ARTB Bible Blog 1.25.2012: Would you be a BUSINESS PARTNER with the IN-LAWS?
Partner with us, give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you. (Genesis 34:9, ARTB)
A note from A. Frances Werner:
This passage occurs after Jacob's daughter Dinah was violated by Shechem, the son of Hamor. His father approaches Jacob, and proposes a PARTNERSHIP which would be consummated by the marriage of their offspring. The story goes on to tell of the circumcision and subsequent murder of Hamor and Shechem and all the men of the city led by Simeon and Levi. The sordid story itself is ugly from every angle, but there is an interesting nugget for meditation.
Ancient Roots renders the Hebrew word KHATAN (Strong's 2859) as PARTNER or IN-LAW. In most translations it is rendered as MARRIAGE or INTERMARRIAGE. But Ancient Roots assigns the word MARRIAGE to the Hebrew word BEL (Strong's 1166) and the word INTERMARRIAGE to ERB, Strong's 6154. Technically, according to the Translinear method of Ancient Roots, the word PARTNER could be replaced with a verb form, to BE-IN-LAWS. That would work, but the strength of the word may be lost.
What could be lost? In our American culture, simply being IN-LAWS may not mean much. It can be a meaningless title inherited after a wedding which doesn't affect your life at all. However, in certain marriages, it is the beginning of a cherished relationship, sometime closer than other family members. In the culture of the Israelites and their surrounding neighbors, getting married meant you were now PARTNERS not only with your spouse, but in an active way with the other family. Jacob worked for many years for his father-in-law, Laban, as a PARTNER, closer to our understanding of a BUSINESS PARTNER, to make his livestock a booming success. Moses likewise worked as a PARTNER with his father-in-law Jethro.
Our culture today describes our SPOUSE as our partner, but generally NOT the in-laws. In earlier years, it was a much higher probability that a new couple could work in one family or the other in the family business. But today, because there are so few family businesses, the idea of being a PARTNER with the IN-LAWS is generally not considered.
Hollywood is filled with funny films about meeting the in-laws. But perhaps a more interesting meditation could happen AFTER the first meeting, more in keeping with this wonderful earlier tradition, both for the new member of the family and the new in-laws. Yes, you love your future spouse and look forward to a long PARTNERSHIP. But how strong is the relationship between the IN-LAWS and couple? Strong enough that you could consider being a BUSINESS PARTNER with each other? If not, why not?
This American culture tenent that we are only PARTNERS with our spouse, but maybe not the IN-LAWS can also affect how we review our relationship in heaven. The wedding feast of the Lamb means that we will be PARTNERS with Jesus (Yeshua), but we are also in PARTNERSHIP with all the IN-LAWS: The whole Trinity plus all the thrones, dominions, powers and angels of heaven! We are in it together. We truly are BUSINESS PARTNERS to accomplish the work of the heavens.
You-were an olive of the wilderness. And when the branches were slit from their locale, you were grafted in. You are a PARTNER to its root and to the oil-soaking of the olive. (Romans 11:17, ARTB)
Blessings!
You can look up all the references for Strong's 2859. They are posted under the tab ARTB BIBLE SEARCH if you enter the number 2859.
ARTB Bible Blog 12.13.11, Devil or Eating Pest?
Then Jesus was guided from the holy Spirit-wind to the wilderness, that he would-be tempted from the EATING PEST. (Matthew 4:1, ARTB)
A note from A. Frances Werner:
Thanks to both Larry M. and Edward S. for asking the question: Why is the name EATING PEST used instead of the word DEVIL?
If you start reading the ARTB New Testament from page 1, this is the first time, but not the last time you will see the name EATING PEST associated with the devil. This is a colorful name that occurs in Aramaic, but not Greek.
In Greek, the root of the word in Matthew 4:1 is DIABOLOS (Greek Strong's 1228), which is correctly rendered as DEVIL. But in Aramaic, there are two separate words utilized. The first is EATING, which is identical in both Hebrew and Aramaic (AKAL, Hebrew Strong's 399, 400). This word is used over 800 times in the Old Testament and 177 times in the New Testament and is always rendered as a form of EATING (EAT, ATE) in the ARTB.
The second word, PEST, is also identical in Hebrew and Aramaic (QRU, Hebrew Strong's 7170, 7171), but was used only once in the Old Testament, but 37 times in the New Testament. (Strong's 7171 was originally rendered as GADFLY in its single occurance in Jeremiah 46:20, but with the additional information in the New Testament, it will be rendered as PEST in future editions.)
So what does EATING PEST mean? My thinking is that the description in Aramaic is similar to a MOSQUITO: Satan is always buzzing around, looking for an opportunity to suck your blood. He keeps biting until he's full, then leaves you itching as a reminder that he's been there. That certainly gives me a vivid picture of the temptation in the desert. Satan circled again and again with different temptations, trying to bite, trying to win. Thanks to the power of the Word from the Word himself, he lost!
Please ask continue to ask questions as they arise. It lets me know places where a footnote might help in the next edition. You ask directly with the Contact form in the left column. To look at previous Bible Blogs, click on MORE BIBLE BLOGS above. To sign up to have the Bible Blogs sent to you, send us a note at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Blessings!
Ancient Roots now available in KINDLE at Amazon!
The Ancient Roots Translinear Bible (ARTB) New Testament is now available as a Kindle e-book for $9.99!
This is an important announcement for those of you who live outside of the United States as well as those who want another copy readily available on their iPads, mobile devices and tablets.
But here is a more important bit of information: Did you know that you can download Kindle for FREE on your home computer at kdp.amazon. com?
I just learned this in the last few weeks: You do NOT need to buy a Kindle device to be able to read Kindle books! For those of you who do serious bible research, you may want a Kindle version because the search feature in Kindle is fabulous. You can type in any word, and it will pull up all the references automatically.
You can do a trial with the ARTB New Testament once you have the Kindle software loaded. Go to the Kindle site, and click as if you are going to buy. The site will offer you a sample to download and check out. (You will not be able to pull ALL the references with the sample copy, because it only includes the first portion of the New Testament. But it does give you a feel for the capability.)
Paperback copies are available at Amazon.com for $12.95, plus discounts for multiple copies.
Blessings!
A. Frances Werner
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About the author:
Ms. A Frances Werner has spent over 40 years in Bible study, both as a participant, a group leader and a teacher. She brings a love of the Bible and a lifelong love of archeology and biology to the Ancient Roots project. Ms. Werner has B.A. in Biology with certification for secondary education from the University of Missouri (1976), an M.A. in Ecology from Washington University (1978) and an M.B.A. from Washington University in 1987. Ms. Werner’s career began in the laboratory where she published a dozen technical papers on various topics in ecology in peer reviewed journals. The author has had extensive experience evaluating enormous databases. Several articles demonstrated the analysis on a US government environmental database with 80 million data points. It is this skill which particularly catapulted this project from analyzing 20 bible versions to the creation of a translinear methodology to correct the missing vocabulary by compiling the best of the experts right in the text instead of a separate reference book. Ms. Werner’s career in business spanned 20 years moving from the laboratory to a Vice President in Sales and Marketing in a Fortune 500 company. The Ancient Roots project has been a full-time endeavor since 2001.
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