Page 79 - Coincidences in the Bible and in Biblical Hebrew

COINCIDENCES IN THE BIBLE AND IN BIBLICAL HEBREW
58 58 COINCIDENCES IN THE BIBLE AND IN BIBLICAL HEBREW

What basic underlying concept can possibly cause these two meanings to merge
in a single root—in fact, the same word, with all its variations?
Chapter 17 is dedicated to a discussion of this subject, and offers one avenue
of explanation.

Example 4: “Male” and “Memory, Remembrance”
Both words in Hebrew derive from a common root Z.Ch.R. A “male” is zachar 100
and “he remembered” is zachar. 100 A possible hint is provided in how the Bible
explains the purpose of the Brit-Mila: “In the same day the Lord made a covenant
with Abraham , saying, To thy seed have I given this land …” (Gen. 15:18). The
covenant between God and Abraham’s seed is then repeatedly recalled in the Torah,
particularly by the prophets calling on Israel to remember the Brit (covenant). In
fact, the Brit is mentioned in the Bible no fewer than 283 times.
Another explanation is that a man’s children are his memory in the land of the
living (after his death), so perhaps an association may be established.
Could there be another explanation for this strange association—perhaps of a
medical sort?

Example 5: “Flesh,” “Meat,” “Tidings”

In Hebrew, “flesh” and “meat” are represented by one word: bassar. 101 This word,
with variations, appears in the Bible 270 times. Its root is B.S.R.
To break the news that something is about to happen, to the better or to the
worse, is le-vaser, 102 derived from the same root.
What could possibly be the connection between these words—“flesh” and

“tidings” (bessora)? 103 What is the particular message that the Hebrew language

attempts to convey? Is the latter (“tidings”) the destination of the former (“flesh”)?
Indeed, the Bible occasionally insinuates such an inter-association—for
example, in

• “But whilst I am still in my flesh, though it is after my skin is torn from
my body, I would see God” (Job 19:26).
97

• “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh [bassar ] shall
see it together: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it” (Isa. 40:5).
Example 6: “Create,” “Get Healthy,” “Get Fat”
The Hebrew words for “create,” “get healthy,” and “get fat” derive from the root
B.R.A. While one may possibly figure out why in ancient times to be fat and to be

healthy were considered equivalent, it is by far harder to see a connection between