![]() Is that of any significance? Well, it may affect how you interpret some other parts of the Bible as well. The name of the first woman, Chava (in English usually Eve or Eva), comes from the word chai – Hebrew for life. Which, coincidentally, that is what God made Adam out of. At the same time, the word adama means earth or soil. The first man was called Adam, which in Hebrew simply means “man”. That is, the names of the first people that appear in the Bible have a specific meaning in Hebrew. Nevertheless, there is a very strong argument for it. Today, it is the official language of a country and the native tongue of about five million people.ĭid God really speak Hebrew to the first people He created? We cannot know that for sure (but we do know that the story of creation was written in Hebrew). It is hard to believe that only scholars and religious practices used the language of the Bible for centuries. And every generation discovers them anew. This ancient tongue held the greatest spiritual truths that guided our lives through the ages. With the use of the Hebrew language God revealed Himself to mankind. But before we share what they are, let’s answer the question WHY. And imagine how much deeper you could dive into the Word of God with basic understanding of Hebrew! To get you started, in the coming weeks we want to introduce you to seven Hebrew words every Christian should know. If you have travelled to Israel, you know how much a trip like that enhances your comprehension of Scripture.Īll the blessings above are unique to our generation. Most of us a have a Bible at home-or even several. We can connect with Israel and Hebrew speakers easily. We have a sea of knowledge at our fingertips. More and more believers today study the Bible and wonder, am I getting the complete understanding of the Hebrew words? The Ark represents the golden box which contained the Ten Commandments in the original Temple in that city.The Meaning of Hebrew Words and Scripture It is kept in the Holy Ark, a cupboard which is usually built into the East wall of the synagogues in the United Kingdom, as this is the direction of Jerusalem. The Sefer Torah is the holiest object in the synagogue, and the way in which it is dressed and treated emphasises this very fact. These continue to provide the basis for further discussion and interpretation by rabbis and yeshiva students. Orthodox Jews believe that as well as being given the written Torah on Mount Sinai, Moses also received the oral law that was to be passed down, initially by word of mouth, from one generation to another until eventually being written down in the form of the Mishnah, the Talmud and the Midrash. However, according to rabbinic tradition, the Torah is one of seven things which were created before the world existed, and that it was present in heaven before God revealed it to Moses. Jewish tradition tells us Moses received the Torah from God at Mount Sinai. The notion of the pre-existence of the Torah has been a basis for philosophical rabbinic debate throughout the centuries. The Torah contains all of the mitzvot required in order to practise the religion and acts as the means by which Jews can maintain their part of the covenant relationship which was made with God at Sinai. The Jewish faith is centred upon the Torah which acts as the primary means by which God communicates with human beings. They also set out the ethical ideals of the Jewish people. The five books of Moses contain 613 commandments in all, which show how God wants Jews to live. The five books of Moses are therefore of the greatest importance to Jews as they contain the mitzvot (commandments) by which they are to live as people chosen by God. Most Jews believe that God dictated the Torah to Moses during the forty days he spent on Mount Sinai. It is the central and most important document of the Jewish religion and has been used as the basis of the Jewish faith throughout its history. However, it can also mean the whole of Jewish teaching. The word Torah literally means ‘instruction’ or ‘teaching’ and refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. ![]()
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