Chapter 1.1.3 Rosh, Bet, Tav

Contents

Section 1: How we got the Bible

Part 1.1: God invented an alphabet

Chapter 1.1.3 Rosh, Bet, Tav

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These three letters represent a revelation, a revelation to man, and the completion of the purpose of revelation.

רבת

Rosh ר not dalet ד

The Rosh is like a dalet, but the corner is rounded rather than squared. It represents a revelation, that is with personality, not just a spoken word. The Law is an example of a dalet, a theophany is an example of a rosh. We might say that dalet represent a word and the rosh represents the Word.

Bet ב

The bet is drawn as a rosh with a horizontal earthly line added. It means 'a revelation to man' the focus is on the one to whom the revelation is made without losing the implication of the embedded rosh. Jesus is the Word (rosh), and he is the Word come to dwell among men (bet). When bet is used as a prefix it means in. Think about God in man. Among Jewish children it is known as the door since it looks like a door. They still retain a faint memory of the original meaning.

Tav ת

The tav is the last proper letter in the alphabet, though there are other that follow numerically. It is drawn as a rosh, with a vav extending vertically on the left side. There is no horizontal connection on the bottom. The vav is a spontaneous response to God's revealed Word. When used as a suffix, the tov makes Hebrew words into objects, as if to say focus on the purpose or object of the preceding letter combination. It can be interpreted as the 'end' or 'purpose'. The purpose of God's revealed Word is to produce a loving and spontaneous return back from his people.