Before God spoke and created the heavens and the earth, he did at least four things that we know of: He created an alphabet, he formed the letters into words, and he gave himself a name, and promised us eternal life [1]
Though many will wish to argue these points, there is no basis for an argument. If the alphabet was not formed by God, then we will be observing phenomena which occurred by chance. And argument is just a distraction from making the observations. If these things happened by chance, one must ask: at what point does the probability of it occurring by chance make it impossible?
If God created the alphabet, then even those who do not wish to learn Hebrew may wish to know why he created it.
The numbers
Hebrew does not have a number system apart from the alphabet. Each letter is also a number. The first 22 letters are the alphabet. The last six are final form letters used when the associated letter is found at the end of a word. Though a final form letter sounds like a customary letter, it's metaphor is different, since the stroke which form the meaning are different.
In the alphabet, the tov ת is the last letter. In the numbers, the final shin is the last number. It equals 1000, but there is no font character for the letter since it is never used in forming a word.
| א | ב | ג | ד | ה | ו | ז | ח | ט | י | כ | ל | מ | נ | ס | ע | פ | צ | ק | ר | ש | ת | ך | ם | ן | ף | ץ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | 600 | 700 | 800 | 900 | 1000 |
The names of the letters
Each letter not only has a symbol and a number, but it has a word which is it's name. The aleph has the symbol א and the name אלף. Since the name is a word, it also may have different meanings. Aleph אלף means 'one thousand.' Jesus and the apostles sometimes play with the name, such as "A day is like a thousand years." [2] Or perhaps there is another hint of word-play in "The first will be last and the last will be first" since aleph means one thousand and the final shin has a value of 1000.
There are also references to the number of a name [3] The number of the name of a letter is derived by reading the letters in the name as numbers. Aleph would be 1+30+800. Not many references to these have been found yet [4]
Metaphor
The metaphor of each letter is a big idea. All that God created, all that we can think or say is contained in twenty-seven of the twenty-eight letters. It is a mistake to think that a letter represents a word rather than an idea. There is not a simple decoder ring. You must learn to think in metaphor.
If I say "he met his Waterloo", it is a reference to Napolean's defeat at Waterloo. In the most simplistic way, it simply refers to a defeat. But understanding it in the most simple way loses much of the rich idea that is being communicated. Napolean was overconfident, he was ill-prepared, and he met an opponent that was not easily scared away by Napolean's reputation. A more subtle reference might be that the supply lines were too long. This is thinking in metaphor. The reference has many ways that it could be expressed or many subtle ideas upon which to focus.
There are primary and secondary metaphor. Distinguishing between them is not a critical skill unless a detailed proof is required. Generally, these detailed proofs will be desired by those in academic pursuits which would be tedious for the rest. Occasionally, when a metaphor is stated in a way which is not immediately recognizable, a brief explanation may be required.
Determining the meaning of the letters
The Bible was written by men but inspired by God. [5] Men saw things that happened and recorded them. But invisibly, God worked in the events that they observed; he caught their attention to observe them; he guided their learning so they had words available to them; and he guided them in the use of the words to describe the events in such a way, that all of them are used to paint a picture of Christ, hidden in childish puns and riddles.
God used the lives of people to produce words in a book that had meaning of which the human authors were aware, but often contained additional meaning--that is to say, deeper meaning--of which the authors were unaware. Later in history, the readers of the books would not be aware until after the cross. Now Biblical Hebrew presents the most wonderful puzzles; divine puzzles, sufficiently complex to challenge the most clever and yet so simple that all may participate in solving these puzzles.
The puzzles can be approached through patterns as seen in Acts 12, or in detailed word studies as seem in Genesis 1:1. They can be approached directly as the most wonderful puzzles ever created. As puzzles, one part is to understand their intent by the meanings of individual letters. Here are the clues:
- 1. The strokes within letters must plausibly be related to the meaning of the letters.
- 2. The meaning of the letters must be expressions of the same metaphor in every word they are used.
- 3. The meaning of the word must plausibly be able to be constructed using the metaphor of the letters within.
- 4. The meaning of the letters and words must always contribute to an understanding of Christ, and him crucified [6] [7].
You may solve the puzzle using the strokes and building letters, or by reverse engineering over 8000 Hebrew words to the meaning of the letters within.
As you can imagine, the details of solving the puzzles would be tedious, but should be able to be reproduced. Most will be content to see that the puzzles are solved, and be happy to use the results for the next level of the puzzles which is identifying vignettes of Christ hidden in the scriptures (as in Acts 12).
Here not only will the solution to the meanings of the letters be examined, but the doctrines suggested by each metaphor will be expressed.
The letters
The Hebrew square text letters are formed around a square template. Other forms of letters exist, but they are the profane script. The square text is the sacred script. It doesn't show up until late in archeological finds until it was exposed and defiled during the captivity [8], because it was kept from public view.
The upper horizontal line represents heavenly or spiritual things which can be known. If a letter starts above the line, it represents things that can't be known. The lower horizontal represents earthly or fleshly things. If a letter descends below the line, it represents death.
The strokes of the letters are interpreted clockwise starting in the upper left. As it descends on the right side, it represents love and reminds us that God first loved us [9] As the strokes return on the right, it represents holiness. In the course of life (lower horizontal, right to left) God makes us holy [10].
This is the original 'circle of life' which has been remembered, though dimly, in ancient cultures which preserved it in oral tradition. God first created the heavens, and in love created the earth. He then taught us to be holy, so we could return to him.
Aleph א
Name: aleph אלף - teach, learn [11], oxen, family [12], thousand [13]
- 'I א mouth/edge לפ'
- לף-פל edge/divider לף reverses פל distinguished
Formation: The aleph is formed with a vav ו diagonally \ separating heaven from earth and love from holiness. Though there is only one creation, it is represented with two yods י suggesting two aspects of creation. The upper is the heavens, and the lower is the earth.
Theology
- dualism
- Trinity
- creation by separation
- his name
- split conversation
- heaven - spirit and love
- earth - flesh and holy (separate, good)
- role of the Holy Spirit
- Role of the firmament
- war between heaven and earth
- Thought- work-result
- one and thousand
- sacrifice before beginning
- king - church and christ 100x10
- oxen -works and bound by love
- before beginning reconciliation (promise of life) From God to God.
- divider - judge
Bet ב
Name: bath בת or bayith בית - daughter, town, village, first, branches, children, company, eye, old [14], a unit of liquid measure [15]
Formation: A rosh ר intersects the 'earth' _
Theology
- Revelation to man
- God's initiative
- In man
- Among men
- They did not know him
- house
- Son/Word
Gimel ג
Formation: A nun with the lower leg elevated in love.
Theology
Dalet ד
He ה
Vav ו
Zayin ז
Chet ח
Tet ט
Yod י
Kof כ
Lamed ל
Mem מ
Nun נ
Samech ס
Ayin ע
Pe פ
Tsadi צ
Qof ק
Rosh ר
Shin ש
Tov ת
Final Kof ך
Final Mem ם
Final Nun ן
Final Pe ף
Final Tsadi ץ
Final Shin
References
- ↑ . Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world [aeons - time] began;
- ↑ 2Pe 3:8 ¶ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
- ↑ Re 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
- ↑ This hermeneutic has only recently been discovered.
- ↑ 1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
- ↑ 1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
- ↑ Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
- ↑ Da 5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which [was] at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
- ↑ 1Jo 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
- ↑ 1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
- ↑ 0502
- ↑ 0504
- ↑ 0505-0507
- ↑ 01323
- ↑ 01324-5