The Beginning – בראשית
- 2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
When the scriptures are heard with the ears to hear, that is, recognizing the nature of riddle within them, many sayings which were considered well-known, take on the character of subtle hints. The meaning of Hebrew words derives from the intersection of the hieroglyphic/metaphoric meaning of the letters from which they are made. Paul said there is no shame in rightly dividing the word.
Beginning
The word for beginning can be divided many ways:
ב-ראשית : in ב – the beginning ראשית
ב-ראש-י-ת : in ב - the authority of (heads of) ראש - the creator י – (makes it an object) ת
בר(אש)ית : a covenant ברית with man אש at the center
how do you get אש as with man? is ברית a dictionary meaning of the covenant?
ברא-שית : created ברא an appointment/six שית
בר-אשי-ת : the son בר – offered total devotion (fire offerings) אשי – (makes it an object) ת
John rightly divides the word
The book of John, which was written in Greek, contains the teaching of John who taught in Hebrew.. John taught the Greeks how to rightly divide the word in Hebrew and how to play childish word games. John 1:1-4 is derived from Ge 1:1 by 'rightly dividing' the Hebrew words in Genesis.
בר : the son. The son is “in the beginning” because בר is in בראשית.
The first three words of Ge 1:1 are בראשית ברא אלהים (don't forget to read right to left)
ברא : This word is generally translated “created” but since God spoke whenever he created, it is proper to translate this as “created by the word” or the “word which created. John says “In the beginning was the Word” because ברא is in בראשית. Notice that son בר is in create ברא, and John identified the Son as the Word which created.
ברא is next to אלהים: the word (which created) ברא was next to Elohim אלהים so John said “and the Word was with God,” (Joh 1:1)
ברא also describes God as the creator, so John said, “and the Word was God.”
Puns of Elohim
אלהים Elohim has a pun pronounced 'l'chaim' meaning life and so John said “In him was life;”.
אלהים Elohim has another pun pronounced 'a lo khoom' which means 'not dark', and so John said “and the life was the light of men.” .
Incidentally, אלהים Elohim has another pun pronounced 'lechem' meaning 'bread' and John later says “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” (Joh 6:33 ).
Dividing Elohim אלהים as אל-הי-ם gives: for אל – him,God הי - marriage on earth ם. (Re 19:7)(*9.1)
John and the other apostles taught the Greeks how to “rightly divide the word” in Hebrew, and they wrote down the hints in Greek.
- 9.1 ם will be examined later.