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Word for Word: Episode 52

וְהִנֵּה־טֹ֖וב מְאֹ֑ד And behold--Very good Having surveyed everything on earth, the Creator was satisfied with the work He had done. The inspired penman emphatically ( הִנֵּה hinneh "behold") states that things went extremely well ( מְאֹ֑ד m@`od "exceedingly" + טֹ֖וב towb "good"). The word הִנֵּה (behold) first appeared in verse 29. It is from the root  הֵן ( hen ) which appears in combination with prepositions or the article as the third person plural "they, those". Different vowel sounds changes hennah to hinneh, that is, from "those" to "those!". Much has been written about "very good", but the word translated "very" ( מְאֹ֑ד) has its roots in the word אוּד (' ood ), a rake or poker for maximizing the heat of embers. With this in mind, m'a°d  (my attempt at transliteration) runs the gambit of meanings, from "very" (137×) to "mightily" (2×). The idea carries with it s...

Word for Word: Episode 41

יֹ֥ום רְבִיעִֽי The fourth day A lot happened on the fourth day. The word רְבִיעִֽי ( rebiy`iy fourth) is is a form of אַרְבַּע ( arba` four). Both words are derived from רָבַע (raba` to lie stretched out). The usage of the derivatives may indicate that the verb is descriptive of four limbs stretched out. וַיִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛ם And He set them In the study of this day, the centrality of the earth is evident. In a special way (Hebrew:  נָתַן nathan , to give) the vast heavens were "populated" especially for the benefit of the planet made for mankind. The words introduced in these six verses were: [m a'or ] מָאוֹר luminary, lamp ['oth] אוֹת sign, signal [mo`ad] מוֹעֵד appointed place or time [shanah] שָׁנָה year [galod] גָּדוֹל great, large [qatan] קָטָן insignificant, small [memshalah] מֶמְשָׁלָה rule, realm [kolab] כּוֹכָב star [nathan] נָתַן to give, set, put [rabiy`iy] רְבִיעִי fourth, from רָבַע (raba` lie stretched out)

Word for Word: Episode 17

הָאֹ֖ור כִּי־טֹ֑וב The light that is good The light was everywhere. This is deemed to be good ( טֹ֑וב), that is, pleasant. The state of the light is indicated by the conjunction כִּי, kiy, which is most often translated "that". The creation of light had been by sound waves over the surface of the water in contact with God. This produced light everywhere at the same time. This wave motion would become the basis for everything to follow.