Who or What Is A Tela?
Is there a connection between sheep and people,
lambs and children?
& who gets into heaven?
References to sheep, lambs, and goats are familiar to the reader and are often used in scripture in both the old and new testaments. Shepherds and their flocks were a common sight in Bible days and those listening to Messiah understood His references.
The Hebrew language has a number of different names/words for sheep and lambs, including the following:
Strong’s Hebrew: 563.
אּמְּרִין immar — a lamb
[אִמַּר] noun masculine lamb
Strong’s Hebrew: 2922.
טְלָאּים (tela) — lamb
Strong’s Hebrew: 2924.
טָלֶה (taleh) — a lamb
taleh: a lamb
Original Word: טָלֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: taleh
Phonetic Spelling: taw-leh’
Strong’s Hebrew: 3532.
כֶּ֫בֶשׂ kebes — a lamb
Original Word: כֶּבֶשׂ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kebes
Phonetic Spelling: keh-bes’
A kesah כשה
Kap Sine Hei
Was the sacrificial lamb –
David spoke of himself in Psalms 119:176:
I have gone astray like a lost sheep,
seek thy servant for I do not forget thy commandments.
There is something innocent about a little lamb, they are very trusting and naïve. Unlike other animals, sheep cannot find their way without a leader. Just like us we need to follow Jesus to find our way because He IS the WAY and leads us into all truth.
Sheep will bond very quickly with humans and will naturally follow any leader.
It is sheep who are led to slaughter, not pigs, cows, or deer.
The longer a sheep is with a shepherd the more intimate that sheep will become with the shepherd and the more unlikely it is to lose its way; the same is true for us.
However, sheep who have spent little time with their shepherd will be more prone to follow the call of another shepherd and will wander away from its shepherd and get lost.
Some sheep just follow their own way to feed themselves and will become so focused on feeding that they will wander away from the flock.
In his Greek writings, Aristotle pointed out the similarity of the Greek word for feeding and wandering in order to show the innocence of sheep.
It seems appropriate that God would use the illustration of a wandering sheep to show His loving care. He is not angry with us when we wander, He understands that our wandering is not always intentional or rebellious, but is simply the result of us being too focused on our physical needs like eating and drinking.
We focus on our jobs, our finances, and our health so much that we never stop to look up at our Shepherd and before long he is gone. Not that he has left us but we have left him and lost our way. Once a sheep has gone astray, he will not find his way back to the flock, unless the shepherd comes looking for him, he will remain lost. That is why David says in this verse “seek thy servant.” All that little lamb can do is stand in his lost condition and bleat, hoping his shepherd will find him.
As we come to the week of Passover/Pesach the image of a lamb is once again in the forefront of our thoughts.
The celebration has its’ roots in the remembrance of the exodus from Egypt and the sacrificial lambs blood that was placed on the doorposts for their deliverance.
The type and shadow that was to come with Messiah.
Sheep were worshipped in Egypt because the Egyptian god Khnum was a sheep and was both one of the earliest-known and one of the their major gods. To them, Khnum was the creator of all life and was originally the god of the source of the river Nile. They believed this because the annual flooding of the Nile river brought life to its’ surroundings as well as much silt and clay. This believed this ‘sheep god’ was the creator of human children’s bodies, which were made from the silt and clay formed on a potter’s wheel, and then put into their mothers’ wombs. Later this deity was described as having formed and molded the other deities, and was given other titles, lord of created things from himself and divine potter.
This may be one of the reasons why the Hebrews were to sacrifice a lamb as protection from the final plague. It was certain that no Egyptian follower of Khnum would ever harm a small lamb which was the symbol of one of their esteemed deities.
From the Hebrews point of view, it showed their complete rejection of the Egyptians pagan beliefs and furthermore was completely disrespectful to their religion; and especially when God commanded that a sheep be slaughtered as an atonement for sins.
A warning for sensitive readers, some of the following pictures are very graphic in nature and may be upsetting to some…however they do depict what the scriptures tell us… and it may help us to fully appreciate what our sin cost our Savior….
We need to take a moment and consider that with Gods’ command that a family takes a newly born little lamb, the children who were most likely assigned to care for it to make sure it was without blemish or spot grew to love it like a pet.
The lamb would have been hand fed, washed and protected from insects and anything that was harmful to it and was no doubt fed at the same time the family ate, almost like another child/family member. Then when the day of atonement arrived, they would bring this little lamb to the temple and watch a priest take a knife and slaughter it before their very eyes.
It would have been explained to children and adults alike, that
death is the penalty for sin
and
this innocent little lamb who had done nothing but give love was to die giving its life in their place.
Messiah Jesus Christ, Who was completely innocent and walked in unconditional love, and yet because of our sins, He had to die.
In Him we have the Lamb of God.
He is the wounded lamb
the tela
because Messiah is spoken of by John as the
Lamb of God
who came to take away the sins of the world
and again in Revelation as the Lamb that was slain.
Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. Revelation 5:6
He was wounded for our transgressions –sins. Isaiah 53:5-12
He became that wounded lamb in our place
because so many of us have been
wounded lambs at one time or another.
We will never not be His children however old we are
and He will never stop being our Shepherd Who leads and guides us by His Spirit.
What did David see in his own wanderings and going astray?
It was a picture of a sacrifice,
one that God could use, to show many generations
the loving kindness of
the
Good Shepherd.
The Hebrew word that David uses for the
lost sheep is keseh
and there was something else to him using this word.
A keseh is a little lamb,
but a very special lamb,
it is the sacrificial lamb.
David didn’t see himself as just any lamb going astray,
he was the sacrificial lamb that went astray.
He knew that he had a Shepherd who would exchange places with him on that altar.
Most of us will agree that we live a life that has many hardships, pain, heartbreak, and sadness. We may sometimes feel, like David, that we are a keseh or sacrificial lamb of God, one that from time to time has a tendency to go astray, but there is a Shepherd looking for us; One Who has laid down His life so we would not have to pay the price and be sacrificed for our sins.
One Hebrew word
שֶׂה
pronounced: seh is a she lamb
The ‘she,’ lamb, is a young sheep or goat
and is the most significant sacrificial animal in scripture.
noun כֶּבֶשׂ. lamb, sheep. כבש.
TSoAn TSAn means “lamb” in Hebrew.
This word is pronounced “Se ha’Elohim.”
It is an adjective and usually has a sound of SH
טָלֶה noun masculine
1Samuel 7:9 lamb
Late Hebrew id., lamb;
Aramaic: טַלְיָא lamb, youth,
טַלְיְתָא girl, boy, youth, girl
compare Mark 5:41;
Arabic: the young of cloven-footed animals.
It is also mentioned with another Hebrew name which is the name of the adult of this species: ‘ke•ves,’ sheep.
In many references the ‘seh’ is mentioned as a ‘year-old sheep.’
In Leviticus and Numbers
these detailed rules of the offering ceremony are recorded.
Whereas the ordinary ceremony requires a young lamb.
The sacrificial lamb was done
on certain holidays such as
Yom Kippur /The Day of Atonement,
and Pesach/Passover,
in particular, the sacrificial lamb
must be without blemish.
The Hebrew word for this phrase is ta•min,
which also means innocent or perfect:
“Your lamb shall be without blemish/tamin, a male of the first year; you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats”
Exodus 12:5
This Old Testament ‘seh’ has everything required to
reflect the image and character of the Messiah;
and, without doubt He is
innocent, perfect, with no blemish
and He is prophesied to pay with His life for the sin of all of us:
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, but he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; he was brought like a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep, that is dumb before its shearers, he did not open his mouth”
Isaiah 53:6-7
The sacrificed ‘seh’ is the most important metaphor in the New Testament. In Hebrew it’s called
Seh Ha•Elohim,- The Lamb of God:
The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
He was the Passover/Pesach Lamb, Who became the perfect sacrifice/seh for everyone who believes and understands what He did by becoming the substitute to pay the penalty for our sins.
We may not be familiar with the breeds of sheep and goats in the middle east where the animals look very much alike…
and it often easier to tell when they are fully grown.
We are very familiar with Messiah represented as a Shepherd,
and His followers are represented as
His flock, sheep and lambs.
We are called the sheep of His pasture and we also read of the future separation of the sheep from the goats.
And all the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd who separates sheep from goats. Matthew 25:32
This reference is also a reminder to His followers to be just that, followers.
We are not to be independent, stubborn,
rebellious or disobedient;
neither are we to be pretending to be one of His sheep.
He also said
“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-4
The Hebrew word tela also has the meaning: little child.
Do the meanings of the Aramaic and Hebrew words reveal something more to us about this very familiar picture?
He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms. Isaiah 40:11.
This is very important as there is a connection between
the Hebrew words for
lamb and little child –
in Hebrew/Aramaic it’s written:
טגא
tet gimel alef.
The most common word for
a child or small infant
is yalad or yeled
yeled: child, son, boy, kid, youth, youngster
Original Word: יֶלֶד
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yeled
Phonetic Spelling: yeh’-led
There is also another word, tabitha which is a play off on the word in Hebrew talitha. In Aramaic, it means a child. Familiar to us in the raising of Jairus daughter in Mark 5:41
alitha cumi for Greek ταλιθὰ κούμι,
which, in turn, is a transliteration of the Aramaic
טְלִיחָא קוּמִי Maiden, arise.
Mark preserves the Aramaic term
Talitha kum’ instead of just translating it:
Biblical scholars agree that Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, was a Jewish man from a working-class background in Judea, and would have spoken Aramaic, a 3,000-year-old language that shares many Hebrew words.
The Aramaic language is a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew. Originally this language of the Arameans, it was used, in many dialectical forms, in Mesopotamia and Syria. Aramaic is a Semitic language which was common in much of the Near East from about 7th century BC until the 7th century AD.
Taking the child’s hand, He said [tenderly] to her,
“Talitha kum!”—which translated [from Aramaic] means,
“Little girl, I say to you, get up!”
Hebrew: 2922. טָלָא ṭālā’
טָלָא (H2921) taw-law
טְלָא ṭᵉlâʼ, tel-aw’; apparently from H2921 in the (original) sense of covering (for protection); (compare H2924) a lamb:
† טָלֶה noun masculine1 Samuel 7:9 lamb (Late Hebrew id., lamb;
Aramaic טַלְיָא lamb, youth,
Variant spellings for this word: טלי (Gesenius) טלא
(Strongs) Teli טְלִי
טְלִי (ṭᵊlî), lambs
little child
yeled
ילד קטן
ṭālā’ טָלָא
טְלָאּים (tela) – lamb
Aramaic טַלְיָא lamb,
tela lamb Mark 9:37 and Matt 18:3
The word used in the Greek for
little children is paidai
which is the word for a little child or infant.
Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
As previously noted, the most common word is yalad which is a child or small infant; and there is also the other word which is a play off the word in Hebrew which is talitha.
In Aramaic, it means a child.
But in Hebrew, it means a wounded lamb.
Did Messiah Jesus choose to use talitha from the root word tela rather than yalad to give a little play on the words?
Strong’s Hebrew: 2922. טְלָאּים (tela) — lamb
Original Word: טְלָא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tela
Phonetic Spelling: tel-aw’
Definition: lamb
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin the same as taleh,
The word for lamb is tela’.
It is used only once in Scripture and it is found here and means lamb. Altogether there are about nine other words in the Hebrew language that are used for lamb.
Tela actually means:
to be blemished, spotted or wounded.
The Lamb that the Good Shepherd is carrying is one that is not perfect, it is flawed, or has been wounded and can not walk.
As a Rabbi, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus used many little educational tools to instruct his disciples. One often used by rabbis throughout the ages is the use of a play on words.
Sometimes a word sounds like a word from another language and we make a play off it as in the example in Matthew 18:3. Here, Jesus/Yeshua is saying that unless we become as little children.
The play on words cannot be seen from the Greek because it only works in a Semitic language.
The word used in the Greek for little children is paidai which is the word for a little child or infant. Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We probably think that Jesus is telling us that we must have the faith of a child. Does our Heavenly Father expect us to have a faith so naïve/immature, perhaps Messiah meant something more?
Messiah Jesus spoke these words in Aramaic and, as we have seen there are two words that could be used for a child. The most common word is yalad which is a child or small infant. The other word in Aramaic is tabitha which is a play off the word in Hebrew talitha.. and in Aramaic, it means a child. But in Hebrew, a similar sounding word talitha means a wounded lamb. They share a similar root word, tela’. Did Messiah choose to use tabitha from the root word tela rather than the most common word yalad to give a play on words?
The disciples would be familiar with the Biblical Hebrew, as it was used as a ceremonial language. In the same way today, that Latin is still used in the Catholic church services. It was not used as a spoken language unless a person was speaking with Jews from another land who spoke, Greek for example, but not Aramaic, they would still have the Hebrew language as a common ceremonial language between them.
In Mark 5:41 when Jesus raised the little girl from the dead he said: Tabitha Koum. This is in a feminine form in the Aramaic and means: little girl get up. However, it is very close to the Hebrew word tela for a wounded lamb. Messiah could have said yalid – rise up which also means little child rise; but instead He chose to use a word which plays off the Hebrew and those who understood the use of such words would quickly pick up on the wordplay.
Little wounded lamb, arise.
Was this a more affectionate way to address her? Did the people hear both, and did they hear a play on these words?
We may have the same thing when it is recorded Messiah said: : “Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” He used the Aramaic word talitha and did a wordplay saying:
Unless you come as a wounded or sorrowful little child you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
We could say in other words with a deeper meaning that, unless we are really sorrow for our sins a like a little child is sorrowful because the parent corrects them and they climb into the parent’s arms crying and from the heart says: “I’m sorry.” they will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Could this be why Messiah further says that, if we humble ourselves as a child or wounded truly sorrowful child,
we will be great in heaven?
This is the kind of godly sorrow or genuine repentance that makes an individual great in the kingdom of heaven. This humility is that of a child who is not afraid to admit they are wrong and will even cry out of sorrow when his carelessness is pointed out.
When children are forced by their parents, or other authorities, to say “I am sorry.” It is often under pressure, however when a child really says sorry without being told to, it is genuine; and that is the repentance our Heavenly Father is looking for, not one under given under pressure, threat or duress.
To see a child who is truly sorry asking to be forgiven, can melt the heart of a parent who will just want to hug the child and assure them of forgiveness.
Trying to appear remorseful and sorrowful after we’ve been caught is worth nothing to most people; especially if they think we are repentant simply because we got caught and now have to face the consequences.
Isn’t it the same with our Heavenly Father? True Godly sorrow is sorrow over having wounded and broken a father’s heart because of our sins. HIs Holy Spirit will bring that conviction and sorrow and without it we are no better off as there is no change.
Once we realize just how much our Heavenly Father loves us, that He sent His Son to die for us and has brought nothing but good into our lives; His Holy Spirit will make that very clear and cause us to grieve in the right way, that is Godly sorrow.
This is a tela, a wounded, sorrowful little lamb.
2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Strongs H2922
טְלָאִים plural of foregoing H2924,
only Isaiah 40:11 in metaphor of י׳ shepherding his people.
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs H2922 with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
The word for flock and shepherd are the same words. One is used as a noun and the other as a verb. It is up to the translator to apply the application so it makes some sense. The word used for shepherd in the Hebrew here is ra’ah. It can mean shepherd but in its Semitic root, it is the word RA and is the prime word for evil. There are many words in Hebrew which begins with RA ( the letters Resh and Ayin). Each word would reflect a different type of evil.
Ra’ah has the idea of a consuming passion.
A consuming passion can be evil, if that passion is drugs, alcohol, etc. We would use the word ra’ah today to describe an addiction. A drug addict will sacrifice a job, resources, family and friends to satisfy the passion for drugs. In such a case that consuming passion is evil.
Lust can be defined as:
the appetite of demons expressed through human flesh! Desires that are never satisfied, always wanting and craving more, insatiable and unable to ever be appeased.
An addiction will control the life of the individual This is a place from which the individual cannot escape without help, because it’s the place of bondage and people will defend things that have been established in their flesh. Freedom can only come when we turn to the Lord our Shepherd, admit there is a problem; repent and turn to Him, and be converted as that little child.
Then
deliverance from bondage comes through
the blood of the Lamb…the wounded lamb.
A consuming passion is some cases is good. Shepherds are consumed with their sheep as they spend their lives leading them to green pastures, cool waters and protecting them.
A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, hence the word ra’ah is used for a Shepherd. A true friend is one who is consumed with love for their friends. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friend (John 15:13).” Hence the word ra’ah is often rendered as a friend. From a friendship one is fed, giving and receiving pleasure, comfort and delight. We are nourished emotionally from a friendship. Thus the word ra’ah is also used to express feeding, just as a shepherd will feed his sheep.
So it seems there is a connection between sheep and people,
lambs and children
& who gets into heaven…
This week let’s not only focus on knowing Him and the power of His Resurrection; but also on the enormity of the price that was paid for our salvation, forgiveness, deliverance, healing, wholeness.. The true and eternal cost to Messiah, that is reflected in our freedom today to read these words; and to choose to live for Him and not ourselves as He has chosen to abide with and in us.
He is our Tamid – He is our Kesah –
He is our Tela – the wounded Lamb…
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Let’s not take this miraculous provision of grace and mercy lightly, or for granted. Let’s not get caught in traditions of men or doctrines of demons, but dig for truth; and in finding the pearl of great price, let’s surrender ALL to Him Who gave His ALL for us –
How can we do anything less?
As Haggai 1:5 said consider your ways…
Isn’t it time to consider ours??…..
Many previous posts on
Pesach/Passover week
are available for newer readers by clicking links below.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/palm-sunday-nisan-the-appointed-time-of-the-lamb/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/not-passing-over-passover-week/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/unleavened-bread-matzot-week/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/revealing-the-overcoming-resheet-of-bikkurim/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/where-was-keifa-the-week-of-chag-hamatzot/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/what-is-this-avodah-you-have/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/13-for-supper-and-only-4-cups/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/afikomen-mysterious-and-hidden/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/pesach-emunah-for-his-am-segulah/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-truth-will-make-you-free-time-for-some-truth/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/revealing-the-overcoming-resheet-of-bikkurim/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lot-can-happen-in-a-week/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/even-more-can-happen-in-and-around-the-same-week/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/seasons-of-the-lord-his-rhythm-of-chaim-life/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/seasons-of-the-lord-moedim-rhythm-of-life-part-2/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-mystery-of-in-his-deaths/
The link below is to watch, free, the highly recommended film
The Passion of the Christ. 2004 Mel Gibson.
https://vimeo.com/452350122