I Stand at the Door and Knock

You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, Exodus 20:5 NASB

Exodus in Revelation – paqad, the Hebrew word for “visiting,” has always given translators fits. “There is probably no other Hebrew verb that has caused translators as much trouble as pqd” (Speiser, BASOR 149:21).^[1] “Speiser considers the root meaning to be ‘attend to with care’ or ‘take note.’ It is impossible to prove whether this is the actual origin, but the fact that at least half of the occurrences involve positive action by a superior in relation to his subordinates strongly suggests that such action is a vital part of the meaning of the word, an idea that is supported by the fact that the LXX most frequently translates it by episkeptō or a similar word.”^[2] “When translated ‘visit,’ as fifty-seven times in the KJV, . . . this word almost always has the sense, now largely obsolete, of ‘making a visitation’ and points to action that produces a great change in the position of a subordinate either for good or for ill.”^[3]

Perhaps we can clear up some of these translation difficulties by looking at the Paleo-Hebrew imagery. The three consonant symbols represent “Word/Speech/Mouth + Behind/Last/Least + Pathway/to Enter.” Remembering that in the Hebrew worldview what is behind the head is the future, the picture might be “a word in the future enters.” In other words, paqad represents the expectation of a future encounter. God visits. He personally involves Himself in the life activity of His children. He is not the deist’s god of transcendent separation from human affairs. In fact, coupled with qanna’ (jealous), this pictograph tells us that we should expect God’s visitation just as He expects us to be prepared for His coming. He comes as the superior calling on His inferiors both for good or ill.

In other words, in contrast to the gods of Egypt who reigned in disconnected, dispassionate self-preoccupation, YHVH is intimately involved in the processes of both reward and punishment. The gods of Egypt viewed men as not much more than useful slaves, created to provide the gods with lives of remote luxury. But YHVH gives a completely different picture. He enters into the pathway of men, personally involving Himself as the anticipated and expected visitor about to arrive at any moment. He commits Himself to future manifestation for the purpose of examination and intervention. His jealousy prohibits any hint of withdrawal into the heavens. He guards His chosen ones by His promised participation. He is not like the gods of Egypt. He does not need to be appeased in order to pay attention to His children. The very fact that He is Father entails His constant care and concern. And the Koof of paqad ensures that this care will continue into the future. His word, the Hebraic representation of His character, enters into the lives of the children and the children’s children. It comes in the future as a pathway, a door, perhaps of conviction, or atonement, or relief. But paqad does not bring judgment. A door or pathway implies walking, entering, continuing, not the end of the line. Perhaps Yeshua had this idea in mind when He said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20 NIV). Imagine how differently we would read Yeshua’s words if we thought of them from the perspective of Moses’ Paleo-Hebrew.

Topical Index: paqad, qanna’, visiting, jealous, Exodus 20:5

^[1] Coppes, L. J. (1999). 2038 קָנָא. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (802). Chicago: Moody Press.

^[2] Ibid.

^[3] Ibid.