March 28, 2024

As we have seen repeatedly, English translations don’t always do Hebrew words justice. Check out the true meaning of these next five words.

צבר   Strong’s# H6651

(35)And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

(49) And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

Gen 41:35, 49

צבר is the path that covers the head. It is evident from the context that this word means to stack. Joseph stacked corn as the sand of the sea. Perhaps, more specifically, the corn was layered into many layers like sand.

לקט  Strong’s H3950

And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.

Gen 31:46, KJV

לקט is to guide quickly gathering to a cradle. It is best defined as to pick up or collect something into something else.

קה  Strong’s# H3349

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Gen 49:10, KJV

The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

Pro 30:17, KJV

קה is only used two times. It is quickly gathered manifestated and is the result, outcome, or evidence of קו. In other words, קה is the thing that was instantly secured like the waters in the creation story.

קשש  Stong’s# H7197

Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

Exo 5:7, KJV

קשש is literally, quickly gathered pressed pressing. More simply put, it is to bundle together. It always refers to sticks, straw, or chaff.

עז  Strong’s# H5756

Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.

Exo 9:19, KJV
Additional ref: Isa 10:31

עז is used several times before these two reference verses to refer to a farm animal, presumably a female goat. It is literally to know a resource and is defined in a story about Sampson in Judges 14 where he feeds his parents honey from a lion’s carcass and, not knowing the resource, they received its strength.

The best definition of this word is resourceful – having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties. This is a strength; thus this word is often interpreted strength.

The reason this definition wouldn’t make much sense in the passage above is that the whole verse is mistranslated. Here’s the correct translation:

And her time(at that time) send the resourceful from your cattle and all which are to you in the field. Every human and the animal which he will be found in the field and not he will join the house and he will spread upon them the hail and kill him.

Exo 9:19

The passage is instructing Israel to bring the resourceful of their cattle inside in preparation for the plague of hail in Egypt. That is, bring the most useful and versatile animals inside. Nowhere does it say to gather their animals. Rather it specifies to bring in those of the cattle that are the most resourceful. It goes on to say everything left out will die.

So, knowing the specifics of Hebrew can indeed give us a better understanding of Yahuah’s word and laws. Understanding even the most subtle distinctions can completely change how we understand scripture.

PART 4

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