The Meaning Of “Is”
Taste and see that the Lord is good, happy the man who shelters in Him. Psalm 34:9 (R. Altar translation)
Is – Much to the dismay of all moral people, Bill Clinton traded personal ethics for sophistry on meaning of the word “is.” Had he been a follower of the Hebrew God, he would have known that his manipulation of “is” doesn’t work at all in Hebrew. For the Greek-based world, “is” attributes a property to an independently existing subject. From this perspective, God exists independently of goodness, and goodness is attributed to Him. But this is not the Hebrew view. From the Hebrew perspective, God and goodness inhere together. I cannot think of God without simultaneously thinking of goodness, and to remove goodness from God is to deny God’s existence. That’s why you should see the word “is” in italics in your translations. In the Hebrew text, there is no word “is.” To add it to the text is to convert the text to a Greek modality. In Hebrew, the text is simply ki-tov YHWH (“that good YHWH”). It’s hard for us to see how important this shift really is, but we can imagine what it is like with a little story.
A Greek thinker and a Hebrew thinker meet in the kitchen. There are three pots on the stove; one cast iron, one copper, one white ceramic. The Greek says, “I see we have three pots of various materials. The Hebrew says, “No, there is one pot of iron, one of copper and one of ceramic.” The Greek says, “But they are all pots. Why do you insist on their individuality?” The Hebrew answers, “If you take away the iron, the copper and the ceramic, what is left? Nothing. They do not exist except as the material shaped for their purpose.” While the Greek “sees” two distinct things, the pot and the metal, the Hebrew “sees” only one thing, metal shaped for a purpose.
God’s goodness is purposeful. The “shape” of His goodness serves a function which cannot be separated from the actions it was designed to accomplish. David goes on in this verse to tell us what the purpose of God’s good is. It is shelter. How do I see the goodness of God? I see it in His sheltering me.
What does this mean? Well, the Hebrew word translated “shelters” is the verb hasah (to seek refuge, to take refuge). Notice that the meaning of this verb contains both the action of looking for protection and of finding protection (continuum). The verb connects us with God’s shield (2 Samuel 22:31) and God’s wings (Ruth 2:12, Psalm 36:7). “Blissful the man who seeks and finds God’s goodness because God’s goodness (is) shelter.” If I know the Lord, I am sheltered. The circumstances and events of my life do not add to or remove shelter from me because my shelter is ki-tov YHWH, inherent in the God of Israel.
When you read the Psalms, pay attention to the “is.” See what else might be hidden behind those same italics.
Topical Index: is, ki-tov YHWH, good, shelter, hasah, Psalm 34:9
This is one, not from Psalms, but Proverbs 18:10.
“The name of the LORD (is) a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe.”
This verse has been floating around in my head for some weeks now. When it comes to mind, I think of the huge group, wandering in the desert, following Moses. I see the ‘tower’ of fire at night, and the ‘tower’ of cloud by day. Then, my perspective changes to be above it, looking down, and the fire/cloud is seen to be in the shape of the symbols for YHWH. It puzzles me, but is also comforting to me.
“Before Abraham was, I AM.” It is so. -So be it.- and it came to pass. -Amen.
Due to the “crunch of the clock”, I am unable to respond as I would wish to, but right now, I need some “help!” Isaiah 53.6 (brother Drew)- was it you? the “name” of YHWH is listed as ????? (I vaguely remember something to the effect – perez-??-??-??-??-?? His name IS ???????
If I may then, draw the conclusion?- the LORD, He IS G-d??? The Word (amen!) Incarnated into flesh. Hello?
Click here, Carl, and you’ll find it.
thank you Rodney.. you “saved my bacon”- lol!! (I love this website…) “Energize me!” LOL
If “today’s word” is true (and it is!) then as His book says.. “they are without excuse”. For when they knew G-d they glorified Him not as G-d, but became vain in their imaginations”. (Romans 1.21) Wow!
Today’s word “is” also “clues us in” as to Who it was we (knowingly) crucified. Wow!-
Why then.. (why are we always asking why?- LOL), is Y’shua rejected as the Messiah? Are we (purposefully) blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other?
There is a phrase in the Bible I would love for you to consider “defining” one day Dr. Moen. It has always been a “mystery” to me. Found in 2nd Peter 3:5, the words are “willingly ignorant.”
It’s not that they “can’t believe” it is that they “won’t!” Wow!- More affirmation for Psalm 14:1 (CBV) (Carl’s Butchered Version) The fool has said in his heart- “talk to the hand, because the head ain’t listening.”
There is so much more to say about this.. but for now -it’s time to listen!
I have been listening this week to Rabbi Gorelik’s lecture on “The Shema”. He emphasizes several times that the message of Deut 6 is about the uniqueness of God; the singleness of his nature. There is an interesting perspective Gorelik presents that often poses at first glance a problem. There are many Scripture references to the anthropomorphic expressions of God (i.e. “the outstretched arm of God”; “the hand of God”; “eye of the LORD”; etc). On one hand these expressions are literary attempts to identify God, but at the same time they can be actual manifestations of God (i.e. Jacob wrestling with the “angel of the LORD”; Abraham conversing with “the Man” over the future of Sodom; the 4th man in the fire with the Hebrew brethren in Babylon; etc). There is a problem because in fact God has no form and any attempt on our part to put God into a form or restrict him to a form takes away from his integrity; it is undermining. Once we put God into a form he is no longer God; he becomes god (little “g”). So, how do we reconcile these issues?
Gorelik points out that from one perspective there is no reconciliation; it is a matter of mystery and our trusting God with what we cannot resolve or understand. Yet, from another perspective it is simply the difference of whether it is we who are placing God into a form or whether God is placing himself into a form (i.e. the many OT manifestations of God to people like when Moses received the torah face-to-face and Yeshua coming incarnate). God is able to express himself to us in form at times, because he is doing the choosing and the acting. It is robbery for us to place God into a form. We do not know what we are doing; our agenda is too often about controlling God and controlling others. God’s agenda is about effective communication that leads to restoring lost humanity back to the intended relationship with their Creator.
Rodney. Who was (is) Jesus (the) Christ? What is His name? It was our Creator we crucified upon the cross. G-d lived with us, walking upon the very earth He created, eating our food, and breathing the very air He made. He lived here for thirty three years, (as a man), to show us (up close and personal) how to live. Listen again (for the first time)- “the LORD, He is G-d.”
Y’shua, the G-d/man. Y’shua- the union of two houses. (human and divine). Y’shua – the second Adam.
Shalom Roderick … nice comments! 🙂
Misunderstanding respective to ELOHIM and form? We understand so little of the mystery?
Most assuredly the G_D of all things … infinite, boundless, without form is “SPIRIT”. (Completely outside our realm of comprehension … 🙂 )
But creation … our temporal and “FORMal” existence … which came into being through Yeshua is not disconnected from the incomprehensible and infinite ELOHIM! As such there is a means of connectivity … of interaction … and it is Yeshua … the image/form of the infinite SPIRIT.
There is much to Yeshua “incarnate” that goes beyond our thoughts of HE taking upon the yoke of flesh. Yeshua is the incarnate form of That/HE? which is without form.
Recently I have come across commentary (even at TW) that seeks to tag Yeshua with that “little g” title … to make Yeshua a “demi-god” of sorts.
It is all about Yeshua … HE is G_D …. HE is the unified living representation of “The Infinite”!
It is HE whom Moshe dealt with … it is HE whom Abraham dealt with … it is HE whom all creation has dealt with! Sh’ma Yisrael YHVH Eloheinu YHVH Echad … There is only ONE!
Shabbat Shalom
If, “God’s goodness is purposeful,” what about His woe. Isaiah 45:7 says: “I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe–I the LORD do all these things.” (JPS) The notes in the Jewish Study Bible reveal that this verse is quoted at the beginning of the morning service after the call to prayer, but the word “woe” or “evil” is replaced with the euphemism, “everything.” Are we hesitant to ascribe anything to G-d that might be considered less than “good?”
As a parent, is your chastisement purposeful? Of course, otherwise it would be abuse. So, God brings chastisement (what we mistakenly call “evil”) as a means of correction. When He brings punishment, it too is purposeful – to clean the earth. Whether good or evil (and how we determine which it is is a big question), God is always purposeful. More on this is coming.
I agree. God is always purposeful. Yet, we do not want to embrace the “woe” part as for our own good. Further, it seems that the sense of community is lost in evangelical America. We want everything to be about us individuality. We appropriate the promises to the community to ourselves. Just the other day, I told someone to look at to who the promises of Jeremiah 29 were made. Yes, God has a plan for us. I remarked that the “Lord’s Prayer” was a community prayer and not on behalf of the individual. We have so much to re-learn.
We do not “punish” our children. We “chastise” them. (I’ll wait, brother Skip!) LOL!
Y’shua received in full “the wrath of G-d.” Today, we are “chastised” (may I have your attention please?) never “punished!”.