Page 223 - Coincidences in the Bible and in Biblical Hebrew

COINCIDENCES IN THE BIBLE AND IN BIBLICAL HEBREW
202
202 COINCIDENCES IN THE BIBLE AND IN BIBLICAL HEBREW
1
2
as tohu and bohu reveals that these verbs relate to modes of observation. How
bizarre to choose that as the only qualification of the just-born Earth (whatever

1
that term means). The root of tohu is T.H.H, which gives rise to the Hebrew verb
2
9
5
tahah. The root of bohu is B.H.H, which gives rise to the Hebrew verb bahah.

Both verbs relate to very specific modes of observing—specifically, looking at
3
something in wonder, not really grasping its meaning (tahah), or gazing at some-
9
thing purposelessly (bahah), because there is nothing to see or because what is
seen has no meaning whatsoever … indeed, a strange way to describe a newly
born Earth—in fact, the universe, as we shall see shortly.
1
Consider another context where Jewish tradition uses the word tohu. The
Hebrew calendar counts the number of years from creation. For example, 2005,

prior to October 4 (when the new Jewish year started), was the Hebrew year 5765.

Jewish tradition believes that the Messiah will come at the end of a six-thousand-
year period. However, all these years, prior to the coming of the Messiah, are
divided into three sets of two thousand years each, with each set bearing a different
name.
1
The first two thousand years are called Years of Tohu. Why? Because these were

the years when paganism was prevalent, and the worship of God was secularized.

This perception of the first two millennia is based, among other things, on a com-
10
10
monly accepted interpretation for the word huchal, in “Then is was [huchal ] to
call the name of God” (Gen. 4:26). The root of this word is Ch.L.L, from which
such meanings are derived as “empty space,” a mortally wounded person (“body
without a soul”), “secular,” and also defamation of God (interpretation of Rashi,
one of the greatest biblical interpreters). In other words, before the emergence of
Abraham (at the beginning of the second set of two thousand years), and before
Abraham had started to “call the name of God” (the seed of monotheism), idola-
try was the only way God was recognized. The Bible hints at the ignoring of God,
or worshipping him in a secularized manner, by relating names given to children
11
12
(like Mhuyael —literally, “obliterate God”; and Metushael —literally, short for
“dead are those eager for God,” Gen. 4:18).
1
Jewish tradition calls these years “years of tohu,” meaning “years without
meaning.”
1
2
Let us refer to the common usage of the words tohu and bohu in other parts
of the Bible—though, as alluded to earlier, the combination of these words as
13
toho va-vohu appears only once again, in the above quotation from the book
of Jeremiah. In particular, we wish to understand from these other usages of the
words in the Bible why most English translations opted, correctly, to relate to
these words as meaning that “the earth” (whatever this means) was without form
or contents. We start with a few examples from the Bible: