Synonyms or Distinctions?
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up and the skies drip with dew. Proverbs 3:19-20 NASB
Wisdom/understanding/knowledge – Turn to a dictionary. Oh, not a dictionary like the TDNT or the TDOT, but a dictionary of contemporary English usage. Look up “wisdom,” “understanding,” and “knowledge.” You will find distinctions, differences between these terms. That’s why there are three different words. But what you might not realize is that you are reading a Greek idea in these definitions. In Greek thought, wisdom, understanding and knowledge are actually three different words. It is possible to have one without the others. In fact, Greek philosophers spent a good deal of time trying to formulate just how these three important ideas fit together. That effort is the basis of Platonic ethics.
In Hebrew, things are a little different. Bertram notes:
“wisdom,” “understanding” and “knowledge,” three virtues which in their theoretically intellectual and practically ethical character cannot be separated conceptually in the OT, or systematically integrated into a doctrine of virtues, even though the GK. reader or translator might be inclined to do this under philosophical influence. Rather, the heaping up of terms is an indication of the many-sidedness of aspects.[1]
Did you understand? Hebrew does not separate these terms as if they described differentiated elements. In Hebrew, these terms are merely ways of describing the same thing, like observing the colors of the same diamond in its facets. A person is not wise without understanding and knowledge and knowledge cannot be acquired without wisdom and understanding. These terms are expression of a unity, derived ultimately from God Himself.
What do we learn from this little exercise in linguistics? Hopefully we discover that even our way of describing the world functions within the paradigm of our language. We think we are reading the thoughts of the ancient writers but what we are really reading is the interpreted words, interpreted by the very structure of the language of the translation. Since we are Western, Greek-thinking readers, we don’t hesitate to separate these terms. But no Hebrew would have done so. And if this is true of the words that we associate with intellectual effort, how much more do you think it could be true of words like “atone,” “forgive,” “grace,” “sacrifice,” “obey,” and “law.” What if these are also just descriptions of one unified idea?
Topical Index: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, paradigm, Proverbs 3:19-20
[1] Bertram, G. (1964–). φρήν, ἄφρων, ἀφροσύνη, φρονέω, φρόνημα, φρόνησις, φρόνιμος. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 9, pp. 225–226). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
It seems to this Westener that grace is the unified umbrella to everything.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us
with all wisdom and understanding. And He made know to us the mystery
of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Christ,
to put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring
all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”
“The many-sidedness (unity) of aspects”.
Question: does the IDEAL FORM of Wisdom (as well as Knowledge and Understanding, for that matter) make possible the function of creative unity that resulted in the formation of earth, as well as heavens, along with the subsequent alteration of that formation; i.e. the flood (“deeps broken up and skies drip with dew”)? Or would the function of creation result in the personhood, or manifestation, of that Wisdom? I guess that would also depend on whether you were thinking like a Greek, who would have worked from particular (form) to universal (a masculine approach to thought, typically, at least according to Dr. Caroline Leaf, and others), or like a Hebrew, who worked from universal (function) to particular (more of how a woman – at least this one, anyway – thinks). This, by the way, is also a left brain – right brain question, according to brain scientists. Hmmm. Might depend on which gender had the upper hand at the moment, ya think?
Another way to ask would be to wonder if unity results in persons (different aspects, or, forms, of the function of unity) or if person(s) – or, manifestation(s) of particular form – are required before there can be unity of those forms? I know what a Greek would answer to that.
So, if Wisdom is a person, or particular aspect of the function of God, than wouldn’t that mean that Knowledge and Understanding would be, too? Wonder how many more particular forms, or, personalities of the function of God there are? As many as there are applications? Names? Or do the jobs get divvied up another kind of way?
Which brings me to “hallowed by Thy Name”. I won’t go down the list of just how many Names there are in the Bible (listed according to their function, of course – at least in Hebrew, anyway!), but if you are focused on some particular ideal form (personality) of God, then each and every Name represents a different problem. Which One, in PARTICULAR, does this verse refer to (and if you are a Greek you better not get that Name ‘wrong’)?
The only way I have found to resolve all this is to decide that I don’t have enough information to declare Who (Person) God is. Which leaves me stuck with all the different manifestations of Who He says He is. All of them; in all of their glorious Unity. It’s the only way I can see to count to One, much less pray to Him: to all those glorious Names of His marvelous function of love (“love” being the best name for that unity of function that we have). Amen.