The First Three Letters of the Bible

 

In Genesis 1:1, the first word of the Bible, in Hebrew, is בְּרֵאשִׁית which is transliterated as bare sit or b'rei-sheeth.  The first letter is ב (bet), the second letter is ר (resh), and the third letter is א (alef). The English-language name of the book is Genesis, from its Greek name, Γένεσις. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, Bereshit, “in beginning.”

Some Christian commentators have noticed and commented on this as a statement of the Trinity in the first word of the Bible. Others see it as merely an interesting coincidence.

            בן         Ben (son)

            רִיחַ       Ruach (spirit, breath, wind)

            אֱלֹהִ֑ים    Elohim (God, a name in plural form)

            Religious Jews reject this understanding as heretical, believing that the very essence of their religion is monotheistic; God is one, not plural. They understand the plural name of God, Elohim, as expressing the majesty of God, as in the phrase "holy, holy, holy," with each "holy" adding to the emphasis or strength of the word.

            An objection to the idea of Jesus or the Trinity being mentioned in the Old Testament is seen here:  https://gsgriffin.com/2017/07/29/the-bereshit-jesus-in-genesis-argument-has-no-merit/#:~:text=Both%20assert%20the%20following%20meanings,covenant%2C%20mark%2C%20cross)

by writer Garrett S. Griffin. Griffin is a Democratic Socialist activist and political writer.

The Connection of the Bible Codes to Kabbalistic Thought

I have said before that I am not a believer in the Bible Codes as the more extreme proponents present the idea. I, of course believe that the human composers of the texts wrote as they were inspired by God. I think that some simple code sequences can clearly be shown to exist (see the sample below), but the more advanced codes which Israeli computer researchers are finding depend on very artificial manipulations of the text like skipping uneven numbers of letters between consecutive letters, etc. It might be a case of finding codes because you are searching for them. The patterns might even have occurred by mere chance, which is doubtful, or, obviously, the codes may exist because the Lord put them there. I do not know. You do not know.

In Genesis 1:22-26; the name of Abraham is spelled out (from the top line down, enclosed in the added boxes) by the letters in the passage with each letter of the name separated from the preceding letter by forty-nine (seven times seven; seven was a sacred number, Genesis 2:2, 4:24, 21:28) intercalary letters. In each of the forty-nine letter sequences, אֱלֹהִים (elohim/God, backlit in gray) appears. The most straight-forward interpretation of this passage is that the human composer of the text intentionally created this format. The ancient Hebrew literature is known to include acrostics and forms of poetry. 

Also, the researchers insist that the codes cannot be used to predict the future. My question is, if the codes are real, why not? God is not bounded by time. Tomorrow is the same to Him as The Creation. It is all Now.

The Israeli researchers also insist that the codes cannot prove that Jesus is the Messiah. Are they afraid that the codes, if real, might do this? Rabbi Jacob Rambsel, a Messianic Jew, insists that he has found a code, "Jesus is my name," in the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 53.

The most strict theory of the codes is that they apply only to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. This is because one Jewish tradition insists that God dictated the Torah letter by letter. 


Because it is important for us to understand the Jewish background of our faith, I will talk tomorrow about the direction in which one stream of Judaism, the Kabbalists, has taken these concepts.

"Olorun" in Yoruba

This Christian song, "Olorun" ("God"), is performed by two Texans, Brother Chosen Okonrende and Brother Falu (I could not determine his surname).  The song is performed in the Yoruba language.

There is some controversy about the use of Olorun by Christians as the name of God.  Olorun is the supreme creator deity in the Yoruba polytheistic pantheon; his name is "olo" ("owner") + "orun" ("heaven"). Olorun is all-knowing and all-powerful and, in Yoruba, it can be translated as "God."

Yoruba-speaking Christians use Olorun in the same way that Arabic-speaking Christians use Allah (الله‎ ), Greek-speakers use Theos(θεὸς),
 or Israeli Hebrew-speaking Christians use Elohim (אלהים )or Jahweh (יהוה). They are aware of the other meanings of the names but they use them in the Christian context. 

Abraham in Genesis 1:22-26

     The Hebrew word for God, "elohim," אֱלֹהִים occurs four times in this passage, one time in each of the forty-nine letter sequences between the letters of Abraham's name; ABRHM, read right to left as  אַבְרָהָם.  The first letter of Abraham's name   אֱ  (aleph or alef) occurs at position 10 (counting from right to left), count 49 letters,the next letter is בְ  (beth), count 49 more letters, the next letter is רָ  (resh or rosh), count 49 more letters, the next letter is  הָ  (he or hay), then count 49 more letters, the final letter is ם   (mem).

     The word processing software I have insists on switching the letter order to left to right as in English.  The text below is in the correct letter order.

וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים וְהָעֹוף יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ׃

וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יֹום חֲמִישִׁי׃ ף

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים תֹּוצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתֹו־אֶרֶץ לְמִינָהּ וַיְהִי־כֵן׃

וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ וְאֵת כָּל־רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה לְמִינֵהוּ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טֹוב׃

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעֹוף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל־הָאָרֶץ 

וּבְכָל־הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃

:26 

1 ר ֶ 

מאֹיּ ַ 

ו 

u·iamr 

and·he-is-saying 

םי ִ 

הלֹ ֱ 

א 

aleim 

Elohim 

ה ֶ 

שׂ ֲ 

עַ 

נ 

noshe 

we-shall-makedo 

ם ָ 

ד ָ 

א 

adm 

human 

וּנ ֵ 

מ ְ 

ל ַ 

צ ְ 

בּ 

b·tzlm·nu 

in·image-of·us 

וּנ ֵ 

תוּמ ְ 

ד ִ 

כּ 

k·dmuth·nu 

as·likeness-of·us 

. And God said, Let us 

make man in our image, 

after our likeness: and let 

them have dominion over 

the fish of the sea, and over 

the fowl of the air, and over 

the cattle, and over all the 

earth, and over every 

creeping thing that creepeth 

upon the earth. 

וּדּ ְ 

ר ִ 

י ְ 

ו 

u·irdu 

and·they-shall-sway 

תַ 

ג ְ 

ד ִ 

ב 

b·dgth 

in·fish-of 

ם ָ 

יּ ַ 

ה 

e·im 

the·sea 

ף􏰀ע ְ 

בוּ 

u·b·ouph 

and·in·flyer-of 

ם ִ 

י ַ 

מ ָ 

שּׁ ַ 

ה 

e·shmim 

the·heavens 

ה ָ 

מ ֵ 

ה ְ 

בּ ַ 

בוּ 

u·b·beme 

and·in·the·beast 

ל ָ 

כ ְ 

בוּ 

u·b·kl 

and·in·all-of 

־ 

- ץ ֶ 

ר ָ 

א ָ 

ה 

e·artz 

the·earth 

ל ָ 

כ ְ 

בוּ 

u·b·kl 

and·in·every-of 

־ 

- שׂ ֶ 

מ ֶ 

ר ָ 

ה 

e·rmsh 

the·moving-animal 

שׂ ֵ 

מ ֹ 

ר ָ 

ה 

e·rmsh 

the·one-moving 

ל ַ 

ע 

ol 

on 

־ 

- ץ ֶ 

ר ָ 

א ָ 

ה 

e·artz 

the·land : 

: