"Stretch forth thine hand" -- Part 2 (Old Testament)

This post continues a series I began last Monday on the phrase "stretch out thine hand." In this post, we'll look at examples from the Old Testament, and we'll learn about the underlying Hebrew word shalach.

As demonstrated below, that word also appears twice in the creation account. This is only really evident when we look at the Hebrew.  I'll put in bold the words connected to Hebrew shalach in the verses below:

22 ¶ And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. (Genesis 3)

shalach: to send (שָׁלַח)

The word means 'to send' but when the thing being sent is a part of the body it is translated in English as "stretch forth" or "put forth" etc.

Here are several additional examples of this root showing up in more than one verse very close together.  I'm not certain what to make of it other than it reminds me of the usage in Genesis 3.

Noah

7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;

11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. (Genesis 8)

In a prior post, I discussed these same verses in the context of receiver becoming giver. See the numbered items in the section titled "Replenish/fill". I believe this "send/put forth" pattern might touch on a similar pattern, which I'll discuss in the conclusion of this post (see below).

Abraham

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Genesis 22)

Moses

The last example we'll look at is Moses.  As I mentioned in part 1, the phrase "stretch out thy hand" and similar phrases show up quite a bit in the story of Moses.  Here's a sampling, with words translated from 'shalach' in bold:

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. (Exodus 3; shalach also appears five times in Exodus 3:10-15)

 

4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.(Exodus 4; shalach appears eight times in Exodus 4)

1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. (Exodus 5)

14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

15 For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. (Exodus 9)

Conclusion

A pattern is starting to take shape which I believe will become more clear as we move on to the Book of Mormon and Book of Moses. I can't help but connect these additional Old Testament examples to the group: 

9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. (Jeremiah 1)

 

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isaiah 6)

It seems to me that the stretching forth of the hand is a sign related to God showing forth His power to bring about His will. His servants (those He sends) are sometimes commanded to stretch forth their hands as a sign that they come from God.  I believe this pattern will become more clear in the next part as we look at the examples from the Book of Mormon.  We will then conclude this series by looking at the most unusual and significant interaction between Enoch and God from the Book of Moses.

Achaz (אָחַז): to grasp, take hold, take possession -- part 1

One way I use to discover meanings and make new connections in the scriptures involves studying Hebrew root words and thinking about how their various meanings relate to Book of Mormon passages. I've come to learn that the Book of Mormon makes more sense in many cases when studied through the lens of the ancient Semitic worldview.

My most recent topic of study is the Hebrew root 'achaz' meaning 'to grasp, take hold, or take possession.'

We encounter this root in many different contexts throughout the Old Testament ('achaz' appears in some form 68 times).  Here is a sampling (the words translated from 'achaz' are in bold italics):

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. (Genesis 22)

26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. (Genesis 25)

27 ¶ And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. (Genesis 47)

2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. (Exodus 4)

9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. (Job 17)

11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. (Job 23)

22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. 24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. (Psalm 73)

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139)

8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: (Isaiah 13)

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33)

I'm especially intrigued by several examples on this list.  The account in Exodus 4 where Moses is commanded to take the serpent by the tail and it become a rod in his hand is noteworthy.  It is also very intriguing that Jacob was born while holding his brother's heel. More to come on these grand topics in future posts.

Hopefully this set of examples helps you see the broad range of uses 'achaz' has in the Old Testament.  I created the following list to help me in my search for related terms in the Book of Mormon:

• grasp
• take hold
• possess/take possession
• hold
• seize

I'm sure I'll find additional terms that fit this same pattern as I search. In part 2, we'll look at the passages I find in the Book of Mormon, and focus on patterns related to the duality of covenant-keeping or covenant rebellion.  In other words, we must hold fast to the word of God lest the devil grasp us with his awful chains.