STORY OF NOAH IMBEDDED USE OF NUMBERS

The two primary operational words in the Story of Noah are מים “Mayim” (Water) and מבול “MaBooL” (Flood).  Note that both word begin with the same letter מ “Mem” which is derived from the word מים “Mayim” (Water) .  And one might ask “How many days was the “Wash” and “Dry” cycles of the Flood.  The answer is FORTY.  And what do you think is the numerical value of the letter “Mem?”.  And the answer is FORTY.  This is a obvious exploitation of the numerical system that is lost in translation..

LINGUISTIC VISUAL LOSS

When one sees the מים “Mayim” (Water) the connection to שמים  “ShaMayim” (Heavens) is quite obvious but gets totally lost in translation.  Seeing the connection between WATER leading to HEAVEN leads one to the source of the rain and water as a vapor or gaseous form brings one to userstand the three states of water (solid as ice, liquid as water, and gas as vapor) drawing our attention to how important it is to our lives but also how dangerous it can be.

OTHER USES OF NUMBERS?

Then there is the Rule of 2’s and Rule of 3’s.

RULE OF 2’s

When the Bible repeats a word twice, either identically or with variations, it is telling you “PAY ATTENTION THIS IS IMPORTANT!”  For example “Justice Justice you shall pursue.”  or in the story with Moses judging the people from sunrise to sunset and his father-in-law sees this and responds “You will grow weary and the people will become weary” as Jethro instruction Moses on delegation and organizational structure in society.  Moses, with all due respect, was a shepard most of his life and did not learn this.  Even in the House of Pharoah, he was not in a position of authority although he most likely did get an extensive education which led to his writing skills and proficiency in Hieroglyphics leading to learning Hebrew from his mother and sister..

RULE OF THREE’s

When the number 3 is employed in the Bible, the usage indicates that the following is not only true but PROVEN.  We now visit the story of Joseph while he is in prison in Egypt.  The servants of Pharoah, the Butler and Baker, each have a dream the same night where one has 3 clusters of grapes on his head and the other has 3 baskets.  Joseph interprets the dreams saying “In three days each will see his fate at the hands of Pharoah.”  In three days Joseph’s interpretations of their dreams are PROVEN to be accurate.  Next we turn to the giving of the “TEN COMMANDMENTS” before Mount Sinai.  The People prepare for three days and then “REVELATION IS PROVEN” as they witness the Glory of Revelation with their own eyes and all the Thunder, Lightening, etc.  

HOW ABOUT LINGUISTICS AND CULTURE?

Here is an ancient story that I just made up.  There was an American tourist visiting Bethlehem and stops an Israeli on the street to ask him “What does Bethlehem mean?”.  The Israeli responds: “Beit means HOUSE and LECHEM means BREAD.  So it is HOUSE OF BREAD.

The Tourist then stops an Arab and asks the same question “What doe Bethlechem mean?”  And the Arab responds “Beit means HOUSE and LECHEM means MEAT.  So it is HOUSE OF MEAT.”  Then with a little further research we find that “MILKHAMA” in both Hebrew and Classical Arabic both mean “WAR”.  Note Arabic also has “HARB” which connect to the Hebrew “Kherev” or sword, “Khurban” (Destruction), etc.  But often mistranslated “Jihad” means “STRUGGLE.”  

The answer lies in the split of Jacob and his twin brother Esav.  Jacob was agriculturanl and if he did not have bread on his table, it was not considered a MEAL.  On the other hand Esav was a hunter and if he did not get his quarry and did not have MEAT on his table, it was not considered a MEAL.  As such the world may be interpreted as the essential of the meal or life.  But Milkhama also suggests “SURVIVAL”.

REVISITING MOUNT SINAI FOR A MOMENT

For a very long time Mount Sinai was believed to be Jebel Musa which is known today as Saint Katherines Monestary in in the Sinai Penninsula.  But recent archaeologistts have found another potential location on the other side of the Red Sea in north west Saudi Arabia at Jebel Al-Maqla in the Al-Lawz Mountain Range.  The top of the mountain is black suggesting it was burnt in the fires during the Biblical Story of the Ten Commandment and the subsequent Golden Calf story.  So again we draw on our linguistic skills and Maqka in Hebrew suggests “STAFF” as in what Moses his the Rock and in Arabic the word means “Burnt”.  So language or even multiple languages such as Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Moabite, etc. all bring invaluable linguistic and cultural value to the picture which is so far beyond any translation.  And that is what I am adding to the journey and legacy.

You will find many more related elements throughout this website.