ARTB Bible Blog

I'm pleased to announce the release of the Strong-Werner Numbers edition of the ARTB New Testament.

It is now available for $9.99 at Amazon's Kindle store.

This new product not only gives a Strong's number for each and every word, but also expands the basic Hebrew/Aramaic Strong's numbering system to include unique New Testament words that do not occur in the Old Testament.

If you've never used Strong's numbers before, this may be the product that will entice you to start! 

For example, take a look at what you will find in Revelation 20:1:  

REV20.1 I ^8372D saw ^2370M another ⁰³¹⁷ messenger ⁴³⁹⁸ descending ^2369Z from ⁴⁴⁸¹ heaven ⁸⁰⁶⁵. The ⁹⁹⁹⁹ key ^7040Z of ¹⁶⁶⁸ the ⁹⁹⁹⁹ Abyss ⁸⁴¹⁵ existed ⁰³⁸³ over ^5922A him ^1958A and ²⁰⁵⁰ a ⁹⁹⁹⁹ great ⁷²²⁹ chain ^G0254 was ⁰⁰⁰⁰ in ⁰⁸⁷¹ his ^1886B hand ^0343Z.

Without knowing Aramaic or consulting the manuscript, you can find that the words MESSENGER, HEAVEN, and ABYSS are identical to OT Hebrew/Aramaic. Words like KEY and HAND are unique to New Testament Aramaic, while the word CHAIN is a Greek word.  See details about the simple code below.

There are many more details about the product in the INTRODUCTION section of the book, which you can examine for free under the LOOK INSIDE feature at Amazon. Also, be sure to download a sample onto your system to make sure it words for you. Simply CLICK on the book picture above to go directly to Amazon.

Please help me get the word out!  Send a Twitter, Blog, e-mail, text message or Facebook note to your friends.

Blessings!

A. Frances Werner

What is a Strong-Werner number?

The Strong’s number series developed by James Strong¹ did NOT include numbering for the Aramaic New Testament. Instead, his system utilized one series of numbers (1-8674) for the Hebrew/Aramaic Old Testament and a different set (1-5624) for the Greek New Testament. Utilizing his Hebrew/Aramaic numbering system as the base, I added an alphabetic prefix or suffix to the Strong’s number to expand the original system to include the unique and modernized Aramaic words in the New Testament. Hence, these are called Strong-Werner numbers. Here is the simple code:

• Words that are identical with Old Testament Hebrew or Aramaic maintain the original Strong’s number, but may include an A, B, or C suffix.
• Words that are modern derivatives (at the New Testament times) of Old Testament Hebrew or Aramaic maintain the original Strong’s number, but include an M, N, or O suffix.
• Words that are unique to the Aramaic New Testament have a 4 digit number but are followed by a V, W, X, Y or Z suffix. These words were not in the original Strong’s series, and are only assigned the Strong’s number closest to their position in the Hebrew alphabet to preserve his masterful plan.
• Greek words are assigned a G prefix to signal to the reader that the number is an original Greek Strong’s number.
• New 9000 series numbers developed by the author expand the coverage of Strong’s numbers to cover grammar not included in the original series, and allow a Strong’s-Werner number to be assigned to EVERY SINGLE English word.
• Words not in the original manuscripts are italicized and designated as 0000. 

There are NO plans to print this in hard copy at this time.

 [i] James Strong first published his concordance in 1890, and now the concept is available under numerous titles.

On one in the week while dark in the dawn, they came to the burial house bringing aromatics. They had readied these-things, and they had brought other ladies with them. They found that the STONE WAS ROLLED from the burial house. They entered, but never found the body of Jesus. (Luke 24:1-3, ARTB)

Blessings to all of you during these holy days! 

As I think about Easter Sunday, my mind's eye has always had a picture of that stone.  Do you?  I envisioned it as a completely round stone, about the size of a Volkswagon Beetle car.  Other friends have thought of it as being more rectangular, with rounded edges. Many pictures today show it as a round, flat stone, similar to a giant millstone.  But which one is correct?

I found a picture from an archaeological excavation in Syria, a place called Hesban. (I was investigating this because there are two HESBANS in the Old Testament. One was the territory of King Sihon's kingdom (Neh. 9:22), eventually in the land of Gad (1Ch6:81). But there is a second one in the land of Reuben (Jsh13:17). The majority of archaeologists investigating this site believe it was the town of Reuben, not the older site in Gad.)  It shows an archaeologist INSIDE an ancient tomb.

This picture is hard to see. But two important things are apparent: The door for the tomb is very small, approximately 3 x 3 feet.  The gentleman is down the steps inside.

I've added some graphics to the lower picture so you can pick out the door area, which is in GREEN.   

The stone outside is flat and round, even though you can only see a small bit of it rolled to the side. It is like a large millstone, with a hole in its center, which could probably be used to insert a log to help roll it like a wheel on an axle.

Finally, there is an important detail.  There was a small row of stones OUTSIDE the tomb (ORANGE line), holding the stone flush with the door. It did not cover the entire front of the door, but about half way, to prevent the stone from tipping over.

It's also interesting that in the Aramaic New Testament that John 20:1 describes Mary Magdalen seeing the stone was not merely ROLLED away, but PICKED-UP.  Perhaps it was out of the "slot of rocks".

So, the picture in my mind's eye is now corrected, with a little better perspective of seeing the tomb at the crack of dawn, wondering just what had happened. . .

A. Frances Werner

Picture and archaeological information from "Hesban after 25 years", editors D. Merling and L.T. Geraty, 1994, Andrews University Press.

The nations here are as a WATER-DROP in a bucket, and the skies are considered in the scale. Isaiah 40:15, ARTB

Have you heard the phrase 'DROP in the bucket'?  If you are like me, you've probably used it many times in your life to signify a tiny amount for a much larger item.  Sometimes it is about money, but we also use it to describe an amount of effort.  I'm not sure how widely this phrase is utilized in cultures around the world, but I'm fascinated that the phrase occurs in Isaiah.

And the translation in the ARTB Old Testament needs to be fixed!  As an American, I always assumed this phrase meant a WATER-DROP in the bucket. That is why it appears that way in the ARTB.  I had designated it WATER-DROP (Strong's 4752, MR), because there already was a series about DRIPS/DROPS (Strong's 5197, NATAP), and I wanted to separate the meaning. 

This word only occurs once in the bible, but closer examination shows it is really a MYRRH-DROP.  Myrrh is spelled exactly the same way in Hebrew (MR).  Myrrh is harvested similar to our process of tapping trees for maple syrup.  The Commiphora myrrh bark is scored, and drops of myrrh (sometimes called tears) fall into the bucket. But these drops are closer to GUM DROPS rather than water drops.  They are much thicker, and turn glossy yellow when hardened. 

It's probable that these MYRRH-DROPS are what the wise men brought as a gift to the newborn king.  These MYRRH-DROPS are added to oil to make fragrances, but are processed further to make an incense product, STACTE.  There's a great write-up in Wikipedia on MYRRH (which is where this picture originated). 

As "the nations", we are still a insignificant in the bigger picture.  But as a drop of myrrh, we are at least more valuable than a drop of water!

Blessings!

A. Frances Werner

But you, Bethlehem Ephratah . . .from you will proceed my ruler in Israel. . . (Micah 5:2, ARTB)

I'm sure many of you heard this passage over the last few weeks as we celebrated the Christmas season.  The meaning of the word BETHLEHEM is usually translated as HOUSE OF BREAD based upon the Hebrew BYT (HOUSE, Strong's number 1004) and LEHEM (BREAD, Strong's number 3899).  This fits nicely with the Christian understanding of Jesus (Yeshua) who is called the BREAD OF LIFE based upon his comment in John 6:35.  It's logical that the BREAD OF LIFE would be born in the HOUSE OF BREAD.

But this understanding is shallow, and too simplified.  In Hebrew, the word LEHEM also means FIGHT (Strong's 3898).  LEHEM is one of just a handful of words in biblical Hebrew that has two distinctly different meanings without any obvious reason.  This alternate meaning is rarely mentioned in conjunction with Jesus, because people don't like the connotation that he may have come from the HOUSE OF FIGHTERS.

But I believe that HOUSE OF FIGHTERS is the original meaning of the word BETHLEHEM.  Think about it.  This is the town of David, son of Jesse, who courageously stood up to Goliath and killed him with his slingshot.  This is the town of David, who was hailed in his day as the one who killed myriads (a number bigger than ten-thousand),  in comparison to Saul, who only killed thousands. (1 Samuel 8:7). This is the town of David, who had so much blood on his hands that he was not allowed to build the temple in Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 22:8).  BETHLEHEM was the town of the FIGHTERS.

In addition, the geography of Bethlehem is hilly and rocky, not a fertile plain.  It is in the hill country near Jerusalem, a land of shepherds and flocks grazing on the grass between the rocks.  It was not a town producing grain for BREAD, but wool from sheep and probably goat skins for tents.  Thus, the Israelites would not have regarded Bethlehem as a HOUSE OF BREAD but the HOUSE OF FIGHTERS.

This helps explain why so many people at the time of Jesus, who believed that he truly was the Messiah, the son of David who was to save Israel, expected him to be a FIGHTER and take on the Romans.  They would have been encouraged that, like David, he was an unexpected warrior.  He was a regular carpenter, just like David was a regular shepherd.  Goliath laughed at the size and age of David because he didn't look like a FIGHTER.  And I'm guessing that Jesus didn't look like one either.  But his followers probably believed his ability to FIGHT would be aided by God on high.

Judas bailed out the day it became obvious that Jesus wasn't a FIGHTER with bloody hands like David--he wasn't going to kill anyone. Most of the other disciples took a little longer to realize this same point. But they also bailed out after he faced a Goliath in the Garden of Gethsemane.  That night, the power of his words had knocked over his attackers like David's slingshot knocked over Goliath. Simon Peter (the-Stone) was ready for the FIGHT, and may have been ready to cut off a head or two (John 18). But just as suddenly there was NO FIGHT. In fact, Jesus stopped the fight and rebuked Simon Peter. He was meekly taken into custody. What was going on? Why didn't Jesus FIGHT and live up to his heritage? How could he be the Messiah from Bethlehem?

A nice, sweet but incomplete answer could be that Jesus really wasn't a FIGHTER, rather he fulfilled the promise of the son of David born in Bethlehem by being the BREAD OF LIFE.

But the complete answer is that he fulfilled BOTH meanings of the name BETHLEHEM. He fought not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and authorities holding the darkness of the world (Ephesians 6:12). He FOUGHT unto his own death the most important Goliath in history: The power of death that kills us all. And he brought us the BREAD OF LIFE.  The story is not complete without understanding BOTH pieces of the meaning of the Hebrew word LEHEM.

Blessings!

A. Frances Werner