Need Help Understanding Hebrew Words in

[Catsmeow]

Some time ago, I was told that the Jews regarded bronze as a symbol of "judgement"....and there's a whole lot of other words which have corresponding symbolisms.

I've come to also see from studying Psalms that a bent bow or "readied bow" was symbolic of impending judgement.

I am looking for ANYONE with a good understanding of symbolism of hebrew words becasue I am attempting to distinquish if there is a correlation between

the meaning of knats and flies.

WHY?

Okay, I'll finally explain. It has nothing to do with "turtles" but I was curious how so many creatures seemed to have some form of symbolic meaning.

I came to understand the symbolic meaning of vultures or unclean or vile birds as symbolic of evil forces of the prince and the power of the air (demonic beings), which feed and devour. Locust are likewise represented in Revelations as beings coming out of the pit.

I was attempting to see if there was some particular symbolic reason knats and flies were represented as plagues upon Pharoah.

Can ANYBODY help me out here?

[Guest yod]

there probably is some symbolic meaning...but why does there have to be? What are you trying to find?

Gnats and flies are the smallest of insects. Even the greatest army in the world (at that time) had no defense against them. I think every plague was God's way of telling Eygpt who was "boss".

Not sure if there was any other significance in gnats. The plague of frogs was significant because Eygptians worshipped frogs and it was probably God's perfect irony to make them sick of frogs.

Aside from that, every letter in the hebrew aleph-bet is a symbol and a number.

Each letter has many levels of meaning. For instance, "yod" is the smallest letter in the aleph-bet. It has a numerical value of 10 and is a word-picture of the Hand of God.

When we see it in the English it is only a "y" but it has a depth of meaning to a person who understands hebrew. Perhaps there is something to the hebrew word for "gnat" that we could look at for you? Is that what you are looking for?

Not sure I understand the question actually....

[Botz]

Cats..I think the lack of reply to your question on the previous thread is indicative of there being no real answer. Not everything that has a Hebrew name has a symbolic representation but that does not mean to say it might not be symbolic within a parallel culture.

If we have a look at the specific incident to which you are referring...namely a couple of the plagues...we can see there is definately a symbolic reason for them although of themselves they are not representative of Hebrew symbols.

GNATS...comes from the third plaque...it is translated from the word Kinnim and is sometimes translated as LICE Hebrew scholars generally agree that each of the plagues was an attack against Egyptian deities and in the case of Gnats it was against the god of earth/vegetation called GEB and who was according to Egyptian mythology the father of Osiris.

FLIES...comes from the fourth plague...the word here is actually Aruvim which does not translate as flies...but refers to swarms of insects including flies or various types of flies. This plague was against KHEPFI which I think was a scarab beetle and who represented the god of insects...although the scarab was also representative of the sun-god Ra.

(I think most of us are familiar with Baalzebub and know that his name translates from the hebrew baal zvoovim...lord of the flies..this was also a known god of the Philistines who was said to protect his followers from flies...some of the flies in the Middle-East are very different from ours ...they look the same but they bite and can cause infection...and worst of all they can be profuse.)

Thats about all I can come up with...hope it helps.

[Leonard]

Hi Cats! Check out that section in Volume One of Keil and Delitzsche's COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT. As I recall, they did quite a good job on the reasons and symbolism behind the plagues.

And yes, certain materials had meaning, Bronze+judgment, Silver=redemption, etc....

[Catsmeow]

Brothers, you're all not just GREAT but wise as expected...thank you, thank you!

If I need wisdom, I know where to go.

YOD, I know this sounds silly but I feel compelled to study a comparison between the plagues of Egypt and the plagues of Revelation .....Moses and Aaron and the 2 Witnesses of Revelation..

I am sensing some common denominator between these two.

I also believe after very careful study that the Rider on the 1st Horse is NOT the AntiChrist but the same as the LAST rider on the white horse.

Two thousand years ago that Rider was given a crown and went out with his face set like flint, bent on conquest....but not the conquest of the AntiChrist but the victory of the real Christ...Jesus, the Christ and King of Kings.

His bow is not bent because a bent bow indicates judgement, which the Rider on the white horse in Chapter 19 has. It is then He brings His holy ones with Him to complete the war between Himself and Satan. His victory complete, he is crowned with MANY crowns.

He is the rider on the white horse, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.....

he was bent on conquest and won at the Cross 2,000 years ago. The victory He sought was won....and the final victory will be His Kingdom on earth.

I realize everybody and his 5th cousin insists the "rider of the white horse" is the bad guy but I just don't see it.

I see it very differently. The bow the rider goes out on in the beginning is a bow unbent....Jesus came to save the world, not to condemn it.

When He rides out the second time, His bow is readied for judgement upon the whole world.

In between the first and second advent of Christ, there are riders with malignant purposes and these seem dispersed over a period of time, with plagues, famines, disease, wars, and natural disasters which come and go like the birth pangs a woman suffers in childbirth.

I've given birth and I understand the constant intensity by which the pains increase. There's a lull, then more pain and each time, the pain increases, the drama increases, the misery increases in it's intensity. Those riders don't just come in one solitary event but over a time appointed.

Then, there is an ultimate time of battle....I feel I get a better sense of perspective by seeing a comparison to the events of God revealing Himself to the Hebrews in Exodus and Christ revealing Himself in Revelation, beginning with His address to the churches and the vision of His ultimate ride to conquer.

He came to bring not peace, but a sword....and indeed, He has. There have been many but the war HE wages is a war for the souls of men. The Kingdom of heaven is indeed a kingdom taken by violence of a sort.....and there is a war in the heavenlies as well as on earth.

I recognize that the Man of Lawlessness has always been with us, (Satan) and He is well aware of his ultimate plight. He cannot be bent on conquest....because his demise is certain. He is only bent on creating as much pain and suffering as possible during the time he is given.

His end is clear and without question.

I'm trying to put together a puzzle and one piece seems to be a connection between Exodus and Revelation, (this is my sense).

[Esh]

Cats,

The definitive study of symbology in the Hebrew language is found in the Sepher Yetzirah. But corrupt and shortened English translations of this text do exist; the translation which describes the first double as wisdom/foolishness is correct.