Land of our inheritance -- Part 1

Reading the Bible cover to cover during 2022, I have just finished the five Books of Moses or the Torah as the Jews would say. Torah means instruction and it is a fitting name. Reading these books also makes it very clear that the instructions are given in a covenant setting. The language often resembles other Near Eastern treaties that have survived to this day. Covenants were an integral part of society. On this blog we have identified and discussed several covenant terms. "Land of our/his/her/their inheritance" is another one of those. The Hebrew words, yeresh and yereshah mean to inherit/possess and possession, respectively. It is very likely that the name, Jershon in the Book of Alma is derived from this root, with the suffix -on denoting a place name according to Ricks and Tvedtnes. I will get back to that.

The first use of this Hebrew word in the Bible is in Genesis 15 where the Abrahamic covenant is established. Interestingly, the word yeresh (inherit/possess) is used both about his promised heir (as in "son") and the land that he is granted as inheritance for his posterity, two "yeresh" aspects of the same covenant. Later, the terms is used very frequently during the Exodus and upon entering into the promised land. This is the fulfillment of the promise given to their father, Abraham. The land promised as their inheritance by covenant is not just any land. It is:

• A land "flowing with milk and honey". This was language that would invoke the image of a prosperous land. (See e.g. Exodus 20:6, Leviticus 20:24, Deuteronomy 26:9)
• A land of rest. The Hebrew word, nuach, that we have written about on this blog extensively, is often used to describe the promised land. (See e.g. Numbers 10:33, Deuteronomy 3:20, Deuteronomy 28:64-65, Joshua 1:13)
• A land where they have to sanctify themselves to enter into and that they are obliged to keep undefiled. Most of Deuteronomy is Moses' sermon to the Israelites with covenant conditions and instructions before they enter into the promised land. The expression "purge the evil from your midst/Israel" is used 10 times in that sermon (e.g. in Deuteronomy 13:5, 17:7, 19:19)

I will not go into the details of each bullet point, but make a note on the second before focusing on the third. One of the scriptures listed in the second bullet point differs a bit from the others that describe the promised land as a place of rest for Israel. Deuteronomy 28:64-65 contrasts that with the unrest that Israel will experience when they break the covenant and are scattered among other nations. By the way, Lord Wilmore just posted about another prophecy of the scattering of Israel in Deuteronomy. 

64 And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind (Deuteronomy 28)

You can only find rest when worshiping Yahweh in the promised land, and not by worshiping idols among other nations. The phrasing is a bit different in English, but in Hebrew the bold part "rest for the sole of your foot" is exactly the same as in Genesis 8:9 where Noah sent out the dove. The wording is so specific that I wonder if this parallel is intentional. Perhaps the intention would be to compare the worship of idols in foreign lands with the chaos that water represents that gives no rest as long as it covers the earth. Separating water from land is the creation motif that we find in Exodus as they set out on the journey to the promised land crossing the red sea and again in Joshua when they cross the river Jordan to enter into the promised land of rest.

Regarding the third bullet point, when reading about the tabernacle in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, I notice what can almost be characterized as an obsession with creating and preserving sacred space. The same seems to be the case for the promised land in Deuteronomy with the repeated admonition to purge the evil from their midst, and make absolutely sure to not defile the promised land by breaking the commandments. The promised land acts as a giant tabernacle of sorts, a pure, undefiled place of rest, where God dwells, even though God cannot find complete rest there until the temple is built. The need to purge the land from evil leads to drastic measures. This was meant to show the Israelites that 

this is no trifling matter for you, but rather your very life (Deuteronomy 32:47, NRSV translation)

As a result, the imagery and language may seem a bit over the top to the modern Westerner, like this passage in Deuteronomy 13, explaining what to do if the people of a city start worshiping idols:

15 you shall put the inhabitants of that town to the sword, utterly destroying it and everything in it— even putting its livestock to the sword. 16 All of its spoil you shall gather into its public square; then burn the town and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall remain a perpetual ruin, never to be rebuilt. 17 Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to your hand, so that the LORD may turn from his fierce anger and show you compassion, and in his compassion multiply you, as he swore to your ancestors (Deuteronomy 13, NRSV translation)

I still find it very interesting, though. The defiled city in the promised land shall be burnt as a burnt offering to the Lord, as would usually be done in the tabernacle. Like the priests in the tabernacle, who literally could not touch anything unclean (like a corpse), the people in the promised land should not let anything devoted to destruction stick to their hand. Here is another scripture drawing parallels between the promised land and the tabernacle.

33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel. (Numbers 35)

This is getting too long for one post, so I will get to the Book of Mormon and more about the Hebrew yeresh in the next part. But to briefly summarize this part, the land of inheritance has a covenant connotation in the scriptures. It is a land of (covenant) promise and must be kept pure and undefiled, reserved for a nation who is holy as God is.

In the midst -- Part 1

This has been mentioned several times on the blog before, but for the benefit of new readers and because many do not know about this ancient Israelite tradition (I didn't until quite recently), I will repeat some things about covenant making. At a time and in a culture where literacy was rare, covenants were not signed at the bottom of a piece of paper. In the Hebrew language, you literally cut a covenant. That does not make sense in English and is therefore translated differently. But it is found frequently in the Old Testament. This reflects the (somewhat grotesque to the modern Westeners) practice of cutting animals in half and walking through the carcasses. This act is the signature and a declaration that the covenant is taken very seriously. ("Let me be cut in half like these animals if I break the covenant").

This happens in Genesis 15:10 when God makes a covenant with Abraham. But in this case, Abraham falls asleep after he has cut the animals and God himself, in the form of a burning lamp, walks through the carcasses (see Genesis 15:17-18). God is the active part in the Abrahamic covenant giving all the promises. Back to verse 10, we read

And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

"In the midst" in the Old Testament

I happened to look up the word, "midst", and how it is being used in the scriptures. This is the Hebrew word, תָּוֶךְ (tavek). It comes from an unused root meaning "to sever", which makes it hard for me not to see the covenant relations of this word. It is sometimes used in a literal sense in the scriptures, but quite frequently, it seems to be used in a more spiritual sense. For instance, 1 Kings 6:19 describes King Solomon preparing the "inner sanctuary inside the temple". But the "inside" in this case is translated from the Hebrew tavek, even though we know that the holy of holies was not physically in the middle of the temple. Rather, it was the focal point, the most holy place, the center of attention, the heart of the covenant, so to speak.

Similarly, we find this word constantly popping up in the Old Testament in relation to important covenant themes.

• In the creation account, God made a firmament in the midst (tavek) of the waters to separate the waters of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:6)
• In the Garden of Eden, God planted the two trees in the midst (tevek) of the garden (Genesis 2:9 and 3:3).
• God talked to Moses out of the midst (tavek) of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2, 4) and again from the midst of the cloud on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16). The covenant theme is especially evident when the events are recounted in Deuteronomy 4:12-13

12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst [Hebr. tavek] of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

• In an act similar to the creation in Genesis 1:6, Moses parts the Red Sea and the Israelites walk in the midst (tavek) of the sea followed by the Egyptians (repeated over and over in Exodus 14:16, 22, 23, 27, 29, 15:19)
• In Exodus 25:8, the Lord instructs Israel to build a tabernacle

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among (Hebr. tavek) them. (A more literal translation would be "dwell in their midst")

• According to Psalm 116:19, Solomon's temple was also in the midst of Jerusalem. Again, whether it was physically in the middle of Jerusalem is probably not the main point here.

Ancient Israel had the tabernacle and temple in their midst. It was God's dwelling place and represented his presence. In other words, God, the author of the covenant, was in the midst of Israel, just like he walked in the midst of the carcasses that Abraham had prepared. This is also expressed repeatedly in the Old Testament. Here is one example:

Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among (Hebr. tavek) the children of Israel. (Numbers 35:34)

"In the midst" in the Book of Mormon

Not surprisingly, we see a similar pattern in the Book of Mormon. I noticed in particular how Jesus is repeatedly described as being in the midst of the people in 3 Nephi. 3 Nephi is the heart of the covenant, the new covenant that Jesus brought to the Nephites. Consider these examples:

And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. (3 Nephi 11:8)

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.
13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. (3 Nephi 17)

And it came to pass that while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them. (3 Nephi 19:15)

And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I shall give unto you? (3 Nephi 27:2)

Just like ancient Israel had God in their midst, a branch of Israel in the Americas now had the resurrected Jesus in their midst.

There are many other examples of God/Jesus being in the midst. So many, in fact, that I will save them for my next post. But I want to end with a different example related to Lord Wilmore's recent posts about Nephi-II, Moses and Elijah. He made a point of the division "hither and thither" in this verse, echoing the parting of the sea by Moses and Elijah.

And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them. (3 Nephi 10:1)

See his comments here under the subheading, "creation by division". "The midst" shows up again, echoing the creation and Moses parting the Red Sea, among other things. When the two-edged sword divides, that sword, often symbolizing the word of God, is in the middle of whatever it divides. In this case, Nephi as the conveyor of the word, played that role. God/the Word/the covenant in the midst can have this divisive effect. But hopefully, like the Nephites in 3 Nephi, we can all let Jesus take the center stage of our lives without causing division.

In part 2 we will see how this symbol is used in the uniting of heaven and earth.

"Chaneph" (חָנֵף) -- a biblical Hebrew concept that unlocks meaning throughout the scriptures (part 2 of 3)

In this post, I'd like to demonstrate how a deeper understanding of biblical Hebrew can unlock meaning and connections between all books of holy scripture. This can be done with many different root words and concepts, but I'll illustrate the principle with "chaneph." 

We'll take the concepts discussed in my most recent post (here) and show how they weave their way through the following passages: 

• Numbers 35:33
• Isaiah 24:5
• Jeremiah 3:1 
• Psalm 106:38-39 
• Moses 5:16-25, 35 
• The Lord's Prayer as found in Matthew 6:9-13
• D&C 1:15-16 
• D&C 52:14-18 
• 3 Nephi 9 
• Mormon 8:31,38

Old Testament

Until a few years ago, I typically avoided including OT references in my study of the scriptures. I found the book to be large and confusing, aside from a few verses here and there which seemed like beautiful gems.  This has changed quite a bit as I've become more fluent with the language and worldview of the OT. Interestingly, I've noticed how a concept rooted in the law given by Yahweh to the Israelites forms the foundation of concepts taught in other books of scripture. "Chaneph" is no exception. (I should note that this is a sampling of scriptures, not a comprehensive list of each and every use of this root.)

The first reference to "chaneph" in the OT is found in Numbers 35:33, in a passage about capital punishment for murder and other serious sins.

33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. (Numbers 35)

So the very first time we see this root, it shows up twice in the same verse, and it connects the righteousness of a people with the state of the land.  Sin pollutes the land.  This is a concept that shows up over and over again.

Next is Isaiah, in the context of describing desolation that accompanies covenant rebellion:

5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. (Isaiah 24)

This is an important verse because it connects the defiled state of the earth directly to the breaking of the everlasting covenant.

Jeremiah uses the root as he compares Israel's covenant rebellion to adultery, which adds a new layer of meaning to the metaphor of the covenant relationship between Christ and the church:

1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 3)

In this verse, "greatly polluted" is translated from the Hebrew:  

תֶּחֱנַ֖ף  חָנ֥וֹף

"ha-no-wp te-he-nap"

This is a repeat of the same root twice in a row, the equivalent of saying "pollutedly polluted."

In Psalms, we get a pairing of "chaneph" with its companion root "tame" (as discussed in the previous post:

38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

39 Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. (Psalm 106)

This passage begins by comparing covenant rebellion to child sacrifice (which I discussed in great length in this post about Ezekiel 16). We get a new idea in verse 39 which specifies the nature of this idolatry -- the people trusted in their own works and inventions rather than relying on God.

By searching the Old Testament, we've found a new layer of meaning for "chaneph." When we replace God's wisdom with something else (of our own making), we are practicing a form of idolatry which pollutes the ground (especially as this new center of our focus causes us to reject the prophets). This will play heavily in the additional scriptures we look at. But first, let's look in the Pearl of Great Price.

Pearl of Great Price

I'll move to the Book of Moses next, since it deals with ancient matters.  In the story of Cain and Abel, we see a contrast between a wicked man who loved Satan more than God who makes a delayed, half-hearted offering to God for disingenuous reasons (Moses 5:18-19) and a righteous man who makes a full offering to God of the firstling of his flock, including "the fat thereof" (Moses 5:20).

Cain hearkened not to the voice of the Lord but instead said: "Who is the Lord that I should know him?" (Moses 5:16)

We know how the story goes from here.  Cain is enticed by greed (Moses 5:38) into murdering his brother and entering an oath with Satan. The Lord says unto Cain: 

35 ...What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground.

36 And now thou shalt be cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand.

37 When thou tillest the ground it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. (Moses 5)

He becomes a cursed vagabond. The earth curses him such that he will not be able to receive the strength of the earth from tilling. This is a great example of the concepts surrounding "chaneph" if you ask me.  The blood of the righteous pollutes the earth as it relates to the purpose of the creation itself.

New Testament

With those OT and PoGP references as a backdrop, let's revisit the Lord's Prayer and see it with new eyes:

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6)

The message here seems to be: "Lord, we worship Thee (not idols of our own invention). We seek Thy will during mortality, not our own. Today, we will strive to engage the creation righteously and ask Thee to cause it to yield its strength up to us. Help us avoid Satan's temptations to misuse our time on earth and the abundance which comes from Thee."

Doctrine and Covenants

I'll note two references here. First, in Section 1, notice how the Lord describes the state of the world:

15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;
16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (D&C 1)

Verse 15 is a pretty clear reference to Isaiah 24:5. Verse 16 explains that "every man walketh in his own way." This is followed by a description of idolatry. Without ordinances, there is no covenant path to follow!

Interestingly, in the very next verse (D&C 1:17), the Lord describes this predicament as a "calamity." The solution to the calamity involves prophets and angels. (This will be the subject of part three of this series.)

The next reference from the Doctrine & Covenants is found in Section 52:14-18, where we are given a pattern to avoid deception by maintaining a contrite spirit and "obey[ing] [God's} ordinances." We are to "[tremble] under [God's] power" in order to "be made strong" and "bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom."

Book of Mormon

Ready for the grand finale of this very long post? Since this is a Book of Mormon blog, I decided to end with 3 Nephi 9.  Read the entire chapter and notice how the intense destruction is framed. Christ wanted to "gather" His covenant people (see 3 Nephi 10:4-6) "and [they] would not."

The destruction in chapter 9 is a result of the rejection of the prophets (the voice of the Lord), "to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them." (3 Nephi 9:7) This concept is repeat many times in the chapter.  The ground has certainly become polluted by their covenant rebellion and became a curse rather than a blessing. Those who are spared are given an invitation:

13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. (3 Nephi 9)

In the next post, the final post in this three-part series, we will begin with Moroni's description of the "great pollutions upon the face of the earth" in our day and what we can do to maintain the perspective which will allow us to heed Christ's invitation.

"Chaneph" (חָנֵף) -- defiling the heavenly pattern (part 1 of 3)

This three-part series of posts will hopefully accomplish three things:

1. Unfold the meaning of "chaneph," an important covenant-related Old Testament root. (this post)
2. Demonstrate how a deeper understanding of biblical Hebrew can unlock meaning and connections between all books of holy scripture. This can be done with many different root words and concepts, but I'll illustrate the principle with "chaneph." We'll discuss how the concept contained within "chaneph" allows us to find direct connections between the following scriptures (among many): Numbers 35:33-34, Isaiah 24:5, Jeremiah 3:1, Psalm 106:38-39, Matthew 6:9-13, D&C 1:15-16, D&C 52:14-18, 3 Nephi 9, Mormon 8:31,38, Moses 5:16-25, 35
3. Introduce some new ideas I'm studying: (a) how our worldview affects our relationship with God and (b) what the temple teaches us about the heavenly pattern or sacred order.

"Chaneph" (חָנֵף) -- corrupt, defile, pollute, profane

Let's begin by learning about the meaning of this root. It connotes corruption and pollution. Related ancient roots refer to hypocrisy and haughtiness. About a dozen uses in the Old Testament center on the idea of defiling the land through wickedness and idolatry (specifically covenant rebellion). 

Like many Hebrew words, "chaneph" is often poetically paired with "tame" which has a similar meaning (to be or become unclean including through idolatry). Though the terms overlap in meaning, the pairing rounds out the specific sin being condemned.  We are not talking about innocent mistakes when we see these terms used.  Rather, we are talking about intentional corruption of God's ordinances and commandments. A prostitution metaphor is often employed to underscore the serious nature of this type of covenant infidelity.

Here are a few examples, with the English words translated from "chaneph" and the closely related term "tame" also indicated:

33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. 34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel. (Numbers 35)

38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. (Psalm 106)

1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 3)

Why is this sin so serious?

Our modern worldview might cause us to have a hard time understanding why there is such a severe punishment connected to "chaneph." What's the big deal?

As I've studied, two answers to this question have become clear to me: 

1. The punishment is intended to be a reminder of the spiritual cost of covenant rebellion.  In other words, physical death as a punishment for idolatry or murder, for example, makes it clear that without the everlasting covenant, a permanent separation from God is inevitable.
2. "Chaneph" leads the covenant people away from the covenant path. In that sense the punishment is severe because the cost of "chaneph" is so high -- it could lead a whole people astray. To illustrate that, let's look at a closely related term.

"Chanak" as the antonym of "chaneph"

Interestingly, "chaneph" bears a close resemblance to the root from which the name Enoch is derived: 

"Chanak" (חָנַךְ) -- to train up, dedicate

This root has a set of meaning almost exactly opposite to "chaneph." "Chanak" implies a willingness to submit to God's will ("make experienced, submissive, etc. as one does a horse by a rope in its mouth"), whereas "chaneph" indicates a desire to subvert God's will in favor of manmade wisdom.

A "chanak" mindset leads one to Zion. It is the essence of the humility and submissiveness spoken of in Mosiah 3:19.  

"Chaneph," on the other hand, leads to "[falling] away" and "forbidden paths" (see 1 Nephi 8:28), which leads to spiritual death (separation from God).

Whether this contrast between two roots with a very similar sound was intentional or not, I have no idea.  But it certainly makes it easy to see the pattern and learn the importance of this pattern as outlined over and over again in the scriptures. 

What do other books of scripture have to say about this concept?

Interestingly, this same understanding is readily apparent in other parts of the Bible as well as in restored scripture.  The ancient Hebrew covenant worldview deeply impacted the writers of the Book of Mormon.  We can also find clear parallels in the Doctrine & Covenants (which largely consists of the words of Christ Himself). This will be the topic of the next post.