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
בֶ֫טֶן noun feminineNumbers 5:25belly, 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.
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.
What do we think of when we say ‘our heart’?
