Jeff A. Benner | The Way of Yahweh (Part 4 of 5) @ancienthebreworg | Uploaded September 2010 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
Introduction
The next verse we will examine is Isaiah 2:3, which in the KJV reads, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
The words from this verse that we will be examining are come, mountain, LORD, God, teach, ways, walk, paths, zion, law, word and Jerusalem.
Come
The Hebrew behind the word come is הלך, literally meaning "to walk." The parent root is the word לך, a picture of a staff and a hand, when one takes his staff in hand is going to walk, go on a journey. From an Hebraic perspective, there is a literal journey.
As nomads they would journey from watering hole to watering hole, pasture land to pasture land. But life was also seen as a journey, each day being a point in time along that journey. This is not a "religious" journey, but a lifestyle. Every action, every thought, every decision was a part of that journey.
LORD
We have previously looked the word Lord and found it to be the four Hebrew letters, yud-hey-vav-hey, usually pronounced as Yahweh, but means "he exists."
God
The English word "God" implies a divine supernatural being, but the Hebrew word elohiym more literally means one of power and authority, a mighty one. This word is used for the God of Israel, as the mighty one who has power and authority over Israel, judges as mighty men who have power and authority over the people, or even the gods of other nations who have power and authority of them.
The parent root of this word is el, a picture of an ox head and the shepherd staff. The ox, with its horns represents power while the staff represents authority.
Interestingly, the modern day crowns, whose points represent horns, and scepters of Kings and Queens are evolved images of these very items.
Mountain
The Hebrew word for a mountain is har. This letter is the "hey" and is a picture of a man with his arms raised, as if to say "look at that." The Hebrew word "hey" is often translated as "behold." The resh is the picture of the head of a man. When combined these two letters mean "look at the head."
In Hebraic thought all things are in motion and a mountain is the head lifting up out of the ground. Mountains are looked for as they are high visible places that are used as landmarks during ones journey.
Teach
The Hebrew word for teach is the Hebrew verb yarah, whose parent root is yar. The yud is a picture of a hand, and the resh is a picture of the head of a man. Combined this root means "the hand of man" and means "to point," and can be used in a wide variety of ways.
In Genesis 46:28 this word means to point out a direction, "and he sent Judah before him unto joseph to point his face toward Goshen..."
This same verb can also mean "shoot" as in pointing an arrow, such as we see in 1 Samuel 20:20, "And I will shoot three arrows..."
This verb can also mean to instruct or teach in the sense of pointing out the direction one is to go in life as we read in Exodus 4:15 when Yahweh says to Moses "and I will teach you what you shall do."
Ways
We examined the word "way" previously and found that it was the Hebrew word derekh meaning a trail or path. But it should be noted that this word is written in the plural, derekhiym, meaning trails, but is also prefixed by the letter mem, which means "from." This is never addressed in the translation of Isaiah 2:3 as they simply read "and he will teach us of his ways," but more literally should be translated as "and he will teach us 'from' his trails."
Yahweh is not just pointing out the trail we are to take, he is pointing out the directions for our life and he is on the trail "with us."
Introduction
The next verse we will examine is Isaiah 2:3, which in the KJV reads, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
The words from this verse that we will be examining are come, mountain, LORD, God, teach, ways, walk, paths, zion, law, word and Jerusalem.
Come
The Hebrew behind the word come is הלך, literally meaning "to walk." The parent root is the word לך, a picture of a staff and a hand, when one takes his staff in hand is going to walk, go on a journey. From an Hebraic perspective, there is a literal journey.
As nomads they would journey from watering hole to watering hole, pasture land to pasture land. But life was also seen as a journey, each day being a point in time along that journey. This is not a "religious" journey, but a lifestyle. Every action, every thought, every decision was a part of that journey.
LORD
We have previously looked the word Lord and found it to be the four Hebrew letters, yud-hey-vav-hey, usually pronounced as Yahweh, but means "he exists."
God
The English word "God" implies a divine supernatural being, but the Hebrew word elohiym more literally means one of power and authority, a mighty one. This word is used for the God of Israel, as the mighty one who has power and authority over Israel, judges as mighty men who have power and authority over the people, or even the gods of other nations who have power and authority of them.
The parent root of this word is el, a picture of an ox head and the shepherd staff. The ox, with its horns represents power while the staff represents authority.
Interestingly, the modern day crowns, whose points represent horns, and scepters of Kings and Queens are evolved images of these very items.
Mountain
The Hebrew word for a mountain is har. This letter is the "hey" and is a picture of a man with his arms raised, as if to say "look at that." The Hebrew word "hey" is often translated as "behold." The resh is the picture of the head of a man. When combined these two letters mean "look at the head."
In Hebraic thought all things are in motion and a mountain is the head lifting up out of the ground. Mountains are looked for as they are high visible places that are used as landmarks during ones journey.
Teach
The Hebrew word for teach is the Hebrew verb yarah, whose parent root is yar. The yud is a picture of a hand, and the resh is a picture of the head of a man. Combined this root means "the hand of man" and means "to point," and can be used in a wide variety of ways.
In Genesis 46:28 this word means to point out a direction, "and he sent Judah before him unto joseph to point his face toward Goshen..."
This same verb can also mean "shoot" as in pointing an arrow, such as we see in 1 Samuel 20:20, "And I will shoot three arrows..."
This verb can also mean to instruct or teach in the sense of pointing out the direction one is to go in life as we read in Exodus 4:15 when Yahweh says to Moses "and I will teach you what you shall do."
Ways
We examined the word "way" previously and found that it was the Hebrew word derekh meaning a trail or path. But it should be noted that this word is written in the plural, derekhiym, meaning trails, but is also prefixed by the letter mem, which means "from." This is never addressed in the translation of Isaiah 2:3 as they simply read "and he will teach us of his ways," but more literally should be translated as "and he will teach us 'from' his trails."
Yahweh is not just pointing out the trail we are to take, he is pointing out the directions for our life and he is on the trail "with us."
