Tag: name

The Dwelling Place

Posted on by jovial_cynic
We have this religious word “Tabernacle,” which sounds quite grandious and holy and spiritual, but it’s just the latin word for fancy tent. It’s “Tabernaculum,” whereas a normal tent would be “taberna.”

Fun fact: taberna is where we get the word tavern – a place where people eat and drink together. It’s a meeting place. One might call it a holy place!

Anyway, we get this word “Tabernacle” as a translation of the Hebrew word “Mishkan.”

The Mishkan is the physical place where God dwells with Israel in the Scriptures: it’s “God’s tent,” as it were. It’s quite an extravagent tent, with blue and purple and scarlet fabric, and gold latches and curtains of goat hair.

Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and violet, purple, and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer.
Exodus 26:1 (NASB)

Then you shall make curtains of goats’ hair as a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all.
Exodus 26:7 (NASB)

You shall also make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit.
Exodus 26:6 (NASB)

But the point isn’t the structure or the appearance.

The Hebrew word Mishkan is the noun form of the verb shakhan, which means “to dwell.” To be with.

The understanding is that the Mishkan is God dwelling with us in a physical place in our world. But the concept of it is greater than the physical material that built it. The Jewish people understood this, and they created a word to describe this spiritual reality: The Shekhinah. (sheh-ken-AH), or the “Presence of God.”

This word isn’t in the Bible, but I’ll break the Hebrew down for you.

When a Hebrew verb becomes a concrete noun, it often gets an “M” sound in front. That’s how shakhan (שָׁכַן) becomes Mishkan (מִשְׁכָּן). Again, that’s “tabernacle” or “great tent.”

But when the verb becomes an abstract noun, it gains an “H” at the end along, with some additional vowel changes. So shakhan (שָׁכַן) becomes Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה).

The Mishkan/Tabernacle is the concrete image of God’s dwelling place (a tent), whereas the Shekhinah is the abstract concept of God’s spiritual presence.

Interestingly, concrete nouns are often masculine, and abstract nouns are feminine.

Consider the Hebrew words for man and woman. Man is Ish; Woman is Ishah. The woman is identified with the “H” at the end, so there’s the feminine link.

But also, I’ve previously written that the woman represents the Spirit of humanity, whereas the man represents the Flesh.

When we get to Genesis 17 where God changes Abram and Sarai’s names, in the Hebrew it’s very clear: God adds an “H” to each of their names… which can be understood to mean something. Not that they’re now both “feminine,” but they are now both “spiritual.”

In the same way shakhan (to dwell) becomes the Shekhinah (the Presence), Abram/Sarai become Abraham/Sarah – the spiritual carriers of the Presence of God. And this happens in the same chapter as the Covenant of Circumcision. Or as I call it, the Commitment.

This idea of God’s presence linked to a Covenant that requires our commitment happens in an interesting way in Torah. Remember: shakhan just means “to dwell.” Every instance of this word in Genesis is talking about a person dwelling somewhere. Always a human.

But EVERY time in Exodus, beginning when it first appears in chapter 24, the word is NEVER used to mean the dwelling place of a person.

It’s exclusively used to describe the dwelling place of GOD.

And wouldn’t you know it, Exodus 24 is the outlay of… the Covenant.

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”
Exodus 24:7 (NASB)

So we have a very clear relationship between Covenant-and-Commitment and The Dwelling Place of God. But how do we see this with Abraham? What evidence is there that God has made his dwelling within Abraham?

Look at these 3 instances of the way the text describes how God meets Abraham.

Genesis 7:15 – “then appeared Yahweh to Abram”
Genesis 17:1 – “and appeared Yahweh to Abram”
Genesis 18:1 – “And appeared to him Yahweh”

The Rabbis see significance in this change.

In the first two instances, God’s name is first, as you’d expect. But in the third, God’s name appears second, after the reference to Abraham. And the rabbis say that this is the meaning: God now dwells WITHIN Abraham.

Going forward, Abraham isn’t described as having visions or glimpses of the Divine. He now walks WITH God. It’s in this same chapter that God says He will not hide things from Abraham. It’s because God lives within him.

The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,”
Genesis 18:17 (NASB)

Abraham IS the Mishkan living out the Shekhinah.

The notion that God’s people are the temple, and that the Holy Spirit dwells in us is tied to this very thing. This is the root of the teaching.

But it’s linked to a Covenant where we must engage in a “spiritual circumision.” We must lean in.

What I’m describing here is not a “heaven vs. hell” scenario. Rather, I’m describing a life where God is either perceived as something on the outside, leading the way… or God is living inside of you and allowing you to see the world through God’s eyes.

According to the text, this isn’t automatic. It requires our heart. Our whole committed heart. “Circumcision.” This is what it means to walk with God.

Is this your desire? I hope so. Because it is also God’s desire.

Every Letter of Torah

Posted on by jovial_cynic
When Sarai is given the name Sarah, unlike Abram (who simply received the letter “heh”), Sarai loses the letter “yod” in her name, and it is replaced by the letter “heh.”

שָׂרַי -> שָׂרָה

Why? What could it mean?

The Midrash has an interesting quip about that.

“Why am I removed from the great woman of faith?” the little yod asks God. And to let him know that he was not forgotten, God placed the little yod on a future hero of faith: Joshua in Numbers 13:16.

These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
Numbers 13:16 (NASB)

הוֹשֵׁעַ -> יְהוֹשֻׁעַ

This is why I love the Midrash so much.

Not because it provides definitive answers, but because it is the result of asking good questions.

Never stop asking questions.

El Shaddai

Posted on by jovial_cynic

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
Genesis 17:1 (NIV)

There is so much depth in the Hebrew names of God, and the English has a hard time capturing it succinctly.

Yes, “El Shaddai” means “God Almighty.” But it also means so much more.

Shaddai is a word that has several meanings. The root is assumed to be SH-D-D, related to power, force, and destruction. The related Hebrew word “shadad” means to devastate, ravage, or plunder.

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
Proverbs 11:3 (NIV)

The scriptures use this word as power against unrighteousness. Divine judgement.

But some scholars suggest that the root of “El Shaddai” may be something else. Focusing on the last part of the word (dai), the Hebrew meaning becomes “sufficient” or “enough.”

Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
Exodus 36:6-7 (NIV)

In this, they see El Shaddai as:

The God who is self-sufficient.
The God who is enough.
The God who says ‘it is enough.’

And it’s from this third name (The God who says ‘it is enough’) that we arrive at this teaching that says “with the name יְהֹוָה (I AM), God creates the world and it expands; with the name אֵל שַׁדַּי (God Almighty), God stops the expansion, so the world is contained.”

As the rabbis explored this name, they also saw something special about this covenant of Genesis 17.

Abram was already given a promise of land and progeny in Genesis 15; this new covenant can’t seal those two things which were already unconditionally promised.

So what is new?

God uses this Hebrew word “olam” four times in this chapter, which means “everlasting.”

It’s not the first time the word shows up. Previously, God mentions the “everlasting covenant” with all humanity after the flood.

I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Genesis 17:7 (NIV)

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
Genesis 9:16 (NIV)

But what’s different here is this promise of **relationship.**

In Genesis 9, God promises not to destroy the world by flood, but in Genesis 17, God promises to always be Abram’s God and the God of Abram’s descendants.

But this is conditioned on circumcision. An outward sign.

This is the nature of relationships: It has to go both ways. God is not merely “out there” keeping the universe from flying apart. He’s right here, desiring intimacy with us. He wants us to be whole hearted with Him as He is with us.

And if we will not? If Abram refused?

The rabbis see something else in the “sufficient” part of El Shaddai: Perhaps God says if we will not participate with Him, then there is no point to any of it. The world could end in fire and God will still be holy and have kept His word: “shadad = destroyer.”

To be “self-sufficient” is to need nothing. God can do it all himself.

And yet… God desires to engage the world with us, through us, in relationship. He wants us involved. He loves us. Though He is self-sufficient, God *wants* us.

To love God back is to respond.

In this way, our “works” in response earn us nothing. It doesn’t save us from fire or elevate us in righteousness. It is purely the manifestation of relationship: to be circumcised is to dedicate ourselves in relationship. To be circumcised of heart is to belong to God.

There is another meaning of “El Shaddai,” and it is tied to nurturing. It is the word “shad,” or “breasts.”

… because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
Genesis 49:25 (NIV)

In Genesis 49, Jacob blesses his sons, and “shaddai” and “shad” are tied together here.

And there is both a meaning of blessing of progeny and of comfort, like a mother holding her child against her body. Nurturing. Compassion.

El Shaddai cares deeply for you.

All of this in a name of our God: mighty, sufficient, nurturing, compassionate… for us. For you.

Come and meet my God.

A Reflection

Posted on by jovial_cynic
We’re told we are made in the image of God and that God calls us to walk before him, to be like him.

Look closely at Genesis 17:1.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
Genesis 17:1 (NIV)

This is the written name of God: יהוה
This is God’s words to Abram: “and be…:” וֶהְיֵה

It is a reflection: Yod Heh Vav Heh -> Vav Heh Yod Heh

Our Identity

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God gives Abram and Sarai new names in Genesis 17, calling them Abraham and Sarah. We often focus on the meaning of the names:

Abram means “exalted father.”
Abraham means “father of nations.”

Sarai means “my princess.”
Sarah means “princess,” without the confining “my” possessive.

But perhaps we are meant to look at the appearance of the names as well:

The name of God has two “hey” (ה) letters: YHWH (יהוה)

Abram (אַבְרָם) to Abraham (אַבְרָהָם)
Sarai (שָׂרָי) to Sarah (שָׂרָה)

God gives this portion of His name to the first of His people. Their names/identity come from His, as though He has set His own mark on them.

The Two Names

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When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
Genesis 17:1 (NIV)

Prior to Genesis 17, God has been identified by His Name, which speaks to perpetual presence: I AM. ALWAYS.

But when God seals his covenant with Abram in Genesis 17, the earth must have shaken.

I am EL SHADDAI. I am GOD ALMIGHTY!

And Abram threw himself on his face.

The rabbis say the most profound thing about these two names of God.

The correct interpretation of the divine names is as follows: Shaddai is an adjective describing God’s power over creation. The Tetragrammaton, God’s revered and awesome name, stands in contrast to it. The world exists by virtue of these two names.
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 17:1:1

Strange Requirements

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As I begin the study of Genesis 17, I find it so strange.

1. Exceedingly old people being told they’ll have babies: That’s rather weird.

2. God institutes a covenant through circumcision: That’s even weirder.

3. Abram gets his name changed to Abraham, and he is instructed to start calling his wife by a different name as well. That’s just completely bonkers.

Could you imagine if your spouse did that?!

To Life!

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She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
Genesis 16:13-14

Translators and our concordances provide us with the plain and literal meanings of things, which is useful.

In Genesis 16, “Beer Lahai Roi” can be understood as the “well of the Living One seeing me.” The text basically explains itself in the passage.

But the Rabbis point out something else interesting here.

“Beer” (or Be-ayr) is well, or pit, or spring of water.
“Hai/Chai” means “living one,” like souls or living beings.
“Roi” means to see, but also the way a prophet sees. Just not eyeball vision, but like… having a vision.

So we get this “well of the living one who sees.”

Here it is in Hebrew: בְּאֵר, followed by חַי, and then רֹאֶה combined into this one compound word: בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי

Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
1 Samuel 25:6 (NIV)

Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra says the phrase “beer l’chai” is like the phrase “ko l’chai,” which we read in 1 Samuel 25. It’s a cheer of blessing, which means “To life!” or “So may you live!”

If you’ve studied Hebrew or listen to Jewish people, you may have heard the phrase “lechaim” (or “L’Chaim”) which contains the same phrase as a cheer: “To life!” It’s the same thing.

That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
Genesis 16:14 (NIV)

So in this verse, ibn Ezra directs us to this phrase: “It is still there.”

The well was so called because the Ishmaelites held annual festivities at this well. It is still in existence and is called the well of zamum.
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 16:14b

In his commentary, he writes that even at his time (ibn Ezra lived from 1089 to 1167), it was common knowledge that the sons of Ishmael once held festivities there as an annual tradition.

He reasons that the phrase “l’chai roi” was a cheer of blessing, meaning “to seeing life NEXT YEAR!”

So the name of the well can also be understood as a promise to Hagar that Ismael will be born next year: it’s in the next year that you’ll see the promised life. L’chai Roi.

BEER-LAHAI. Beer lahai means the well of him who will be alive next year.
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 16:14a

The astute student of Scripture should get goosebumps here.

But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
Genesis 17:21 (NIV)

In our typical speed-run through scripture, we read that God later tells Abram that Ishmael is not the son of the covenant, but “by this time next year,” the covenant with Isaac will be established.

But this “life by next year” was already given to Hagar.

This doesn’t take away from Isaac or Abram and the covenant God makes with them. But what it does is firmly establish that God cares deeply for the oppressed: those who suffer will get God’s attention first. God will not abandon those who cry out to him due to their afflication.

In due time.

L’chaim.

Called by Name

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The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
Genesis 16:7-8 (NIV)

The first words to the lowly slave woman aren’t spoken by Abram, man of God. It isn’t by Sarai, woman of God and the one responsible for her. It’s by the angel of God, and he calls her by name.

The first time we read that an angel speaks, it’s to the one we’ve oppressed.