Gieneke Sneller 
God’s honor and glory In a different article, we discussed the Hebrew verb כבד ‘kabed’ which – starting from a basic meaning of ‘being heavy/weighty’ – has the meaning of: to honor, to deem respectful, to deem high. As a follow-up to this, we will further elaborate on the word כָּבוֹד ‘kabod’, which is derived … Lees meer
Several times the Old Testament talks about the so-called “ascents” – Easter, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles – also referred to as “pilgrim celebrations”. The description and order of the annual celebration of these three biblical high days is clearly commanded to the people of Israel in the Law of Moses (Exodus 23:14-19; Leviticus … Lees meer
Honoring the Most High with thanksgiving In biblical language, regularly words occur which are better understood by us when viewed in their original meaning. Words like these include the verb “to honor” and the substantive “tribute”. In the Hebrew language, these words are related to the concept of “being heavy/weighty”. Basic meaning of “kabed” In … Lees meer
Servant of the Lord Our previous article was about the Hebrew verb “abad” which has the general meaning of to work, to process, to perform, to labor, to serve (as a servant or slave). We saw that “abad” also has a special meaning and theological use: to serve, worship, honor (the Lord God). The aforementioned … Lees meer
Readers of these articles are familiar with the fact that a certain term in the Hebrew language often has several meanings and/or functions, depending on the purpose and content of the text part in which that term occurs. This is clearly the case with the verb “abad”[1] (In Hebrew: עבד, pronunciation: ‘avád’) which is used … Lees meer
This time we consider the word עֶלִיוֹן, pronounced ‘elyon’. As an adjective it has the general meaning: highest, upper. For example, it is used with regard to the location of a city: “Upper Beth-horon” (Joshua 16:5), or with regard to the position of something, such as “the uppermost basket” (Genesis 40:17), “the upper gate of … Lees meer
The Hebrew Bible regularly contains concepts that have a ‘common’ general meaning, but that nevertheless is striking because of a special application or function. This category of words includes the Hebrew verb עזר (pronounced ‘azar’) which has the basic meaning of ‘to help’.[1] In addition to this general meaning, ‘azar’ also means: to assist, to … Lees meer
Trust based on your faith In the Hebrew Bible there are words and expressions that belong to the “faith vocabulary”. This biblical faith vocabulary undoubtedly includes the Hebrew verb בטח ‘batach’. The basic meaning of ‘batach’ is “to trust” in something or someone, but this verb also means: feeling confident, being carefree, entrusting yourself to, hoping, … Lees meer