wisdom/chokmah

              For those who have looked at the previous studies I have posted; (grace/beauty, simchah/joy, chesed/mercy) my purpose has been to better understand the writings in the new testament. Not just to understand them in their current translations but to see them from an Hebraic perspective. Believing that YHWH would have us rightly divide His Word of truth. Therefore it is impossible to understand abstract words that have multiple meanings or to know exactly when to use them. There has been an awakening amongst YHWH'S people to return to the old paths and to a language (hebrew) which until the last century was considered a dead language. Hence the topic for this study "wisdom".
              Many people would say that to get wisdom you would go to your grandparents because they've been around for so long. Often quoted to me were the things my parents told me because they had "already been there". As always I would ask that everyone study out for themselves the things I put here. So to begin.
              The earliest dates I can find are very vague as to the first usage of this word "wisdom". Most popular among my searches were references to what we call our "wisdom teeth", others were esoteric in their definitions of the word.

Σοφíα/sophia

Greek for “wisdom” is a central term in such things as “helenistic philosophy, Platonism, Gnosticism, orthodox Christianity, esoteric Christianity and Christian mysticism.

Sophiology is a philosophical concept regarding wisdom, and they would tell us it is an theological concept regarding “the wisdom of god”. If you were to type in the word "sophia" you might be amazed at the dark and creepy things that pop up.

So know we know what "wisdom" in the scriptures is not. So we will see what it is.

Exo 28:3 “And you, speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, and they shall make the garments of Aharon, to set him apart, for him to serve as priest to Me.

Chakam Strongs #2450

1) to be wise

a) (Qal) to be or become wise, act wisely

b) (Piel) to make wise, teach wisdom, instruct

c) (Pual) to be made wise

d) (Hiphil) to make wise

e) (Hithpael) to show oneself wise, deceive, show one's wisdom

Chokmah Strongs#2451

1) wisdom

a) skill (in war)

b) wisdom (in administration)

c) shrewdness, wisdom

d) wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs)

e) wisdom (ethical and religious)

These two definitions don't really give any meaning to the word. The question still remains, what does it mean to be wise or have wisdom?

The first word which is a root word "Chakam" is comprised of the hebrew letters (chet, kaf, mem).

The second word "Chokmah" comes from the first with one letter added the (chet, kaf, mem, hey).

When I first began to look at this I didn't have a clue. So as always we should look for more witnesses

Exo 31:6 “And I, look I have appointed with him Oholiaḇ son of Aḥisamaḵ, of the tribe of Dan. And I have put wisdom in the hearts of everyone who is wise-hearted, and they shall make all that I have commanded you:
Exo 35:26 And all the women whose hearts lifted them up in wisdom spun the goatsʼ hair.
Exo 35:31 and He has filled him with the Spirit of Elohim, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all work,
Exo 35:35 “He has filled them with skill to do all work of the engraver and the designer and embroiderer, in blue and in purple, in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and a weaver, doing any work, and makers of designs.
Exo 36:1  “And Betsalʼĕl and Oholiaḇ, and every wise-hearted man in whom יהוה has given wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all work for the service of the set-apart place, shall do according to all that יהוה has commanded.”
Exo 36:2 And Mosheh called Betsalʼĕl and Oholiaḇ, and every wise-hearted man in whose heart יהוה had given wisdom, everyone whose heart lifted him up, to come and do the work.
Deu 34:9 And Yehoshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Mosheh had laid his hands on him. And the children of Yisraʼĕl listened to him, and did as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Job 28:28 And He said to man, ‘See, the fear of יהוה, that is wisdom, and to turn from evil is understanding.ʼ ”

I have skipped over many other places where these words appear to a particular one in the book of Job.

Job 32:3 And against his three friends his wrath burned, because they had found no answer, and pronounced Elohim wrong.
Job 32:4 And because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Iyoḇ.
Job 32:5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath burned.
Job 32:6 And Elihu, son of Baraḵʼĕl the Buzite, responded and said, “I am young in years, and you are aged. Therefore I was afraid to let you know my opinion.
Job 32:7 I said, ‘Days should speak, and many years should teach wisdom.ʼ
Job 32:8 But truly it is the spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty that gives him understanding.
Job 32:9 The multitude are not wise, nor do the aged understand right-ruling.
Job 32:10 Therefore I have said, ‘Listen to me, let me also make my opinion known to you.ʼ
Job 32:11 Look, I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.
Job 32:12 And I paid close attention to you. But look, not one of you proved Iyoḇ wrong, nor answered his words.
Job 32:13 Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdomʼ – it is Ěl that drives him away, not man.

Psa 51:6 See, You have desired truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You make me know wisdom.
Psa 90:12 Teach us to number our days, And let us bring the heart to wisdom.
Psa 111:10 The fear of יהוה is the beginning of wisdom, All those doing them have a good understanding. His praise is standing forever.
Psa 136:5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His kindness is everlasting;

I could put all the places where it appears in the first and second chapters of the book of proverbs, but I think those are better read in context.
As always my purpose for these studies is that I believe the writers of the "new testament" had great understanding in The Torah. They also have seen The Messiah in the flesh and walked with Him. That said, I cannot comprehend the usage of these abstract words, or believe the would have used such words to illustrate anything! It has taken two months of study, always trying to keep in context these passages of scripture. I believe we must be painstakingly careful to keep from creating doctrines or empty philosophies.
So about three weeks ago as we sat together on shabbat studying His Word, we something very interesting unfold as we read more about this "chokmah"(wisdom). Many times it is closely tied to the word "chakam"(wise). The word "chakam"(wise) is many times also tied to the "heart" of the person in the verse. It would seem that those who are of a "right heart" are "chakam(wise)" and they are the ones who receive "Chokmah(wisdom). I think the scriptures clearly show that to be old does not mean we are wise, nor that we have this "wisdom"; rather it is something that comes from YHWH Elohim.
He clearly blesses those who? Have a right heart!
Now for the finale. When you look at the word "chakam/chet, kaf, mem" we see "divide, water, hand".
When you look at "chakam/chet, kaf, mem, hey" we see "divide, water, hand, breath"

If you have a hundred men standing in a line there is nothing that sets one above all the others. Each one has different skills and gifts but nothing that "sets them apart" so as to be the best one. With YHWH we know that He is no respecter of persons. Does He set one apart just to be better than another? No. He does set a man or woman apart because why? They are a person after His own heart. As King David for example, or Ruth who is named in the lineage of The Messiah. YHWH gave the spirit of "chokmah" to ordinary everyday men in order to build His Tabernacle in the wilderness. Those men were set apart not because they went to a trade school, but because YHWH Elohim gave them something. I would say it is this.

YHWH Elohim gave them the ability to "divide by hand the water". There is no way to comprehend someone being able to divide water with their hand, it is an impossibility. But with YHWH nothing is impossible. As always study for yourself. Shalom

2Ti 2:15 Do your utmost to present yourself approved to Elohim, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
Heb 4:12 For the Word of Elohim is living, and working, and sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through even to the dividing of being and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Eph 6:17 Take also the helmet of deliverance, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Elohim,

Chesed/mercy

                     This study came from Matthew chapter five. Commonly referred to as the beatitudes. I will only be focusing on one part though there is a wealth of information from The Messiah. I wanted to understand one thing in particular.

Matt 5:7 happy are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy.

                      So this is a fairly abstract term "mercy", I wondered how many definitions there would be. I actually found more than i bargained for.

Definition of MERCY

1  a : compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment mercy> b : imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder

2  a : a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion b : a fortunate circumstance mercy they found her before she froze>

3  : compassionate treatment of those in distress mercy among the poor>

— mercy adjective

— at the mercy of

: wholly in the power of : with no way to protect oneself against 

     Notice how it's not till the second definition that it mentions in regards to "divine", also the use of the word "fortune". Is this what YHWH has intended for us to understand.

Origin of MERCY

Middle English, from Anglo-French merci, from Medieval Latin merced-, merces, from Latin, price paid, wages, from merc-, merx merchandise

First Known Use: 13th century.

        This only goes back to the 13th century, so it's obvious that this was not the word The Messiah spoke.

mercy : [< Medieval Latin merces (reward, compassionate action) < merx (merchandise); influenced by Latin miserere < miserêrî (to have pity)] compassionate action or treatment; relief from distress; a tendency from personal character to act compassionately; to be ruthful, to show forbearance or kindness. In Scripture and in the Christian faith, mercy means the giving of grace to people who don't deserve it, or showing compassion to someone you have power or authority over. There is purpose for God's mercy :

         Again this latin does not go far enough back, it is set in medieval times.

ἔλεος eleos

1) to have mercy on

2) to help one afflicted or seeking aid

3) to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched

4) to experience mercy

        How very convenient  that each time this word was translated it transferred the same definition each time.
But in 600-800 b.c.e. it had a different meaning, I wonder why they didn't transfer it to the dictionaries and concordances?

Eleos or Eleus (Ελεος) -- The goddess of compassion.

1) to have mercy on

2) to help one afflicted or seeking aid

3) to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched

4) to experience mercy

ELEUS (Eleos) The female personification of mercy.

          There is no way that The Messiah would have said this to those assembled on that day. It makes me wonder about how many times I've used this word and not understood it's meaning. How did it get from a reference to a pagan diety to the mumbo jumbo it is now. So now it's time to throw away the swine's flesh and get to the clean meat of the study.

H2617
חסד
chêsêd
kheh'-sed
From H2616; kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opprobrium) reproof, or (subjectively) beauty: - favour, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.
The three letters in the Hebrew are the "chet, samech and the dalet. This is the picture I saw "on your journey to the inner room(chet) I will support(samech) you on the pathway(dalet)



Gen 19:19 “Look, please, your servant has found beauty in your eyes, and you have increased your kindness(m-rcy) which you have shown me by saving my life, but I am unable to escape to the mountains, lest calamity overtake me and I die.

H7349
רחוּם
rachûm
rakh-oom'
From H7355; compassionate: - full of compassion, merciful.

Deu 4:31 “For יהוה your Elohim is a compassionate(merciful) Ěl, He does not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
       The four letters here are "reysh, chet, vav and mem. I've been praying that YHWH would show me His meaning in Matthew. As I began to study out the pictures in the ancient Hebrew I felt instantly humbled. I don't think we can understand "chesed/m-rcy" until we define merciful. From all that I can find merciful is only used in the Tanakh in regards to YHWH. The picture I see is this "the Highest(reysh) in the inner room(chet) secured us(vav) by His mighty blood(mem)." Does scripture not tell us that we are to die to this life? Aren't we supposed to lay down our lives to the point of death to be raised again to The Messiah? it is not for me to give an interpretation of the scriptures for you. You must study yourselves. I see this in the passage in       Matt 5:7 blessed are the ones who lay down their life for others to find Me, for they will find me at the door.
                                                                                                May YHWH bless you, shalom

But I and my house, we serve יהוה

               There are many words in the english language. There are also many definitions and contexts for each word. Many of those definitions are abstract in their form. Meaning the exact definition is based on someones interpretations or even. Hebrew is not so, it's meanings are concrete, meaning there is a clear definition. Even more they convey a picture to the mind of the hearer that is easy and clear to understand. Many people myself included do not understand the catch phrases we throw around so often. Have you ever struggled with finding the right word to convey a message. The best way I have found is to describe a picture that someone is familiar with. How about all the fancy words we use but have no clear definition of.
                Entire doctrines and philosophies float around single words. They give a foggy understanding of concepts that are critical to our knowing YHWH. Yet so many are content with their current knowledge. Are the scriptures to be understood in this manner? So let's look at the following passages of scripture.

Deu 31:11 when all Yisraʼĕl comes to appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses, read this Torah before all Yisraʼĕl in their hearing.
Deu 31:12 “Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and your sojourner who is within your gates, so that they hear, and so that they learn to fear יהוה your Elohim and guard to do all the Words of this Torah.
            
                 Can you imagine this being done, it would be incredible to have an entire nation taking part in this. Sadly the scriptures tell us of few times that this took place. Joyfully when it did there was great teshuva(repentance) when it did happen. But what if  they had to get out their websters dictionary, and the strongs concordance, and the writings of men long dead? No one would agree ever on what the pure Torah contained. This is what we are doing right now. Many of us have left the lies given to us from our forefathers and are returning to the Torah. We have left off pagan feasts and festivals of false gods. Rather than sun god worship we desire YHWH and His spoken word. We have returned to the Hebrew roots of our faith.
                    For awhile now I have been searching out the meaning of phrases found primarily in the New Covenant writings. The Messiah gives us so much instruction yet it is hard to understand in it's context. Many will say that you have to understand The Torah first and I agree. Yet why would we believe that The Messiah spoke greek? Not that He couldn't have, He probably created it when he confused the languages at babel.
1. He is The Word made flesh
2. He spoke the same words He had spoken in The Torah
3. He taught his talmidim(disciples) they were to speak the same word

                 I have found some interesting things as I study between the greek translation and The original Hebrew. First I will say that this is all to better understand who The Messiah is and what He has told us to do.
At first I was disturbed by what I was finding; words like faith, hope, chastity, joy, wisdom, peace and grace were not clearly definable. So I set out to find their Hebraic meaning. Now I was beginning to understand principles set out from the foundations of the earth. What I found though in the greek was beyond disturbing. All the words faith, hope, charity, joy, wisdom, peace and grace are pagan in their origins. Look for yourselves, the greek names given to the gods of greece in 600 to 800 b.c.e. are the same words translated from the hebrew in 150 to 300 c.e.. Are these concepts that are acceptable for those of us seeking to walk as The Messiah? Do they describe His Beauty to us? I think the following verse sums it up for me and my family.

Jos 24:15 “And if it seems evil in your eyes to serve יהוה, choose for yourselves this day whom you are going to serve, whether the mighty ones which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the mighty ones of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But I and my house, we serve יהוה.”

Shalom/peace

           For those of you that have read my study on (beauty/gr-ce), here is another word that is an eye opener. Perhaps for some of us it has been an eye closer. My purpose in this study is to come to an Hebraic understanding of the things we share scripturally. Also that we have an Hebraic understanding of the things that we pray for.


Ancient Hebrew Word Meanings
Peace ~ shalom
By Jeff A. Benner

When we hear the word peace we usually associate this to mean an absence of war or strife but, the Hebrew meaning of the word shalom has a very different meaning. The verb form of the root word is shalam and is usually used in the context of making restitution. When a person has caused another to become deficient in some way, such as a loss of livestock, it is the responsibility of the person who created the deficiency to restore what has been taken, lost or stolen. The verb shalam literally means to make whole or complete. The noun shalom has the more literal meaning of being in a state of wholeness or with no deficiency. The common phrase shalu shalom yerushalayim (pray for the peace of Jerusalem) is not speaking about an abcense of war (though that is part of it) but that Jerusalem (and by extension all of Israel) is complete and whole and goes far beyond the idea of "peace".

       The strongs concordance would claim that there are 430 references to the word peace. However I found five different Hebrew words that are translated to the word peace. Let's look at them.

1.The word here is Shalom
Gen 15:15 “Now .as for you, you are to go to your fathers in peace, you are to be buried at a good old age.
 בשׁלום H7965 in peace;

2.The  actual word here is "charash" and in the context it is "to keep silent".
Gen 34:5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they came.
 והחרשׁ H2790 held his peace.

3. The actual word here is "Shelem" a voluntary offering.
Exo 20:24 ‘Make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall slaughter on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause My Name to be remembered I shall come to you and bless you.
  שׁלמיךH8002 and thy peace offerings
AHLB # 2845 - Payment: Given to make a completion of an action or transaction.

4. The actual word here is "chashah".
2Ki 2:5 And the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from your head today? And he answered, Yes, I know it; hold your+ peace. H2814  חשׁה   châshâh
 A primitive root; to hush or keep quiet: - hold peace, keep silence, be silent, (be) still.


 5. The actual word here is "hasah".
Zep 1:7 Hold your peace at the presence of the Sovereign YHWH; for the day of YHWH is at hand: for YHWH has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests.
H2013  הסה   hâsâh A primitive root; to hush: - hold peace (tongue), (keep) silence, be silent, still.


So we cannot truly say that every time we see the word "peace" that we can automatically insert the word "shalom". Here is where the study gets interesting. The translators could have easily used these five definitions to better translate or convey the meanings of these words in the "tanakh-old testament". But why did they feel the need to create brand new definitions in the "Renewed Conenant-New Testament". So let's take a look.

   In the "New Testament" there are 5 different words that they translated from, here they are.

1. Mat 10:13 “And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
G1515  εἰρήνη  eirēnē  i-rah'-nay
Probably from a primary verb εἴρω eirō (to join); peace (literally or figuratively); by implication prosperity: - one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again.

2. Mar 9:50 “Salt is good, but if the salt becomes tasteless, how shall you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace among one another.”
eirēneuō   i-rane-yoo'-o
From G1515; to be (act) peaceful: - be at (have, live in) peace, live peaceably.

3.  Luk 14:4 But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go.
G2270  ἡσυχάζω   hay-soo-khad'-zo
From the same as G2272; to keep still (intransitively), that is, refrain from labor, meddlesomeness or speech: - cease, hold peace, be quiet, rest.

4.Luk 20:26 And they were not able to take hold of what he said before the people: and they marveled at his answer, and held their peace.
G4601  σιγάω  sigaō   see-gah'-o
From G4602; to keep silent (transitive or intransitive): - keep close (secret, silence), hold peace

5.Mat 20:31 But the multitude rebuked them, that they might hold their peace. But, they, the more, cried aloud, saying—Lord, have mercy on us! Son of David!
 G4623  σιωπάω  siōpaō  see-o-pah'-o
From σιωπη siōpē (silence, that is, a hush; properly muteness, that is, involuntary stillness, or inability ot speak; and thus differing from G4602, which is rather a voluntary refusal or indisposition to speak, although the terms are often used synonymously); to be dumb (but not deaf also, like G2974 properly); figuratively to be calm (as quiet water): - dumb, (hold) peace.


Phew! Basically in my humble opinion all these definitions are a bunch of mumbo jumbo. For the remainder of this study though I will focus on the first greek definition. This is the one where it should be translated to "shalom".
Mat 10:13 “And if the house is worthy, let your peace(shalom) come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace(shalom) return to you.Once again we'll look at the greek translation and the definition.

eirēnē  i-rah'-nayProbably from a primary verb εἴρω eirō (to join); peace (literally or figuratively); by implication prosperity: - one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again.

Why, I ask again would the translators need to create a new definition? It took me awhile to find it so here it is.

Eirene (Greek goddess)

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Statue of Eirene with the infant Ploutos: Roman marble copy of bronze votive statue by Cephisodotus the Elder, now in the Glyptothek, Munich

Eirene, or Irene (Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη, pronounced IPA: [eiˈrɛːnɛː]; Greek for "peace"; the Roman equivalent was Pax), one of the Horae, was the personification of peace, and was depicted in art as a beautiful young woman carrying a cornucopia, sceptre and a torch or rhyton. She is said sometimes to be the daughter of Zeus and Themis.

She was particularly well regarded by the citizens of Athens. After a naval victory over Sparta in 375 BC, the Athenians established a cult for Eirene, erecting altars to her. They held an annual state sacrifice to her after 371 BC to commemorate the Common Peace of that year and set up a votive statue in her honour in the agora (marketplace) of Athens. The statue was executed in bronze by Cephisodotus the Elder, the father of the famous sculptor Praxiteles. It was acclaimed by the Athenians, who depicted it on vases and coins.^[1]

Although the statue is now lost, it was copied in marble by the Romans; one of the best surviving copies (right) is in the Munich Glyptothek. It depicts the goddess carrying a child with her left arm – Ploutos, the god of plenty and son of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Eirene's missing right hand once held a sceptre. She is shown gazing maternally at Ploutos, who is looking back at her trustingly. The statue is an allegory for Plenty (Ploutos) prospering under the protection of Peace (Eirene); it constituted a public appeal to good sense.^[1] The copy in the Glyptothek was originally in the collection of the Villa Albani in Rome but was looted and taken to France by Napoleon I. Following Napoleon's fall, the statue was bought by Ludwig I of Bavaria.^[2]

^{Now I know why they created a new definition. ha satan is an imitator and a liar. What better way to deceive than to hide the names of "ba'alim(gods)" than to put them in the place of words that would be common off of a believers tongue? Is this just an innocent error on behalf of the translators? I would say no. The greek spelling is the same for the g-ddess as it is for the word "peace".} 

^{The word "Shalom" has great depth of meaning for us. In it we are to understand that it means "whole and complete". I pray that you remain "shalom(whole and complete) in Mashiach's beauty(gr-ce)", until next time when we will uncover the "g-ddess wisdom"}

                                                                                           ^Chris