OTCL505-Word_Study_Verb

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Apr 3, 2024

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY Word Study (Verb) Submitted to: in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of OCTL 505 – D05 LUO Hebrew Language Tools by December 2019
Passage and Verb The word chosen for this study comes from the passage in Exodus 14:26:31 and is found in verse 31. The word is believed. While the verb is only used once in the entire passage, there is theological significance with its use and merits a thorough study. The word believed is considered theologically significant because it is the action of the Israelites as a result of the actions taken by God to save them from the Egyptian army that was in pursuit of them during their exodus from captivity in Egypt. After seeing the dead soldiers on the seashore, verse 31 states, “And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.” 1 Hebrew Word for Believed The Strong’s integration in the Blue Letter Bible identifies the underlying Hebrew word that is translated “believed” as Strong’s H539. 2 The Hebrew word is ן ַמאָ , or the transliteration 'aman. ן ַמאָ is a verb in the hiphil stem in the imperfect aspect. Strong’s states that 'aman. is a primitive root that, interestingly, is interchangeable with H541 found in Isaiah 30:21where it means “to go to the right hand.” 3 However, H539 has proper and figurative meanings. In the proper use, 'aman means to buil up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse. 4 The Hebrew Stem of ן ַמאָ Unlike the English language where adverbs are used to add emphasis to a verb, the Hebrew language uses what is called stems. Chet Roden explains, “There are seven main 1 Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture is from the King James Version. 2 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H539&t=KJV. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 1
Hebrew stems to express various types of actions.” 5 Of those seven, 'aman can be found using three. Hiphil, which was mentioned earlier, is the stem used in this verse and it is causative in the active voice. In this stem, 'aman means to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in. Usage of ן ַמאָ According to Strong’s, H539, or ן ַמאָ ( 'aman), is found 108 times in 122 verses of the Hebrew concordance of the KJV. 6 Of the 102 verses, the book of Psalms has the most uses of the word (17), followed by Isaiah (14), and Job (10). 'aman is also more widely used in the genre of narrative (45), followed by the poetic writings with 32 occurrences. Other verses where we find the same translation of 'aman are: And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Gen. 15:6). And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? (Num. 14:11). And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever. (1 Sam. 27:12). He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. (Job 39:24). Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. (Psa. 106:12). The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. (Pro 14:15). Even with just these few examples, the study of ן ַמאָ ('aman) showed that the range of usage is primarily in the books of the Pentateuch and those pertaining to Jewish history, which may be the cause to the effect of God’s goodness displayed throughout the Old Testament. Though not far behind, the genre of poetry showed a solid use 'aman in the confessions of the psalmist. English Words Used for ן ַמאָ 5 C. Roden, Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction to the Language and Its History (San Diego, CA: Cognella, 2017), 79. 6 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H539&t=KJV 2
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