LEARNING HEBREW PREFIXES

Up until now you have been gleaning some understanding “a little here and a little there”(1). However now it has become time to start on some more solid food, and understand some spiritual parallels. Also, now that you know most of the basics, you are ready to start exercising what you have learned and come to some spiritual understanding.

Do you remember I explained how that every letter is a word?

What this knowledge does, is helps you to understand more about the usage of God's word.

There are meanings, lots of different meanings. Without the Spirit of God, there would be a maze of possibilities without ever arriving to the truth(2).

We witness this happening in the first century in the Brit Hadasha as well as many other even more ancient Jewish writings. Knowing that in ancient Hebrew writing the vowels themselves were not yet invented or introduced, you can witness the rabbi's during a debated discussion simply answer “say not” (this word), but “this”(3). In most cases, this would stop the debate. Since the vowels were not yet written, each Hebrew word could have multiple meanings.

This normally could be a choice of as many as four or five different vocal pronunciations for each Hebrew root word, which would lend to slightly different conclusions as to what was meant when the verse was written.

Most people would find it hard to think in that many directions at once, but they seemed to pull it off so well. It seems that the rabbis that were more open minded, would reap the benefits of wisdom and deeper Godly understanding.

I cover this topic and the vast meanings of the Hebrew letters in my “Understanding” Hebrew book, in the Aleph-Bet Meaning section, but there is still SO MUCH more!
Let God teach you His wisdom!

I will share one example that has to do with what we are learning in this section, combined with another section that you will learn later (the construction of the letters).

 

A TESTIMONY ABOUT THE LAMED

Once years ago I was tutoring a Jehovah's Witness woman in Hebrew. She was learning so fast, it was impressive and truly amazing. She was reciting so well, but with only one glitch. Each time she would recite, she would skip over the Lamed!

I had taught her many spiritual revelations, one of which was the make up and construction of the Lamed. The Lamed is made of a Kaf and a Vav. This pictures a man standing on a wing (or palm of a hand(4) and being lifted to Heaven. The Lamed is the only letter that rises above the writing line and teaches an allegory of rising to the heavenly.

One day I was able to help her. I asked her – Who is the Lamed?
She answered after thinking for a minute:“Jesus”. I said very good! Now, don't forget the Lamed!

For almost a year after she still said taking a breath before reciting: “I will not forget the Lamed”.

This was my word for her, but one day it brought me a revelation.

It just came to me one day. Let me first tell you that I thought that I would never in my lifetime ever use Psalm 110:1 with a Jewish unbeliever! Some Christians might feel smart using it because 2000 years ago messiah quoted it in Luke 20:42 to some Jewish scribes. However, the point here is that they are now ready and waiting for the question and they have had 2000 years to think about it. In fact, they might even think something like: That's all you got after 2000 years, nothing new?

Well, I had just got a revelation that morning and later that evening went to a function and somehow, kind of “accidentally” found myself sitting next to a retired rabbi. We talked for hours and really had a good time. However I found myself having to reveal my new understanding, which did make him think (and I know after that night will never be the same for either of us).

At one point it just fit into the conversation. I asked what about Psalm 110?
He quickly answered, “oh, that is a missionary verse”!

I said yes, I know, but did you ever notice that here in Psalm 110 that Adoni uses Lamed as a prefix? (La-adoni) He answered, “yes, so, 'to' the Lord...and very common”. I got to share that while the prefix may be common, the use of it with Adoni was not so common being only 14 times in the entire Tanakh. And then I got to ask him – “and who is the Lamed?”

But now for you: We know that Lamed is a prefix meaning “to”, but there is also a picture in the construction of the letter Lamed itself. This is because rabbis in many places teach that The letter Vav is a Man. They also teach that the letter Kaf is a hand (or in ancient a wing). Rabbis also teach that anything that goes above the Hebrew writing line, goes to Heaven. The Lamed is made up of a Kaf (wing) with a Vav (man) standing on it! The Lamed is the only letter that goes above the Hebrew writing line.

While the Lamed itself is a Hebrew word that means teach and teacher, it is pictured and taught as many things. However the very construction and makup of the letter is pictures a man being lifted to heaven.

In the verse:

"A Psalm of David. Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool" (Psalms 110:1 [ASV])

Psalms 110:1 [Aleppo Codex]:
Notice here that in Hebrew the word is not “just” the regular word for “Lord” Adoni (), it uses the prefix attached to the word Lord/Adoni (). So what we see if we look at it pictorially is a man that has been lifted to heaven, here called "Lord" or now understood with the lamed prefix as:

"Jehovah saith unto my “risen Lord”, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool".

Who is in heaven right now, waiting until his enemies are made his footstool?

Who do you think this is? Who fits this picture?

As you learn more about how Hebrew is written, you will see that this is all much more then mere coincidence.

Hebrew is written within a Hebrew root system, using prefixes and suffixes.

 

ABOUT JOHN 1:1 AND GENESIS 1:1

For example if you were reading a Hebrew Bible you would start in Genesis 1:1 and see the word “Beginning” ( ra-sheeth) with a Hebrew letter Bet attached to the word.

This now makes it “In Beginning” ( ba-ra-sheeth), because Bet is a prefix meaning “In” we end up with the understanding “IN the beginning”.

This can make more sense then you know, since the prefix Bet can also mean “In”, “With” and “By”.

John taught this in John 1:1-2. “IN the beginning was the word”, “The word was WITH God” “all things were created BY him”.

You will also notice that John was teaching Genesis 1:1 when you see that Genesis 1:1 has what scholars call “an UN-translatable word”.

Notice that shown above for "created" that there are two Hebrew words? [] is “created” and [] is an untranslatable word because it is not a word.

It is the FIRST LETTER and the LAST LETTER of the Aleph-Bet!

In other words the entire Aleph-Bet (or the “WORD”(5) that John was teaching).

Also in learning prefixes, we learn that the heavens and the earth were both created by the word. Notice that the Hebrew letter Vav is also a prefix meaning “And”.

So now you can see “and” Aleph-Tav [] also created the earth

Aleph-Tav -><-and

Words can take on and expand into different meanings, when used with prefixes.

Out of the 22 letters of the Aleph-Bet exactly half (11) letters can be used as prefixes, taking on or adding more meanings to these letters and words.

In this step you will learn these letters. I have added some flashcards to the Flashcard Kit as with the other steps, but unlike the other steps this one will start making you much more aware of some spiritual meanings.

 

SOME METHODS FOR LEARNING THE PREFIXES

1. I found it easy myself in the beginning to recite the Aleph-Bet and quickly and simply identify whether or not the letter could be used as a prefix.

I would simply count as I recited the aleph-bet and as long as I got to 11 at the end, I knew I probably did not forget one.

2. Later, I would try to name them when I stopped at a Yes.

3. My thoughts that helped me to remember some of them.

You can come up with your own ways to remember.
I added a pocket size chart of the prefixes to the Flashcard Kit.
Learn these well and come right back for the next step.

Note that there are a few other prefixes and more understanding to come later on suffixes. In a nutshell for now learn these suffixes / word endings: is masculine plural, is feminine plural and is feminine singular.

References (click the back arrow on your browser to go back to your reading)

1. Isaiah 28:10 references the Aleph-Bet and this type of learning when he reminds them how they were taught as children “here a little and there a little”

2. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (II Timothy 3:7)

3. In relation to a Bible verse that was quoted in support, but not yet understood to be the answer when thinking of the conventional interpretation. Change the word, change the meaning

4. Wing in ancient proto-semitic and hand in Hebrew fonts

5. Messiah said that he was the first letter and the last letter of the Aleph-Bet

6. John 1:1-2 "IN the beginning was the word”, “The word was WITH God” “all things were created BY him”.

7. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2 [ASV])

8. John 14:23 "...and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him"