To learn to read and to understand the words of Scripture
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּה֩ מֹשֶׁ֨ה עֶֽבֶד־יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כַּכָּתוּב֙ בְּסֵ֨פֶר֙ תֹּורַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִזְבַּח֙ אֲבָנִ֣ים שְׁלֵמֹ֔ות אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־הֵנִ֥יף עֲלֵיהֶ֖ן בַּרְזֶ֑ל וַיַּעֲל֨וּ עָלָ֤יו עֹלֹות֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַֽיִּזְבְּח֖וּ שְׁלָמִֽים׃ (Joshua 8:31) As Moshe, the servant of YHWH, commanded the children of Yisraʾel, as it is written in the book of the Torah of Moshe: an altar of unhewn stones upon which…
וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶת־הֶ֣חָזֶ֔ה וַיְנִיפֵ֥הוּ תְנוּפָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה מֵאֵ֣יל הַמִּלֻּאִ֗ים לְמֹשֶׁ֤ה הָיָה֙ לְמָנָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (Leviticus 8:29) And Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before YHWH; from the ram of ordination it was Moses’s portion, just as YHWH commanded Moses. The Language of Ordination Leviticus 8:29 belongs to the…
וַיַּקְרֵ֞ב אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיִּתֵּ֨ן מֹשֶׁ֤ה מִן־הַדָּם֙ עַל־תְּנ֤וּךְ אָזְנָם֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֤הֶן יָדָם֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֥הֶן רַגְלָ֖ם הַיְמָנִ֑ית וַיִּזְרֹ֨ק מֹשֶׁ֧ה אֶת־הַדָּ֛ם עַל־הַֽמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ סָבִֽיב׃ (Leviticus 8:24) And he brought near the sons of Aharon, and Moshe put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the…
מַהֲלַךְ תְּלָתָא יוֹמִין נֵיזִיל בְּמַדְבְּרָא וּנְדַבַּח קֳדָם יְיָ אֱלָהָנָא כְּמָא דִּיֵימַר לָנָא: (Exodus 8:23 Targum Onkelos) A journey of three days let us go into the wilderness and let us offer sacrifices before YHWH our God, just as He said to us Voices from the Edge of the Wilderness This verse from Targum Onkelos on…
אֲֽנִי־֭חָכְמָה שָׁכַ֣נְתִּי עָרְמָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת מְזִמֹּ֣ות אֶמְצָֽא׃ (Proverbs 8:12) I, wisdom, dwell with prudence; and knowledge of discretion I find. The Voice of Wisdom in the First Person This proverb is unique in that חָכְמָה (“Wisdom”) speaks in the first person, not as an abstract principle but as a living, self-aware entity. The line unfolds as…
Καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὴν περιστερὰν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ κεκόπακεν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς (Genesis 8:8 LXX) וַיְשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־הַיֹּונָ֖ה מֵאִתֹּ֑ו לִרְאֹות֙ הֲקַ֣לּוּ הַמַּ֔יִם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֥י הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃ The Mission of the Dove in Two Languages Genesis 8:8 describes Noah’s first release of the dove to gauge the earth’s readiness after the flood. The Hebrew and…
כִּֽי־אֵינֶ֥נּוּ יֹדֵ֖עַ מַה־שֶּׁיִּֽהְיֶ֑ה כִּ֚י כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר יִֽהְיֶ֔ה מִ֖י יַגִּ֥יד לֹֽו׃ (Ecclesiastes 8:7) For he does not know what will be, for as it will be, who can tell him? Philosophy in a Whisper This verse from Qohelet (Ecclesiastes) doesn’t shout—it leans in and whispers a riddle: “For he does not know what will be, for as…
Τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ἐπεκράτει σφόδρα σφοδρῶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπεκάλυψεν πάντα τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλά ἃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (Genesis 7:19 LXX) וְהַמַּ֗יִם גָּ֥בְר֛וּ מְאֹ֥ד מְאֹ֖ד עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיְכֻסּ֗וּ כָּל־הֶֽהָרִים֙ הַגְּבֹהִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־תַּ֖חַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ The Flood's Crescendo in Two Tongues Genesis 7:19 is one of the most intense verses in the Flood narrative, narrating the…
Biblical Hebrew’s synonymous expressions often cloak distinct theological and semantic layers beneath their shared English glosses. יָדָע, rooted in knowledge and covenantal intimacy, conveys perception, experience, and divine relationship, while בָּרַךְ—stemming from the notion of kneeling—imparts favor, praise, and liturgical blessing. Their syntactic patterns diverge: יָדָע frequently appears in Qal and Hiphil stems denoting relational…
Εἰσῆλθεν δὲ Νωε καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν διὰ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ (Genesis 7:7 LXX) וַיָּ֣בֹא נֹ֗חַ וּ֠בָנָיו וְאִשְׁתֹּ֧ו וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתֹּ֖ו אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה מִפְּנֵ֖י מֵ֥י הַמַּבּֽוּל׃ A Family in the Face of Judgment Genesis 7:7 records the solemn moment when Noah…