One aspect that I love about being in a Hebrew speaking country is studying the Bible in Hebrew, for it is then that you can notice many nuances in the OT texts that are lost in our English translations. At the Thursday night Bible study, Pastor Baruch has been teaching through the book of Judges. Chapters 17-18 tell the story of Micah, his idols, his priest, and his holy place. By way of introduction, Baruch explained how the stories of the judges are not all arranged chronologically but in some cases overlap or happen earlier that we realize. There is a phrase in Judges 18:30 that dates this story, he said, and shows that it took place soon after the death of Joshua and his ruling elders.
Verse 30 of chapter 18 gives a chronology of this traveling Levite who willingly accepts Micah's offer to become his paid priest. In English, it reads, "Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh." Clear enough, right? However, in the Hebrew text, an unusual format in the word Manasseh catches your eye. The Hebrew letter nun, which makes the "n" sound in Manasseh, is perched above the other letters in the word, like an exponent perched above its number base in a mathematical equation. Why doesn't this letter have the same orientation as the other letters in the word? It is because it was added later and is not a part of the original word. If the nun is removed, the name returns to its original form: Moshe, Hebrew for Moses. Moses' son was named Gershom (Ex 2:22), and Gershom was this man's father. Jonathan, the Levite for hire, was Moses' grandson.
Why then was the nun added? The rabbinical Jews and their scribes so revered Moses that they were ashamed that such a close relative would serve so unfaithfully in such a holy exclusive office. However, God clearly warns against anyone adding to or taking away from His word. So, they compromised, hanging the nun above, not in, the word in order to obscure the direct relationship to Moses. It's easy to so revere and honor a man or woman of God that we place them on so high a pedestal that so sin can reach them - whether it be their own or that of someone close to them. God never does that in the Bible, but He shows man exactly as he is. Apart from God, we can do nothing, but in Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit and all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. I'm so thankful that we don't have to be perfect to be men and women after God's own heart!
Verse 30 of chapter 18 gives a chronology of this traveling Levite who willingly accepts Micah's offer to become his paid priest. In English, it reads, "Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh." Clear enough, right? However, in the Hebrew text, an unusual format in the word Manasseh catches your eye. The Hebrew letter nun, which makes the "n" sound in Manasseh, is perched above the other letters in the word, like an exponent perched above its number base in a mathematical equation. Why doesn't this letter have the same orientation as the other letters in the word? It is because it was added later and is not a part of the original word. If the nun is removed, the name returns to its original form: Moshe, Hebrew for Moses. Moses' son was named Gershom (Ex 2:22), and Gershom was this man's father. Jonathan, the Levite for hire, was Moses' grandson.
Why then was the nun added? The rabbinical Jews and their scribes so revered Moses that they were ashamed that such a close relative would serve so unfaithfully in such a holy exclusive office. However, God clearly warns against anyone adding to or taking away from His word. So, they compromised, hanging the nun above, not in, the word in order to obscure the direct relationship to Moses. It's easy to so revere and honor a man or woman of God that we place them on so high a pedestal that so sin can reach them - whether it be their own or that of someone close to them. God never does that in the Bible, but He shows man exactly as he is. Apart from God, we can do nothing, but in Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit and all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. I'm so thankful that we don't have to be perfect to be men and women after God's own heart!
posted by In The Potter's Land | 12:01 AM
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