GOD SPOKE "BRAShYT"

Wow! Holy Spirit just said the word "Shabbat" and I looked it up and there is a Shabbat Candle-Lighting Tonight in Lawrence, KS. And this morning while straightening up the house he told me the word "BRAShYT" and I studied the word and was going to post the study on my blog later. Praise the Lord!

(09 May 2017)

"Creator God, I praise you because you made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you'. . . . " (Nehemiah 9:6).

Word: בראשית

Representation: BRAShYT

Transliteration: B'reishit or Bereishit

Translation: “At-a-beginning-of-[missing word]...”, or "Because-of Reshit..."

Strong Concordance: H7225

Form: Prepositional phrase - B + RASh + YT. Note: It is more commonly used without the "B" prefix, as in Jeremiah 26:1 and Deuteronomy 18:4, and many other places).

Break-down:

"B"  is the preposition and means in, by, with, at, because-of

"RASh" means "head" "chief", "top", "beginning". But it can also be non-translatable (see below).

"YT" is the suffix that, for the RAShYT form, indicates that an object will immediately follow it. It is akin to terminating the translation with "of".

Some apologists have tried to insert “everything” where the [missing word] is, but respected commentators throughout the ages were uncomfortable with that. Others try interesting grammatical tricks, which causes more problems than it fixes (one unintentionally has the Elohim being created). Volumes of books have been written about this one word, and, in most cases, students simply ignore that problem.

Exposition

Where is "the"?

The first letter ("B") can be translated as "in", "at", "by" and "because-of" (as well as other variations that indicate connection). In other words, it is a preposition that causes a relationship. I am comfortable with any of these uses of the word being used.

Traditionally, there is a vowel indicator that looks like a colon under the first letter ("B") called a sh'vah. It causes a half-pause rather than a full-pause between syllables. Because of that, the word is pronounced "B'reshit" (sometimes transliterated as "Bereshit)", but not "BAHreshit". This is important because the "ah" sound would indicate that an inferred "the" would follow the "B".

In Hebrew, rather than having a word such as "B'ha-reshit", the "ha" is removed and the first letter is pronounced "Bah", which would cause the "ha" to simply be inferred. This makes for a smoother pronunciation. And it is the "ha" that denotes that "the" would be part of the expression.

In other words, if the author meant "in the beginning of", then "bah-reishit" would have been used. He didn't, and since "b'reshit" was used, there is no "the".

In other words, "In THE beginning" is incorrect, while "In/by a beginning of" is less flawed.

And "THE" is the least of the problems that traditionalists have with this word.

The problematic suffix

The bigger problem is that the "YT" portion of "BRAShYT" demands a connecting noun. Without the nouns, it would be akin to ending a sentence with "of".

The reason: the "RASh" root (in BRAShYT) with a suffix of "YT" will always indicate that there will be an object that will immediately follow it.

Examples:

Jeremiah 26:1:  "RAShYT (beginning of) the reign of Jehoiakim".

Deuteronomy 18:4: "RAShYT (first of) your grain".

"Grain" and "reign" are nouns, objects that the "YT" suffix requires to exist.

However, in Genesis 1:1, the object is missing. So while it is not the best translations, "At a beginning of [missing-word]" is still better than "In the beginning".

If you wanted "In the beginning" without the need for an object, you would use BRAShONH (bah-rishonah), which is not the case.

How to translate this word

There are a few possibilities.

The first one is that there is a missing word.

It seems unlikely that, out of the entire book, the second word should go missing and nobody noticed or remembers what it was. But if you want to hold that this is the case, then you would need to translate it as:

At-a-beginning-of-[missing word]

It isn't clean, but some people might be OK with this.

Another possibility is that "Reshit" is an abbreviated euphemism.

For example, the Jewish Sages interpreted the "Reshit" portion of this word as referring to Proverbs 8:22-25, where it says 

"The Reshit of His course" ("beginning of His course", meaning wisdom) 

And by working backwards and connected back to the first word of the Torah they were able to interpret the first word to mean: "With Wisdom He created...".

It is a stylish interpretation, and one that addresses the question: what is "reshit"?

Another possibility is that "Resh" in "B'reshit" can refer to the head of something, as in a leader, or the first of something, as in the first fruits. 

"With a First One".

It's not a bad idea.

And as we read in Scripture, the text often plays with words, reassigning the names of other Gods and turning them into insults, and twisting their pronunciations to reduce their importance. We have "Molech" as a variation of "Melech" (lit. "king"), the King of Heaven, the God El of the Canaanites who was also insulted with the name "Ba'al-zebub" - Lord of a fly (a pest that makes a home on garbage and dung).

Because of this, I am content to translate this word as "Because of Reshit", or "It was because of Reshit that...", or "it was at Reshit's behest that..." which flows smoother in English.

Since the Torah is a propaganda text for YHVH, I am tempted to have it be "At YHVH's behest, the Elohim manifested...", which appears to be the most logical possibility. But, in reality, we won't really know which idea was intended without confirmation from the other texts, that are silent on the matter.

It is not so important that we know Who or what Reshit represents as to know that the Elohim were impelled to create as a result of it. And that is the important message that I want to bring to you.

hebrewmeanings.blogspot.com

Genesis 1:1 (AMP)

The Creation

1 In the beginning God ([a]Elohim) [b]created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth.

Footnotes:

Genesis 1:1 This is originally a plural form based on el (root meaning: strength), which itself is used to refer to God in compounds like El Shaddai (Almighty God). The word el is also used to refer to false gods, so the context determines whether Elohim means “God” or is better understood as “gods” (elohim).

Genesis 1:1 Heb bara. Here and in 1:21, God created from nothing which is something only He can do. In 1:27, God used preexisting materials (man from the dust of the ground; Eve from Adam’s rib); each use of the word bara (“create”) must be considered in its specific context.

Moshav Band- Bereshit (Genesis)
song by the Moshav band (Israeli musicians)

My Glimpses of Heaven with Divine Guidance

I AM LEAVING YOU A GIFT

Jesus said in John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Jesus stated that the peace He offers is a gift. We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t use our willpower to find it. It is a gift. But as with any gift it is useless if not opened. His gift is so desirable that it is wrapped in five layers. So let’s unwrap the five layers to get to this marvelous gift.

THE FIRST LAYER IS OBEYING GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS

Psalm 119:165 “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”

God’s Word is the instruction manual for life. He designed us. He knows all about out buttons and knobs. He knows what it takes for our lives to run smoother. And He has placed it in his Word for our information.

If you ignore God’s Word you run that same risk for your life. If you are struggling with peace be sure that you are following his instructions. That responsibility is on you.

THE NEXT LAYER IS ACCEPTING GOD'S PARDON

Micah 7:18 “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”

In the Hebrew the word pardon meant to be lifted up and carried off. Our guilt was lifted up at the cross when Jesus became our sins. Our guilt was carried off and thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. God has chosen to forgive our failings. We must learn to forgive ourselves. We will never find the gift of peace if we do not pardon ourselves for our past mistakes. We cannot change the past but we can change the future. God’s word says He delights in showing unfailing love. He delights in forgiving us. We need to find delight in forgiving yourself.

NOW THE LAYER OF TRUSTING GOD

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Please don’t misunderstand. I am not advocating stumbling along with a blind faith that God will handle everything and nothing will go wrong. I do believe that God, at times, will help us through our stupidity. We are still responsible for our spiritual maintenance. We should not ignore when our spiritual warning light comes on. And that warning light is stress due to loss of peace.

When you allow stress to dictate your life, you have loss the peace that comes from trusting God. In the midst of stressful situations we are to fix our thoughts on God. We are to trust that He is in control.

When Jesus was in the garden, He was under so much stress that He began to sweat drops of blood. He asked God to provide another way for man’s atonement. His thoughts were fixed on his death. But when He fixed his thoughts on God’s will He became filled with peace.

Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” The Hebrew word for be still meant “to hang limp, be feeble.” We are to rest in the midst of our situations. We are to recognize that some situations are out of our control and learn to trust God.

THE NEXT LAYER IS SEEKING GOD'S WILL

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

The writer of Proverbs gives us three commands and a promise.  We are to trust in God. We are to put confidence in him and his choices for our life.

We are not to try and figure out circumstances. We are not to rely upon our own understanding. We do not have the mind of God or his ways. We are to seek his will. We are to recognize that God is in complete control of all the situations that occur in our lives. Nothing occurs that He does not allow for His purpose.

When we quit trying to manipulate our circumstances but instead trust God and seek his will, we have the promise of peace. When we have this spiritual peace then God begins to show us the direction He desires for us to travel.

Jesus was able to sleep in the midst of a storm. Peter was able to sleep on the night before his execution. They trusted God, did not attempt to understand God’s entire plan, and sought his will.

THE LAST LAYER IS PRAYER

Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

What are you worrying about? Have you prayed about it? Nothing is too insignificant to God. Whatever we worry about we should pray about. We are to pray about everything. We are to share our most intimate needs with God followed by thanksgiving for the times that He has shown himself faithful.

When we quit worrying and allow God to interact with us through prayer, things will begin to change. When we off-set our list of needs with worship for what He has already accomplished, we will begin to experience a peace we cannot begin to understand. It’s the type of peace that comes in the midst of a tragedy in life that assures us that we will survive through this pain.

This peace will act as a filter to our hearts and minds. We will discover that adversity has actually made us stronger.

There is a prayer that I am sure many of you have heard. It is, “God, grant me the peace to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Let this be our prayer today.

~Bits and Pieces of sermon by Larry Turner 

SECOND OF THE SEVEN PROMISED BLESSINGS OF REVELATIONS

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

Revelation 14:1-5 Then I looked, and this is what I saw: the Lamb stood [firmly established] on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had His name and His Father’s name inscribed on their foreheads [signifying God’s own possession].  And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of great waters and like the rumbling of mighty thunder; and the voice that I heard [seemed like music and] was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.  And they sang a new song before the throne [of God] and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased (ransomed, redeemed) from the earth.  These are the ones who have not been defiled [by relations] with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased and redeemed from among men [of Israel] as the first fruits [sanctified and set apart for special service] for God and the Lamb.  No lie was found in their mouth, for they are blameless (spotless, untainted, beyond reproach).

The one hundred and forty-four thousand symbolize all faithful saints (see note on 7:4–8). The sealed saints are here depicted from two perspectives. First are the saints about to enter the Great Tribulation, represented by the symbolic number one hundred and forty-four thousand (vv. 4–8). A thousand was the basic military division in the camp of Israel (Num. 31:4, 5), the result of 10x10x10, a perfect cube symbolizing completeness, multiplied by 144, or 12x12.  Mount Zion is a spiritual reality (see Heb. 12:22–24), expressing the communion of the saints, not a geographical location. The Father’s name is a deliberate contrast with “the name of the beast” (13:16, 17).

The vision of persecution abruptly changes to a vision of the church in glory.

The new song is a song of redemption, which only the redeemed can understand. They are spiritual virgins who have remained true to the Lord, not having prostituted themselves through idolatry. They are without fault, unblemished because they are in Christ and are thus an acceptable sacrifice.

The Angel with the Gospel

14:6-7  Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, with an [a]eternal gospel to preach to the inhabitants of the earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people;  and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God [with awe and reverence], and give Him glory [and honor and praise in worship], because the hour of His judgment has come; [with all your heart] worship Him who created the heaven and the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

The gospel is everlasting, in contrast to the provisional Old Covenant, and is intended to be heard universally.  It is good news to those who respond to it but judgment to those who refuse it.

Doom for Proud Babylon

14:8 Then another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality [corrupting them with idolatry].”

Doom for Worshipers of the Beast

14:9-12 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast and his image and receives the mark [of the beast] on his forehead or on his hand, he too will [have to] drink of the wine of the wrath of God, [b]mixed undiluted into the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone (flaming sulfur) in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb (Christ).  And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night—those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is [encouragement for] the steadfast endurance of the saints (God’s people), those who habitually keep God’s commandments and their faith in Jesus.

In the OT, Babylon was a center of idolatry, the occult, and immorality. See note on 18:1—19:10. In the NT, it is sometimes a cryptic name for Rome (see 18:9, 10; 1 Pet. 5:13). From the perspective of the eternal God, that great city, the world in every generation, has already been judged and is fallen (see Is. 13; 21:9; Jer. 51). The wine of the wrath of her fornication: Idolatry, worshiping the monster, inevitably results in the drinking of the cup of God’s wrath in judgment (see Ps. 75:8; Jer. 25:15, 16; 51:7).

Here: The fact of judgment (vv. 9–11) shows the need for patience in faith and obedience.  John experiences with his readers the tribulation, or persecution on account of their faith, with patient endurance, which is steadfast courage under unjust suffering. However, attendant to the trials involved in the Christian life is the glory of the kingdom.

14:13 Then I heard [the distinct words of] a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘[c]Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes, [blessed indeed],” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest and have relief from their labors, for their deeds do follow them.”

The voice from heaven is perhaps that of the Lamb proclaiming the second of the seven beatitudes. From now on is from the moment of the Lamb’s finished work and victory (see 5:6–14; 12:5, 11). The Spirit may be the voice, or this may be an antiphonal response by the Holy Spirit. Rest represents a dramatic contrast to v. 11.

The Reapers

14:14-20  Again I looked, and this is what I saw: a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle [of swift judgment] in His hand.  And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to Him who was sitting upon the cloud, “Put in Your sickle and reap [at once], for the hour to reap [in judgment] has arrived, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripened.” So He who was sitting on the cloud cast His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped (judged).

Then another angel came out of the temple (sanctuary) in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.  And another angel came from the altar, the one who has power over fire; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and reap the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe [for judgment].”  So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and harvested the grapevine of the earth, and threw the grapes into the great winepress of the wrath and indignation of God [as judgment of the rebellious world].  And the grapes in the wine press were trampled and crushed outside the city, and blood poured from the wine press, reaching up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of [d]sixteen hundred stadia.

John views a picture of the Final Judgment, first of believers (see 1 Thess. 4:15–17; John 5:28, 29), followed immediately by that of unbelievers (see Joel 3:13).

Two angels deliver the command of the judgments from the temple and out from the altar to emphasize that these judgments are God’s, in response to the prayers of the saints (see 8:3–5).

Outside the city indicates that the final judgment of the wicked includes their banishment from the presence of God, who is said to dwell in the eschatological Jerusalem. The number associated with the amount of blood should be regarded as qualitative, not quantitative, heightening the utter gruesomeness of the scene (see Is. 63:2–6).

Footnotes:
A - Revelation 14:6 This term likely refers to the message of God’s impending righteous judgment and a final call to repentance and faith in the risen Lord.
B - Revelation 14:10 In ancient times it was customary to mix wine with an equal or larger quantity of water to prevent intoxication at ordinary meals. Here, the mixing is ironic because the “wine of the wrath” is to be consumed at full strength.
C- Revelation 14:13 This is the second of the seven promised blessings. See note 1:3.
D - Revelation 14:20 About two hundred miles.

~Bits and Pieces of Bible Study in Bible Gateway