How the Hebrews Thought

Reading Scripture in its original language provides a new way of thinking that brings the Bible to life in a deeper way.

By Rachel Madden

Read Time: 3 minutes

There is a well-known saying that reading the Bible in English is like kissing your bride through a veil. The point of the analogy is that without an understanding of the original language, we lose a layer of connection.

For me, learning Hebrew gave me a real sense of the people who spoke and wrote it. When we learn a language, we are essentially learning the priorities of the people who invented it. A well-known example is the Inuit or Eskimos having ten words for types of snow. This feature tells us something about the Inuit people and their priorities, as well as the kinds of things that carry importance in their culture. Another example is Arabic, which contains far more kinship terms than English. English has the words “aunt” and “uncle,” but Arabic has four words to differentiate between paternal and maternal uncles and aunts. This tells us something about the Arabic people. Ancient Hebrew similarly tells us something about their values.

Ancient Hebrew does not contain words like theology, religion, and philosophy, as does Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament. One reason it does not contain these kinds of words is that there are only 4,000 words attested in Ancient Hebrew, so fewer words have to do more work. But it is also because Hebrew speakers were more interested in actions than philosophy. Most abstract words in Hebrew were originally actions or concrete things, which you would all recognize in an instant from your habit of Bible reading.

Take a look at some examples of familiar words:

• “Decide” originally meant “to cut.” Think of Abraham in Genesis 15 when he walked through the animals.
• “True” meant “to be firmly fixed.” Think of the Preacher when he talks about the saying of the wise, which are like nails firmly fixed in Ecclesiastes 12:11.
• “Right” meant “to be straight.” Think of the proverb where if we submit to God, he will make our paths straight in Proverbs 3:6.
• “Honorable” meant “to be heavy.” If we honor our parents in Exodus 20:12, we are treating them as people who carry metaphorical weight as substantial, important people.

Consider other concrete ways of describing abstract concepts:

• “Horn” is used to mean “strength.” Think of God when he describes David, but ultimately the Messiah, in Psalm 89:24: “But my faithfulness and my love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.” Importantly, think how this Hebrew idea is carried across into the New Testament when Zechariah says of John the Baptist in Luke 1:69: “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.”
• “Bones” is used for “self.” For example, when Adam says of Eve, “This is now bone of my bones.” (Genesis 2:23). Or Psalm 35:10 ESV, when David says, “All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like you?”
• “Seed” is used for “descendants.” For example, in the promises to Abraham (which we know so well). Importantly, the Hebrew concept carried through to the New Testament, where it says in Galatians that those who attach themselves to these promises are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29).

What does this tell us about the people who spoke ancient Hebrew? Essentially, that they were less philosophical than ancient Greeks, and more earthy, concrete, and action-oriented people. These are important takeaway points. Although the God of the New Testament is “Just the Same Today,” as the Sunday School song says, He is expressed in different ways in different times.

This notion is what the writer of Hebrews tells us, “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets.” (Hebrews 1:1 RSV). Some of those word pictures have become iconic, like brothers and sisters living in unity being described as oil running down a priest’s beard. In an instant, the idea of anointing with oil, which we know is what the word Messiah means, carries us to a place where we can picture not just the literal act of anointing with oil, but the symbolism of the Messiah and how he creates unity if we follow his words and actions. Even words like “remembering” in Hebrew are active. Noah was not just “remembered” by God; He did not just suddenly pop into God’s mind as though He had been too busy to think about him. It means God decided to act on behalf of Noah to save him. This is the idea of “remembering” and why we are asked in the New Testament to “remember” Christ. Part of the power of Hebrew thinking is that it expands beyond the language itself and into the New Testament, as seen from some of the points above. Since many of the New Testament authors were Jewish, Hebrew ideas are used in the New Testament. We are not just supposed to bring Christ to mind; we are supposed to do so with the purpose of acting to change the present.

These are just some of the ways the differences between Hebrew and English can impact our interpretation and application of Scripture, and the depth that the original languages can add to our appreciation of the Bible and its Author.

Rachel Madden,
Southlakes Ecclesia, NSW