HOW TO GET A DEEPER
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT GOD IS SAYING IN THE SCRIPTURES
When the
English translators read the Hebrew text of the Bible, they chose English words
to best express their understanding of the Hebrew. A good concordance lets us
do that too. We can look up the etymology of any Hebrew word and the intricacies
of its definition. It’s easy now with an online concordance like Strong’s @ https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=buckler&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 )
As an example,
I want to show you how to do this, using two verses from Psalm 91. I’ll show
you how to look up the meanings of the words, then make them personal without
compromising integrity or how the scripture fits with the rest of the Bible.
Psalm 91:1.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
The word
“dwelleth” is the Hebrew yashab defined as sitting down
with, remaining, settling down with, continuing with, marrying, being still with. “Secret” is cether, a
place where you’re covered, a hiding
place, a place of protection. “The most
High” is El Elyon, the Highest, Supreme,
uppermost. There is no one and nothing higher. “Abide” is the Hebrew lyin which means to stop
(usually overnight), implying to stay permanently, remaining, continuing. “The
Almighty” is El Shaddai. Young’s Concordance defines
this as the God of overflow, constant supply, and source of all sufficiency.
Take a minute
or two to just think about those
definitions. What is God saying to you in that scripture? Put it in your own
words, without changing the meaning.
For example,
this is how I would say it to myself: “Carolyn, sit down a few minutes and make
yourself relax. Settle down, be still and picture yourself snuggled up in the
protected hiding place of God, up next to the One Who is the Highest Being ever
to exist. He wants you there. You can stay overnight, and then in the morning
you’ll be right by His side, and go wherever He goes. You’re close enough that
His shadow is on you and you experience a constant overflow from Him. God is
your continuing source of everything you need.”
The next verse
I want to look at is Psalm 91:4. “He shall cover thee with His feathers, and
under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
The word
“cover” is translated from the Hebrew sakak which means to join together
and shut up, entwining as a screen, to fence in or hedge in for protection and
defense. “Feathers” are from the root word abar which means to soar or
fly. “Truth” is emeth meaning stable, certain,
sure, faithful, established and right. “Shield” is the Hebrew tsinnah, a word for pointed hook,
prickly like thorns or a cactus hedge. It is a large shield that guards by
prickliness. It also carries the definition of being piercingly cold. “Buckler”
is translated from cochera, a shield that completely surrounds a person.
Again, take a
few minutes to think about these definitions and see what God is saying to you.
The God of the
Bible is our God, and He’s protected His Word all these thousands of years so that when we read a verse, He can speak personally to each of us.
It’s great to have people who preach and teach us the Word, but God loves us
individually and has made it so that each of us can read the Bible and hear from
Him ourselves. God tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth.”
When we study a verse or section of scripture by looking up
the meanings of the words, we’ll get a deeper understanding of what our
Heavenly Father is saying to us.
Love, Carolyn
FREE SAMPLE BOOK THRU
TUES: From my WINGS series: MIRACLES
In this sample book,
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