Read Proverbs 15 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph:
10:1b-19:9 {p} …
Pro 15:1-18 Chiastic Structure:
Pro 15:19-30 Chiastic Structure:
Proverbs has been highlighting those things that are an abomination to YHVH.
Abomination is in Hebrew Strong’s H8441, tow’ebah, an abstract concept meaning, “abomination;” from Strong’s H8581 תעב ta’ab, a primitive verb meaning, “to abhor, to occasion horror in anyone.” The anceint pictographs are tav + ayin + bet. As I was meditating on the parable the pictographs are telling, I remembered something I had read about the ayin in the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon:
Ghah § While this letter existed in ancient Semitic languages and some modern Semitic languages, it no longer exists in the modern Hebrew. Instead it has been absorbed into the letter ע (ayin). While the evidence exists showing that this is in fact a separate letter, there is very little evidence for reconstructing its original pictograph. The Ugarit and Arabic languages wrote this letter the same as the ayin but with an additional line or dot. The closest candidate for this letter is the §, a twisted rope, as found in some ancient Semitic inscriptions.
In the Arabic language this letter is called the ghah but originally may have had the name ghah meaning “twisted”. The meaning of the letter ghah is twisted from the twisting fibers of a rope and from this come the meaning of goats from their twisted horns. As goats are dark in color, this letter also carries the meaning of dark.
Because the Greek language transliterates this letter with a gamma (g sound) we know that this letter originally had a type of “g” sound such as in the word ring.
I tested the theory that the ayin in this root may have been an original ghah:
tav ת = crossed sticks, thus mark, sign, signal, monument
ghah § = rope, thus twisted, goat, dark, negative
bet ב = the house, thus house, household, family, in, within
The parable the Hebrew Root Word is telling, is of the marked (tav) goat (ghah), i.e., the scapegoat (see Leviticus 16), upon which the lot fell, which carried all the iniquities of the house (bet). Thus, the scapegoat becomes a proxy for sin which YHVH abhors.
Delight is in Hebrew Strong’s H7522, ratson, an abstract concept meaning, “pleasure, delight, favor, goodwill,” from Strong’s H7521, רצה ratsah, a primitive verb meaning, “to be pleased with, to accept.” The ancient pictographs are resh + tsadey + hey.
resh ר = head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
tsadey צ ,ץ = trail, thus a man concealed, journey, chase, hunt
hey ה = man w/ raised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath
The parable is of the man (resh) arriving (tsadey, in the sense that a trail has a destination) to the heart (hey) of another. The hey pictograph has a wide range of applications. The man has his arms upraised. He can be looking at something and pointing it out, so looking, behold, revelation or wonderment. It is also associated with a sharp or long intake of breath. He can be exclaiming, so excitement or emotion, rapid breathing. He can be worshiping, so introspection, meditation, that which concerns the heart.
Scripture never stops with that which YHVH abhors, but with that which YHVH delights in. And His delight is in us, if we are the upright!
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
Lev 16:5-10, The scapegoat ceremony – Christine Miller
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