Page 224 - Coincidences in the Bible and in Biblical Hebrew

203
CHAPTER 14 IN THE BEGINNING …
CHAPTER 14 IN THE BEGINNING … 203
1
• “He found him in a desert land, and in the waste [tohu ] howling wilder-
ness” (Deut. 32:10);
1
• “They trust in vanity [tohu ] and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and
bring forth iniquity” (Isa. 59:4);
13
• “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void [tohu va-vohu ]” (Jer.

4:23).
1
2
All these examples, and others, refer to tohu and bohu as nouns, which they
are. However, they are used in different contexts in the various verses, which
makes it hard to understand their exact meanings. So perhaps understanding
1
2
the Hebrew verbs derived from the same roots as tohu and bohu may be help-
ful. Unfortunately, these verbs, though used in other ancient Jewish texts, do not
appear as such in the Bible.
It seems more productive to consider other biblical Hebrew words with
similar meanings—namely, “desert” or “wilderness.” Studying verbs derived from
these words, one may deduce what the exact meanings are of nonbiblical verbs
2
1
associated with the roots of tohu and bohu. From this, one may infer the exact
meanings of the latter.
14
One such word is shmamah (wilderness). Learning the contents of verbs
14
derived from shmamah may help us break the code of what is really meant by
1
2
tohu and bohu. Furthermore, it will confer upon the latter the same meanings as
stored in the Hebrew verbs derived from the same roots.
14
The root of shmamah is S.M.M. This root gives rise to verbs that convey
wondering, feeling amazement, feeling anxiety, and being startled.
Note these examples:
15
• “All they that know thee among the peoples shall be appalled [shamemu ]
at thee” (Ezek. 28:19);
• “And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies who dwell
15
in it shall be astonished [shamemu ] at it” (Lev. 26:32);
• “And I looked and there was none to help; and I gazed astonished
16
[eshtomem ] but there was none to uphold” (Isa. 63:5);

These examples and others describe the emotional state of a person who is
in the desert: astonished, anxious, startled, overwhelmed (“and I sat where they
17
sat, and remained there overwhelmed [mashmim ] among them for seven days,”
17

Ezek. 3:15). Rashi (1040–1105) explains mashmim as a person who is “paralyzed

to talk,” while the Radak (1160–1235) explains this as “puzzled and alarmed.” In