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ARTB Bible Blog 2.16.11 Whose DNA do you have?Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you. (Deuteronomy 5:16, ARTB)
A note from A. Frances Werner:
This verse lists the fourth commandment. As you know, the first three commandments relate to our relationship with Yahweh. The last commandments govern our treatment of our neighbors. This one honors those that BEGOT us.
I have touched on the word BEGOTTEN (YALAD, Strong's 3205 in both Hebrew and Aramaic, and GENNAO, Strong's 1080 in Greek) previously. It is used almost 500 times in the OT, and over a hundred times in the NT. Most English bible translations utilize the word BORN instead of BEGOTTEN about 1/3 of the time in the OT, and about 50% of the time in the NT.
I have been asked more than once, why the ARTB utilized the archaic word BEGOT, instead of replacing it with BORN/BIRTH across the board. I examined this carefully, and the words BORN/BIRTH are way too limiting. It is one of the core errors why the concept of NURTURING has been assigned to women in our culture: The word BORN/BIRTH is exclusively for women. Only women can give BIRTH.
The bible speaks of men and women BEGETTING. So what's the difference? Today, we have modern knowledge of DNA, discovered by Watson and Crick in the 1950's. I don't want to make a theological argument here (because I'm not a theologian), but it helped me to sort out the concept of BEGETTING if I thought about it as DNA transfer.
BEGETTING starts at the point of conception. Men and women both donate their DNA. BEGETTING is an eternal word. Once you beget a child, that child contains a part of you forever. That's why the ARTB text reflects the Hebrew notion that we are SONS or DAUGHTERS measured from our BEGETTING, like the phrase about Sarah being a daughter of 100 years when Yahweh promised Isaac (Genesis 17:17).
There is a bit of confusion, because the Hebrew notion of BEGETTING includes the point of BIRTH. But the western concept of BIRTH is a one-time event that is distinct from a notion of conception. There are huge consequences to this thinking, particularly visible with the abortion controversy. But it also is a huge cornerstone of faith issue. Let me pose the question in modern terms: Whose DNA do you have? Yes, you have your parents DNA: Honor them. If you are a Jew or a Moslem, you have the DNA of Abraham: Honor him, and all the forefathers, and you get his inheritance. The crux of Christianity is two BEGETTING issues: Does Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah really have God's DNA? Was he BEGOTTEN, with a father? And how do those of us without Abraham's DNA get access to the same inheritance? How do we get the right DNA? Selah.
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ARTB Bible Blog 2.11.11 IMMANUEL and MY PEOPLEBehold, I stand by the door and knock. If a man hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter and have supper WITH him and he WITH me. (Revelation 3:20, ARTB Draft)
A note from A. Frances Werner:
This very famous verse is one many of you have probably memorized. It is a wonderful confirmation that Immanuel, Our God Is-With Us, truly lives up to the meaning of His name by BEING-WITH us. I pointed out in an earlier blog the details of the name Immanuel (which will be right below this entry at the website AncientRoots.com). Both of the WITHs in this passage match that form in both Aramaic and Hebrew.
But the other fascinating thing is that the NOUN for BEING-WITH is the word PEOPLE (Strong's 5971, 5972). In Hosea 2:23, Yahweh says "You are MY PEOPLE". The word PEOPLE really means "Those who ARE-WITH". If we are His PEOPLE, we are those who ARE-WITH Him.
So this verse means even more to me. He stands at the door and knocks: Our God Is-With Us, and we Are-With Him. He is IMMANUEL and we are his PEOPLE. Selah.
ARTB Bible Blog 2.8.11 We BLASPHEME each other!By word-wrestling and by debates of words some have envy and fierceness and TAUNT-TO-FIGHT...(1 Timothy 6:4, ARTB Draft)
A note from A. Frances Werner:
This obscure passage has helped me understand a word I have never really understood--the word BLASPHEMY. The definition of BLASPHEMY I've grown up with is similar to that in the American Heritage Dictionary: Any contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God.
I never thought the word had anything to do with how we treat each other. How wrong I was! And other bible versions do not help clarify, but rather obscure this detail.
Some boring details: The English word BLASPHEMY is directly from the Greek word BLASPHEMEO (Greek Strong's 987, 988, 989). However, all major bible translations ONLY use it when it is in reference to God Almighty in some way. In all the other places, words like REVILE, INSULT, RAILING are used when it is used with other people.
In this passage in Timothy, the word TAUNT-TO-FIGHT is BLASPHEMY in Greek. In Aramaic, it is identical to the Hebrew word GADAP (Strong's 1442), which was rendered TAUNT in the ARTB OT. It is this connection that helped me understand this word, and to choose to continue the use of TAUNT, and expand it to TAUNT-TO-FIGHT. We not only do this to God, but to each other.
Thank goodness that in America we are far more tolerant of each other. However, not too long ago, even rival ethnic groups like Italians and Irish often grew up in a culture where going home from school meant someone TAUNTED you TO FIGHT. That meant saying truths or half truths about a person or their family in order to pick a fight. Today, TAUNTING-TO-FIGHT is still the core sin of gang and Mafia warfare: You insult me or my family, you die.
Even on the cross, they were TAUNTING Jesus to FIGHT. Mark 15:29 utilizes this term commenting about him: If he was a prophet, why didn't he come down from the cross? Now, listen more closely to other dialogue in the New Testament. I think you'll see threads of TAUNTING-TO-FIGHT as a cultural standard at the time: What a loser from Nazareth!
Yeshua (Jesus) never took the bait to fight back. But he does issue a specific warning in Luke 12:10, essentially that "You can say what you want about me, but don't you DARE say it about the Holy Spirit-wind." Selah.
ARTB Bible Blog 2.4.11 BOSOM of the ALTAR?These are the measures of the altar in cubits. (The cubit is a handbreadth cubit.) The BOSOM is a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, with a border lip of one handspan around. This is the rim of the altar. (Ezekiel 43:13, ARTB)
A note from A. Frances Werner:
As I've been meditating about the word BOSOM, I was struck with this odd passage in Ezekiel. There are 3 verses in Ezekiel (13-17) describing his vision of the heavenly altar which contain the odd word BOSOM (Strongs 2436). This word does NOT occur with any other description of the temple altars--either in the Old Testament or the New Testament. In other bible translations, it is rendered as BOTTOM, GUTTER, or BASE, and is not usually obvious in the passage.
As per the Translinear methodology, the English word is kept the same unless there is overwhelming evidence that supports a second English word (such as the pair SEA and WEST, Strong's 3220, which obviously were the same in ancient Israel--the SEA was WEST, and obviously isn't in other locations).
Well, I began to look at this passage and wonder if the word BOSOM wasn't simply a chest-high ledge of some sort around the altar that merited an addition of another English word. Then I was stopped dead in my tracks: What if the altar truly is a symbol of the BOSOM of Yahweh? Does His BOSOM surround the flaming fire of his heart of love? This half-crazy idea made me consider a couple of points.
If you study the types of offerings on the altar in the early part of Leviticus, you will be overwhelmed by the types of offerings: peace-offerings, food-gift offerings, sin-offerings and on and on. Frankly it's a bit confusing unless you stop and say: Doesn't EVERYTHING we do belong in the BOSOM of Yahweh? Every response we bring to God, whether for our sin or in thanksgiving or for the good or the bad we have done belongs on the altar, in His BOSOM. Adam and Eve ran from Yahweh. The altar brings us to Him.
The second thought was in my daily prayer, as I pray for those on my NURTURING prayer list. I often end my prayer by consciously setting all of those I am praying for ON THE ALTAR in heaven. That's a phrase we all use.
But now I'm more conscious to gather all those I'm praying for into MY BOSOM...and directly setting them in HIS BOSOM. Selah.
ARTB Bible Blog 2.1.11 Do you have a BOSOM like ABRAHAM?He that loves me will-be nurtured from my father and I am nurturing him and will show him my soul. (John 14:21, ARTB Draft)
A note from A. Frances Werner:
I can remember as a child that the phrase BOSOM OF ABRAHAM was one that made everyone a little uncomfortable, perhaps children poking each other, and trying not to laugh. What was Abraham doing with a BOSOM?
In American culture, in the first half of the 20th century, the word BOSOM used to be a polite way to refer to a woman's BREASTS. Today it is hardly used except for women's tailoring, and for men, the word CHEST is usually used. Today, BOSOM has been replaced by the word BREAST, and usually only applies to women.
In both Hebrew and Aramaic, there are two distinct words for BOSOM and BREAST. Stop for a moment and think about yourself. Everyone, men and women, has a BOSOM. BOSOMs and BREASTS--they are distinct. Try putting a hand over your BOSOM--I think you'll find it's closer to your heart area, between your breasts, and down underneath your breasts. It's your optimal hugging area, and the core of NURTURING LOVE.
My reflection about BOSOM is that I knew my mother's BOSOM. I know my father loved me, and had deep concern for me, but I had no sense of his BOSOM. Interestingly, I can sense my maternal grandfather's BOSOM, even though he died before I was born. The stories of my grandfather's prayer life and commitment to his faith let me know of the NURTURING LOVE he had for his family, which is timeless.
So, for both men and women: Who is resting in your BOSOM? How big of a BOSOM do you have? I think if you talk about this topic at the dinner table, you can surprisingly identify people in your family and friends, alive and dead, who have a big BOSOM. Similarly, a discussion about the NURTURING LOVE of God Almighty: Do you know the BOSOM of the Father and Yeshua (Jesus)? Selah!
The phrase, the BOSOM OF ABRAHAM is actually from the New Testament, the story of Lazarus in Luke 16.
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