Category: More Manna

Extra Helpings

He Sees You

Almost a year ago the post was titled 

Does He See Me And Know My Ways?

https://www.minimannamoments.com/does-he-see-me-and-know-my-ways/

In that post we examined the scripture from Psalm 139 and mentioned one of the names of our Heavenly Father, which was

El Roi.

The so-called ‘names of God’ are not like we use our names simply for identity, they are descriptive attributes revealing His spiritual characteristics and can be found throughout the Bible.

These names were often given by the individuals who had an personal and life-changing encounter with the Living God. To understand what’s in a name we need to find the first time it was used and why.

Where did this name El Roi originate?

Genesis 16:1-16 reveals the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar.

1Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.4 And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.” 6“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her 7 Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur. 8“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied. 9 So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.” 10 Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.” 11 The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 13 So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me! 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

It was not uncommon in biblical times for people of power or status to seek children through their servants. Sarah was becoming impatient for the promise of a child to be fulfilled and suggests that Abraham has relations with her Egyptian slave girl Hagar to secure an heir. Once Hagar conceives, Hagar looks down on Sarah, who later comes to regret the entire plan. Sarah complains bitterly to Abraham, and Abraham tells Sarah to deal with her. Hagar, not wanting to put up with Sarah’s cruelty, runs away from humiliation and oppression into the desert wilderness and certain death.

An angel of the Lord meets her in the wilderness, shows her a well which provides life giving water; and tells her to return and submit to Sarah, assuring her that she, too, will be the mother of a great nation.

In response, Hagar becomes the only individual in the Bible to name our Heavenly Father: El Roi, “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13), or the God of seeing.

The well has been called Be’er lachai- roi meaning: well of the one who lives and sees. Or, well of the Living One who sees me.

Genesis 16:13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi.  Amplified.

Have I really seen the One Who sees me and stayed alive?

So she named the LORD who spoke to her, “You are El-roi”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?”

Hagar, rejected and alone, realizes, “You are the God who sees me”. Her declaration is the earliest personal naming of the LORD since the patriarchal promises in scripture, and Roi – רֱאִי, conveys the comforting truth that there is no set of circumstances or situation that prevents our Father from seeing us right where we are. The image of the desert wilderness highlights the spiritual lesson for the reader: How and what our Heavenly Father sees everything, is not confined to covenant, land, certain ancestry, or favored lineage. As Hagar recognized the One Who “sees and looks after me,” she foreshadows the imagery of a shepherd, which was to be fulfilled in the future by Messiah Yeshua haMashiach/ Jesus Christ, Who assured His listeners that not one sparrow falls unnoticed in Matthew 10:29-31.

רֱאִי speaks of sight, appearance, or spectacle,

whether the focus is upon:

the Lord/Adonai Who beholds,

humans who observe,

or an object that becomes the focus of attention.

7210 roi: Seeing, vision, sight

Original Word: רֱאִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ro’iy
Pronunciation: roh-ee
Phonetic Spelling: (ro-ee’)
KJV: gazingstock, look to, (that) see(-th)
NASB: appearance, seeing, seen, sees, sight, spectacle, who
Word Origin: [from H7200 (רָאָה – see)]

1. sight
2. (abstractly) vision
3. (concretely) a spectacle.

There are other instances where we are reminded that our Heavenly Father is El Roi, that He sees us, and is ready to intervene in our situation. One instance we are familiar with, is in Luke 13:10-17. This is where our Savior saw a woman who was in great need:

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

Unlike many others who were looking for healing and deliverance she did not come to Him, but she was there in the synagogue on the Sabbath listening to Him teaching. Yeshua/Jesus saw her and saw her physical condition and interrupted what He was doing to reach out to her and bring healing and restoration, changing her life and her whole future. He sees us and has great compassion for our circumstances.

He is zarith – carefully observing us…

He is never blind to our tears,

never deaf to our prayers,

and never silent to our pain.

He sees and hears our thoughts and intentions.

He sees and hears our fears and insecurities

He sees and hears our innermost being

He sees our path and desires to guide us.

He sees our needs and desires to provide for us.

He sees your eternal destiny

and He will deliver you out of your situation

and bring you into full victory.

Romans 8:28 assures us And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Be greatly encouraged as you read this because…

He sees you – He is El Roi.

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

Follow And Send

In John. 13:37 Peter said to him

Lord why can I not follow You now?

There are times when we can’t understand why we cannot do what we want to do. When our Heavenly Father brings us into a time of waiting and it seems like He is not answering us, we must resist the temptation to fill this time with extra busyness and finding solutions, but instead just wait. This time of waiting may come to teach us the meaning of sanctification, that is, to be set apart from sin and made holy; or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun in order to teach us what service really means. We are never to move, before He gives us His direction and if we have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding us. Whenever there is doubt – wait.

At first we may see clearly what the Father’s will is, it could be for example, the breaking off of a business relationship, the severance of a friendship or something else we feel is distinctly His will for us to do. We should never act on the impulse of that feeling, or the pressure to make a decision right now; if we do we’ll cause difficult situations to arise which will take years to untangle. Wait for our Heavenly Father’s timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment, always when it’s a question of His providential will, wait for Him to move.

Peter didn’t wait for the Lord, He predicted in his own mind when the test would come and it came where he did not expect it. I will lay down my life for your sake. Peter’s statement was honest but lacking in wisdom. Messiah answered him pinpointing the timing of the test, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times. 13:38

Messiah’s words were said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. Two verses prior Yeshua/Jesus had answered him, Where I am going you cannot follow Me now but you shall follow Me afterwards. John 13:36.

This is why he couldn’t follow Yeshua/Jesus at that time, because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough.

Natural devotion may be enough to attract us and draw us to Him, it may cause us to feel His irresistible charm but it will never make us talmidim/disciples, true followers of Messiah. As Peter discovered, simple natural devotion will deny Jesus/Yeshua because it always falls short of what it means to truly follow Him.

And when He had spoken this He said to him, ‘Follow me’. John 21:19

Three years earlier Messiah had said ‘Follow me’, Matthew 4:19, and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus/Yeshua was upon him and he didn’t need the Holy Spirit/Ruach haKodesh, to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus/Yeshua and he was heartbroken. After he repented, he received the Fathers’ Holy Spirit and Messiah said to him again, ‘Follow me’. John 21:19. Now there was no one in front of Peter except the Lord. The first follow me was nothing mysterious, it was simply an external following but now He was asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding. 

Between these two times, Peter denied Messiah with oaths and curses. Matthew 26:69-75. But then he came completely to the end of himself and all his self sufficiency, pride and arrogance and there wasn’t any part of himself that Peter would ever rely on again. In this state of brokenness, he was finally ready to receive all that the risen Messiah had for him. He breathed on them and said to them ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. John 20:22.

No matter what changes the Lord has performed in us we should never rely on them or on people, we must build only on one person, the Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach and on the Holy Spirit/Ruach haKodesh He gives. Most all of our promises and resolutions end in denial because we eventually realize that in ourselves we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to receive His Holy Spirit/Ruach haKodesh. The picture of receiving His Holy Spirit/Ruach haKodesh has the idea of being invaded, filled up by infusion, and when that occurs there is only One Who directs the course of our lives, the Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach.

Acts 26:17-18. I now send you to open their eyes that they may receive forgiveness of sins. Summed up in the words of this verse is the Fathers first sovereign work of grace/chen, and in all of the Brit Chadashah/New Testament, these words are the greatest example of the true essence of the message carried by a follower, a true disciple of Yeshua haMashiach. When an individual fails in his or her personal ‘Christian life’, it’s usually because they have never received anything. The only sign that a person is saved is that they have received something from Messiah.

Our mission as His true followers and ministers of His gospel, is to open peoples eyes so that they may turn themselves from darkness to His light. However, that is not salvation, it is conversion, being only the effort of an awakened human being. Today it may be a true statement to say that the majority of those who call themselves ‘christians’ are this way; their eyes are open, but they have not received anything and conversion is not regeneration, sadly this is often a neglected fact in many who preach. When a person is born again from above by the Holy spirit of the living God, they know it beyond a shadow of a doubt because they have received something from our Heavenly Father, and not just because of their own decision. People make promises and vows and may be determined to follow through, but none of this is salvation; because salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from the Father on the authority of Jesus Christ/ Yeshua haMashiach which is.. forgiveness of sins. This is followed by the Fathers second wonderful work of grace/chen…’an inheritance among those who are sanctified…Acts 20:32 ‘ In sanctification the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his/her right to him/herself to Messiah and identifies themselves entirely with the Fathers’ ministry to serving others.

Most of our new years resolutions are external things we want to give up, Messiah Yeshua/ Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding. John 21:18. Are we ready to come to the end of ourselves and be true followers of the One Who gave up the right to Himself. When we are true followers then He can send us.

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born again from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

2nd Attempt To Repost Heading Towards A New Genesis Beresheet

Apologies to all email recipients for multiple documents, for some reason the main site is unable to present this post in its entirety. The 1st repost did not correct the issue and attempts to rectify this may result in further emails so please delete them if they do get through. Thank you…

This post will not include any images as there were technical issues on the main site.

We are heading towards a new Gregorian calendar year, a new beginning, a new genesis. It’s a good time to check up and see if we are where we need to be, both spiritually and physically.

Is it time to stay put, or a time to rise up and go?

The Bible is filled with peoples lives and experiences that all of us go through at one time or another. The characters highlighted in the stories are not happenstance but there as examples for us. As 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

 

When a crisis hits our lives we usually have 2 options. Stay and Deal with it or Run, we call it Fight or Flight. Sometimes when we are running from trouble we end up in the strangest of places. In the midst of his flight away from his twin brother, Jacob stumbled on the one place on earth where he most needed to be. Even when we think we are doing things in our own way and on our schedule, our Heavenly Father has a way of leading us into a place and circumstances where He can get our full attention.

Often when we are running, it’s away from our past, and we are running after, or to something, that we think will be much better and more fulfilling. Yet, how often do we contemplate and realize that where we are right now, is exactly the place our Heavenly Father wants us to be?  Right now our lives may not be what we would prefer and yet despite our impatience and restlessness, is it very possible that He is in ‘this place’ and we didn’t know it. We need to remember that whatever is going on and wherever we are, His arm is not so short that He cannot bring us closer to Himself.

This place where we are now, may not be what we were dreaming of or expecting, but our Heavenly Father is here with us because He is faithful to His promises. We may have been camping, resting, waiting here for quite some time and wondering when He will move us on. But perhaps the reason we’re still here is because here is right where we need to be. Maybe He’s been waiting for us to stop long enough to realize that He’s been at the top of our ladder all along.

 Jacob took the time to mark the place and maybe we should too, because like Jacob our Father may lead us back there again before we know it.

Genesis 28:20-22.

Jacob was truly overwhelmed when he realized he was in a place with The Fathers presence, yet he still found it hard to believe.  Even though Adonai had revealed himself to Jacob in a dream, reaffirmed the covenant made previously with Abraham and Isaac; and was moved to set up a standing stone in the name of the lord he still wanted  proof of his faithfulness by asking Him to demonstrate the truth of His word. Jacob was a lot like us, he didn’t know when to stop while he was ahead. He says in

Genesis 28:20-22

(Paraphrase)

If God is with me in this way which I am going and gives to me this and provides for me that and does whatever I expect him to do whenever I require him to do it then God will become my God. 

Jacob had a history of being sneaky and deceitful so its no wonder he would take a ‘wait and see’ attitude with the Lord many times we always judge others actions by our own standards. As disciples of Messiah however, we would do better to take our Heavenly Father at His Word, rather than dictating rules and regulations for Him to follow and fulfill. The ‘anointed standing stone’ has been established in the Rock of our Salvation, Yeshua haMashiach; the foundation of His house – Beth’el, be laid in our lives without question and that the Way we will GO, will be with Him.

Jacob fought hard, struggling with Adonai for his blessing and sometimes we do the same, instead of just being content to be in His presence. However like Jacob we should hold on and refuse to let go, but not just to get a blessing; rather than struggling with Him for what He already wants to give us, let’s hold onto Him for dear life and never let go.. Giving up that struggle and allowing him to take us wherever he wants us to go. With a life of running, deceit and lies finally all behind him, Jacob was ready to fully embrace His blessing. Having met his match in Adonai, and at last experiencing everlasting change reflected in His new name Israel; He confesses that the Father has prevailed in the battle for his heart…

God has answered me in the day of my distress…way I have gone. Adonai is with Jacob/Israel and no matter how much he fights and struggles against Him our Heavenly Father will never leave him.

For all of us who have wrestled with the Father, who have fought against Him for control of our paths and the direction that we thought was best, it’s time to confess that

God is with us – Immanuel – עִמָּנוּאֵל

and not only that we remember Immanuel –עִמָּנוּאֵל – at Christmas time but always, every day, everywhere…

and then to

rise up and go.

Let’s turn aside from the gods of the foreigner and the world which are in our midst. Cleanse ourselves and change our clothes and wear those garments of salvation, and then we will rise and go up to Beth’el, the house of God, and set up a testimony to His promises and blessings.

Rise up and go… let’s renounce all our idols, vain traditions and religious bondages that actually keep us from the closeness of a true relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Rise up and go…. let’s turn wholeheartedly to Him and away from things we have grown by habit to be dependent upon.

Rise up and go….. let’s walk boldly as the ‘terror of god’ goes before us, overcoming all who would chase us.

It’s time to take our stand for the One who will always stand for us …. so let us rise and go up.

 

qum – לקום – to get up, to stand up, to arise; to be established …

Meaning to get up, to stand up, to arise; to be established, to come into being

Strong’s Hebrew: 6965. קוּם (qum) — Arise, stand, establish …

The prodigal impulse, “I will arise and go to my father,” echoes earlier Hebrew narratives of repentance: Jonah 3:3 – “So Jonah arose and went to Ninevah

Strong’s Hebrew: 1980. הָלַך (halak) — To go, walk, come …

הָלַך (halak) — To go, walk, come, proceed, move.

So many make new years resolutions and try to make changes, when we do things in our own strength we invariably fail and the discouragement sets in. When we make changes by the spirit of the living God, we will not fail for He is Immanuel, He is with us and we are with Him. One thing we can and must do every year and that is to draw ever nearer to Him, to be closer and more deeply connected to His spirit. He will lead us, guide us and direct our steps, and our path will become lighter and lighter; not just because the dawn is breaking but because we are walking daily in the light of His presence. This is exactly where we need to be.

Although the date change is based on the western Gregorian calendar, Rise up and Go forward into a new year, a new beginning- בְּרֵאשִׁית,  the future is bright when we behold His glory face to face.

Stop running back to the past and forth in the wrong direction, He is already here with you – Immanuel – עִמָּנוּאֵל.

What else are we to rise and go forth in His strength to do?

To make disciples/talmidim…

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born again from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Keeping The Door Of Our Heart Open

What do we think of when we say ‘our heart’?

It’s not the physical organ that pumps blood around our physical flesh bodies, but rather the innermost part of our being; the eternal part of us, the spirit and soul; who we really are! This is the part of us that connects with our Heavenly Father, He is Spirit and we cannot connect with Him on a carnal level only on a spiritual level, spirit to spirit. He has given us His Word, both as Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, the Word made flesh, and also the written Word for our guidance and direction.

Not wanting to sound like a broken record but the point has to be emphasized to reinforce the understanding that, we have lost so many precious pearls in the translations from the original Hebrew/Aramaic; as it transitioned to Greek, Latin and old English, to modern English and the plethora of versions now available.

One striking example is found in Job 3:10. A book not often read and usually only taught as having the need to have patience as Job had.

For the verse in question:

Job 3:10: “For it did not shut up the door to my mother’s womb, nor did it hide misery from my eyes.”

Here we have a simple example of Hebrew grammar. Many ask why do we need to look at the Hebrew? And the answer is also simple, it’s the language chosen by our Father to express His heart for His people; and it is a beautiful language that Messiah Jesus and His disciples spoke. Don’t let the word grammar repel you, because it will reveal those pearls of great price to us. Many don’t like to, or don’t take the time to study, we want instant answers, tell me quickly so we can get on with our lives! We are to love His Word and the study of it.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth 2.Tim 2:15. There is nothing more important than the time we spend with our Heavenly Father, praying and studying His Word.

 This is part of our spiritual formation as believers, we are called to cultivate our “inner man” (Ephesians 3:16) so that the hidden בֶּטֶן aligns with the Spirit’s life-giving power.

In this verse the second word is IT, and in Hebrew there is only male and female, there is no neuter. The French language, and others, are similar, giving gender designations to items such as furniture: la chaise – la=female – the chair; and things, e.g. animals le chien- le=male – the dog, even when it may be a female dog. In English we just say ‘it’, however, there are some exceptions when people refer to either a car, a boat or a plane they say she, her or girl!

Having said that, in this verse, where the second word is IT, in Hebrew one would have to say either he or she; although like the car and boat, just because you call it a ‘she’ doesn’t mean that it would be female. A car or boat is neither a male nor female but we still use the pronoun she.

In the context of this verse 3:10, who or what is the ‘it’, that ‘does not shut up the door’?  Job is talking about the day he was born, which is neither male nor female, so it was translated as ‘it’.

Then we read ‘the door to my mothers womb’. Here in the Hebrew the word womb/baten/beten doesn’t have any word after it to suggest a ‘mother’. The translator has assumed the word mother should be here as indicated by the parenthesis.

However there is the personal dependent pronoun my attached to the word womb. Obviously it can’t be Job’s womb’s because he is male and has no womb and cannot birth himself.

Job 3:10 
HEB: סָ֭גַר דַּלְתֵ֣י בִטְנִ֑י וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל
NAS: the opening of my [mother’s] womb, Or hide
KJV: the doors of my [mother’s] womb, nor hid
INT: shut the opening of my womb hide trouble

Baten בָֽטֶן

Beten בֶּטֶן : Belly, womb, body, innermost part

Original Word: בֶּטֶן
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: beten
Pronunciation: BEH-ten
Phonetic Spelling: (beh’-ten)
KJV: belly, body, + as they be born, + within, womb
NASB: womb, body, belly, birth, abdomen, stomach, within
Word Origin: [from an unused root probably meaning to be hollow]

1. the belly, especially the womb
2. also the bosom or body of anything

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance 990 beten

belly, body, as they be born, within, womb

From an unused root probably meaning to be hollow; the belly, especially the womb; also the bosom or body of anything — belly, body, + as they be born, + within, womb.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
belly, body, womb
NASB Translation
abdomen (3), being (1), belly (8), birth (4), body (11), brothers* (1), depth (1), himself (1), infancy* (1), inward parts (1), mind (1), parts (1), pregnancy (1), rounded projection (1), stomach (3), within (3), womb (32).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

  1. בֶ֫טֶן noun feminineNumbers 5:25 belly, body, womb

So why isn’t the word mother in there in Hebrew? Many Christian translators explain it by saying that it’s obvious that if Job was speaking of his birth, it would have to be his mother, so the intent of the passage is to say “mother’s womb” and it just left the obvious word out.  However the word ‘baten’ does not have to be rendered as womb it could mean the innermost part of one’s being or even one’s heart.

Brown-Driver-Briggs

  1. בֶ֫טֶן noun feminineNumbers 5:25 belly, body, womb (Arabic ) — ׳בּ absolute Judges 13:7 +; בָּ֑טֶן Judges 13:5 +; construct בֶּטֶן Psalm 139:13 +; suffix בִּטְנִי Job 3:10 +; בִּטְנְךָ Deuteronomy 7:13 +; בִּטְנֵךְ Genesis 25:23; בִּטְנוֺ Job 15:2 +, etc.; —

  2. a. belly, abdomen, of man Judges 3:21,22 of woman Numbers 5:21,22,27; as beautiful in form Cant 7:3; as seat of hunger Proverbs 13:25; as eating Ezekiel 3:3 (“” מֵעִים); compare Proverbs 18:20 (figurative); as seat of passion, avarice, etc. Job 20:20,23; in figure of God’s casting riches out of extortioner’s belly Job 20:15 (“” וַיְקִאֶנּוּ), compare also Psalm 17:14; figurative of innermost part of man = inmost soul Proverbs 18:8 = Proverbs 26:22; Proverbs 20:27,30 (all ׳חַדְרֵי ב); as seat of intell. Faculties

Womb Symbolism: Represents nurturing, growth, and potential in Jewish thought.

Spiritual Growth: Highlights the journey of personal development through Torah study.

But the translator would argue that the context clearly shows that this is speaking of physical birth so we would use the word ‘womb’.  However, the word ‘baten’ or ‘womb’, is in a masculine form, and as we noted just because something is masculine doesn’t mean it is masculine in the Hebrew. This is clearly why practically every English, Christian translation has this as “it did not shut up the door to my mother’s womb.”  There are a couple of versions that translate this as ‘the womb’ rather than ‘mother’s womb,’ as they recognize the word ‘mother’ is not in the Hebrew text.  However, neither is the article ‘the’ before it in the Hebrew text. This is a prime example for us that we trust the translations too readily, and don’t take the time to resource the original texts. Sometimes the reason translators use certain words is due to a western scientific Greek cultural approach and mind set, and this is not how the Jewish/Hebrew speaking sages understand it; they have no problem using HE instead of IT, because God created the day that Job was born. They would further say that there is a reason that the personal pronoun is used and the word mother is not included, is because there is a deeper meaning in the text. This hidden meaning or remez, is suggested by the lack of the word ‘mother’, hinting that we should look for this meaning and our english translations miss that.

If we insert another meaning for the word womb/baten, that option would be: one’s innermost being, or our heart. It would read:

He did not shut up the door to my heart.

Does this make sense with the rest of the verse, Nor did he hide misery from my eyes? The word misery is a word used for labor, and we call labor pains part of the birthing process which is an intentional inference; however, it’s also a reference to the misery Job is experiencing and so gives a double meaning.

The Hebrew sages perceive this both as a literal reference and as the hidden meaning that Job is saying …

’God you have not shut up my heart, it’s still open to you even though I’m going through all this misery’.

Our lives are enriched by the teachings of the Torah, indeed by the whole TaNaKH and Brit Chadashah/Old and New Testaments.

2Timothy 3:16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Here is an important lesson for us, that when our Heavenly Father chooses to lead us through difficult or testing times of trials, He doesn’t shut the door to our heart, it remains open to Him. If our heart closes towards Him during those difficult times, it’s not Him that shuts it…. it’s us…. and maybe we are blaming Him for the problems?

Sadly how often in times of pain or problem, we withdraw, pulling away from His presence. We may still pray, but it’s as if we have closed the door to our heart and we miss what He is trying to reveal to us and teach us..

The word bateni could also reflect the mind. The womb is the place where life originates or springs from, and the mind is the place our thoughts begin, or spring from. Misery often starts in the mind but our hearts also feel it, because we are a product of our thought processes. This is why Ephesians 4:23 reminds us that we are to renew our minds. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. All believers are called to a daily renewal of their thoughts and attitudes, aligning them with the Father’s truth. This renewal is not merely intellectual but spiritual, involving Holy Spirit’s work in and through us, renewing our minds according to biblical principles.

Batani: A term that may relate to spiritual or physical aspects of life.

The meanings of the individual Hebrew letters in the word bateni:
Beit= house
Teth= choice or decision for good or evil
Nun= seed, sprout, origin, life
Yod= hands
The house where decisions originate is in our hands.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy! If we are going through a time of trial and testing if things seem too hard to bear we must not shut up the door of our heart towards our Heavenly Father but run though it to Him.

This is how He speaks to us heart to heart spirit to spirit and when we turn our spiritual ear towards Him, His voice will drown out the misery we are feeling. Our heart must remain open to our Father so He can open His heart to us.

Hebrews 4:15 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

This scripture emphasizes the profound understanding and compassion that Messiah Yeshua/Jesus has for our human weaknesses. He understands and Revelation 3:20 reminds us He is just the other side of that door waiting to be invited in.. this year let’s keep the door of our heart open to Him at all times….

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born again from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.