Pointing Perspective
“Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great.” Genesis 15:1
Shield – What difference does a dot make? Who cares about a small little point of ink on the page? If you were Hebrew, the smallest ink mark makes all the difference when it comes to reading the Word of God.
Hebrew is a written language of consonants only. No vowels were in the original text. The proper pronunciation of words was passed orally from one generation to the next. As you can imagine, without careful transmission, changes could occur. So, Hebrew scholars added “pointing”, small dots and dashes to remind the reader what vowels belonged with what consonants. This means that at one time long after the original language was written, someone had to decide which vowel was to be used. A change in vowels resulted in a different meaning. So, the root form (the consonants) could be understood differently according to the vowels chosen. That is the case with this word. The root is mgn. There are three different combinations of vowels used with this root. Each one has a different (but related) meaning.
Magen means shield.
Magan means benefactor.
Mogen means reward.
Now try reading this verse with each of the possible meanings. Did you notice that they are all somewhat similar in nuance, but quite different in exact meaning? When this word was translated into English, one version is “shield”. But now you know it is not the only possible reading. In fact, the translation “benefactor” actually makes more sense. God tells Abram that He will be his benefactor and provide a great reward. Just a tiny change in the pointing changes the meaning. Think about it. Isn’t God’s promise to Abram about the provision God will give? Yes, Abram will be shielded by God, but that is not the worry that Abram expresses. Abram is worried about his progeny. But God tells him, “Don’t worry. I will provide.”
Oh, yes. There’s one more clue here. The word “reward” is sakar. If you look at Psalm 127:3 you will see that children are called “reward”. Maybe God was being quite a bit more specific to Abram? “I will be your benefactor and you will have the child you desire.”
It’s all there, hidden in the dots. God pays attention to the smallest detail, doesn’t He?
