"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.