Hidden Hebrew Idioms
by Brother Rabbi Dani’el Rendelman ~ ravemet@comcast.net
Meet John, John Idiom.
John is a middle-aged businessman stuck in the rat race of
life. He had planned a corporate outdoor picnic until the rain
clouds violently rolled in. John was so mad he blew a fuse
because of the wet conditions. His big plans were now ruined and
he was boiling over. “It's raining cats and dogs,” he complained
to himself. A meteorologist had told him, straight from the
horses’ mouth, that it was supposed to rain hard. John thought
his friend was just pulling his leg, yet now he was really up
the creek without a paddle. How could John host a cookout with
mouthwatering burgers in the pouring rain? “Well, I guess that’s
just the way the cookie crumbles”, John said under his breath as
he pushed his grill back to his carport. He worried that because
of this failure, his boss would give him the axe. Poor John.
As we might guess, John Idiom is a fictional character, yet his
life is just like ours – full of clichés and idiomatic
expressions to explain life.
What is an idiom?
Idioms are words
that can’t be taken literally and don’t always stick out like a
sore thumb. This is because we have grown up using idioms to
color our speech and express ourselves. Comments like “a bull in
a china shop” and “when the cows come home,” fill the English
language. One web site says that an idiom is “a manner of
speaking that is natural to native speakers of a certain
language.” Idioms add lively ideas to our speech. These phrases
have been adapted into our language over the years, to the point
where, they have become part of normal speech. They are word
pictures that describe situations vividly. Yet, idioms can also
be very confusing.
They are confusing because they don’t
mean what they say. When we say to someone that “the cat's got
your tongue,” we are not really suggesting that a ferocious
feline attacked the person's mouth. Instead, we are actually
expressing that the person doesn’t have anything to say. Go
figure.
Perhaps, we remember the use of the word “bad” in the 1980’s
that suggested something was actually “good.” Was Michael
Jackson’s dancing good or bad? Who knows?
This can be very confusing! Idioms can also be very frustrating
to a foreigner who tries to comprehend words literally. It is
easy to be misled by word-for- word speech because people don’t
really “spill the beans” when they have something special to
say. We can’t, really “kill time.” We even attempt to convey
complex ideas, by using a single word or title, such as
“America.” Do we even know the origin and past, of these words,
or their meaning? Probably not.
Every language and dialect has its own collection of sayings
that imply and suggest thoughts, naturally. For example, when a
teen says you are “off the chain,” they are actually giving you
their seal of approval. Such an age-specific phrase as this,
like many idioms, doesn’t cross the culture barrier very easily.
People learning a new language; usually translate individual
words, to understand what is being communicated. Our minds take
in foreign information word-for-word, instead of thought-for-
thought. So, just as the phrase “absent without leave” would
easily confuse a person new to English, many Hebrew idioms that
are hidden within the Scriptures have misled millions.
Hidden Hebrew Idioms Various Hebrew idioms have found
their way into the everyday talk of millions of people. Take for
example, these Biblical expressions in the story about a man
unwilling to “go the second mile”, yet he still hoped to “kill
the fatted calf.” This man thought it was all right to “eat the
forbidden fruit.” Obviously he did not believe in following the
“straight and narrow.” This miserable person could not see the
“handwriting on the wall.” He thought he was a “law unto
himself” and would probably end up “inheriting the wind.” He
expected “manna to fall from heaven,” probably because he was
the kind who thought he could “walk on water.” Maybe his trouble
began when his parents “spared the rod and spoiled the child.”
In any case, he seems never to have learned that the “love of
money is the root of all evil,” and he must have believed the
lazy, not the “meek would inherit the earth”.
Someone may have told him that man does “not live by bread
alone,” but it was “casting pearls before swine,” because, like
the leopard, “he could not change his spots.” Undoubtedly, he
will go on trying to be “all things to all men” because he
remembers from the Bible something to the effect that one should
“eat, drink, and be merry”. Oh well, let him go, are we “our
brother’s keeper”?
See, most of the Scriptures were originally written in the
Hebrew and Aramaic languages. For hundreds of years, Hebrew
idioms have been literally translated into English. An ancient
manuscript, written to a Jewish culture has been deciphered and
changed, to fit a modern society. When we read the scriptures,
we read the work of translators and scholars. These workers have
transformed an ancient document, by substituting English words
for the original Hebrew words. The problem is, many times, the
words are translated correctly, but the original Hebrew thought
is lost. The words are there, but the meaning is missing. Talk
about being lost in the translation! To understand this, just
imagine writing that someone “kicked the bucket” and imagine
your reader actually thinking a bucket was physically kicked.
When idioms are hidden behind literal reading, confusion sets
in. This disorder portrays Biblical concepts in incorrect
manners and presents ideas that are not representative to the
original Hebrew thought. The fact is, that most people don’t
recognize the hidden Hebrew idioms that they have adopted into
their belief systems. The only thing worse than being wrong, is
to be wrong and to not know it.
While reading the Scriptures, we come across many Hebrew
idioms. We read statements that seem to be mixed up. We skim
over passages that seem to contradict themselves. As innocent
and unsuspecting Bible readers, we just skip over the hard
parts, to understand the familiar verses. We ignore the weird
word pictures, as if they weren’t there. We know that it is
human nature to ignore big words and difficult concepts when
reading. This is just the way the Western brain works. This
'skip reading' is coupled with a church that many times teaches
people to have “more faith and believe” what doesn’t seem to
make sense. Very seldom are people encouraged to study and
search for the deeper and true meaning of the Scriptures.
However, as believers, our minds are to be different than that
of the world. Our approach to the Bible should be different than
our approach to other reading.
“Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind” -- Romans 12: 1, 2.
Our minds must be made new, to understand the difficult
passages of scripture and the hidden Hebrew idioms. This renewal
is aided by investigation, analysis, and carefully examination
of the Bible, instead of just reading it.
LET'S TRY SOME WORD PLAY
Why are a wise man and a wise guy,
opposites?
Why is the man who invests money called broker?
When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
If an oriental person spins around several times, does he
become disoriented?
Or, if a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
The plain just doesn’t make sense sometimes! To just read the
Bible is to take every word at face value, to gloss over the
difficult passages and weird suggestions. When we read the
Scriptures we don’t experience the full potential of the written
word to change us. We are commanded though to study, to dig for
the deeper hidden meanings and to apply what we learn to our
lives.
From Genesis to Revelation, there are hundreds of commandments
and ordinances from the Almighty. Yet, believers are never told
to read the Bible. Out of all the mitzvot, this one is just not
there. We are told though, to “study to show yourself approved,
a workman who does not need to be ashamed, who correctly handles
the word of truth,” -- 2 Timothy 2:15. This admonishment to
study is a call to go deeper than just casual reading. It’s an
appeal to discuss, to explore, and to delve into the context of
what is being communicated. It is the path to gaining insight
into the original meaning of what was written. No longer will
Hebrew idioms and bad translations cloud our understanding.
Thousands of years of humanism & theology are washed away as we
really study the Torah. Clarity comes through word studies and
research with books like Hebrew dictionaries and lexicons.
Recognizing Hebrew idioms and learning the differences between
modern translations and the ancient Hebrew language, is just the
start to really studying the scriptures. We also need to learn
the Hebrew culture.
Imagine hearing the French phrase, “petit dejeuner” and
literally translating it as “little lunch.” If you don’t know
much about life in France, then “petit dejeuner” doesn’t make a
lot of sense. Do people eat a little lunch early in the morning?
Well, this French expression really means “breakfast.” If you
know the French culture, then you probably already knew this.
Being aware of culture brings clarity to context. The more we
know, the more we live the Hebrew culture, the more of Yahshua’s
words we understand. The more we accept the Yisraelite
lifestyle, the more Hebrew idioms and tough parts of the Torah
will make sense.
A few examples
If the English idiom is true, that “you
are what you eat,” then let’s chew on a few hidden Hebrew
idioms. The following might upset some of your dearly-held
beliefs, just proving that sacred cows do make the very best
burgers!
Remember that an idiom is an expression from a local culture.
One such statement, understood by those in the Hebrew culture,
was used by Rabbi Yahshua. Matthew 5: 17-18 says, “Think not
that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily, I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall pass
from the Law, till all be fulfilled.”
For the modern-day Christians the previous verse means that the
Torah and the others books of the “Old Testament” have been
fulfilled, or done away with. They say that, “all was fulfilled”
when Yahshua said, “it is finished” and the Law is no longer
relevant. Such a belief about the Torah could not be farther
from the truth. Just consider the Master’s own words. Has heaven
and earth passed away? Of course not! Then, the Torah and the
prophets remain necessary and essential to living the Almighty’s
will.
Yahshua quoted a Hebrew idiom when He said He came not to
destroy the Law or the prophets. He was using a familiar phrase
easily understood during Biblical times. If someone heard a
Torah teaching and didn’t agree, they would say that the Teacher
was “destroying the law.” If they heard a heard a teaching they
thought was the right interpretation they would then say, “yes,
this is fulfilling the law.” Yahshua had been accused of
misinterpreting the Torah, yet He said that He was actually
rightly and correctly teaching it. Traditional Jewish writings
support this idiom, “Should all the nations of the world unite
to uproot one word of the Law, they would be unable to do it,”
Leviticus Rabbah 19:2. To understand the meaning of this verse,
everything hinges on the meaning of the words “destroy” and
“fulfill” in verse 17. What does Yahshua mean by “destroy the
Law” and “fulfill the Law”? “Destroy” and “fulfill” are
technical terms used in rabbinic argumentation. When a sage felt
that a colleague had misinterpreted a passage of Scripture, he
would say, “You are destroying the Law!” Needless to say, in
most cases, his colleagues strongly disagreed. What was
“destroying the Law” for one sage was “fulfilling the Law”
(correctly interpreting Scripture) for another,” wrote Bivin and
Bizzard in their book Understanding the Difficult Words of
Yahshua.
In plain English, Yahshua is saying, “Never imagine for a
moment that I intend to abrogate the Law by misinterpreting it.
My intent is not to weaken or negate the Law, but by properly
interpreting Elohim’s written Word, I aim to establish it, that
is, make it even more lasting. I would never invalidate the Law
by effectively removing something from it through
misinterpretation. Heaven and earth would sooner disappear than
something from the Law. Not the smallest letter in the alphabet,
the jot or yod, nor even its decorative spur, the tittle, will
ever disappear from the Law,” wrote Bivin and Blizzard on page
155.
If looks could kill
When people look at others with a cold
stare or squinting eyes, more is being communicated than just a
nasty glance. Envy and jealousy can easily be seen through the
windows of the eyes. This is just the issue our Rabbi Yahshua
dealt with on many occasions throughout the Gospels.
Unfortunately, for many years translators and teachers have
struggled with the Hebraic concept of the "evil eye." This idiom
has created many problems, and has been misunderstood, because
the Hebrew culture has been misunderstood. "The light of the
body is the eye; If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole
body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole
body shall be full of darkness," Matthew 6:22-23a, KJV.
The people who heard Yahshua speak these very words immediately
recognized what Yahshua meant when he talked of the evil eye.
This idea was and is common in the Hebraic culture. Yet, just
pick up any different Bible translation and in it will be a
quagmire of different words used to express this hidden Hebrew
idiom. Each translation seems to deal with the issue
differently. A few examples include, eye be whole, eye be
simple, eye be sound, eye be plain, eye be healthy, sincere,
clear, honest, or eye be good. This is very confusing! What did
Yahshua really mean? Hebraically, what is an evil eye?
To answer these questions and bring clarity to this idiom,
let’s look at the context of Yahshua’s words and consult two
pillars of the Hebrew culture, the Tanakh and the Talmud.
First, let’s look at the context. The very next verse after the
evil eye quotation, explains exactly what the evil eye squints
at. “But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is
that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate
the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both Elohim and Money,”
Matthew 6:23,24 NIV. When he spoke of the bad eye, Yahshua
wasn’t talking about bad eye sight or the need for lasik
surgery! From the context it is easy to grasp that Yahshua was
using a Hebrew expression to comment on people’s greed. Each
time Yahshua spoke of the eye being good or evil, or “plucking
out the eye,” he was speaking of the issue of greed. An evil eye
is a greedy eye. A person with an evil eye is controlled by the
desire to receive for self.
The writings and the words of the Rabbis explain this issue
further. "he that has a good eye shall be blessed; for he gives
of his bread to the poor," Proverbs 22:9. Again, if your eyes is
good or 'tov' then you are not greedy. The opposite is also
true. If your eye is evil then you shall not be blessed because
you withhold from the poor. Traditional Judaism agrees with
this. "A good eye gave fortieth, the house of Shammai say, the
thirtieth part; a middling one, the fiftieth; and an evil one,
the sixtieth part," Mishnah Trumopt, 4:3. Upon these words, the
Jewish commentators say, a 'good eye' means one that is liberal,
and an 'evil eye' the contrary. The Talmud reads of 'trading,
dedicating' and 'giving with a good' or an evil eye. "A good eye
and a humble spirit and a lowly soul, those who have these are
disciples of Abraham our father," Mishnah Aboth 5:19.
From a Hebraic viewpoint it is now easy to grasp the difficult
words of Yahshua. “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out,
and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life
with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell
fire,” Matthew 18:9. Yahshua was not literally suggesting his
followers mutilate themselves. Such a literal suggestion and
teaching would be a direct contradiction and violation to Torah.
“You are the children of the YHWH your Elohim. Do not cut
yourselves,” Devarim 14:1. Yahshua in the previous verse was
suggesting that we run away from greed and idolatry. We should
take precautions to guard and protect ourselves from the evil
eye of want, to get rid of the evil eye of desire.
The Eye of a needle?
Speaking of eyes, another
often-misunderstood passage in the Messianic writings deals with
the eye of a needle. “Then Yahshua said to his disciples, “I
tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of Elohim.”
This odd phrase of the Messiah has for many years been
explained away by Sunday school teachers and preachers.
We’ve been told that in Yisra’el there was a small area in
Jerusalem for animals to pass through called the ‘needle gate’.
The camel could not enter Jerusalem unless it first stooped down
and had all of its’ baggage removed. The story goes that after
dark, when the main gates in Jerusalem were shut, travellers or
merchants would have to use this smaller gate, through which the
camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees!
This is a “great sermon material, with the parallels of coming
to YHWH on our knees without all our baggage. A lovely story and
an excellent parable for preaching but unfortunately unfounded!
From at least the 15th century, and possibly as early as the 9th
but not earlier, this story has been put forth, however, there
is no evidence for such a gate, nor record of reprimand of the
architect who may have forgotten to make a gate big enough for
the camel and rider to pass through unhindered,” says one web
site. The often-quoted explanation of this idiom is unfounded.
Unfortunately, the issue with the camel and the eye of the
needle is not an idiom but a bad translation. This ‘opens up a
whole new can of worms,’ as a separate issue of mistranslating
the texts and the need to search for the truth. What did Yahshua
really mean? To find this answer let’s consider the teaching of
Rabbi Moshe Konichowsky and his study Bible.
The Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition is correct as
translating the Master. "It is easier for a large rope to go
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into
the malchut of YHWH," Mark 10:25. Within the RSTNE, the study
notes clarify this “gemala” can mean rope, or camel and here in
context it means rope." Again, with idioms and phrases that look
like idioms, we must "study to show yourself approved."
As you can see from the idioms we have studied together and one
bad translation, we should not just settle for what we have
always been taught. Idiomatic expressions and the changes that
occur when the Writings are taken out of the Hebrew language can
really mix up the truth. We should not gloss over the confusing
“contradictions” in the Scriptures. Nor should we mix up the
modern and the ancient. We need to learn, learn to study and
learn to live the Hebrew culture.
We can explore more idioms on the graph of Hebrew idioms
provided below. As we do these actions, as we use a few more
idioms, the Torah will go from being as clear as mud to being as
clear as day!
To
view a huge graph of over 140 Hebrew idioms click
HERE
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