Category: Books of the Bible

Articles Discussing Specific Books of the Bible

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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.

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1 Corinthians 11: What Does the Bible Say about Head Coverings?

What Does the Bible Say about Head Coverings?

Introduction

I will give a literal rendering of the text. After this, I will have a series of questions and proposed answers for your consideration.

The Text

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me according as I am also of Messiah. 2Now I commend you, brethren, that ye have remembered me in all things. And ye keep the guardings according as I delivered to you. 3But I wish you to know that the Messiah is the head of every man and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Messiah. 4Every man praying or prophesying having, on the head, puts his Head to shame. 5But every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered puts her head to shame. For it is one and the same with having been shaved. 6For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if shameful to a woman to be shorn or to be shaven, she shall be covered. 7For man indeed does not owe to have the head covered, being the image and glory of God. But woman is the glory of a man. 8For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9For also man was not created on account of the woman, but woman on account of the man. 10The woman owes to have authority on the head because of this: on account of the angels/messengers. 11However, man is not apart from woman or woman apart from man in Yehovah. 12For as the woman is from the man, so is the man also via the woman, but all things are from God. 13Judge in yourselves. Is it comely for an uncovered woman to pray to God? 14Or doesn’t even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonour to him? 15But if a woman has long hair, it is glory to her! For the long hair is given to her instead of a covering. 16But if anyone thinks to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the assemblies of God.

Questions and Proposed Answers

(Numbers correspond to verse numbers.)

1. a) Was Paul claiming perfection? He wasn’t, but he was stating that he imitated Messiah. Messiah was obedient to Yehovah the Father, and He selflessly served others. He was willing to (and did) give his life to save the lives of others. Paul did the same. Yeshua always taught Truth. Paul did the same once he was in faith of Yeshua. Imitating Messiah in this manner would require perfection. Yet, Paul’s statement shows a measuring system: “Be imitators of me according as I am also of Messiah.” This means that if Paul were not to imitate Messiah, they should not imitate him.

1. b) How would they know if Paul was imitating Messiah or not? They would learn that by word of mouth and by direct observation of Paul. Those who hadn’t seen Messiah were able to obtain direct documents of His works and teachings; they were very quickly available after Messiah rose from the dead.

1. c) What does imitate mean? It means to do the same things in the same manners. They could not imitate him by acting as missionaries (unless they were called). Since Paul was not a missionary of Yeshua until He called Him to that task, they should imitate him in this also: not playing missionary (which is almost universally what is done in Christianity, today).

1. d) Did Paul something that was contrary to imitating Messiah? He once upbraided Peter in public in a way that he, himself, by the Spirit of Yehovah told others not to do.

Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

1 Timothy 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat as a father, the younger men as brethren.

1. b) Did Paul give this imitation command because those present couldn’t see Messiah, but they could see Paul (who imitated Messiah)? The Spirit of God through Paul gave this command. Thus, Yehovah recognized Paul as a proper imitator of Messiah. Thus, they could see Messiah in Paul and in his life as it was from that point on. Every person (regardless of faith) is the very image of God. Behaviours are what make distinctions. Imitating has to do with behaviours, not appearance.

2. a) What have they done that shows that they have remembered Paul in all things? They kept the guardings exactly as Paul delivered to them. (They also were ready to contribute to the poor Saints in Jerusalem as they had been apprised.) They very much remembered Paul in his various situations.

2. b) What guardings are these? They are the prophecies of the ‘Old Testament’ regarding Messiah and the commandments that Yehovah gave to non-Jewish Saints. These include events yet to come, since they had to be guarded. All the appointments of God are to be guarded (often commanded in the Tenach). They also guarded the commands that Yehovah gave to Israel—not as to do them (because they weren’t presumptuous), but because they are vital for understanding God, understanding righteousness, and understanding the plan of God and its working in the End Times. That is the basis of Hope. No one who cares about the Bible and God in the Bible can or will ignore Israel and the commands given to Israel.

2. c) What is the benefit of guarding these things (especially referring to Messiah’s visitations that He will do far into the future)? It is always important for one to be ready against the time of the Rapture or the person’s death. The benefit of guarding the very things that are normally ignored (and thus not guarded) in nearly all churches claiming Christianity is so that the individuals doing the guarding will not be fooled by false declarations of God’s intents and timings. A person who knows eschatology exactly right and who fears God will have little difficulty walking righteously, having no false expectation (of the supposed ‘soon return’ of Messiah, of disasters supposedly being ‘signs’ of God’s anger, of a death of a child showing that God is ‘displeased’, and therefore that He supposedly killed the child, etc.), and truly being consistent in doing right.

2. d) When did Paul deliver these things to guard? It was during a previous journey or in a previous letter:

1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2. e) Why did they have to keep the guardings exactly as Paul delivered to them? Was Paul infallible? He delivered the guardings of Messiah as a prophet. Thus, he spoke infallibly. These guardings had to stay accurate from generation to generation in order for what they taught to remain accurate.

3. a) In what way is Messiah the head of every man? Every man (that is, every male) is in the image of God (the woman also being in the image of God, but built later) and is not above Messiah in authority, but is subject to Him. He (the Messiah) is God. Thus, He is the boss. Most men do not know that Messiah is the boss—that He is sovereign and all-powerful, but they will in the Millennium. Messiah will be both King of kings and Lord of lords in the Millennium. His head status will be very evident as He rules with an iron rod.

Most readers of this text assume that it refers to Christian men. But the text does not demand any such thing. Yet, only folks who believe the text will take the head-status of Messiah seriously. The text will speak of Adam, and Adam never was a Believer of the Truth of God. (He resented Him.) The text giving the conversation between Yehovah and Adam after the fruit-eating incident shows this resentment. No text indicates that he turned from that.

Genesis 3:12 And the man said, “The woman whom Thou gave to be with me—she gave me of the tree. And I ate.”

3. b) Is a man always the head of a woman? This is referring to a marriage-type relationship. It is not referring to a brother with a sister or a son with a mother or men in general with women in general. The text is only referring to that relationship type formed by Adam and Eve.

3. c) What is the order of headship according to this verse? God is head of Messiah Who is head of every man who is head of a woman.

3. d) What does a woman mean? It is referring to the marriage relationship. The term woman is the same as wife; the Hebrew word for wife is practically never used. It is Biblically right to say, “She is my woman,” and for her to reply, “He is my man.”

3. e) Why is a man the head of a woman? She was made from him to be a helper. He wasn’t made for her. But there is a second part to this. She was not responsible for the fall due to sin, but he was. She was in transgression having been deceived; he was not deceived. His actions were intentional and thought out. Therefore, part of Yehovah’s rehabilitation of males is to set them as head and to bring them to responsibility to lead and guide their families (of which they are the husband) to do right before God, reversing the sin that a male brought into the world.

4. a) What does “Every man praying or prophesying having, on the head” mean? We searched the text to find any place that mentioned a head covering like a scarf, a hat, or a turban. We found no direct reference. Translators assumed that the text referred to some object like that as the covering, but what we found was in verse 14: long hair. If the text is self-contained and doesn’t have a reference to some other text, all the information needed to understand that text will be right there.

If the above is true, then the text would be implying, ‘Every man praying or prophesying having [long hair] on the head…’ This is not contrary to the culture that Yehovah taught Israel, since all Nazarites grew their hair, and some were assigned to be Nazarites from birth.

Since verse 16 denies that this instruction to Corinth is also the custom of the Israelis and the assemblies/congregations of God (that is, those groups consisting of Saints), I understood that this is speaking of the Corinthian culture. That culture must have looked badly on men with long woman-like hair, and it must also have looked badly on women wearing their hair cut short (shorn) like men or shaved like men who have all their hair removed from the scalp.

4. b) If the above is true, should Godly women maintain long hair if possible, and should Godly men keep their hair short? This is an issue of culture, and it is not an issue of the Word of God. Making one’s culture into an extension of the Word of God shows contempt for the Word of God.

On the other hand, taking pieces of the Word of God and making them into a culture is also treating the Word of God with contempt.

Yet, many brought up in these traditions are unaware of the nature of the founder who misused the Bible to produce a dress code. Those who are brought up in ignorance are not showing contempt, but are following a new cultural tradition from their parents. There is nothing wrong with a new cultural tradition even if it includes women wearing dumpy clothes and all having curls over their foreheads with their hair color being mandatory green as long as they don’t misuse the Bible to prove that Godly women must dress and color their hair this way. Such arrogant exclusivity has never been the way of gracious, Godly men or women. Instead, they serve others to save lives.

In some cultures, long hair is dangerous. Having long hair, then putting it up is akin to cutting one’s hair, though one can let it down. The only case where the Bible specifies long hair of which I am aware is in the case of the Nazarite vow for life.

Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb.

4. c) What is shameful about a man praying or prophesying with something on his head? If this is speaking of his having long hair as verse 14 addresses, it is dishonourable in the Corinthian culture. I propose that this culture came with a history of warriors. A warrior with long hair has a major disadvantage: a handle for an enemy to grab. Such cultures saw long-haired men as effeminate—or at least not useful in battle. If that is in the psyche of the culture, a person who is out of the norm in this way will be viewed as not honourable in the culture, and therefore has no business praying or prophesying in the assembly. (Imagine in today’s conservative churches how a cross-dressing preacher would seem.) There is no absolute standard regarding hair length and honour in the Bible’s culture that Yehovah gave to Israel.

4. d) Why do Orthodox Jewish men of today cover their heads when praying in the synagogues? They (or their ancestors) determined to do and be the opposite of the ‘Christians’ who identified Jesus (or Yeshua) as the Messiah. Thus, if the ‘New Testament’ commanded a male to pray with his head uncovered, the orthodox leaders of centuries ago commanded followers of Judaism to pray with their heads covered. They apparently also thought this text referring to head coverings, when it appears to only deal with hair.

5. a) Why would every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered put anything or anyone to shame? A woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered is as if she is a congregational leader, and her husband as a follower of her, a subordinate. If she prays or prophesies with her head covered, however, she shows respect to her husband in this ancient culture. Thus, the text shows that she puts her head (her husband) to shame by that behaviour. She is showing that she isn’t under the authority of a husband if her head is shorn or shaved. (This text does not speak of a single woman at all.)

5. b) Why is her praying with her head uncovered compared with her being shaved? In some cultures, if her head is shaved, she is bemoaning the loss of her parents, and she is declaring a disassociation from her parents who may have died or been killed. If she is disassociated, she is not married. Thus, both cases declare singlehood—that she is not in a marriage situation or under a father. She is under no man. A woman shaved shows her humiliation. She has been greatly humiliated, and therefore cuts off her glory—her hair.

Her head being uncovered gives her the look of a man and the station of a man in the assembly, as if she were a man.

The Teaching of Yehovah (Torah) is very strong regarding a commandment against cross-dressing. No man is to dress like a woman, and no woman is to dress like a man. That is a death-penalty offense. This was not a command given to the Gentiles, but to Israel. These folks in Corinth also have a propriety regarding dressing. A woman who takes on the hair style of a man is shaming her husband (assuming she is married, as this text does assume). A woman whose hair is in a butch format in this culture is shaming her husband. Praying or prophesying to God while shaming her husband is a flagrant violation.

6. a) Why should a woman who is not covered be shorn? (This is referring to a married woman who will be praying or prophesying.) Shearing is like what one does to a sheep, not a stylish haircut. It would be an insult to the woman because she has insulted her husband and the culture by refusing to have her head covered with hair (or something) while praying or prophesying in the assembly. In Corinth, being sheared like a sheep or having her head shaved with a razor was shaming the woman. If she will be beneficial to the assembly by prayer or prophecy, she must not be in violation of the culture and of her husband.

6. b) If the woman is married, why would she shave her hair? She wouldn’t; that makes no sense. But if she has the audacity to come into this group in this culture without her head covered by her hair or some object, she deserves to have her head shorn bald; for she is showing contempt for her husband, and thus for Messiah who is above her husband.

This text is not addressing a woman who is married and isn’t part of this assembly, being a stranger to the faith.

6. c) Could a shaved married woman pray or prophesy in this assembly? She would first have to cover her head. (This text doesn’t deal with an unmarried woman.) This text only refers to a woman who is praying or prophesying in the assembly; it has nothing to say if the woman is just in attendance.

6. d)  If the woman has cancer, can she pray or prophesy? She would just cover her head. That is all the text is declaring.

7. a) Why does man not need to have the head covered according to this text? He is the image and glory of God.

He does not owe this, but rather he owes to uncover his head if he is wearing a head covering when he comes into the assembly as a mark of the respect of rank before Yeshua in this culture. The issue, here, is hair, not head coverings. I don’t see where coverings like hats or scarfs are directly mentioned anywhere in this text. Making them part of the text is a presumptive error unless proof can be provided.

7. b) Why isn’t the woman also the image and glory of God? She is the glory (importance) of the man. She makes his importance. It is not appropriate to assume that a woman isn’t in the image of God or that she isn’t the glory of God, but rather that she is the glory (not the image) of the man (referring to the husband). She is still in the image of God just as much as the man is, and sometimes more! The emphasis is on glory, on importance. She makes the importance of her husband (since glory in Hebrew is importance). In the same manner, the man is the importance of the Messiah since Messiah is the man’s head. Everyone under the rank and authority of another becomes the importance of the one under whom that person serves.

7. c) What does image mean in this text? It is the sum of the characteristics that produce a resemblance. This is physical in nature as well as psychological and emotional.

7. d) What is glory? It is importance. It can be brightness if a different Hebrew word is used, but normally refers to importance.

7. e) In what respects is a man the glory/importance of God? The higher-ranking person’s reputation is always set by those under that person. Whatever the underlings do, the reputation of the head is either enhanced or is degraded. The willingness to selflessly serve greatly enhances the clout of the leader. Thus, humans are the ones who give importance to God or who demonstrate evil things about God by what they do.

7. f) How is woman the glory of a man? She shows and is his importance. Her abilities and wisdom will only tend to reflect well on him. If she is a tramp, she will greatly lower his importance. His importance can be greatly diminished without her. If she is insipid, obnoxious, rude, annoying, bitchy, or of some other irritable type, she tends to lower his importance because she diminishes his glory.

Proverbs 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

She has greatly increased his importance.

7. g) What if a man desires his woman to do wrong, should she do that, being his importance? No! It is for that very reason that she must refuse. She makes his reputation, and therefore has no business doing wrong if she will prove to be his importance.

7. h) Why is his importance based on a woman? What if a man has no woman? The text states that this is the case, and it is only speaking of a married man and woman. It has nothing to do with singles. She was built to help him in life. She therefore had to be endowed with much greater abilities than he has in areas that he needed help in order to be an excellent helper. Her abilities and her work on his behalf will therefore be the greater part of his reputation and importance.

There is no correlation between being a help and being the importance. These are two different things. While a woman is the importance of a man and a help to that man, no man is a helper of God. He needs no help. But the Bible does state that a man is the importance of God. This text speaks also of being the head. It doesn’t state that God (as in Yehovah the Father) is the head of man, but instead that Messiah is the head of man with God being the head of Messiah. These three must be kept separate. But all three enter into Yehovah’s design. The man is the head of the woman while the woman is the importance and the helper of the man. This all refers to responsibilities and to God-given abilities.

If a man has no woman, he can still achieve much importance in life.

7. i) What is the timing of this? Is it always true? Man is always in the image of God. He thus must always be the glory (importance) of God. Thus, the timing is always.

7. j) Why does Yehovah permit a man to be His importance? It has everything to do with being made in His image. A human is a physical, limited representation of Yehovah. Since a human sees other humans, that human is seeing how important Yehovah is by seeing His limited representation. If a human is as capable as most are, how much more is Yehovah capable? That is why humans are held so responsible. They bear the image of Yehovah.

7. k) If one looks at a violent unbeliever who is also a limited representation of Yehovah, does this represent an evil side of Yehovah? It doesn’t since Yehovah has no evil side. Yehovah uses violence in justice. That doer of evil also has capabilities and responsibilities. That person isn’t being responsible to the image of Yehovah that has been fashioned onto him or her. That is why such a person will suffer great damnation. This person is smearing the image of God with violence contrary to justice.

7. l) Why does a doer of evil behave this way instead of living in accordance with the image of Yehovah that has been formed into him or her? The three reasons for sin are given:

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

This person is pursuing one or more of the above three: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and/or the pride of life. Anyone who follows these passions will not be doing what is right.

7. m) If a person will be among the damned, how can that person be the importance of God? What shows this importance is Yeshua’s always abiding with everyone found in the Lake of Fire and Sulfur forever, everlastingly providing the heat of His wrath. This could not be the case if man were not His importance. The one major torment of the Lake of Fire and Sulfur is Yehovah’s presence being always there.

Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God that is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever. And they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.

7. n) What does “woman is the glory of a man” indicate? She is the importance of a man! That means that a man who has a woman has importance according to her character. If she is a good woman, the man will have much importance even if his character is lacking. If she is an evil woman, his importance will be compromised even if his character is good. A woman can make or ruin a man’s reputation just as a man can make or ruin Messiah’s reputation through sin.

Read the following text carefully, noting the section at the end:

2 Samuel 12:1 And Yehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him. And he said unto him, “There were two men in one city—the one rich and the other poor. 2The rich had exceeding many flocks and herds, 3and the poor had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought and nourished up. And it grew up together with him and with his children. It did eat of his own food and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4And there came a traveller unto the rich man. And he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man’s lamb! And he dressed it for the man that was come to him.” 5And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man! And he said to Nathan, “Yehovah lives! The man who did this shall surely die! 6And he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity!” 7And Nathan said to David, “Thou art the man! Thus says Yehovah God of Israel, ‘I anointed thee king over Israel! And I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul! 8And I gave thee thy master’s house and thy master’s women into thy bosom! And I gave thee the House of Israel and of Judah! And, if too little, I would have also given unto thee such and such things. 9Why hast thou despised the commandment of Yehovah to do bad in His sight? Thou hast murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword and hast taken his woman thy woman! And thou hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon! 10And now the sword shall never depart from thy house because thou hast despised me and hast taken the woman of Uriah the Hittite to be thy woman!’ 11Thus says Yehovah, ‘Behold, I will raise up bad against thee out of thine own house! And I will take thy women before thine eyes, and give unto thy neighbour! And he shall lie with thy women in the sight of this sun. 12For thou secretly did, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun!’” 13And David said unto Nathan, “I have sinned against Yehovah.” And Nathan said unto David, “Yehovah also has put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die. 14And because thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Yehovah to blaspheme by this deed, the child also born unto thee shall surely die.”

If one made in the image of God sins, that person gives others occasion to blaspheme—that is, greatly insult the God in whose image that person is made.

7. o) The last statement is not equivalent to the one before it, since it leaves out image. Why doesn’t the text declare this: “But woman is the image and glory of a man”? She was taken from the man. Thus, she is not his image, but is derived from him with separate parts from him being fashioned into her. An image is a faint representation. She is no faint representation of a man; she is part of the line of Adam. She is every bit as much the image of God as the man. Thus, she is the image of God while being the glory of a man.

7. n) Does the above mean that she is not the importance of God? She is vital to all pictures of God (the image), but her importance makes the man. If she has no man (that is, if she is not part of any man), she is directly responsible to Yehovah and is thus His importance. But if she is part with a man, she is doubly responsible: to Yehovah and to the man. She must do right before Yehovah, and she is the importance of that man. (That is why mistreating/abusing a woman is a crime against Yehovah; she was made to benefit a man, and a man who abuses is showing direct contempt for the gift that Yehovah gave.)

7. o) Does this mean that a man has no importance without a woman? No. He is directly responsible to Messiah, and therefore a portion of his importance is in that representation of Messiah in the man’s own body. He is still the importance and representation of Messiah in limited form. Yet, how many single men still have women in their lives who are their importance? One does not have to be married to be glorified by the work of a woman. This starts early. A mother is the glory of her son.

The man who has no woman is still directly responsible to Messiah, and a man who has a woman is still directly responsible to Messiah. That is his given role on this earth.

8. a) What does “man is not of woman, but woman of man” mean? Man did not come from woman; this is not referring to birth. Woman came from man because Yehovah took her from him and built her to be a help to him in Genesis concerning Adam.

8. b) If woman was taken from man, who is greater in importance? She is the importance of the man! Thus, it would appear that she is more important. Yet that is impossible. She is not more important, but she is the importance of the man! His importance is invested in her! Thus, he is a fool who sees himself as more important than his own importance (the woman)!

9. a) If the woman was created on account of the man, what part of her was created? Her soul was not the same; she had a separate personality. She did not think like Adam. She did not do in life what Adam did as an occupation. Her thoughts were diverse from his and her justice and humility were quite different. She was not a mirror of him. She looked for the Messiah. Adam was bitter against Yehovah.

The part of her that was created was her soul. Her body was built from Adam’s body.

9. b) Again, why was woman created? She was created because Adam was alone, and that was not good, and he needed a helper. Thus, Yehovah designed a being who could do well and help. She was efficient; he was deficient. She completed.

10. a) What does the woman owe? She owes to have authority on the head.

10. b) What does that mean? She has a debt to have and maintain authority on the head.

If we recognize this head to be her husband, it means one thing. If this head is her own head, it means another.

First, she already has authority over her own head; anyone who doesn’t has lost her head! That is insane.

If the text is referring to her owing to have authority by having something on her head, that makes no sense. Whatever is on her head doesn’t show that she has authority.

The only one left is that she owes to have authority on the husband. This makes sense, because she was built to help him. She cannot help him if she has no authority on him. She doesn’t have authority above him, since that would make her his supervisor, but she has authority with him such that she is able to help him when he is unable to help himself. (This occurred numerous times in the Bible.) A man who doesn’t hearken to his helper when she is attempting to help him is a fool, like Nabal in the Bible. Rebecca (Rivka, Rebekah) saved Isaac’s life; she was a helper. She had authority on her head—that is, on her husband, and she used it.

10. c) Why must she fulfill the debt of having authority on the head, her husband? The text states, “on account of the angels/messengers.” The messengers are themselves under authority, and they deliver messages to humans—often to women. The commands to women involve the women’s homes. They therefore must be able to show their husbands what must be done as commanded through the messengers. If they didn’t have authority on their husbands, their husbands could countermand what Yehovah is commanding the women to do. This line of authority is passed down from Yehovah the Father to Yeshua to the man, and finally to the woman. Yehovah sometimes gives commands directly to a woman, however, and her husband is involved in obedience to that command.

Even Joseph and Daniel gave information and instructions to those far higher in rank than they were to save lives.

10. d) What does this verse tell the man? This verse tells the man that the woman owes the debt of having authority on him, and he had better listen, since she will occasionally be speaking the Word of God. When messengers came to women in the Bible, husbands who hearkened to their women were both wise and alive. One who didn’t was very soon dead (I refer to Nabal in 1 Samuel 25).

10. f) What is the timing of the fulfillment of these verses? The situation of these verses is in a particular culture (in Corinth) that views hair, being shorn, and being shaved in a particular way. The timing will be for any time (though this text may speak of a particular End Times event; we will have to discover that, if that is the case).

11. a) What does this verse mean? They are derived from each other. See the next verse. No woman exists without a man first existing, and all men that exist after Adam were born from a woman.

11. b) How does this connect to verses above it? The verses above it dealt with authority and responsibility, especially in the assembly when praying or prophesying. The two, the man and his woman, are a team. They are not equal in the team in abilities or in rank, but they are absolutely equal in that they are both the image of God and are responsible to each other for the sake of the team. Their inequality has to do with their abilities. The woman is often much more able than the man. The man is directly responsible for himself and the woman. He also is the importance of Yeshua.

12. a) In what way is the woman from the man? She was taken from the man (Adam) and built into a woman.

12. b) In what way is the man via the woman? Every man (except Adam) is born from a woman. He comes into the world via a woman.

12. c) Are all things, including sin, from God? Sin is obviously not from God. All things that are created and all forms of life are from God. Every personality is created from God. Every living creature has a personality and individuality. Humans and angels are able to take good things and use them for bad. Even animals and small organisms can do this, because of the fall of man (because sin is in the world).

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.

13. a) Isn’t comeliness very subjective? Yes, it is. So are cultural traditions. This text is exploring a cultural tradition, and rank and authority as Yehovah views it. These two very different views are being combined to instruct those in Corinth and careful readers in any period of the world. One culture will see bald women as being a shame, while another may see it as good fashion. Since this culture in Corinth had views of shame and dishonour, the Spirit of God through Paul is using this culture to explain Truth to folks in Corinth. They did not see anything appropriate about uncovered women praying to God in an assembly. Violating a culture when that is not necessary is rude, and is not part of Godliness.

13. b) What exactly is an uncovered woman in this text? It is a woman whose head is not covered, especially with hair.

14. a) Does nature teach everyone that a man’s long hair dishonours the man? No. This is only the case for this and some other cultures. They observe nature and animal coverings as pictures of honour and dishonour, shame and glory. This is no universal Truth (as a future verse will prove).

14. b) Did nature teach the Israelis that long hair on a man dishonoured the man? No, it didn’t. Those who took the Nazarite vow had to grow their hair. Some were Nazarites for life; cutting their hair would have been a shame.

15. a) Is a woman’s long hair always glory to her? This is not part of many cultures today. Women often cut their hair, preferring to have shorter cuts. Again, this is a cultural issue.

15. b) Why, according to this text, was long hair given to a woman? It was given to her instead of a covering.

16. a) Why would a person even think to be contentious on this issue? A person would potentially be contentious for the following reasons:

  • If the person’s culture saw hair in a very different way, the person might fight for what is in that person’s culture
  • If the person misunderstands the text, the person might be contentious. This is true of some ‘Christian’ faiths today that do misunderstand this text.
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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

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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?

 

 

 

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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!