Misunderstood Verses

This page will be dedicated to establishing more sound doctrine and theology by exploring the Hebrew and Greek behind certain passages that are often misunderstood and/or taken out of the context in which they were written.


One more portion
We will start with Genesis 48:22, which in the NASB reads '"I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow." This is in reference to Israel (Jacob) giving a specific parcel of land to Joseph and NOT to his brothers.  In the Hebrew however, the words translated as 'one more portion' actually reads 'Shechem Echad' - or, literally 'One Shechem.'  As you may be familiar, Shechem is not just a generic location, but a SPECIFIC place name which figures prominently in the Biblical narrative.  So, when we read the Hebrew, we actually see a prophecy that the English simply WILL NOT let us see....over 400 years BEFORE the Exodus from Egypt, the final resting place of Joseph's bones was given to him. (Joshua 24:32)

Good stuff huh?!?!  Keep coming back, more will be added.  Shalom!


What kind of bread did Yeshua (Jesus) break?
In Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22 and Luke 22:19 we read that Yeshua (Jesus) 'took bread and broke it.'  But the question is...what KIND of bread is being referred to?  What do I mean you ask?  Good question!  Let's see.

First, let's rule out the possibility that it was 'regular' bread - remember it was Passover, a time when ONLY unleavened bread was to be eaten (Ex. 12:15, 19; 13:7; Deut. 16:4).  Also, the Bible makes multiple references to leaven representing hypocrisy and sin (Matthew 16:6-12; 1 Cor. 5:6-8).  Thus we arrive at the symbolism of removing leaven is to remove the sin from our lives.

All of this brings us to the simple conclusion that Yeshua was actually breaking a piece of Matzah (unleavened bread), and by referring to it as His 'body' - He made an object lesson out of the bread without leaven (sin) as being a wonderful example of the One who had no sin.

G-d spares NO details in His perfect plan.

Shalom!


Why 153 fish?

John tells us in his Gospel (21:11) that the Talmidim (disciples) caught EXACTLY '153 fish.'  Why precisely THAT number?  Let's search it out!

First, looking at our Hebrew Aleph-Bet (alphabet) page we see that each Hebrew letter also has a numeric value - from 1 to 400.  This is vitally important, and will feature PROMINATELY in our explanation of this verse.

So, looking at the letter Hey - you see a numeric value of 5, and carries a meaning of 'broken.'  Next, add the letter Pey - with a numeric value of 80, and a meaning of 'here' as in the present time.'  To this, add the letter Samekh - having a value of 60, and carrying the meaning of 'rely on.'  Lastly, the letter Chet - with a numeric value of 8, and a meaning of 'life.'

When we add these letters together we arrive at EXACTLY 153!  But are we just playing Hebrew word games?  Not at all!  We just spelled the phrase 'THE PASSOVER' in Hebrew!  And looking at the meaning of the letters which make up the number 153....is: 1) 'broken' (like the middle piece of matzah which is broken at the Passover Seder...remember: Father SON and Holy Spirit - the Son is in the middle); 2) 'present-time', showing the eternity of G-d; 3) 'rely on', to reflect that we should rely on Him EVERY minute of EVERYDAY; and 4) 'life', indicating that He is the source of LIFE!

NOTHING is wasted with G-d, the number 153 in this verse was NOT 152 or 154, or even 'about 150' but a SPECIFIC number to indicate a PARTICULAR meaning - this is verified by Rav Shaul (Paul) when he tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:7 'Christ OUR Passover has also been sacrificed.'

If you go to our Genesis 1:1 page now...you will see that 1 Corinthians 5:7 and Revelation 13:8 are linked together, and have been since time began.

Shalom!

Thorn in the side

Over the centuries, many scholars and teachers have attempted to 'expound' on what is meant by Paul's 'thorn in the side' spoken of in 2 Corinthians 12:7.  The ideas and theories put forth have been almost as numerous as those who have espoused them.  From 'the devil gave Paul the thorn to keep his followers from exalting him', to 'G-d gave him the thorn in the side to keep him humble' and everything in between.

So let's take a few minutes to look at this passage from a historical perspective - shall we?

First, we are presented with Numbers 30:50-55, which ends with the phrase: "then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live." (NASB)  Notice the use of the term 'thorns in your sides?  It is the inhabitants of the land of Cana'an who will become these 'thorns in the sides' of the Sons of Israel if they do not follow the commandments of G-d with regard to them.

Next, we see that the last part of Joshua 23:13 states: "but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the L-RD your G-d has given you." (NASB)  Again, G-d was warning His people of the perils they would face from the inhabitants of the land which by now, they were in by referring to them as 'thorns in the eyes' this time.

On its' surface, 2 Corinthians does not seem to have these same characteristics.  Did we miss something?  Let's look closer!

Remember, that the original text was NOT broken down into chapters and verses - but were written in letter form.  The idea of chapters and verses came MUCH later in church history.  But, if we read 2 Corinthians 12 as a stand alone chapter, void of any context of who Paul was addressing or even his reasons for writing them - then we are free to interpret this passage with reckless abandon.  Add to this folly the absence, in most 'sermons', of the above cited quotations from Numbers and Joshua and you have an accident looking for a place to happen as the saying goes.

However, by understanding ALL of 2 Corinthians and not just a chapter or verse here and there, we can see that Paul was grappling with the sin, disobedience and rebellion of gentile Believers in Corinth.  And as a Jew, Paul would have been expressing his disdain (however momentary) using an idiom that as a Pharisee and student of Gamaliel, he certainly would have been familiar with.....referencing the gentiles as 'thorns in the side.'

Have a wonderful tomorrow.
Shalom!