the mountains, God of the heavens, God of the seas, God of fruitfulness, God of justice, etc. The word is still plural, but normally demands a singular verb. When Elohim refers to false gods, it can also take a singular verb (when those referring to elohim are speaking of their gods), but often takes plural verb forms.

I have used Gods instead of gods in this texts because the bad guys seem to be referring to the living Gods Who will be bringing tribulation against the Jews first. If you do not agree, just change the capital G to a small letter.

¹³ Selah literally means cast-up, referring to mounting road base up for highway building. Highways are built higher than the surrounding lands so that they will not easily be washed out during heavy rains. Readers have usually not considered the importance of highways in the End Times (a great mistake!). Yehovah will conduct many back to Mount Zion, routing them over highways He has prepared. Selah texts (highway texts) give vital information to returners so that they can survive on the way.

¹⁴ This word has been made famous in ‘Mogan David’, mogan meaning shield. I do not doubt the literalness of texts. Yehovah will be a shield (like the ‘force field’ made famous in ‘Lost in Space’). This is demonstrated in Psalm 23 when Yehovah prepares a table for the sheep in the presence of his enemies. They can see the sheep and the table, but cannot touch either.

¹⁵ Glory means weight or importance. Its use is exactly like the English idiom, “Man, that’s heavy!” used by Hippies, and showing that something was important.

¹⁶ Elevating the head is a ‘childism’. When children become upset or sad, they lower their heads. When they are happy, they tend to look up (because adults are taller than they are). Texts use ‘childisms’ all the time.

¹⁷ Answered is past-tense because it shows result. In the Hebrew language, when a past-tense action follows a future-tense act, it is because it will certainly follow once the future act is done. For example, one might say in English, “I will go to the store, and I will pick up some bread.” Biblical Hebrew would word it, “I will go to the store, and I have picked up some bread.” This construction shows certainty that the past-tense action will follow the future-tense action.

¹⁸ (Technical Explanation) Translators ignored the Hebrew construction of a noun followed by an adjective with a connected pronominal ending, choosing to render it as if it were a noun with a pronominal ending followed by an adjective. This ignores Biblical Hebrew grammar rules. The adjective that has a pronominal ending becomes a nominal adjective (an adjective that behaves as a noun). An English example of this is the adjective green. “The grass was green.” Yet it can become as a noun: “They golfed on the green.” I maintain that the two following examples greatly differ:

His Holy mountain

Mountain of His Holy-[one]

The first describes who owns the holy mountain. The second shows that the holy one that he owns in turn owns the mountain.

I do not know why translators have traditionally ignored the Hebrew grammar. I refuse to ignore what I see in the Hebrew. I believe that the Word of God (in the original manuscripts) is infallible. Why should I ignore anything?

¹⁹ Translators almost always ignored doubled pronouns. I do not ignore these; they add thrust to texts.

²⁰ These footnotes are not designed to explain texts or to ask questions and propose answers. I will ask you this, however: what is the big deal about the speaker laying down, sleeping and awakening?

²¹ Myriads is constructed of the Hebrew word multiplied, but doubled (thus, double multiplied).

²² If you desire to know the identity of the speaker, try taking upon literally.

²³ (Technical Explanation) Imperative forms often have what Gesenius (a lexicographer) called a hey paragogic, the letter hey that was added for beauty or sound, but had no meaning. I do not agree with this ‘frill’ explanation. I maintain that Yehovah put letters where He desired, but always for purpose. The letter hey on the end is normally an indication of the feminine gender or a feminine pronoun. The form Koomah used in this verse looks like the feminine imperative, as if Yehovah were feminine in gender. The next verb uses the masculine imperative, however: “Save {masc.} me, Elohim!” While Yehovah is ultimately neither feminine nor masculine, He made man in His image, and He made man masculine and feminine in gender. Aspects of Yehovah are in the feminine gender. Wisdom, Who is the Messiah, is feminine throughout the Bible (she is especially featured in Proverbs). I propose that the feminine imperative is being used in this verse to focus on some character of Yehovah Who will arise at this time. The Spirit of Yehovah is sometimes feminine in gender.

²⁴ One would say “on the jaw” in English. The Hebrew just directs the reader to the target.

²⁵ “Thou broke teeth” would indicate some teeth in English, but the Hebrew does not necessarily indicate only some in this construction.

²⁶ Culpable indicates guilt/responsibility for an act (usually bad) at any level of guilt. A person who spills sugar is culpable of spilling sugar; a person who murders thousands is culpable of murdering thousands. Culpability does not indicate intensity. Folks who actually murder others are culpable; folks who could have rescued some who were murdered, but didn’t, are also culpable.

²⁷ Blessing has knee built into it. Some Biblical, Godly fathers had their sons kneel before them. They laid hands on their sons’ heads. They prophesied over them. These prophecies (most good, some bad) were called kneelings (blessings). They are also invokings, since they prophetically invoke (call in) Yehovah to act.

²⁸ What are the implications of Yehovah’s blessing being upon His people?

February 9, 2009October 7, 2016

Genesis 22 – The Test QA Supplied

Genesis 22: The Test

Questions and Proposed Answers Supplied

Background and Text: Genesis 22:1-19

Genesis 22:1 And he was after these things. And the Elohim (the Gods) tested [singular] Father-Of-A-Crowd (Avraham). And He said unto him, “Avraham!” And he said, “Behold, I am!” ²And He said, “Take, na, thy son, thine only that thou loved, He-Will-Laugh (Isaac). And walk. Walk unto Land of the Bitterness-of-Yehovah (Moriah). And ascend him there for an ascension upon one of the mountains that I will say unto thee.”

³And Avraham early-rose in the morning. And he bound his ass. And he took two of his youths with him, and Isaac his son. And he cleaved trees of ascension. And he stood. And he walked unto the place that the Gods said [singular] to him.

⁴In the third day, and Avraham lifted his eyes. And he saw the place from a distance. ⁵And Avraham said unto his youths, “Sit to you here with the ass. And the youth and I will walk unto so. And we have worshipped. And we have returned unto you.” ⁶And Avraham took trees of the ascension. And he put upon Isaac his son. And he took the fire and the meat-cleaver in his hand. And both of them walked together.

⁷And Isaac said unto Avraham his papa, and he said, “My Papa!” And he said, “Behold, I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold the fire and the trees! And where is the lamb for ascension?” ⁸And Avraham said, “Elohim will see to Himself the lamb for ascension, my son.” And both of them walked together.

⁹And they came unto the place that the Gods said to him. And Avraham built the altar there. And he ordered the trees. And he bound Isaac his son. And he put him upon the altar from above to the trees. ¹⁰And Avraham sent his hand. And he took the meat-cleaver to slaughter his son.

¹¹And Messenger Yehovah called unto him from the heavens. And He said, “Avraham! Avraham!” And he said, “Behold, I am.” ¹²And He said, “Do not send thy hand unto the youth! And do not do to him a blemish! For now I knew that thou art a fearer of Elohim! And thou did not spare thy son thine only from me.”

¹³And Avraham lifted his eyes. And he saw. And behold, another ram is caught in a thicket via his horns. And Avraham walked. And he took the ram. And he ascended him for an ascension under his son.

¹⁴And Avraham called the name of that place ‘Yehovah-Will-See,’ which he will say today, “Yehovah will see in the mountain!”

¹⁵And Messenger Yehovah called unto Avraham a second-time from the heavens. ¹⁶And He said, “Via me I swore,” Yehovah declared, “that because thou did this saying, and thou did not spare thy son thine only, ¹⁷that blessing I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thy seed as stars of the heavens and as sand that is upon the lip of the sea! And thy Seed will inherit the gate of His enemies! ¹⁸And all races of the land will bless-themselves via thy Seed [on the] heel-that thou hearkened into my voice!”

¹⁹And Avraham returned unto his youths. And they stood. And they walked together unto Well-Of-Oath. And Avraham dwelt in Well-Of-Oath.

²⁰And he was after these things. And He told to Avraham to say, “Behold, Queen childed—also he—sons to Snorer thy brother, ²¹Counsel his firstborn and Contempt his brother and They-Stood-A-Mighty-One the father of I-Will-Elevate ²²and As-Violence/Devil and His-Vision and Distinction-Of-Fertility and He-Will-Drip and They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One. ²³And They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One childed Multiplied-Decanting. Queen childed these eight to Snorer brother of Avraham, ²⁴and his concubine—and her name is They-Saw-What? And she childed—also he—He-Slaughtered and He-Burned and Thou-Wilt-Hush and Thy-Belly.

I. The Startling Command (verses 1-2)

The Bible declares that the Elohim (the Gods) tested Avraham. It does not give the purpose for the test in this section, but it does show that He does such things.

Avraham finally had a son of the promise. He loved his son, as Elohim attested (Elohim was a witness to this and said so). He now told him to take his son whom he loved, and go to the land of Moriah.

Elohim referred to Isaac as “thy son, thine only” as if Ishmael did not exist.

He told him to walk, then to ‘ascend’ his son for ascension in the same way that one would do an animal. Elohim would tell him upon which mountain to do this.

Questions

1. Does God test everyone? No, He doesn’t, and certainly not in this way! This was a special case.

2. Why did Elohim test him in this way? You must ask this question after you have read the entire section!

3. Why does the Hebrew Bible use Elohim (meaning Gods instead of God)? This constantly tells the reader that Elohim is all the Gods there are! He is the God of the land, God of the sea; He is the God of the heavens, God of creation; He is the God of requests, the God Who can do anything anywhere, as long as it isn’t against Who He is.

4. Why does the Hebrew Bible use ‘the Elohim’? That means the Gods, as if that is only His identity. Others may speak of their gods, but only this One can be called the Gods, and the speaker will be right.

5. What does the Hebrew word na mean (verse 2)?It is a word that indicates that the speaker isn’t angry or demanding, but is speaking in a soft manner.

6. Why does Elohim refer to Isaac as Avraham’s only son when Avraham also had Ishmael? He is the only son of the promise, the son through whom the races of the world will be blessed. Ishmael is the son of the slavewoman; Isaac is the son of Avraham and the son of the promise.

7. What does “thy son, thine only that thou loved” mean? It doesn’t mean that Avraham didn’t love Ishmael. It means that Isaac is Avraham’s son, his only son, and he loved that son.

8. Why is loved in the past tense? It is as if Elohim is in the future, and is looking back into the past at Avraham. Then He could say, “Avraham loved that son.”

This pictures what will happen with Yehovah (the Father) and Yeshua (the Son of Yehovah) in the future. Yehovah will take His Son, His Only whom He loved, and He will do this very thing.

9. Why must Avraham walk? Couldn’t he ride animals? Even if he did, the animals still walked. This was not something done at a run. It was a slow, deliberate action.

10. What was the name of the mountain where this event would take place? The Bible doesn’t say. It is in a range of mountains located in the Land of the Bitterness-of-Yehovah (Moriah).

Mountains in the Bible often indicate what we would call hills. They don’t have to be so tall, though some are very tall.

11. What does “ascend him there” mean? (This is Hebrew wording. You will not find this wording in English.) It means to slaughter, to then separate the pieces of the slaughtered animal, to arrange them on an altar under which a fire is lit, then to slow-cook the animal and its pieces while the fragrance and smoke ascends to the heavens. It pictures a person or a group that has been slaughtered, and who then ascend into the heavens. Folks did these ascension sacrifices before those who died ever went into the heavens! Until Yeshua’s death, Saints and non-saints went to Sheol (located in the core of earth).

12. Did Elohim command Avraham to kill his son? Yes, that is what the command means!

13. Did Elohim do right by commanding this? Everything that is right or wrong always goes back to a god or God (a false god or a real God). There cannot be right or wrong if there is no god/God. Without a god or God, there are only opinions, not right and wrong actions. The very words right and wrong used in this way assume a god or God!

Since Elohim is the Gods, if He says to do something, it is right. If He says to not do something, doing it would be wrong. He told Avraham to do this; it was right. Now, readers must think why it was right, since the Bible prohibits murder! (Intentionally killing a person without the person being guilty of a crime, or without it being an act of war or heroism, is murder.)

II. Avraham’s Quick Response (verse 3)

Avraham rose early in the morning. He loaded the ass with the saddle and with provisions. Two youths and Isaac accompanied him.

Avraham split the wood for the sacrifice. He then stood up and went with the three unto the place Elohim told him.

Questions

1. Why did Avraham rise early in the morning? It was as if Avraham desired to do this, or it was as if he desired to ‘get this over with.’ Another text will give us the information we need to figure this out:

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Avraham offered up Isaac when he was tested. And he who had received the promises (Avraham) offered up his only begotten son ¹⁸of whom it was said that, “thy seed shall be called in Isaac,” ¹⁹accounting that God was able to raise up even from the dead.

Therefore, Avraham knew that Elohim would keep His promises through Isaac, and this included Isaac being alive even if that included raising him from the dead!

2. Why didn’t Avraham ask another slave (perhaps a much younger man) to split the logs for him? This was a very personal ascension sacrifice. Avraham did not desire to include anyone else in this act, though he did take two youths to accompany Isaac and him.

3. Why did Avraham take the other two youths? See if you can figure this out as the event unfolds. (I will ask this again later.)

4. How did Avraham know the right place to go? Elohim gave him the directions: “He walked unto the place that the Elohim said to him.”

5. Did Isaac wonder where they were going, and why? If he did, he didn’t speak yet.

III. The Fire and the Meat Cleaver (verses 4-6)

The journey took several days. Avraham saw the destination on the third day, still a distance away.

He told the two youths to stay with the ass while Isaac and he would go the rest of the way.

Avraham gave the reason for the journey: Isaac and he were going to worship, and both would return to the youths.

He loaded the trees for the ascension upon Isaac. Avraham took burning wood to light the fire, and a meat cleaver. They both walked together.

Questions

1. Did Avraham lie when he said, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you”? No. He knew that Yehovah would have to raise Isaac from the dead in order to complete His promises through Isaac.

2. Could the youths see Avraham and Isaac while they finished their journey? Yes, they could. The area did not have many trees; one could see for quite a distance.

3. Why didn’t the youths ask him where he was going? The text doesn’t give the reason. The youths did what they were told.

4. What does so mean in “The youth and I will walk unto so”? It means there.

5. Why did Avraham say, “We have worshipped” rather than “We will worship”? In Hebrew, a future followed by a past tense verb shows cause and effect. In this case, the future verb is in the sentence: “And the youth and I will walk unto so.” The past tense verbs that follow are in these two statements: “And we have worshipped. And we have returned unto you.” Thus, Avraham is quite certain what will follow his walking with Isaac.

6. What does worship mean? It means to lie prostrate (flat, face down) before another.

7. What are trees of the ascension? They are pieces of firewood.

8. Why did Avraham place the wood on Isaac instead of carrying it himself? This is a type: a picture that is real in itself, and pictures something else that is real, and far more important. Isaac carried the trees; Yeshua will also carry the trees. (Those trees are not large, whole trees, but cut pieces of trees.)

9. In what form was the fire that Avraham took? I was probably in the form of embers, which would be a firebrand, rather than a fully flaming torch (which would burn too fast).

10. What was the purpose of the meat cleaver? It was to cut the sacrifice into pieces. The sacrifice, in this case, was Isaac!

11. Isn’t this a gruesome scene? Yes, it is! It is supposed to be!

IV. The Question (verses 7-8)

Isaac became curious at this point. Sacrifices require sacrificial animals. They had brought none with them. Isaac said, “My Papa!” Avraham replied, “Behold, I am, my son.” Isaac observed, “Behold the fire and the trees! And where is the lamb for ascension?” Avraham told him, “Elohim will see to Himself the lamb for ascension, my son.” That must have satisfied Isaac; they both walked onward together.

Questions

1. What did Avraham mean by the reply, “Elohim will see to Himself the lamb for ascension”? Avraham was a prophet. He was prophesying about what Yehovah and Yeshua would do in the far future. He spoke of a lamb. That is the Lamb of God.

2. Why didn’t Avraham tell Isaac what he was about to do to him? That would have been very frightening! It seems that Isaac suspected nothing. He fully trusted his papa.

3. Did Avraham love Isaac? Yes, he did very much!

V. The Grim Task (verses 9-10)

They finally arrived. Avraham built the altar. He ordered the trees—he set them in order so that they would burn just right. Then he tied up Isaac! He placed him upon the altar—upon the firewood trees!

Avraham then sent his hand… He took the meat cleaver to slaughter his son!

Questions

1. Why did Isaac submit to being tied? Isaac trusted Avraham. He had no reason to not trust him.

2. Did Avraham gag his son? The text doesn’t indicate that he did, and I don’t think that he did; but I have no proof either way.

3. Why did he tie him in the first place? Avraham was about to slaughter him. If his first strike didn’t kill him, Isaac would suffer great pain. Therefore, he needed to be still while Avraham slaughtered him. (This is a very frightening event!)

4. Had Avraham slaughtered his son in this way, would not this have been a heinous (enormously and shockingly evil) crime? Would it not have been wrong and sinful? If Yehovah had not commanded it, it would have been! Yehovah is the Gods. If He commands, it is not wrong to obey, and it is wrong to disobey, since He created man. Still, this event in the Bible is very surprising until the reader knows the reasons for it.

5. How would you feel about someone coming at you with a meat cleaver when you are tied up? (Each student needs to answer this.)

VI. The Results of the Test (verses 11-12)

Messenger Yehovah (also known as the Angel Yehovah) called Avraham’s name twice: “Avraham! Avraham!” Avraham responded, “Behold, I am!” This Messenger Yehovah commanded him to not send his hand unto the youth. He also commanded him to not do to him a blemish!

This Messenger said, “For now I knew that thou art a fearer of Elohim! And thou did not spare thy son thine only from me.”

Questions

1. Why did Messenger Yehovah call Avraham’s name twice? He needed to quickly stop him from going through with the slaughter!

2. Why did the messenger tell him to stop after Elohim had told him to do this? This whole action was a test and a type. Elohim had no desire for Avraham to slaughter Isaac. The picture of this was designed for readers to understand what Yehovah did with Yeshua.

3. Didn’t Messenger Yehovah already know that Avraham was a fearer of Elohim? Yes, since Messenger Yehovah is Yeshua, and He knows almost all things (except what He intends to not know). He had to prove it to readers, however. Besides this, what Elohim knows and what He proves to Himself are two different things. While He knows the end from the beginning, He still does not judge until a person (or an angel) has done what the person intended.

4. Who is Messenger Yehovah, and how could a reader know this? By identifying Himself as me in “thou did not spare thy son thine only from me,” this Messenger identified Himself as Elohim.

5. Would Avraham have killed Isaac? Avraham would have carried out Elohim’s orders had He not stopped him. He feared God.

VII. The Exchange (verse 13)

Avraham lifted his eyes. A ram was caught in a thicket by his horns. He was not damaged, but was stuck. Avraham walked to the ram, took it, and exchanged the animal and his son. He then ascended the animal on the altar.

Questions

1. Why did Avraham offer the caught ram (instead of letting it go, or instead of eating it)? He had prepared to do a sacrifice, and he had gained his son in the meantime.

2. Why did Yehovah provide a ram instead of a lamb? Careful readers would realize that this was not the prophecy that Avraham made. Therefore, they would look for the exact fulfillment of the prophecy, realizing that this isn’t that fulfillment!

3. Explain under his son in “he ascended him for an ascension under his son”: This Hebrew expression means in the place of his son.

4. The text stated, “And behold, another ram is caught in a thicket via his horns.” Explain why the text states, “another”: It is as if Isaac were a ram, and the animal were the second ram! (Biblical Hebrew does refer to persons as rams when they have the strength qualities or the rank (among their peers) of rams.

VIII. The Naming of the Place (verse 14)

It was Avraham who had said before that Yehovah will see to Himself the lamb for ascension. The animal caught was a ram, not a lamb.

Avraham now called that location Yehovah-Will-See. Yehovah will see in the mountain.

Questions

1. What was significant about the animal being a ram rather than a lamb? The lamb refers to the Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua, Whom Yehovah will sacrifice for sin (and for other reasons).

2. This verse states, “Yehovah will see.” What will He see? He will see to Himself the lamb for ascension. In other words, Yehovah will see Himself in the form of Yeshua, and Yeshua as the Lamb that Avraham prophesied.

3. In what mountain will Yehovah see this Lamb? I propose that He will see that Lamb in Mount Zion, the most important mountain on the planet. That is when the Lamb of God will reign as King.

IX. The Results of Obedience (verses 15-18)

Messenger Yehovah called a second time to Avraham from the heavens. He swore (vowed) via Himself.

Avraham had done two noble acts: He had

done the saying of Messenger Yehovah
not spared his son, his only.

Yehovah vowed to do the following:

He will bless Avraham.
He will multiply his seed as stars of the heavens and as sand that is upon the lip of the sea.

He also stated two results of these things:

His Seed will inherit the gate of His enemies.
All races of the land will bless themselves via His Seed.

All this was because Avraham had hearkened into His voice.

Questions

1. Why did Messenger Yehovah vow? He vowed because of the importance of what He was about to say. He could have promised, but a vow is much more important than a promise (in many cases).

2. Why did Messenger Yehovah vow via Himself? When one vows, one uses the name or identity of someone or something greater than himself. There was no one greater than Yehovah, so He vowed via Himself. A text mentions this:

Hebrews 6:13 When God made promise to Avraham, He swore by Himself (because He couldn’t swear by anyone greater) ¹⁴saying, “Blessing, I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee!” ¹⁵And so he [Avraham] obtained the promise after he had patiently endured—¹⁶(For men indeed swear by the greater. And an oath for confirmation is an end of all strife to them.)—¹⁷in which God confirmed it by an oath, far more willing to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability [unchangeability] of His counsel.

3. Do the stars of the heavens multiply? They don’t at this time, but they will many centuries from now during a time called the Millennium (meaning the thousand years). Messiah Yeshua will reign at that time over the whole planet. He will put many stars into the heavens, and they will multiply during that thousand years that He will rule.

4. Does the sand of the sea multiply? It does, even today! With every crashing wave, sand particles, which are made of silicon, and are tiny pieces of rounded glass, break into smaller pieces. Window glass is made of silicon; it is made of sand! The front window of automobiles is also made of silicon, but has a very thin piece of plastic between two pieces of glass so that it won’t easily shatter if broken. Glass that is broken is very sharp. Sand isn’t sharp, because the waves hit the sand particles together, rounding off any sharp edges. In this way, however, the sand particles multiply in number!

5. Verse 17 states, “thy Seed will inherit the gate of His enemies.” Identify this Seed: This Seed is Messiah Yeshua.

The word seed, like deer and fish, is a word that can refer to one, or it can refer to more than one (it can be singular or plural). When farmers and gardeners speak about seed, they normally mean a large group of individual seeds. Yet, they can also refer to one seed, like an avocado seed.

The seed in this text refers to One: to Messiah Yeshua. A verse explains this:

Galatians 3:16 Now, the promises were made to Avraham and his seed. He doesn’t say “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one: “And to thy seed,” which is Messiah.

5. When will this Seed inherit the gate of His enemies, and why would the Seed want a gate? This Seed is Messiah Yeshua. He will inherit this gate at the end of a time period called the Tribulation, the worst time the world will ever see, and He will hold that gate for the entire Millenniuim (thousand years) during which time He will rule over all the earth.

If He holds the gate of the enemies, He holds the location of justice—like the courthouse of our cities. In some cultures, judges judge matters of law at the gate of the city or village so that there is plenty of room for folks to watch. This used to be where trials were held, and it will again be where they will be held in the far future. If Messiah Yeshua holds the gate of the enemies, He will hold the court system and the judges, and will make sure that all judgments are done right, according to His standards.

6. Identify “all races of the land”: Those are all races that are on the planet. A race is a very large group of individuals who all come from a common ancestor.

7. What does “will bless themselves via thy Seed” mean? Since this Seed is Messiah Yeshua, and since a blessing is normally something very good that has been given to another in order for that person to benefit (do good for) others, this means that all races will benefit other races by means of Messiah and what He gives to them. That means that races won’t waste time hating and trying to destroy each other, but will instead do great business with other races and do them much good.

8. Why will such good things occur, according to this text? The text states, “[on the] heel-that thou hearkened into my voice!” The expression, “on the heel that” means that this follows the other. If something is on your heel, it is right behind you! Put that into the text, and you will see that all races of the land will bless themselves right behind (on the heel of) the fact that Avraham hearkened to [both listened and obeyed] Messenger Yehovah’s voice!

X. The Return (verse 19)

Avraham and Isaac returned back to the waiting youths. They all walked together unto Well-Of-Oath, Beersheba. Avraham dwelt there.

Questions

1. Perhaps now you can answer the question why Avraham took the youths with Isaac and him: He took them so that they would be with Isaac after Isaac was slaughtered and raised from the dead! He took them, because they were Isaac’s companions, and they would benefit Isaac after this traumatic event.

2. The text states that “they stood.” Who stood? The youths stood. They were sitting there, waiting for Avraham and Isaac to return.

3. What was the topic of conversation as they walked to Beersheba? The Bible doesn’t say what it was. The Bible only includes information that is directly pertinent [on the same subject] and important to the plan of God. It never includes unimportant details.

4. Did Avraham like Beersheba? Yes! He lived there for quite a while.

XI. Names (verses 20-24)

Avraham had a brother named Nahor (which means snorer). His wife was Milcah, meaning Queen. Someone (identified only as he) told Avraham that Milcah had birthed sons, so that Nahor and Milcah now had children.

I have provided meanings for the names of the children. I can be certain of the meanings of some of the names, and I am less certain of the meanings of other names because I have very little information upon which to determine their meanings. Please know this as you read the meanings that I have proposed.

English Name	Proposed Meaning
Huz	Counsel
Buz	Contempt
Kemuel	They-Stood-A-Mighty-One
Aram	I-Will-elevate
Chesed	As-Violence/Devil
Hazo	His-Vision
Pildash	Distinction-Of-Fertility
Jidlaph	He-Will-Drip
Bethuel	They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One
Rebekah	Multiplied-Decanting
Reumah	They-Saw-What?
Tebah	He-Slaughtered
Gaham	He-Burned
Thahash	Thou-Wilt-Hush
Maacah	Thy-Belly

Questions

1. Why did folks name their children with such weird names? Those names serve two functions: they explain what the parents were seeing or experiencing when the children were born, and they give prophetic information about events yet to come! (If you carefully string the names together, you will see sentences that give information about events to come.) That means that Yehovah participated by making certain that parents named their children in these ways (usually without the parents knowing anything much about Yehovah, and not knowing that He was participating).

2. Why would a parent name a baby Snorer? I suspect that the child snored from the time it was born! But I don’t know.

3. What does decant mean? It means to pour liquid from one container into another.

4. What is a concubine? A concubine is a wife, but she will not receive any inheritance left by the husband. It is the same thing that a man and a woman might agree to do today as part of a prenuptual agreement (a pre-marriage agreement).

5. How is Rebekah’s name prophetic? Her name is Multiplied-Decanting. She decanted water from buckets into watering troughs for camels. That was how Avraham’s slave knew that Yehovah chose her. See Genesis 24 for the whole story!