Did you know that I am doing a series on Matthew (a class that meets every Sunday evening). This is a verse by verse, word by word study of the Gospel, with lots of Hebrew background and thematic discussion. You can listen to every session as a down load for free. Just go here. It should take us about 2 years to complete. 
Thanks, Wayne, for reminding me to tell everyone.
And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
Mind – If you remember (and I hope you do), the word in the Hebrew passage is not “mind.” It is me’od – greatness, very, much, exceedingly. Somehow the Matthew version of Yeshua’s quotation from Deuteronomy 6:5 shifts me’od to the Greek word dianoia and the Greek dianoia seems to have very little to do with an adverb about lots of stuff. What are we to make of this? Did Yeshua forget what the Hebrew text says?
Forgetting the Shema is like forgetting your name. Unless Yeshua had a total collapse of mental faculties, it is simply impossible that He would have used some other word except me’od. Therefore, the problem has to be in the translation from Hebrew to Greek, not in the actual words Yeshua spoke. We can see more evidence of a translation problem when we look at this same event recorded in Mark and Luke. Mark’s version is “with all your mind and with all your strength.” Apparently, the translator of Mark realized that me’od had a connection to “strength” so he added this, but he still left in the surprising Greek word dianoia. Luke keeps both of Mark’s phrases, but reverses their order (“with all your strength, and with all your mind”). How are we to understand this linguistic sleight-of-hand?
It’s very clear that Yeshua recited the Deuteronomy passage as it is written in Hebrew. It’s also very clear that the Greek gospels have a great deal of trouble trying to capture the Hebrew meaning of me’od. All three authors use dianoia, but two of them realize there is more to this Hebrew word than mental activity, so they attempt to include some idea of strength in the context. If any passages demonstrate that the Gospels are translations of Hebrew into Greek, this is one of those. It’s apparent that the various authors stumble around trying to capture a word that has no direct Greek equivalent.
Why did they choose dianoia? First, we should contrast dianoia with nous. Dianoia is the mind at work. It includes thinking, feeling and understanding, but it is the active function of the mind, not simply the mental storage compartment. At least this approaches a Hebrew point of view. Whatever the translators thought, they knew that the Hebrew expression was about action and purpose, not a state of being. But why use any expression that seems to divide man into component parts? The answer requires a deeper reflection on translation issues. If I attempt to capture a foreign concept in another language, I am often stuck with thought forms that don’t quite fit. I have two choices. I can choose the closest compatible expression or I can try to make up a new one. Paul often chooses the latter. Matthew, Mark and Luke seem to have chosen the former. Dianoia is as close as they could get to me’od, but at least Mark and Luke realized that me’od needed the additional support of ischus (strength – mental, moral and physical).
What we have in the Gospels is a translation of concept, not a transfer of exact words. You might think of the Gospels as a paraphrase of Yeshua’s actual words. We get the point, but the actual words He used are hidden behind the translation. One thing we know for sure: Yeshua did not consider loving God as a mental state of being. It was not about a storehouse of correct theological information or a treasury of the right propositions. Loving God is about actions, even if sometimes the best way to describe them requires us to use marginal concepts like dianoia.
What’s the lesson? First, translations make a big difference. Be careful how you read. Second, never let the current culture dictate what the text means. Look to the original audience for understanding. And finally, remember that loving God is not what you think. It’s what you do with the mind awake to Him.
Topical Index: mind, dianoia, Mark 12:30, Matthew 22:37, Luke 10:27
Dear friends,
I am so grateful to each of you for your faithfulness as participants in this community. Nothing gives me more joy than to see how we care for each other. I have done my best to make that a reality year after year by using your donations to give financial aid to brothers and sisters who are part of our worldwide assembly. Whenever we have had a need, you rallied to support each other. Even though we are separated by geographical distance, I know that we belong to each other. We are doing church – the way it was done in Acts.
Now I have to come to you with a personal need. You know how reticent I am to do this, but perhaps it is time.
Rosanne lost her job in the construction collapse two years ago. She’s had a few interior design consultation projects here and there a year ago, but that has dried up. (Check out Rosanne’s interior design portfolio online. If you have a project, please contact her.)
As many of you know, I’m the Academic Dean at Master’s International Divinity School. Sounds prestigious, and it’s no surprise that I love the work and teaching. But the salary only meets about half of our monthly expenses and the school is currently unable to pay me on time and is quite a bit behind. So Rosanne and I have been slowly depleting our savings in order to pay the bills.
Now I need your help. For the first time in 7 years, I need to begin taking a regular salary from At God’s Table.
My hope is that this will be accomplished by all of you donating just a little bit (or a little bit more) each month. This will help me make up the personal shortfall, and At God’s Table will still provide the same level of financial aid to those in need.
There are over 600 people who receive Today’s Word each day. Less than half are regular contributors. In the recent survey of Today’s Word readers, 19% of you are monthly supporters, 28% are occasional supporters, 27% have only contributed once or not at all. I’m asking those of you in the last two categories especially to consider setting up a monthly donation plan. If each person increased the donation by just $10 a month, it would be a great blessing. Of course, I know that some of you simply cannot. Others are spread around the globe (63 countries get Today’s Word) and financial contribution is difficult. But if you find daily value in Today’s Word, and if you have the means to do so, would you please sacrifice the cost of lunch once or twice a month to help? Make a fast of one meal once a month and send the cost to the work of At God’s Table.
Please visit my donation page and choose the donor amount of $10, $25, or more per month. The amount you choose will automatically be deducted from your credit card or bank each month. Of course, you can discontinue support at any time — for any reason — but I hope you will find the continued exploration and participation in the community valuable.
We are planning a lot of new material and some real face-to-face time very soon. Books, videos, audio and a family reunion are coming!
I do not intend to stop writing, teaching or digging deeper. But it is getting much harder to continue this work as the pressures mount for me to take on other jobs in order to meet my monthly financial obligations. Please consider the value of Today’s Word and At God’s Table in your life by making a reasonable monthly contribution.
PS – At God’s Table is a 501c3 non-profit. All donations are tax deductible.
PPS – For those who did not see this when I posted it a few months ago, here is a summary of 2009 expenses for At God’s Table. As you can see, we do take care of each other in pretty big ways.
Shalom,
Skip
Yes, I want to help Skip by making a monthly, tax-deductible donation to At God’s Table!
And you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5
Heart/ Soul/ Might – If we are commanded to love God with all (kol) we’ve got, obviously that command affects the entire body of behaviors. Rather than allow us to fumble around trying to decide exactly what is included in the “all,” God’s Word provides three general categories. Each category helps us focus on the wider implications of kol. Unfortunately, in a Greek-based culture, we tend to think of these categories as separate boxes. This division of Man into separate parts often allows us to imagine that we can be “all in” in one area and have less commitment in another. But Hebrew never views Man as the combination of separate pieces. Man is a completely unified, embodied, homogenized whole. Using the three words “heart,” “soul,” and “might,” doesn’t mean we can divide the Hebrew Man. It only means that Hebrew asks us to pay particular attention to what it means to love God in these three ways.
So what are the three ways? The first is “heart,” (lev), the way of our choices, our emotions, our actions-decisions, and our thinking. You could conclude that this covers it all. How we decide, what we decide, what we do as a result of what we decide, how we feel about what we do and what we think about all of that is “heart.” To love God with all your heart is to apply God’s point of view and character to our ways in the world. Make Him count in every thought, word and deed.
So what’s left? Hebrew suggests that there is a second area of application – the “soul.” Of course, our Greek understanding of soul follows Plato. In his view, the soul is a separate, divine spark imprisoned in a moral, fleshly body. The objective of Greek-based religion is to free the soul from the corruptible body and allow it to ascend to heaven. If this sounds a little like our theology of “saving souls” and “insuring you’ll get to heaven,” don’t be too surprised. Most of the early Christian theologians introduced this Platonic interpretation as a replacement of the Hebrew unified view. The “mind-body-soul” view of Man comes directly from Greek philosophy, not Scripture.
“Soul” is the Hebrew word nephesh. It is better translated “person.” It’s everything that makes me who I am. But isn’t that what “heart” just described? Not quite. “Heart” focuses on the individual “me.” It is about my thoughts, words and deeds. But who I am as a person is also defined by my relationship to others. Nephesh isn’t my internal, hidden, spiritual “soul.” It is the whole person, defined by his relationship to his Creator and to creation. Since we know that being human is a verb, a process of becoming through a dialog with the Creator and service to the creation, we know that who I am is defined by my connections to God and to His world. I am to love God through all these connections. By the way, there is considerable overlap between lev and nephesh, so I can never divide the two in Hebrew.
Finally, there is me’od (translated “might”). Unfortunately, the translations like “might” or “strength” aren’t quite correct. The word isn’t a noun. It is either an adverb or an adjective that is sometimes used like a noun. But what it really means is “great,” or “very,” or “exceedingly.” It is the what-ness of life, all the stuff we have on loan to do His bidding. This is the great abundance of what is put into our hands for His use. We are to love Him with all our on-loan provisions.
Combining these three areas of focused attention demonstrates that God commands love as the active behavior of treating everything as He would. His thought must become our thoughts. His deeds our deeds. His care of creation our care. His expressions of emotions ours as well. Love is what we do in all that we do. The standard is the behavior of God. “Be holy for I am holy.” That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?
Topical Index: heart, soul, might, lev, nephesh, me’od, Deuteronomy 6:5
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And you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5
All – “You’re so intense.” I’ve often heard this back-handed compliment. Maybe it’s true. When you get me wound up about Hebrew thought, it might take a long time for me to release the tension in the spring. The conversation will be laced with scribbles on a page, excited inflections and driving arguments. I’m definitely not passive about this stuff. Apparently God isn’t either.
Kol-levavka – with all your heart – intensifies the demand. Love God, but do not love Him partially, incompletely, imperfectly. Suddenly this seems impossible. Who among us has not wavered in our affection for God? Who has not failed to remain steadfast and true? Who has not doubted, stumbled or idolized what does not revere Him? Love Him? Yes! But with all my heart? How? There is hardly a single feeling in my life that doesn’t contain a hint of diversion or a twinge of conflict. It seems as if there isn’t a single event that doesn’t get a second-thought, a hesitation. Life is joy shaken and stirred with sorrow and questions.
But God doesn’t demand what we can’t deliver. So if He asks for all, He knows that we can deliver all. It might be hard, but it is not impossible. And if that is the case, then we better be very clear about the meaning of kol (all). “Everything, the whole of something, entire” is applied according to context, but the pictograph helps us see the underlying thread. An open palm (Kaf) and a cattle prod (Lamed) paint the picture of “open authority,” or “allow control.” How are these pictures related to “all”? Turn your thinking upside-down. Our view of “all” is usually couched in possession. When we think of “all,” we think of acquiring everything. Getting it all. That’s the name of the game. But the biblical view of “all” is giving everything, emptying the storage chest, distributing the treasure. We need to stand on our heads if we are going to display “all” in Hebrew (and, by the way, when you stand on your head, what’s in your pockets all falls out!). To love God with all my heart is to empty myself of normal agendas, personal plans and individual objectives. God fills empty containers.
The heart is the center of my will, my emotions, my actions and my cognition in Hebrew thought. There is no battle between the body, the mind and the spirit. All are combined in one indissoluble embodiment called me. God wants it all emptied for Him. What I decide, how I feel, what I do and how I think are to be consumed with His perspective. Heschel says that this is “sharing life with God.” He’s right. Life, in all the ways it comes, is to be saturated with His point of view. “Take every thought captive,” says Sha’ul. He might as well be commenting on Moses who is speaking for God. Fulfilling the command to love is divine Texas Hold’em. “I’m all in.” I’ve emptied my reserve. I’m going for broke (and I’ll have to become broke to get there). Maybe we ought to call it “Texas no-Hold’em”.
Are you in? Are you empty?
Topical Index: all, kol, empty, Deuteronomy 6:5
I thought we might all find something important here.
Hello Skip
I just read day 12 and I know just what you are talking about…If you don’t mind, I would like to share a “hayah” experience of mine with you.
One day a few years ago, I walked down the street to a neighbor’s house. After a short visit with my neighbor, I walked back home stopping at the mailbox and getting the days mail before going back into my house. I went inside, sat in a recliner and opened my mail. In the mail, I had received “My daily bread” a daily devotional, you may have seen it, it comes in the form of a little book. I received it a week or so in advance of the month for which the devotional was intended, so I could not yet read that days devotional. A little tired from my walk and sitting in a big relaxing recliner, I then opened the devotional book somewhere in the middle, intending to read a page at random.
Right at that second I knew, although I did not hear an audible voice, somehow it just happened, I knew that God had just instructed me to do something. I was instantly aware without a doubt that God had just told me to go show this page to my daughter. I had not yet read it, so I didn’t know what the page said, but I got up immediately from my chair and began to look for my daughter. I was not sure she was even in the house. I started looking for her, first going to her bedroom which is where I found her. Our 16 year old daughter Amanda was laying on her bed reading. I walked straight over to her and handed her the little book which was still opened to the page I had opened at random. I said to her, “I don’t know why, but God just told me to show you this.” She looked at the page and read for a brief couple of seconds. She then, at once quickly looked up to the window next to her bed and said. “Are you watching me through the window?” I said “no of course not” she then pointed her index finger to a spot on the page of her open bible and said. “This is the exact chapter and verse I was reading the second you walked in my room!” The verse she pointed to in her bible was the exact same verse, about which, the page of the devotional taught.
It took a while to convince her that I had not been spying on her. I told her “ I did not know even know you were reading your bible.” I had to explain that my vision is not near good enough to read her bible through the window from the back yard. In addition, I could not run all the way around the house and come in door and run to her room fast enough to catch her at just the right second to show her the devotional. I also explained that I had just retrieved the devotional out of the mailbox moments earlier. I said,” it would not have been possible for me to orchestrate all of that.” She knew from experience that I don’t lie to her. She finally came to the realization that God had indeed told me to show her the page.
We both just sat on the bed in awe for a moment. I said “ well I guess God really wants you to understand this verse” So I left the room and she read it. After reading it, she came to me and said “I wonder why God wanted me to understand that so bad”? It didn’t seem to be of any great revelation to her at the time. I myself don’t remember, several years later now ,what verse it was.
It was the event itself that left a lasting impression. We are both still amazed when we remember this happening.. I think it may have been more about God taking an opportunity to solidify our faith than about the verse itself. Amanda now 23 and I are both committed Christians and I continue to have messages from God hayah to me from time to time. (this was not the first nor the last ) I am always amazed and thankful every time it happens.
Thank you for the lessons Skip, they are very enlightening.
Nancy
Who’s ahead of you? Who’s behind?
We are travelers on the path.
And you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5
Your God – Not just any god. Your God. eloheikha. How did that happen? Well, it had nothing to do with our decision. “You will be my people and I will be your God.” It was His choice. He established the relationship, not us. We belong to Him because we have been chosen, grafted in, adopted by Him. Of course, there is a reason for this – but it is His reason, His purpose, not ours. Once we were chosen, we were obligated. “You will be my people,” doesn’t mean that we can determine how we will belong to this nation. He determines how we will belong because He constituted us as His people. Once we were lost. Now we are found. We are found within the congregation of Israel. We are commanded to love this particular God (who happens to be the only God in spite of other claims of divinity). The reason we are to love Him is because we belong to Him – and He belongs to us.
Heschel makes an interesting observation. “In this world God is not God unless we are His witnesses.”[1] God is not restoring the world to its perfect original condition without us. He is in cooperation with us. We are partners with Him. We have been invited to join the work party, to complete with Him the master plan of the redemption of everything. He is our God because we are wedded to His work and His character. Under these circumstances, the command to love Him is entirely reasonable and acceptable. How could it be otherwise? Under these circumstances, to act on His behalf in the work of restoration is to love Him. Only those who put hand to the plow demonstrate that He is their God. They love Him with every furrow, with every drop of sweat, with every callus, with every aching muscle. There is work to do – His work – and loving Him is feeling the blade slicing through the good earth.
“Ultimately religion is not based on our awareness of God but on God’s interest in us.”[2] He declares us His people just as His Son declares us His friends.[3] Both have obligations. Both are Hebrew tautologies. Your God = His people. To be known = friends. People and friends = obligation to respond.
How will the world know that He is our God? Not because we proclaim that we believe He exists. The divine principle of first cause is not our God. He is the God of the philosophers. The heavenly overseer of higher ethics is not our God. Our God is the God of Torah and if we are to be His witnesses (and He is to be our God), then we will live according to His demands – and not anything else.
Is He your God?
Topical Index: your God, eloheikha, witnesses, Deuteronomy 6:5
[2] Abraham Heschel, Spiritual Audacity and Moral Grandeur, p. xxii.
[3] John 15:15
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