Thread by @AriLamm

Why Read The Bible In Hebrew?

Ever wondered why the Bible spends so much time mentioning tons of names? All those "begats"?

What if I told you reading those names in Hebrew can hold the key to understanding entire Biblical stories?

A thread (for non-Hebrew readers too!) 🧵1

Let's look at the Book of Genesis. It starts off with some crazy amazing set pieces: Creation! Garden of Eden! The first sin! Murder! And tons more action is still to come (The Flood! Tower of Babel!).

But smack in the middle, in Genesis 4-5, is a boring list of names. Why?! 2

Well, this is one of the best examples of why it's super important to read the Bible in Hebrew. Because the Bible actually uses these names to suggest two radically different visions for humanity.

And since names can't usually be translated, most people just miss all of this! 3

So let's talk about those names in Gen 4-5. They come right after the story of Cain and Abel, and there are actually two sets of names.

The first (4:17-24) lists the descendants of Cain. The second (4:25-5:32) lists the children of Adam and Eve's third son: Seth. 4

So what are these names doing here? Why interrupt all the drama? And by the way, who the heck even cares about an also-ran character like Seth, amirite?!

To answer all this, let's start by examining a name that actually appears on both lists:

Enoch.

5

The name Enoch in Hebrew comes from the root h-n-ch, meaning "dedicate", as in to dedicate a house for new use. This is nearly always how the word's used in the Bible.

For example, in 1 Kings: "the king and all the people of Israel dedicated (h-n-ch) the house of the Lord". 6

Now, think about the two Enochs we find in Gen 4-5. The first one is Cain's son. And if you think about it, "Enoch" is actually a perfect name for him! Why? Well, what's the first thing Cain does upon Enoch's birth?

"He built a city and named it Enoch after his son" (4:17). 7

Cain dedicates a city for his son to dwell in, thereby making Enoch the first-city dweller in history. So in naming his son "dedication" (or "inauguration"), Cain memorializes the pioneering effort undertaken here.

In fact, think about the significance of what Cain's done... 8

Cain had brought murder into the world. God then cursed him: "you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth" (4:12).

Cain wanted to spare his child this fate. So he built him the first city. He sought to improve the human condition via ingenuity—technological progress. 9

The name Enoch thus signals the human capacity for creativity.

But wait, I hear you ask. Didn't you say the line of Seth *also* has an Enoch (5:18)? And in this Enoch's case, we read nothing about building or cities or anything. So maybe the name has no meaning after all? 10

Not so fast!

Because while the root h-n-ch usually means to "dedicate" a building, it also has a second meaning: "to guide". As in: "Guide (h-n-ch) children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray" (Prov 22:6).

The root here means to teach someone how to behave. 11

And this meaning fits our Enoch—Seth's Enoch—perfectly too! Of all the descendants of both Seth and Cain, Seth's Enoch is the only one explicitly described as righteous: "Enoch walked with God" (5:22, and again in 24). This same language is later used for Noah himself (6:9)! 12

Seth's Enoch cultivated a uniquely virtuous relationship with God. Like Cain's Enoch, he too represents human ingenuity. But this Enoch's genius is not technological, but theological. He discovers how God wants us to behave (h-n-ch) in approaching Him. 13

We thus have before us two visions for human flourishing. The first, Cain’s line, is technological progress—we can improve our lot through scientific advance.

The second, Seth’s line, is theological sophistication—we can improve our lot by coming closer to God. 14

Throughout Gen 4-5, the Bible uses the subtleties of its characters’ names to articulate these dual visions.

Let's take an example:

We've already seen Cain's line begin with Enoch. But how does Seth's line begin?

Answer: with Seth's son, Enosh. What does that name mean? 15

It comes from the root '-n-sh ("debilitating")—as in: "the harvest will flee away in a day of sickness and debilitating ('-n-sh) pain" (Isaiah 17:11). So Enosh's very name signifies frailty.

Now, the name "Enosh" (like "Adam") becomes a catch-all term for "human being"... 16

But unlike the term “Adam”, used in a wide variety of Biblical contexts (well over 500 times), the term “Enosh” is much rarer (42 times). Overwhelmingly, it's used to refer to man as desperately in need of God, like, "so you destroy the hope of mortals ('-n-sh)" (Job 14:19). 17

So we should be totally unsurprised when the Bible tells us the signature achievement of Enosh’s lifetime: “At that time people began to call in the name of the Lord” (4:26). If Enoch was the first human to be a physical builder, Enosh is the first to be a spiritual seeker. 18

So these name lists in Genesis set up two paradigms for human aspiration.

1. Cain-ian: Technological progress
2. Seth-ian: Humble faith

But which does the Bible prefer? You might think it’s obvious: Cain’s line bad, Seth’s line good, right?

Well…not so fast! 19

On one hand, the Bible clearly spells out the evil wrought by Cain's line. In fact, it's bookended by two acts of murder. First Cain kills Abel. On the other end, Cain's descendant Lamech boasts: "I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me" (4:23). 20

But there’s much more to this story than meets the eye. Consider Lamech’s children, the seventh-generation descendants of Cain:

Jabal: invents shepherding (4:20)

Jubal: discovers music (4:21)

Tubal-Cain: learns to forge bronze and iron (4:22)

What blessings to humanity! 21

And look at their names! They all come from the same root: y-b-l, meaning “to lead” or “carry forth”. It’s the root underlying Hebrew words for “river stream” or “growth”. It’s a root that points to great flourishing.

These civilizational geniuses are all well-named... 22

But here's why that root is doubly significant. It's nearly identical to another important root from earlier in Genesis: h-b-l ("emptiness"), the root underlying the name..."Abel"!

Lamech’s children, in other words, are in some fashion a way to atone for Abel's murder. 23

In fact, think about the first of Lamech’s brilliant children: Jabal. The "father" of shepherding (4:20).

Who’s the last shepherd we’ve seen in Genesis? Abel (Gen 4:4)! So Jabal reintroduces to the world crucial knowledge that had been lost with Abel’s death. Wondrous! 24

So, the Bible intimates, Cain’s line is capable of great violence, but also great genius. Why is this so?

Well, again, the Bible tells us through the use of names—specifically, the name of the line's founder, Cain himself.

Cain's name is given by Eve (4:1). 25

"And she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have acquired (kaniti) a man with the Lord"

What does this mean? Well, the name Cain ("Kayin" in Hebrew) sounds like the word "acquired" (kaniti).

Why does Eve choose this name? 26

Well, because this is the first act of creation in history in which a human being participates. In that glorious moment, Eve exultantly declared her joy at being God's partner.

Cain's birth, then, represents humanity's capacity to imitate God. 27

And that explains the extremes of Cain's line—the violence of Cain and Lamech vs. the creativity of Enoch and Lamech's children.

The human attempt to be godlike can result in both greatness (creative prowess) or savagery (arrogating to oneself the right to kill). 28

And what about Seth’s line? What does the Bible think of them? Here, too, their defining character is set up by the founder’s name.

Eve names him Seth because, “God has appointed (sh-y-th) for me another child instead of Abel" (4:25).

What going on here? 29

The name Seth ("Shet" in Hebrew) sounds like the word "appointed" (shat). So unlike with Cain, here Eve emphasizes her passive dependence upon God.

"God has appointed for me" (in the passive) rather than "I have acquired" (in the active)

And the Hebrew's crucial here, too! 30

The root behind Seth's name (sh-y-th) is relatively uncommon (appearing about 80 times in the whole Bible). By contrast, the other verbs you’d expect the Bible to use here instead (like n-t-n or s-y-m) appear literally thousands of times.

So why use this unusual verb? 31

Well...because the Bible's reminding us we've already seen it once before in Genesis!

God curses the serpent: "I will put (sh-y-th) enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers" (3:15)

Another case where God imposes circumstances upon passive humans! 32

So when Eve names Seth, the Bible wants us to see it in the same light. God can impose punishment, and He can also bestow blessing. Either way, humanity accepts God's Will with humility.

This is what Seth's line is all about. Building not cities, but a relationship with God. 33

So on the one hand, this is good. Seth’s line has a quiet dignity that Cain’s lacks. And so it’s no mistake that while Cain’s line begins and ends with killing, Seth’s line is defined by prayer and faithfulness.

But, the Bible suggests, there's another side to this. 34

For it's this very quietude that leads Seth’s line to be *overly* passive, even when the situation calls for action. The most tragic example of this is the final descendant of Seth’s line:

Noah.

And here, too, we need to examine the character's name. 35

When Noah's father names him, he expresses high hopes that Noah will bring relief to the world in the wake of all the punishments humanity had earned since Adam and Eve:

"This one shall comfort (n-h-m) us from our work and from the toil ('-tz-v) of our hands..." (5:29). 36

But while Noah achieves personal virtue (6:9)...he doesn't actually do anything to ennoble the society around him.

Now, eventually, God decides to destroy the world in a Flood. Let's pay close attention to how the Bible describes God in that moment (Gen 6:6). 37

"And the Lord regretted (n-h-m) that He had made humans on the earth, and it grieved ('-tz-v) Him to His heart"

Recognize anything?

Yep, we've seen that root n-h-m before—in Noah's naming. But wait didn't it mean "comfort" there?

Well, yes. But it also has another meaning! 38

It can also mean "regret". And once we recognize that, we can see that the same root ('-tz-v) meaning "toil" in the context of Noah's name ("the toil of our hands"), is used to mean "grieve" in the context of the Flood ("grieved Him to His heart").

What does this teach us? 39

Answer: instead of Noah’s lifetime bringing comfort to humanity (n-h-m) from its toil ('-tz-v), it sees God regretting (n-h-m) and grieving ('-tz-v) ever having made humanity in the first place.

In other words: Noah fails!

He is passive in the face of societal collapse. 40

And, in fact, over the course of his entire narrative arc, Noah plays no active role at any point until after the entire Flood has passed.

So, ultimately, Seth’s line values humility. That can result in righteous subservience to God; but it can also sap our moral courage. 41

So which is better? Cain’s line or Seth’s? Technological progress or humble faith?

The answer, of course, is that God desires that we strive for both.

Humanity is at its most morally majestic when it combines the creative boldness of Cain with the humble faith of Seth. 42

Ah, you might object, but the Bible *does*, in the end, decide between the two. Seth’s line, after all, is the only one that survives…Cain’s line dies out in the Flood!

Perhaps.

But it's here that I'll mention one of my favorite ancient Jewish Biblical interpretations... 43

So, remember how Lamech had three children? Well, he actually had four: "The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah" (4:20).

Who is Naamah? The Bible never explains why it mentions her.

The rabbis had an answer: she shared her brothers' genius...and one day became Noah's wife! 44

I love this tradition so much. It envisions a world in which the dazzling brilliance of Cain and the steadfast faith of Seth both survived the Flood together.

And we human beings born in its wake are therefore heir to, and responsible for both! /45

P.S. If you liked this, definitely check out my podcast: Good Faith Effort! @gfaitheffort

We talk about awesome stuff like this all the time! The latest episode was actually all about how the Pilgrims on the Mayflower loved reading the Bible in Hebrew! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nic…

@gfaitheffort P.P.S. I cannot and will not stop thanking the indefatigable @zenahitz and the inexpressibly awesome @CatherineProj for giving me the idea to do these!

And shouts to my Biblical Hebrew study group homies! You guys absolutely rule!!!