WHY FORMAL HEBREW CLASSES USING A TEXT BOOK ARE IMPORTANT?

 

You have probably asked why formal Hebrew classes using a textbook are important? Why can't you learn Hebrew ad hoc? 


        If you look at the word that I have highlighted in the text, you will see it begins with the prefix 'ha'. Most of you would have thought of interpreting it immediately as 'the' (definite article) but how can it be 'the' when the word is a verb? You know that, even in English, you cannot put a definite article to a verb. The definite article is only in front of a noun but what if 'ha' is in front of or before (prefixed to) a verb? 

        If you look at the popped-up dictionary on Accordance Bible, it shows 'hifil imperfect'. After you have gone through the Hebrew classes, you will understand what is 'hifil imperfect'. 

Why Textbook?

        The beauty of doing it using a textbook is that, after you have forgotten what is the meaning  of hifil, you roughly know where to refer in the textbook. You won't be able to do this if you attend classes ad hoc here and there. Ad hoc classes will give you only very superficial understanding of Hebrew and it is superficial learning of Hebrew that leads to all the wrong interpretations of the Bible. You will have people saying Jehovah is 'the god of destruction' or even 'the name of the supremely evil.' This is all theological rubbish to me! 

        Now, see how I have scribbled it on Weingreen (textbook) and noted down that 'hifil' as 'causative'. 

        What is causative? It means an action caused by someone or something. For example, the king is `made great' by the Lord. You have the king on one hand and the Lord on the other hand. If the word 'gadol' (adjective,'great') is added a prefix 'hey' to become 'higdil' (a hifil), the word now suggests that it is the Lord who made the king great. 

        

    

        You will also learn that the word that I highlighted is a 'hifil imperfect.' When I refer to the table in Weingreen again, now it is beginning to sink in what I had learnt before. Hifil has the hiriq as the first nikud 'i' (hence, higdil) but when you change it a patach, you know it is imperfect. Imperfect means an action that has not been completed. In contrast to the perfect, the imperfect tells us that it is still ongoing, continuous and will be still happening in the future. 

You will see it and understand

        Yes, you won't see it now! But, trust me, if you are patient to go through the formal classes to learn the language proper, you will understand Hebrew so much better. 

        In this case, the word 'haskilu' is a hifil imperfect masculine plural which means 'to be wise, prudent, understand.' By this, once you have learnt the language proper, you will understand that it is causative (verb shows there is a cause/effect involved here), imperfect and the shuruk used as a suffix (attached to the end of the word) refers to masculine plural (a group of men). 

        Then, you will understand that this verb 'haskilu' refers to the kings. Kings are men and plural. Then, when you look at the context of the sentence, you will learn that the psalmist was urging the kings to (cause) show wisdom in their judgement. 

        You can therefore safely translate this part of the verse as '

        Cause all your judgements to be wise, O kings!" 

   or 'O kings, apply discernment to (or wisdom in) your judgements.' 

        The NASB translates it as 'Now, therefore, O kings, show discernment'. The English translation is static. That's why you are asked sometimes to refer to different English translations. That is the best you can do but you won't know what is the original text to be able to appreciate the meaning more. There is a lot more to the Hebrew used in the Old Testament.

        Once you know the text in the original language, you can give your own variety to the translation so long as it does not deviate from the rules that govern the language or out of the context of the verse.

        Other things that you will see when you read the Old Testament in its original language:

       (a) You will also learn that the name Absalom means 'father of peace.' When David named his Absalom, he had good intentions for him to be a father of peace. Instead, Absalom never lived up to his reputation. 

        (b) Look at this blogpost and you will understand why I say it is theological rubbish when I heard a video of a Westerner who taught that the hey added to Abram's name gave him a new zest of life. In the message I saw on video, this guy was basically introducing Eastern form of Transcendental Meditation when he told people to breathe in and breathe out the name YHWH. 

        Some local pastors are adopting this 'hey' and teaching in churches as a way to interpret Hebrew! Sadly, many are being misled as a result. As the Lord said in the last days, many false prophets and false Christs will arise and lead even the elect astray. We have to be extra cautious these days especially with the accessibility to all sorts of teachings on the Internet. We need to be properly equipped with the word of God to safeguard our faith. 

ZECHARIAH 13: The Fountain of Living Water and the One Shepherd

 

Read Zechariah Chapter 12                                       Read Zechariah Chapter 14        

Zechariah chapter 13:

A simple exegesis based on grammatical observations of the Hebrew text. Some references to Bible Commentaries and Hebrew Lexicons are made to enhance my understanding of the text

By Stephen Ng

‏

‎Zech. 13:1‏ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִֽהְיֶה֙ מָק֣וֹר נִפְתָּ֔ח

לְבֵ֥ית דָּוִ֖יד וּלְיֹשְׁבֵ֣י יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם

לְחַטַּ֖את וּלְנִדָּֽה׃

‎Zech. 13:2‏ וְהָיָה֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא נְאֻ֣ם ׀ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֗וֹת

אַכְרִ֞ית אֶת־שְׁמ֤וֹת הָֽעֲצַבִּים֙ מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְלֹ֥א יִזָּכְר֖וּ ע֑וֹד

וְגַ֧ם אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִ֛ים וְאֶת־ר֥וּחַ הַטֻּמְאָ֖ה אַעֲבִ֥יר מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

‎Zech. 13:3‏ וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־יִנָּבֵ֣א אִישׁ֮ עוֹד֒

וְאָמְר֣וּ אֵ֠לָיו אָבִ֨יו וְאִמּ֤וֹ יֹֽלְדָיו֙ לֹ֣א תִֽחְיֶ֔ה כִּ֛י שֶׁ֥קֶר דִּבַּ֖רְתָּ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה

וּדְקָרֻ֜הוּ אָבִ֧יהוּ וְאִמּ֛וֹ יֹלְדָ֖יו בְּהִנָּבְאֽוֹ׃

‎Zech. 13:4‏ וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא

יֵבֹ֧שׁוּ הַנְּבִיאִ֛ים אִ֥ישׁ מֵחֶזְיֹנ֖וֹ בְּהִנָּֽבְאֹת֑וֹ וְלֹ֧א יִלְבְּשׁ֛וּ אַדֶּ֥רֶת שֵׂעָ֖ר לְמַ֥עַן כַּחֵֽשׁ׃

‎Zech. 13:5‏ וְאָמַ֕ר לֹ֥א נָבִ֖יא אָנֹ֑כִי

אִישׁ־עֹבֵ֤ד אֲדָמָה֙ אָנֹ֔כִי

כִּ֥י אָדָ֖ם הִקְנַ֥נִי מִנְּעוּרָֽי׃

‎Zech. 13:6‏ וְאָמַ֣ר אֵלָ֔יו

מָ֧ה הַמַּכּ֛וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה בֵּ֣ין יָדֶ֑יךָ

וְאָמַ֕ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֻכֵּ֖יתִי בֵּ֥ית מְאַהֲבָֽי׃ ס

‎Zech. 13:7‏ חֶ֗רֶב עוּרִ֤י עַל־רֹעִי֙ וְעַל־גֶּ֣בֶר עֲמִיתִ֔י

נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת

הַ֤ךְ אֶת־הָֽרֹעֶה֙ וּתְפוּצֶ֣יןָ הַצֹּ֔אן

וַהֲשִׁבֹתִ֥י יָדִ֖י עַל־הַצֹּעֲרִֽים׃

‎Zech. 13:8‏ וְהָיָ֤ה בְכָל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה

פִּֽי־שְׁנַ֣יִם בָּ֔הּ יִכָּרְת֖וּ יִגְוָ֑עוּ

וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖ית יִוָּ֥תֶר בָּֽהּ׃

‎Zech. 13:9‏ וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶת־הַשְּׁלִשִׁית֙ בָּאֵ֔שׁ וּצְרַפְתִּים֙ כִּצְרֹ֣ף אֶת־הַכֶּ֔סֶף

וּבְחַנְתִּ֖ים כִּבְחֹ֣ן אֶת־הַזָּהָ֑ב

ה֣וּא ׀ יִקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֗י

וַֽאֲנִי֙ אֶעֱנֶ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ

אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ עַמִּ֣י ה֔וּא

וְה֥וּא יֹאמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי׃ ס

 

           

         Chapter 13 is a continuation of the poetic writing from the previous chapter. This chapter can be divided into two sections:

·       Verses 1-6: God’s future dealings with the house of Israel and the inhabitants of Jerusalem where there will be a fountain that heals; both the idols and false prophets will be cut off from the land.

·       Verses 7-9: The LORD in that day will strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be dispersed. This reference is used later by the Lord Jesus Himself when speaking to the disciples about His crucifixion.

 

Verses 1-6

         Chapter 13 opens with the phrase, בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא in verses 1, 2 and 4, which is translated as ‘In that day.’ In fact, in the entire Tanakh, this phrase appears 208 times, and 22 in the book of Zechariah. The phrase is used either to speak of a day in the past, or into the future.

         Notice that the yiqtol (qal imperfect, יִהְיֶה) in this passage appears first, followed by the weqatal (or past perfect consecutive וְהָיָה). The Hebrew word יִהְיֶה can be translated as ‘it will be’; this is therefore a narrative about the future.

         While in other passages, it could refer to a specific day in the past, for example, in Genesis 15:18 where God made a covenant with Abram, in Zechariah, the phrase when accompanied by a yiqtol (qal imperfect) יִהְיֶה and a weqatal (qal perfect consecutive) וְהָיָה, refers to a day in the distant future when this entire narrative refers to.

         In “that day”, Zechariah tells us in chapter 13, that:

(a)        Verse 1 starts with the yiqtol (qal imperfect): A fountain (מָק֣וֹר) will be opened. This is not an ordinary fountain, but it is referred to elsewhere in Jeremiah 2:13 ַand 17:13 as מְקוֹר ׀ מַיִם חַיִּים (literally, ‘a fountain of water of life’ or the ‘fountain of living water’). In John 4:10[1] and 7:38[2], Jesus later hinted to Himself as the source of this living water.

(b)        Following the yiqtol verb in verse 1, verses 2-6 then begin with the weqatal (qal perfect consecutive) which describes things that will happen.

·       Verse 2: The LORD of Hosts will cut off the sin of idolatry from the land (of Israel) and cause people to remember no more the names of these gods that they had worshipped. A warning is issued out to the false prophets that like the idols, they, too, will be removed if they do not turn from their ways.

·       Verse 3: the prophets who speaks falsely in the name of the LORD will see their own death. This is how serious is the sin of the false prophets who speak in God’s Name. This is a serious warning to those who love to say, “God spoke to me” or “The Lord gave me a new revelation.”

·       Verse 4: the false prophets will be confounded as their prophecies will be found to be nothing, but some lies. This is a nuance derived from the phrase,

“וְלֹ֧א יִלְבְּשׁ֛וּ אַדֶּ֥רֶת שֵׂעָ֖ר לְמַ֥עַן כַּחֵֽשׁ׃”

(Zechariah 13:4 HMT-W4)

This is translated by the NASB as: “and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive;” (Zechariah 13:4 NAS95)

 

This recalls the competition between Esau and Jacob. Esau, being the forefather of the Edomites, moved to the land of Seir (Genesis 36:8-9) which was popular for red sandstone on the southeast of the Dead Sea. The Hebrew word for Seir (‏שֵׂעִיר‎) is like the word for “hairy” (‏שֵׂעָר‎). “Seir” and “Mount Seir”, therefore, became synonyms for Edom (2 Chron. 20:10; 25:11; Ezek. 35:15).^[3] At the same time, the hairy cloak could also be an allusion to Elijah’s clothes (2 Kings 1:8), as Elijah was considered one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament.^[4]

·       Verse 5: It will come a time when the false prophets will know that the title that they have been carrying is worth less than the lowest of the professions – a tiller of the ground (like Cain) and a slave sold in his youth (like Joseph into Egypt where the free Hebrews were already despised, what is worse, a slave!). For fear of their own lives, these false prophets will deny emphatically that they are prophets. The word וְאָמַ֕ר is a weqatal (or qal perfect consecutive)

וְאָמַ֕ר לֹ֥א נָבִ֖יא אָנֹ֑כִי

(Zechariah 13:5 HMT-W4)

 

·       Verse 6: Instead of acknowledging that the wounds they received were from the sword (חֶרֶב) of the LORD (refer verse 7), for speaking false prophecies using the LORD’s name, they will try to hide their identities. Just as they were prepared to lie, they will continue lying about the wound they received as just ordinary wounds.

 

Verses 7-9

         Verses 7-8 is a prophetic vision about the one Shepherd whom the LORD of Hosts consider as his Associate or Friend (עֲמִיתִ). Isaiah later spoke about the bruised Messiah (Isaiah 53:4-7). The Victor riding on the donkey entering Jerusalem will first be smitten, and His own disciples will abandon him like scattered sheep (Matthew 26:31, 56).^[5]

Zechariah goes on to speak about the remnant of Israel who will be refined as silver (כֶּסֶף) or gold (זָּהָב) tested by fire (אֵשׁ). It is only after they are refined and tested by fire that they will call on the name of the LORD

 וְה֥וּא יֹאמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי

(Zechariah 13:9 HMT-W4)

 

Lindsey explains the purpose of God’s judgement on the people of Israel:

The surviving remnant will have been purged and purified by the persecutions in the Tribulation, as well as by God’s judgment on living Israel at the Second Advent (cf. Ezek. 20:33-38; Matt. 25:1-30). They will call on the name of the Lord in faith (Zech. 12:10-13:1) and become a restored nation (Rom. 11:26-27). Their renewed covenant relationship with the Lord (Hosea 1-2; Jer. 32:38-41; Ezek. 37:23-28) will be reflected in God’s words, They are My people (cf. Zech. 8:8), and the people’s response, The LORD is our (lit., “my”) God (cf. Hosea 2:21-23).^[6]

 

         Chapter 13 is not the end. It is what Chapter 14 unfolds that raises hope for the people of God.

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[1] “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”” (John 4:10 NAS95)

[2] ““He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’””

(John 7:38 NAS95)

^[3]Walter L. Baker, Obadiah (The Bible Knowledge Commentary; ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck; Accordance electronic ed. 2 vols.; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 1:1454.

^[4]Edwin A. Blum and Jeremy Royal Howard, eds. HCSB Study Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010), paragraph 17264.

^[5]F. Duane Lindsey, Zechariah (The Bible Knowledge Commentary; ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck; Accordance electronic ed. 2 vols.; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), paragraph 19826.

^[6]F. Duane Lindsey, Zechariah (The Bible Knowledge Commentary; ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck; Accordance electronic ed. 2 vols.; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), paragraph 19827.