The Hebrew version of Matthew
I am not at all concerned with the debates whether Matthew was originally written in Hebrew or not. One thing that is sure is that Jesus and his disciples were Jewish. They spoke Hebrew and thought in Hebrew. The notes here are brief, but in my more extended study I have found it fruitful to translate the Greek NT into Hebrew in order to practice the Hebrew hermeneutic upon the whole canon.
The place to start is with Matthew 1.1 (see also Mt 1:1)
אלה תולדות Mt 1.1
אלה was split into nine different words by those who added modern vowels (~600 AD). You can see them easily here: When you recognize תולדות as the same word translated 'generations' in Genesis, then you know the same translation error is happening here. See P.J. Wiseman It should be 'record'.
אלה aleh
- (d, these)
- (d. oak)
- (d. God)
- (p. leaf עלה)
In this case 'God' also works very well as will be seen below.
תולדות toledoth
Lets use subroots:
- תו (to)- mark, writing
- לד (led)- child
- ות (oth)- The preceding meaning distinguished as the particular object of the word. It refers to THE WRITING about the child.
- Since the object of the scriptures is the Son of God. Toledoth can be understood as a the writings about the son of God.
'God's writing about the child Jeshua.'
יש''ו Yesu
This is my first encounter with double geresh's and so I am reluctant too make much out of them, other than they obfuscate the word somewhat. They can represent an abbreviation, or a transliteration from another language..
The name 'Yeshua' (his Hebrew name) means 'God's salvation' NOT God with us. If we read his name literalistically it does not fulfill prophecy.
Matthew is attempting to teach us how to read childish riddle. There are two riddles in his name.
- 1. Ya shuach, a pun, means 'God humbled'. This speaks of incarnation and 'God with us'.
- 2. Yahweh with a 'sh' in the middle is a phonetic pun as well, just in case we miss the first one. The shin has the metaphoric meaning of God's word not returning void. It includes the meaning of the word coming to earth and returning with a bride. This riddle says that God has a marriage on his heart. This is also 'God with us'.
We have jumped the gun a bit, but in this first verse we now have 'God's record (of the child) 'God incarnate' with a marriage on his heart.
Above, I have used the Hebrew form of his name 'Yeshua'. This text uses a transliterated version of his name in Greek; 'Yesu' (ihsou). This means that the Greek name was in use and known to the author and it suggestive that his Greek name is the one that most of the readers of the text would be familiar with. It is curious that the Greek text uses his Hebrew name, and the Hebrew text uses his Greek name.
בן |
דוד dvd
- (d. beloved, uncle, basket, pot, jar, David)
David is used as the second son in the Second son motif. As you examine that motif in the link, also look at the others in the genealogy that are used in the motif. I don't think I will spend time on them here.
The dalet ד represents a spoken word from God. When there are two things (such as two dalets in the name David) one represents the earthly and one the heavenly aspect of the same thing. The two words of God are his revelation of himself as Love, and Holy. The vav ו distinguished between them and joins them. Jesus was personally Holy, but he did not express that holiness through judgement. He fulfilled it on the cross by satisfying God's holiness through his death. He showed mercy or love. He reconciled love and holiness on the cross.
