The
three Hebrew words above have no English equivalents. The English words used to
translate them are not accurate meanings. At a minimum, it would take a
sentence or more to convey the Hebrew meanings to English readers. In order
to understand TOV, SHALOM, and TZEDAQAH in the context in
which they appear, you need to do two things.
1.
Add their transliterations and meanings to your vocabulary and
use the transliterations when you read and discuss verses in which they
appear.
2.
Use an interlinear Bible (it has Hebrew and English words) to locate the
Hebrew words or use BHC translations of Bible portions in your Bible studies. (See Website
Page)
The Story of TOV
The
Hebrew word TOV appears seven times in the first story in Genesis. The
first appearance is in Genesis 1:4.
And God saw the light,
that it was TOV.
Most
translators translate “TOV” as “good.” Translators generally
use lexicons (dictionaries) that list several English words as options
for translating. In addition, we must look for “contextual meanings that emerge
from the context in which they appear.” As I said above, TOV
appears seven times in Genesis 1 and from that context this contextual
meaning emerged:
“TOV is the standard
the Creator used to
measure the results of
His actions.
Acts that measure TOV protect
lives, preserve lives,
make lives more
functional, and/or increase the quality of life.”
As
you can see, the English word “good” doesn’t reflect the meaning
of the Hebrew word TOV.
The Story of Shalom
Dr. William Chomsky, Noam Chomsky’s father,
provides the following meaning for “SHALOM.”
____________________________
“The word shalom, usually rendered by
‘peace,’ has in effect little in common with its English equivalent. Shalom
does not have the passive, even negative, connotation of the word ‘peace.’ It
does not mean merely the absence of strife. It is pregnant with positive,
active and energetic meaning and association. It connotes totality, health,
wholesomeness, harmony, success -- the completeness and richness of living in
an integrated social milieu.”
____________________________
A description of “the completeness and
richness of living in an integrated social milieu” was given in my
previous email. It is the Creator’s vision of “what human life in
His kingdom would be like.”
●
People will reflect the image of God through
their TOV acts. The will be actively engaged in protecting each other’s’ lives,
preserving each other’s lives, making each other’s lives more functional,
increasing the quality of life for each other.
●
People will also be actively engaged as
the Creator’s
Co-Shepherds over all life on earth.
Acts that measure TOV
increase SHALOM.
I
will discuss TZEDAQAH in my next email. It is one of the most
important words in the Hebrew Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus. But in closing
I want to give you a chance to put what you learned above to work. Below is the
BHC translation of Psalm 34:14. Using the above information, write your
commentary about what the verse meant to the author and readers of the ancient
Hebrew text.
Depart from evil and do
TOV;
seek SHALOM
and pursue it.
May
you SHALOM increase,
Jim
Myers
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