The numbers

Hebrew does not have a number system apart from the alphabet. Each letter is also a number. The first 22 letters are the alphabet. The last six are final form letters used when the associated letter is found at the end of a word. Though a final form letter sounds like a customary letter, it's metaphor is different, since the stroke which form the meaning are different.

In the alphabet, the tov ת is the last letter. In the numbers, the final shin is the last number. It equals 1000, but there is no font character for the letter since it is never used in forming a word.

The names of the letters

Each letter not only has a symbol and a number, but it has a word which is it's name. The aleph has the symbol א and the name אלף. Since the name is a word, it also may have different meanings. Aleph אלף means 'one thousand.' Jesus and the apostles sometimes play with the name, such as "A day is like a thousand years." ^[2] Or perhaps there is another hint of word-play in "The first will be last and the last will be first" since aleph means one thousand and the final shin has a value of 1000.

There are also references to the number of a name ^[3] The number of the name of a letter is derived by reading the letters in the name as numbers. Aleph would be 1+30+800. Not many references to these have been found yet ^[4]

Metaphor

The metaphor of each letter is a big idea. All that God created, all that we can think or say is contained in twenty-seven of the twenty-eight letters. It is a mistake to think that a letter represents a word rather than an idea. There is not a simple decoder ring. You must learn to think in metaphor.

If I say "he met his Waterloo", it is a reference to Napolean's defeat at Waterloo. In the most simplistic way, it simply refers to a defeat. But understanding it in the most simple way loses much of the rich idea that is being communicated. Napolean was overconfident, he was ill-prepared, and he met an opponent that was not easily scared away by Napolean's reputation. A more subtle reference might be that the supply lines were too long. This is thinking in metaphor. The reference has many ways that it could be expressed or many subtle ideas upon which to focus.

There are primary and secondary metaphor. Distinguishing between them is not a critical skill unless a detailed proof is required. Generally, these detailed proofs will be desired by those in academic pursuits which would be tedious for the rest. Occasionally, when a metaphor is stated in a way which is not immediately recognizable, a brief explanation may be required.

Determining the meaning of the letters

The Bible was written by men but inspired by God. ^[5] Men saw things that happened and recorded them. But invisibly, God worked in the events that they observed; he caught their attention to observe them; he guided their learning so they had words available to them; and he guided them in the use of the words to describe the events in such a way, that all of them are used to paint a picture of Christ, hidden in childish puns and riddles.

God used the lives of people to produce words in a book that had meaning of which the human authors were aware, but often contained additional meaning--that is to say, deeper meaning--of which the authors were unaware. Later in history, the readers of the books would not be aware until after the cross. Now Biblical Hebrew presents the most wonderful puzzles; divine puzzles, sufficiently complex to challenge the most clever and yet so simple that all may participate in solving these puzzles.

The puzzles can be approached through patterns as seen in Acts 12, or in detailed word studies as seem in Genesis 1:1. They can be approached directly as the most wonderful puzzles ever created. As puzzles, one part is to understand their intent by the meanings of individual letters. Here are the clues:

1. The strokes within letters must plausibly be related to the meaning of the letters.

2. The meaning of the letters must be expressions of the same metaphor in every word they are used.

3. The meaning of the word must plausibly be able to be constructed using the metaphor of the letters within.

4. The meaning of the letters and words must always contribute to an understanding of Christ, and him crucified [what about resurrected?] ^{[6] [7]}.

You may solve the puzzle using the strokes and building letters, or by reverse engineering over 8000 Hebrew words to the meaning of the letters within.

As you can imagine, the details of solving the puzzles would be tedious, but should be able to be reproduced. Most will be content to see that the puzzles are solved, and be happy to use the results for the next level of the puzzles which is identifying vignettes of Christ hidden in the scriptures (as in Acts 12).

Here not only will the solution to the meanings of the letters be examined, but the doctrines suggested by each metaphor will be expressed.

Fractal expansion of the letters

When teaching a child to speak, an idea is repeated in many ways so that the metaphor being built contains many examples, which are overlaid like transparencies on each other until a recognizable pattern is built in the child's mind.

God used this same method as he built the Hebrew language. It is an instinctive and intuitive language, which is not fully understood until the last transparencies; those pictures of Christ from the New Testament, are finally overlaid. ^[8]

An example of this is the aleph which has the meaning 'God spoke and created the heavens and the earth." This idea is repeated in the first word; bereshit 'In the beginning': 'a revelation to man ב. It is revealed ר that God spoke and created the heavens and the earth א. His word did not return void ש. What he wished to accomplish י was completed ת.' The first sentence repeats the idea: Ge 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The first chapter repeats it again telling How God created the heavens and the earth. And each day is like a table of contents entry pointing to a larger section of scripture (which is divided into six portions) such that the whole book tells how God created the heavens and the earth.

The full picture is not fully understood until all the pieces are overlaid, though a pretty good picture is formed with a few of the transparencies. Scripture is used this way to point back to the original seeds of an idea; the letters.

The letters

The Hebrew square text letters are formed around a square template. Other forms of letters exist, but they are the profane script. The square text is the sacred script. It doesn't show up until late in archeological finds until it was exposed and defiled during the captivity ^[9], because it was kept from public view.

The upper horizontal line represents heavenly or spiritual things which can be known. The voice of the priest speaks of heavenly things. If a letter starts above the line, it represents things that can't be known. The lower horizontal represents earthly or fleshly things. The voice of the king speaks of earthly things. If a letter descends below the line, it represents death.

The strokes of the letters are interpreted clockwise starting in the upper left. As it descends on the right side, it represents love and reminds us that God first loved us ^[10] As the voice of the prophet it speaks of the Word coming to earth. As the strokes return on the right, it represents holiness. In the course of life (lower horizontal, right to left) God makes us holy ^[11]. It is the voice of the priest making correction.

This is the original 'circle of life' which has been remembered, though dimly, in ancient cultures which preserved it in oral tradition. God first created the heavens, and in love created the earth. He then taught us to be holy, so we could return to him.

Key:

The following notation is used below:

Formation: How the letter is formed from the strokes.

Name: The name of the letter spelled out as a word, and the meaning of that word.

Scripture speaks in four voices: Prophet, Judge, Priest and King. The prophet speaks of Christ in the flesh, known as 'doctrine'. The judge 'reproves'. The priest 'corrects', and the king 'trains in righteousness' ^[12]. We expect that all scripture speaks in these four voices.

Aleph א

Formation: The aleph is formed with a vav ו diagonally \ separating heaven from earth and love from holiness. Though there is only one creation, it is represented with two yods י suggesting two aspects of creation. The upper is the heavens, and the lower is the earth. God created the heavens and the earth.

Name: aleph אלף - teach, learn ^[13], oxen, family ^[14], thousand ^[15], I am the mouth/divider (judge) ^{[16] [17]}

see Aleph explained

Bet ב

Formation: A rosh ר intersects the 'earth' _. Revelation to man.

Name: bath בת or bayith בית - daughter, town, village, first, branches, children, company, eye, old ^[18], a unit of liquid measure ^[19]

see bet explained

Gimel ג

Formation: A nun with the lower leg elevated in love. Pursue.

Name: gimel - wean, reward, recompense ^[20], camel ^[21]

Prophet

As a variation of the nun נ, the gimel represents the Son of Man. The lower horizontal begins elevated on the right vertical, signifying that his life in the flesh began in love. The ancient allegory of the letter is that it represents a rich man pursing a poor man. The allegory has several applications. In the voice of the prophet it represents Christ as the rich man chasing men, the poor (without the word of God). It suggests that his pursuit of them to teach is motivated by love.

Priest

In the scope of the voice of the priest, the allegory now pertains to the rich man; the Word, pursuing the poor man Jesus. It is a bit difficult to understand, but the Word was still in 'the heavens' shamayim שמים where there is no time. Jesus was the Word incarnate, within time. As the Word, he guided the writing of the Old Testament beginning with Exodus, in order to hide within the history, riddles which he would see and understand as a child. ^[22]

Judge

Gamal is the same word as gimel and means 'camel'. The camel is one of four animals that carry bread in scripture. Since bread is a symbol of the cross, they represent the four voices of God delivering the message of the cross. The word means 'recompense' which is one of the things a judge does. Allegorically, a camel carries it's own water; a symbol of the word, just a a judge is the arbiter of the law.

King

The gimel judge represents the law which has the purpose to lead us to Christ ^[23].

Dalet ד

Formation: like a rosh ר with a squared corner, indicating a revelation of lessor nature than the rosh. It is a command, or spoken word without the personality attached, so there is not an opportunity to dialog.

Name: daleth דלת - door, gate, leaves ^[24] 'law dath דת with teaching ל at the heart' ^[25]Insert non-formatted text here

He ה

Formation: A dalet ד for 'command' is joined with a left short vav for 'heard but not understood.' This is like sheep hearing the voice of the shepherd ^[26]. Hearing is a metaphor for recognizing God's voice.

Name: aha!, lo (discovery) opposite of אה: yearn

Vav ו

Formation: The vav ו is an elogated yod י representing the word spoken to accomplish the will associated with the yod. If the yod is the idea for creation, the vav is the Word which accomplishes it. It distinguishes by separating.

Name: hook, peg, nail, pin ^[27] It is notable that some rabbis say it looks like a horn, and coincidentally one would make the 'v' sound to play a horn, forming your embouchure and blowing breath until the lips vibrate. Horns in the Bible are used to punctuate time. Time before the blowing of the horn is very different than that after it because of some event to which your attention has been called. The central event of all time is the cross where Christ was nailed.

Zayin ז

Formation: For ease it is drawn as a yod י with a vav וdescending. It should be understood as a vav ו returning to heaven, represented by the yod י. It represents Christ in resurrection. However, he was not resurrected alone and so it also represents the bride of Christ. The bride that doesn't understand; זנה zanah, is a prostitute ^[28].

Name: זן kind, sort (used of derisive music and spices associated with death).

Chet ח

Formation: Like the he ה the chet begins with a dalet ד which is joined by a vav ו, which now returns all the way to the top horizontal. The command is understood. Seeing is metaphor for understanding.

Name: Chet means 'dismay'. The result tov ת of understanding chet ח is dismay. ^[29]

Tet ט

Formation: The tet is formed by joining a kof כ and a zayin ז at the bottom. This is the marriage on earth of the Son of God כ and his bride ז. The word for 'marriage' laqach לקח ^[30] also means 'doctrine' and 'learning' ^[31]. The marriage of the Lamb happens on earth as his people learn from him ^[32].

Name: Tet טת is unused and probably means 'feast'. When the word is split by a vav ו it becomes 'fasting' tᵉvath טות ^[33]. Eating is a metaphor for learning. When the vav separates the marriage/doctrine ט from its end or purpose ת , is seems to reverse the sense.

Yod י

Formation: The yod should be envisioned as a very tiny dot. But since we need to draw and see it, we use the form seen. Before creation, there was just God. When he thought about creating, he could not create outside of himself, since there is no place outside of God ^[34]. So he formed a void within himself in which to create ^[35].

As a metaphor it can represent the one who created; God, or the creation. The vocalization of the letter as 'yah' is a name of God. When any letter of the alphabet is formed, first a yod is drawn, and then the rest of the letter is formed from it. The letters form words which were used to create all. The yod, as a metaphor contains all God wished to create, say and do.

Name:Yod means 'hand' which is metaphor for works. All of creation is the works of God ^[36].

Kof כ

Formation: The Kof כ is formed when a rosh ר curves on to the lower horizontal. The revelation has become man. This is the Son of God.

Name: Kof כפ means 'spoon, palm'. Jesus said that no one will pluck his sheep out of his hand ^[37] It is likely he used the Hebrew word kof. There is a mystery in the word. The pe פ means 'mystery, parable, riddle'. The church, his sheep, are hidden in the works of God... his hand.. in the mystery hidden from the beginning ^[38].

Lamed ל

Formation: The lamed is formed with a vav ו descending from above the upper horizontal. It begins above those things we can understand about God. It begins in the heart of God. Then it uses a smaller form of the altered kof from the qof ק where the lower horizontal is bent to descend. In the qof it descends below the line representing the death of the Son of God. In the lamed it is a smaller form and does not descent below the line. The horizontal vav in the lamed is between the upper and lower horizontals of the square template.

The lamed represents the shared heart of teaching. The subject of the teaching is the altered kof from the qof which is the death of the Son of God, or the cross.

Name: Lamad למד means to teach ^[39]

Mem מ

Formation: Like the tet ט, the mem מ joins a kof כ and a zayin ז. It joins them at the top of the letter. Like the tet it also signifies the marriage, but it's focus is on the upper joining. The Father arranged the marriage ^[40]

Name: 'water, blemish'. Water is a symbol for the word of God which can bring life or death. As a metaphor, it can express the outcome of the word, which is his people. If mem is decorated with a symbol to focus on the flesh aspect of the metaphor, the ayin ע, as מעם , it is 'people'. It contains the idea of a blemish in that the mem without a creation, or yod י in it, is the basis for desolation shamem שמם.

Nun נ

Formation: The nun נ is a kof כ with shortened horizontals ^[41], or a vav ו with a lower yod י added ^[42], or as an aleph א which has been scrunched to have the yod 's on the top and bottom of the vav. It represents the Son of Man.

Name: Nun means 'fish, posterity, propagator'. 'Posterity' and 'propagator are derived from the scrunched aleph. 'Fish' are a metaphor for 'every word which proceeds from the mouth of God' ^[43]. Jesus is 'THE WORD' and is represented by a fish. We are the completed works of his word, and are another side of the metaphor.

Samech ס

Formation: The samech ס is formed like the tet ט and mem מ by joining a kof כ and zayin ז. This time they are joined at the top and bottom as is the final mem ם. The samech has rounded corners signifying 'more' than the square corners of the final mem. The samech suggests the promise of the Father was fulfilled fully. The final mem speaks about it being fulfilled in the flesh.

Name: The name samech סמך means 'support' in fulfillment of the prophecy taht he bride would be a help-meet to the man ^[44].

Ayin ע

Formation:The ayin ע is a distorted nun נ with a zayin ז pulling the lower horizontal off the base. The bride (zayin) returns holy, while the Son of God ( lower horizontal ) gets pulled to the earth (made to be sin).

Name: Ayin means 'humiliation, depravity'. The ayin represents the flesh.

Pe פ

Formation: the pe is formed as a kof כ with a dangling yod י off the left upper arm. There is an invisible yod hidden inside the letter. The Son of God speaks of hidden things (the hidden yod) using visible things (the visible yod). He speaks in riddle, parable and metaphor. Pe represents the Prophet.

Name: Pe means 'eye, answer'. The eye is the window to the hidden soul ^[45]. When the prophet enquires of the Lord, God 'answers' ^[46].

Tsadi צ

Formation: The tsadi is like the ayin beginning with an elongated 'nun'. This time it has the 'burden of love'; a vav pushing it down from the right, signifying that His love for us led him to the cross ^[47].

Name: Tsadi צדי means 'side, provision'. The prophetic prophecy speaks about Gethsemane as the limping side, Christ's willingness to put aside his own self-preservation instincts in order to die. He was the provision god made for us for sin. When a qof ק is added the the end, the word tsadik means righteous one. The qof adds the idea of his death and resurrection.

Qof ק

Formation: The qof ק is formed as a bent kof כ. The lower arm bends down, pointing to death, signifying the death of the Son of God. The Left side has a vav ו originating below the lower horizontal, or 'in the grave' and rising from the dead.

Name: The word qof קפ means 'encompass' and comes from the idea that the cross ק is the mystery hidden from the beginning פ ^[48]. The mystery is in all things ^[49]

Rosh ר

Formation: The rosh is formed with a horizontal and a vertical vav joined with a curve. That which can be known about God (horizontal) is made known (vertical) in such a way you can ask questions (rounded corner).

Name: Rosh רש means 'destitute, evict'. The revelation of God ר evicted Adam and Eve ש from the garden.

Shin ש

Formation: The shin is formed by a vav ו or the word coming to earth, then returning to God (the left zayin ז) with an increase (the small zayin off of the left one). It can represent the Spirit which gives life to the bride, or the man and wife returning to the Lord.

Name: Shin שן means 'tooth, ivory' and is a symbol for judgement. The spirit which gives life to the bride is also represented by fire which purifies and destroys.

Tov ת

Formation: The tov is formed as a rosh ר representing a revelation which is completed by the vav springing to life an returning to God on the left side. The purpose of revelation is to give life to man.

Name: Tov means 'mark,record'. As the last letter of the alphabet, it represents the end, or reputation; the final record.

Final Kof ך

Name:

Formation:

Final Mem ם

Name:

Formation:

Final Nun ן

Name:

Formation:

Final Pe ף

Name:

Formation:

Final Tsadi ץ

Name:

Formation:

Final Shin

Name:

Formation:

References

1. ↑ . Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world [aeons - time] began;
2. ↑ 2Pe 3:8 ¶ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
3. ↑ Re 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
4. ↑ This hermeneutic has only recently been discovered.
5. ↑ 1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
6. ↑ 1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
7. ↑ Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
8. ↑ Heb 1:1 ¶ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
9. ↑ Da 5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which [was] at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
10. ↑ 1Jo 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
11. ↑ 1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
12. ↑ 2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
13. ↑ 0502
14. ↑ 0504
15. ↑ 0505-0507
16. ↑ I am א the mouth/edge לפ
17. ↑ לף-פל edge/divider לף reverses פל distinguished
18. ↑ 01323
19. ↑ 01324-5
20. ↑ 01580
21. ↑ 01581
22. ↑ Ps 110:1 ¶ « A Psalm of David. » The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
23. ↑ Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
24. ↑ 01817
25. ↑ Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
26. ↑ Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
27. ↑ 02053
28. ↑ 02181
29. ↑ see. Gospel of Thomas: saying 2
30. ↑ 03947
31. ↑ 03948
32. ↑ 1Ti 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
33. ↑ 02908
34. ↑ 1Ki 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
35. ↑ Ge 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
36. ↑ De 3:24 O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God [is there] in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?
37. ↑ Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
38. ↑ 1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
39. ↑ 03925
40. ↑ Ge 38:6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name [was] Tamar.
41. ↑ The Son of God who 'emptied' himself Php 2:7
42. ↑ The Word ו which became flesh י
43. ↑ Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
44. ↑ Ge 2:18 ¶ And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
45. ↑ Mt 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
46. ↑ Jer 42:4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard [you]; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, [that] whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare [it] unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
47. ↑ Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
48. ↑ Eph 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
49. ↑ Ro 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: