Avram is the root of Israel. He is called the first “Hebrew”, which on the literal level, means a descendant of Ever, the son of Shem. But the meaning of the term (and Ever’s name) means “one who crosses over to the other side”. To be a Hebrew means to live for what is “on the other side”, to be set apart from everything that is common or profane. Indeed, Avram followed YHWH’s directive to leave his homeland for another place that He would show him later. (Gen. 12:1)
“A land that I will show you” can also be read, “a land [in] which I will allow you to perceive or see”. Perceive or see what? That which he could not see or perceive while he was still in Ur. What was that? Ur means a place of “light”. Yet there was not enough light there to perceive YHWH well. This is the purpose of Israel: to be in a place where we can perceive YHWH. Adam heard Him moving about in the Garden before he sinned. Right now no one can see Him and live, but there is a place where we will again be able to. Bringing this place back to earth is the task of Israel.
Though Avram had already moved a certain distance from Ur, YHWH moved him further still. (Gen. 11:27) He was able to move on because he already had taken on the habit of moving out and living in tents.
He was told to leave behind his eretz (land), his moledeth (anything having to do with his birth), and the beyt of his av (household of his father). He was not afraid to pull up stakes, but he had to go beyond where his father had taken him. His name was changed from that which his father had given him. A person is largely defined by the family he is from, but Avraham was not to be defined as someone from Ur or even from Haran, but as someone belonging to the Land where YHWH is seen. This is a foundation principle: Israel is a “holy land”—a physical location that is tied to a spiritual one. Avraham’s son Yitzhaq never left this land. Yitzhaq’s son Yaaqov did, but he came back, retracing Avram’s steps and becoming a Hebrew himself. He came to be known as Israel (“one who contends with Elohim”) because he, too, was not satisfied until he could perceive YHWH. Once he did, the day of the loner was over, and what he was about was a people, because Israel was not just one man, but his 12 sons who became 12 tribes all headed to the same place.
A tribe means a confederation of more than one related family who intermarry among themselves to ensure the tribal heritage, as seen previously in Avram’s own family. (Gen. 11:28-29) Yaaqov was sent back to Terakh’s household (that of Avram’s father) to find a wife. He was not to marry outside of these limits, for this family had at least left Ur to seek what YHWH had called them to.
Basic Building Blocks of Ancient Israel
(1) The Mishpakhah
This most basic component of the structure of Israelite society is the “family” or “clan”. Another name is bayit, which means household. This would include slaves. There might be many family units within one household, but there was only one Av Bayit (“father of the household”). He is the leader or overseer, not just one among many equals. He was still part of the family, but there had to be someone responsible where “the buck stops”. Everyone in the family is expected to put their weight behind his decisions. This is the system that YHWH prefers, as unpopular as it may seem today.For Israelite society to work, there has to be an authoritative system and it has to be adhered to. Courts had to be established before our ancestors could enter the Land, and so it will be for us. We must respect the order YHWH has set up. We are commanded not to take our father and mother lightly so that He can let us stay in His land. (Ex. 20:12) Courts were built of the roshey avot mishpakah--heads of the fathers of the clans. What made YHWH send many prophets was that those in charge refused to take charge, preferring the ways they were comfortable with (their moledeth) to the ways of the mishpakah He had called them to.
For Avram and for his descendants who are now returning to their heritage from families that in recent centuries have not walked in his ways, the mishpakhah is different from the moledeth. The term mishpakhah comes from a root word meaning “to be bare”, for these are the people to whom you can bare your soul—those who know “the real you”. Their nakedness is yours, for if any member is vulnerable, all are. (Lev. 18:10) That is why if one has two coverings, he needs to give one of them to his fellow who has none.
Avram took along his wife—the other necessary component to form a new mishpakhah—and “the persons they had gained ”, or “the life they had made”. This new mishpakhah included some of his moledeth (Lot), so the two may overlap, but this is not guaranteed. The main focus is to be on where you are, not where you came from; if some of those with whom you grew up want to come along, all the better, but be sure they share the same vision. Avram trained all the members of his household, for he had a vision and had to spread it. But he still had no offspring; the ideal heir was his own seed. (Gen. 15:3) The firstborn is normally the heir, and this is how authority passes in the new moledeth, whose modern equivalent is the local congregation. This is our new family. After we have broken away from our native cultures and make the transition to being Israel again, this is the pattern into which we must be resolved. Even Yahshua passed authority to his next-younger physical brother when he left, for this was the order of ancient Israel.
Those who choose mishpakhah as Yahshua defines it over their own moledeth are the ones He deems worthy of His Kingdom. (Mat. 10:37; 12:47ff; Luke 14:25-26) Many building-blocks form a strong wall. The mishpakhoth will not be identical, but we have to make sure each fits together with the rest—that all the stones are truly the same mishpakhah, having the same goal, motives, and purpose.
The mishpakhah, Scripturally, is always patrilineal—it obtains its identity from the father. If someone becomes attached to a spiritual leader from a different tribe, he obtains a new “father” as far as his inheritance is concerned. He might not remain in the same moledeth.
There is rank in the biblical mishpakhah. The Av is given the highest honor, with much given to the Em (mother) as well. The firstborn son inherits the place of the Av, as well as the job of cohen (priest) in the family. He is given a double portion of the inheritance, because he is expected to give of himself more than the rest, for whom he is ultimately responsible. This is what Yahshua meant when he said the one who wants to be greatest must be the servant of all. The firstborn is only counted as from both the Av and Em of the mishpakhah—not one of the maidservants. The others born in the household rank next, then the “souls they have gained”.
Also connected to the mishpakhah are any visitors they may have. The nomadic code of survival requires guests to be considered sacred for three days. No matter who they are, they are to be treated with the utmost kindness and provided with the best the household has to offer. (An extreme example of this is seen in Gen. 19:8.) Three days gives them enough time to be rehydrated or adequately nourished to continue on their journey. Then they are provided with an escort to the outermost boundaries of the host’s territory (Gen. 18:16), unless the visitor wishes to stay longer to be taught by the host. Then he is expected to not merely respect the Av, but to follow any ground rules that have been established for that household. (On a wider scale, it is mandatory for such “strangers within the gate” to obey the Torah while within the Land of Israel.) Some will then choose to take the next step and become one of the “souls they have gained”. (Again, on a wider scale, becoming part of Israel and thus able to inherit through the tribe to which they are attached.)
Why would one want to become part of such a bayit? There are many benefits. As the advertisment says, “Membership has its privileges.” What are some of them?
(1) Covering or protection: Remember, the term mishpakhah has to do with covering those who are bare. It was more obvious in a desert setting where the elements are harsh and thieves abound, but we have to realize that if we are without others who are seeking YHWH and have both a strong and honorable house, we are vulnerable to whatever is out there. The roof and walls both guard us and provide boundaries. Rather than being seen as something restrictive, as is common today, being part of a community with clear boundaries and a rigid authority structure guarantees that we are not “blown about by every wind of doctrine”. Since Lot walked with YHWH, he provided the covering for an entire city. Without removing him, YHWH could not bring the necessary judgment. (Gen. 18-19)(2) Aid if someone makes war on us, as seen when Lot was captured by the kings that attacked S’dom and ‘Amorah. (Gen. 14) He was still considered part of Avram’s mishpakhah, though he was not living directly with him. How wonderful it is to have someone whom you can trust, like Avram, who will pray for you when you are under spiritual attack as well.
(3) Alliances with other households that one could not have on his own as an individual.
(4) Access to talents and gifts that you as an individual do not possess. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
(5) The right of redemption: someone to stand up for justice for you even after you are dead--the goel dam (redeemer of blood). This closest kinsman acts on your behalf, but also for the sake of the land remaining in the same families. If you are not part of Israel, you have no redeemer, for Yahshua said He came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Mat. 15:24) While He redeems us as individuals, it is so we will return to being part of His household.
(6) Honor: This is an undersold, much-maligned concept today, but one that is very biblical. (Eastern cultures have preserved it much better.) In 2 Shmuel 21, we see evil things taking place simply because one family (King Shaul’s) broke with a promise made centuries before by Y’hoshua, but YHWH Himself looked after those to whom the promise was made. This dishonor had to be paid for dearly. The honor of the whole household depends on the Av (father) being strong. Those who had been under King Shaul—which was all of Israel—had to pay for this one man’s breach of trust. An oath made within the household is binding on the whole household. Whatever affects one will affect everyone in the household, whether the matter is large or small. Everything we do will come to light eventually. We are meant to be provided for from a common source, eating the same food—that which the shepherd has already verified is not poisonous, rather than just feeding where we wish. Consider the benefit of the whole household before your own preferences. Besides, whatever is better for the whole will ultimately be of the best benefit to the individual as well. Remember this before binding yourself to anyone or anything outside the household with a promise. If possible, we should make no oaths to anyone else, for we can have no real relationship with anyone who is outside Israel. It is an unnecessary burden anyway. But be careful even when making oaths to others within the house that you are following the right order. We cannot say we trust YHWH but do not trust the system of authority He has put in place. We must never speak a disparaging word about another member of the household (especially a leader) to anyone outside the household, no matter how many internal disputes we may have. If we do, we prove to not even be “strangers within the gate”, but thieves! Remember that “loose lips sink ships”. As tent-dwellers, we have to look out for one another—to leave our own flocks to go rescue our neighbor’s lost sheep. David was made king because he cared about the honor of YHWH’s house enough to risk fighting Golyath. Pin’khas was given an eternal covenant of priesthood because he cared about the honor of YHWH’s sanctuary. The honor of the individual depends on his doing what it takes to benefit the entire house.
Women are a major part of any household. The whole moledeth of the world came from Adam and Chavvah, but their true mishpakhah only included the line of Shem and Ever, and eventually only Israel. In a mishpakhah every woman is joined to a man. If she is not married, her father or brother has jurisdiction over her. The concept of not having a family or tribe is very modern. Anciently, no one could survive without attachment to a house. All are responsible to the head, but the man has no house without woman. Sects like the Essenes (or Shakers) die out if they wait for converts rather than building the house from within. A capable wife is the crown of her husband. (Prov. 12:4) Bringing him honor is part of her job description. The same needs to be true of YHWH’s bride. The capable wife is not, like Jezebel, determined to be independent. There is no honor for a man whose wife is “mouthy” against him. Anyone whose opinion, even if harmless in isolation, gets in the way of the Av, is clouding the issue; this is tantamount to rebellion. As in the military, there is order of rank so everything can function smoothly. Other opinions are irrelevant unless asked for. Loudly expressing dissent is treason. If we take time to discuss the instructions instead of obeying, the enemy has time to surround us. Only the head of the household has the right to appeal to a higher commander. Rulings are absolute (which is why YHWH requires two witnesses before anyone is executed. The capable woman is influential, not domineering. She is neither self-determined nor weak-willed. I.e., it is not accomplished by false humility (letting herself be walked over), but by being valuable. (Prov. 31:10ff) She has the right balance, being under submission, but so skillful that her husband brags about her in the gates (the equivalent of a court of law or city council). Women who are successful in this sense will help rebuild Israel in our day. Bearing children also brings great honor, as with Yaaqov’s wives.
Under Torah, a woman who murders can be executed, but it was more likely that her husband would be killed to avenge someone the wife inadvertently killed, as he is ultimately responsible for those in his house. The head of the mishpakhah is responsible for the unmarried women in the family. A foreigner can become an Israelite, especially women captured in war, as long as they put away their foreign ways. Being an Israelite has more to do with the Elohim that you serve than with bloodline. It is shameful to marry a woman who remains foreign, as Esau did. It brings dishonor to the whole nation. Such foreign wives are to be put away along with their children, who are also considered foreign since primarily the mother raised them. (Ezra 10) Women under a head can inherit and own property. Sarah owned her maidservant, as did Rachel and Leah. The dowry is not given to the bride’s father or brothers, but to the bride herself as “savings” in case she should be divorced or widowed. In Yahshua’s day Miryam sat at His feet (Luke 10:38ff)--an idiom for being one of His disciples—so it is acceptable for a woman to study Torah, whatever the traditions were in Yentl’s Russia! While much energy is spent explaining away what Paul meant when he said, “Let a woman learn in silence and subjection” (1 Timothy 2:11), the emphasis should be on “let her learn”! One cannot learn much if he is doing the talking, and yes, Chavvah was the one who “screwed it up” for the whole human race, so she cannot be in authority, but when Paul says a woman should not speak I the assemblies (1 Cor. 14:34), the term really means “blurt out” whatever is “on her heart” or “speak her mind”. Free-flowing emotion gets in the way of true learning. If the question is divisive, she should ask her husband at home, for he is her representative.
So women are seen as very important to the household. But there is a clear-cut difference between the roles of men and women. Women are not to rule over men. When YHWH says “women and children” are ruling His people (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 3:12), it is an insult to the men who are acting like women or immaturely. When YHWH insults Egyptians by calling them women (Yeshayahu 19:16), it is not that women are not valued, but it is dishonorable for a man to act as YHWH has designed women to act—and vice versa. They have the same goal, but are equipped differently. The woman has to keep the household functioning so men can go to war without concern for their households falling apart. A woman is truly mature when she can completely run her household, then be in complete submission to her husband without complaint when he returns. We all have to learn how to change our minds completely as soon as fuller instruction comes. This is easier to do when we can talk it out together an analyze it as well—that is true training.
One who besmirches the honor of a house must be punished, even if there is no actual injury. (Ex. 21:22) The husband, the head of the household, has title to his wife, so he is the one who demands the compensation. This is a concept that the modern world seldom understands. Scripturally, when one has title to another, it is for the sake of benevolence; one protects what he owns. Malevolent title does not really exist. The idea that power corrupts was not as important a consideration as the need to be under a covering so one is not vulnerable—especially a woman. If someone is not under someone’s headship, she was considered abandoned; one could do whatever he liked with her. When she is part of something bigger than herself, if someone deals with her, he is up against all who back her up. (You can get the sense of this from Yeshayahu/Isa. 4:1) A woman who is part of a household has a name. Even if one was bought as a slave, being part of the household of David was very honorable. It was better to be a doorkeeper there than a free man elsewhere.
Servants are an important component of the household. In Hebrew the term is the same as for slaves. But in Israel this term does not mean what we in the West think of when we hear the word. Usually, unless captured in war, one became a slave to pay off a debt. This debt is not to diminish his dignity, but for the survival of his family. Slaves in Israel are treated well—like one of the family, and as well as any of the children who have not yet come of age. (Gal. 4:1) In fact, masters are commanded to treat slaves humanely. (Ex. 21; Lev. 25:39-40) After seven years, one is set free unless he chooses to stay, in which case he becomes permanently part of the household. (Ex. 21:6) Yet it is dishonorable to a family to have one’s brother involuntarily serving in another house. If someone in the mishpakhah owes, the whole family is in debt, and one is attached to the creditor in a negative sense. So it is incumbent on the family members to do their best to buy him back. Yahshua redeemed the members of tribes other than his own, because no one in those tribes was in a position to do so after leaving the Covenant. But the debt does not just disappear; it is transferred. If one has to beg for food, he owes his host for it. The one who gets himself in trouble and is redeemed is indebted to the redeemer, who now owns him. Yahshua therefore has the right to tell us what to do, and by obeying we assume some of the debt He has incurred. The House of Yoseyf is under a huge debt to YHWH for living on His land without keeping His Torah; that was like a sharecropper getting another job but still wanting to live on the land for free; he is a thief! Avram purchased the “souls he had made”; the Av in the present-day mishpakhah “purchases” souls by laying down his life for the flock. While some might be considered mishpakhah rather than moledeth because they are of one mind, Yahshua stretched out His hand toward those He counted His family. Others may be true Israelites, but those who are “at hand” when we need them prove to be our true mishpakhah. One’s student must be one who is actually in his house.
(2) Prophets and Kings
Avraham is the first one called a prophet by YHWH (Gen. 20:7), though Noakh acted in that role. In Scripture we see no record of His having spoken through anyone between Noakh and Avraham. Aharon was called Moshe’s prophet (Ex. 7:1), though he was YHWH’s as well. Moshe calls himself a prophet in Deut. 18:15. David was a prophet through some of his Psalms, such as 22, which foretell things about the Messiah, who is also called a prophet despite His other roles.
Thus the role of the prophet is to both hear and speak the words of YHWH. This includes both revealed and written instruction, as well as institutional wisdom that is based on Torah, in which rulings are made by a king, general, etc. to decide on the “how” of commands for which the Torah does not specify the method. Such rulings may vary from family to family or tribe to tribe, but are binding where decided by the one YHWH has put in authority on that level.
An older name for a prophet is a “seer”. (1 Shmuel 9:9) But one who sees may or may not be a prophet. There are portals into the realm that is not bound by time which demons can reveal as well, though this is forbidden by Torah. (Deut. 18:11) A seer is most often sought out by individuals who want to know what is to come, while a prophet speaks on behalf of the people of Israel. (He speaks for YHWH to the people, but as when Y’hezq’el asks, “How long must we be punished?”, he is also speaking to YHWH for the people.) YHWH intended to speak to Israel through prophets, not seers. A prophet does not foretell the future just to bring people comfort. “Receiving a word from YHWH” is not a fad or a “fix” to become addicted to. Be warned to get out of the orbit of that church-based entertainment. True prophets will not interrupt or contradict each other; if truly from YHWH, their word will flow together smoothly and give various angles on the same message. Like a surgeon, their words will cut deep and fix what is wrong with Israel, then heal it.
Sometimes they speak in riddles or parables to hide the message from those who are not meant to understand it. It is not intended for everyone. The more knowledge of Torah we store in our hearts, the better we will be able to understand when prophets speak in “spiritual vocabulary”. We can tell the difference between a seer and a prophet also through the fact that once they heard the still, small voice of YHWH, all true prophets did something about it. Legitimately-revealed knowledge is to be acted upon. Prophets mediate for Israel in various ways—through instructing, correcting, ruling, reigning, warning, or delivering. A prophet is an intercessor, to the point where his own life does not really matter to him. When someone lays down his life for YHWH and His people, it is the prophet in him coming out, whatever his other roles may be. They often looked like fools, but they are equipped by the ruakh to accomplish whatever they need to. He cannot be neutral in his mediation, however. He must be 100% for YHWH and 100% for Israel—as Israel is defined in the Torah.
YHWH planned to communicate through prophets, not seers. Moshe had established judges while still in the wilderness, but prophets were sent to bring special knowledge to Israel or direct us back to the Torah. He did not intend Israel to have a king until a particular point. He was intended to be Israel’s King. But Israel demanded a king like other nations had, and sometimes YHWH gives us what we pester Him for so that we will be quiet and so that we will see how the things we desire often end up biting us. Israel was asking to be delivered again as Moshe had done, and since the tribes were not all acting in unity (but often formed alliances between several tribes against other tribes), our ancestors thought a common figurehead could accomplish this as it did for other nations. They also wanted to keep up appearances as a “real nation” in the eyes of others—much the way we see the modern state of Israel acting today.
After the king chosen by YHWH to fit the image Israel wanted in a king messed things up, YHWH put His real choice of a king in place. He showed which tribe He favored by placing Yehudah in a position of honor (and later Ephraim as well). But still Israel’s kings tended to wander away from YHWh, so He had to keep sending prophets to correct their direction. David could not have survived without Nathan, because inherent in a king’s heart is worldliness and a bit of arrogance, as well as the mundane concerns and worries of the kingdom. Nathan bowed to David, but David knew he was in the superior position in YHWH’s eyes. David recognized that he deserved his correction, and YHWH loved him for it.
A certain amount of a king’s decision are at his own pleasure; a prophet speaks only when YHWH tells him to. Sometimes YHWH pitted the words of one prophet against another to test someone’s obedience to the revelation he had already been given, whether through Torah or through an ancestor’s ruling. (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 35) One man lost his life because he trusted the word of a prophet that contradicted the instruction YHWH had given him earlier. (1 Kings 13) A prophet did not pass his position to his son the way a king or priest would.
In the days of the kings, it was common for someone to go see a prophet on the New Moon or Sabbath. (2 Kings 4:23) This suggests that people would assemble on those days to hear them teach. It was the job description of the priest to teach the Torah to the common people (Malakhi 2:7), but this may have been a rote teaching, whereas a prophet would teach the underlying meaning, as Yahshua did in the “Sermon on the Mount”. A prophet’s word should not be trusted until it can be proven to be based in Torah.
There is only one King left for Israel (Yahshua), and he is also called a prophet, priest, counselor. He is even called “everlasting father”. This does not mean He is the same as YHWH the Father, but that from the point He was given authority forward, he is the head of all the household of Israel. We must distinguish between true ruakh and man-made spiritualization of Scripture. Yes, there are deeper levels of understanding literal Scripture, but in most cases even these had a much more everyday-life context in ancient Israel. They are a mystery if we do not have the Hebraic mindset. This is gained by living out the Torah and is best accomplished in community with others who know they are Israel. We cannot understand Yahshua unless we know the role of a king in Israel. Archaeological finds have taken away the legitimate excuse of ignorance in so many cases. Since YHWH’s wrath departed from Ephraim, knowledge has increased exponentially, and understanding of these basic building-blocks of Israelite society and how they fit together are much more available than they were only a few years ago. The more like our ancient forebears we come to live, the better we will understand exactly what someone Scripture meant when he said it, for we will know it is speaking about us, as Israel.
(3) Other Types of Leaders
Moshe established rulers of 10, 50, 100, and 1000. As tribal territories were established, other types of leadership rose to prominence:
- Z’kan (Strong’s #2205: elder, ancient, literally bearded) – those who can lead because of their long experience.
- Sar (8269: prince, chief, captain, general) – i.e., the one in charge.
- Aluf (441: associate, one familiar, from the word for a tamed ox) – this type of person is desirable as a guide.
- Nasi (5387: one who rises up or is exalted) – possibly those that rose to positions they did not inherit.
One’s place in Israelite society is based on genealogy. People did not have last names like we do today. They were called “Ben (son of) …” What followed might be their immediate father, but often many relatives were called after a more prominent ancestor further back. The descendants of Solomon went by the “House of David”; despite Solomon’s international renown, David was considered a better example of what they wanted to be known for. It was common to be adopted into another family; even if one was only a doorkeeper there in the House of David, this held high honor. If he committed himself permanently to this house, his ancestry was considered to have changed--no light thing, for if he brought dishonor to the family, he could be killed. Our ancestors saw no difference between a blood brother and an adoptive brother. Paul addresses those attaching themselves to Israel who, like us today, might not know how their ancestors fit into the tribal structure. Many who were once outsiders will be included among the tribes of Israel. (Y’hezq’El 47:23)
(4) Tribal Life
There are two words for tribe (shevet, 7626, and matteh, 4294). They seem totally synonymous. Both mean a branch (which part of Yaaqov’s family tree we sprout from) or a rod, and by extension, a scepter which symbolized their rulership (that which corrects us). A rod is also used for measuring, and indeed we must make our decisions in light of what tribe we are from, for each have their own giftings and responsibilities. The Rekhabites (Yirmeyahu 35:6-11) even refused invitations from a priest and a prophet of YHWH—while in one of the parts of the Temple that most people were never allowed into— to be obedient to their ancestor, and YHWH commended them for it. The Rekhabites are a “holdover” from an early stage of Israel’s history. One of their prominent ancestors told them to live this lifestyle because he foresaw that it would be best for them, because it reminded them that they were sojourners. That lifestyle was one of growing no crops and building no houses, but living in tents. In other words, they were nomads. Anciently, there were three levels of nomads. As we know which of them someone in Scripture was, the more sense we can make of what he said:
(1) Nomads in the purest sense are camel-breeders who travel great distances looking for a place to graze them. They have little contact with settled people. They recognize how tent-dwelling keeps YHWH’s people pure. They have no security, but live from day to day. They, of all people, know best that they themselves are the real house. The Rekhabites were this type of nomad. Some picturesque Hebrew vocabulary comes from this stage in our history: the word for “move on” means to pull up stakes; the word for “stay” means to stretch out; the word for “safety” is described by the ropes being tight. There are hundreds of thousands left today living this lifestyle among the Bedouins (descendants of Avraham and his third wife, Qeturah).Wilderness (midbar) is not always, but often, synonymous with desert. It is any uninhabited place, but the root word is d’var, which means “word”. In the wilderness, YHWH gave His words to Israel. He saw it as the place He had betrothed her in her innocence (Yirmeyahu 2:2-31; Amos 2:10; 3:15) But once she arrived in the Land, she turned her back on that place He had such fond memories of, thinking of the desert as a frightening place—the home of animals associated with demons. (Yeshayahu 13:20; 34:8ff) There, she had no choice but to trust Him and stay very close to Him because she was surrounded by threats. (Hoshea 13:4ff) He came to loathe her cities because of how secure (and more distant from Him) they made her feel. (Amos 6:7ff) So He will put us back in a place of utter dependence on Him again. (Hoshea 2:14-23) He will even makes us live in tents again! (Hos. 12:8-9) We get a taste of this at Sukkoth each year, but we need to learn to be comfortable wherever His presence is, for His comfort zone is more deeply, permanently secure, though it rarely appears to be. If we follow Him this closely, He will enable us in ways no one else knows. (Psalm 23:5) Ancient Israel – page 6 Moshe told Israel to return to their tents to await YHWH’s instruction. (Deut. 5:30) To hear from Him, we have to put ourselves in a position of vulnerability. When Israel became settled and became specialized through division of labor, the standard of living rose, but we forgot how to be invested in our flocks and our brothers—our real wealth. A life of ease tends to turn us away from dependency on YHWH. To get our attention, He may make life hard on us again. When we live in tents, it is easy to pick up and move, as Yaaqov did. Egypt tried to break us away from being shepherds; to jerk us back out of it, He first took Moshe and taught him to be a shepherd because no one in Israel remembered how to be nomads. Even when Yaaqov built a house, he still lived in tents, like some Bedouins today. Once we inhabited many towns, the cohesiveness of Israel was lost. Our priorities diverged and the authority system weakened. How could Y’hoshua, who did not live where they did, know that his commands would fit their situation? But the later Yahshua is returning us to being one household again. His rod of iron will leave no room for anyone to say, “The Torah just doesn’t suit me!” (5) Blood Relations and Redemption A woman called her husband ba’al (master or owner). It is no wonder YHWH felt such a jealousy when His bride started worshipping an idol by that name! In a family, the father had absolute authority which went even beyond “Do what I say” to the right to sell someone in the household as a slave so the house as a whole could survive. The birthright is the right to head the household after the father dies. Yaaqov’s dilemma was that his brother was to head up the family, but lacked the maturity and commitment to do so properly. In ancient societies, there were three ways of reckoning lineage:(2) Flock nomads raise only sheep and goats. Sheep eat the roots of their pasture, so they must move on to other areas depending on access to water, which often was tied to the time of year. They would often stay in one place just long enough for crops to grow. During some seasons they might live in houses, but even after we received the Land, we remained semi-nomadic, for the deeded lots of land were quite large. The only way to care for a flock long-term is to live out among them; tents are most practical. Even when reaping crops, which must be done as soon as they ripen lest birds or insects devour them, reapers live in a sukkah right in the field. (Yeshayahu 1:8) To take someone’s land, you must kill them, but it was common to raid someone’s possessions in a surprise attack. It was considered a sport to be able to steal from other peoples, and one is considered more successful the fewer people he has to kill in the process. David did this while running from Shaul; it is only a sin if it is against one’s own people. During the time of the judges, when Israel’s unity broke down, one tribe frequently raided another.
(3) Flock and cattle nomads did more farming, so they had to settle near a more constant supply of water, though as we see in the cases of both Yoseyf’s brothers and David, they would be based in one spot for a long time, but still take the flocks far afield. If there was a famine (as in Yaaqov’s day and Avraham’s), they would move the whole community to another base; we were still competing for resources. Water is what people fight over most, for we cannot have crops, animals, or even life without it. (Gen. 13:5ff; 21:25-32; 26:17-25) To take a city by siege, one only had to cut off its water supply, so the water source was well-guarded. Water is a picture of Torah, and like Yitzhaq, who reopened his father’s wells that the Philistines had stopped up, we need to let the waters flow freely again and ensure that a source of this supply is hidden within us. (Ps. 119:11)
(1) Matriarchal Lineage: A child is considered to belong to the family of his mother and her social group. This was most common in small-scale agricultural communities, though modern Jews count lineage this way due to a history of many illegitimate children fathered during persecutions who nonetheless were taught Judaism by their mothers. There is some indication of the elevation of women in Lavan’s household from the fact that Lavan spoke before his father did, indicating that less respect was granted the father there.The redemption of a relative who sells himself into slavery to pay a debt (Lev. 25:47-49) retains some fratriarchal order of precedence: a brother has the first right of redemption, then his uncle (brother of his father), then his uncle’s son, then if none of them can afford to buy him back, any blood relative may do so. The one who redeems is called the go’el. He would also redeem land that had to be sold away to pay debts, as we see in the book of Ruth. Naomi had already had sons, so no one had to redeem her, but since Ruth had joined herself to Naomi’s family, the redeemer of her land also had to fulfill the levirate role of raising up a son for Ruth’s deceased husband. The pattern was not codified until the Torah, but it was the expected practice in Israel much earlier. When Yehudah’s son died childless (Gen. 38), Yehudah gave his son’s wife to his next eldest son. When he too died, Yehudah was afraid to give her to his last remaining son. So in order to raise up a son for her husbands, she resorted to pretending to be a prostitute. When she was found to be pregnant, Yehudah had the authority to command her to be burned (a right the Torah later restricted to the priests alone), but when she proved that her twin sons were really his, he counted her as righteous since she had been concerned to raise up progeny for his own sons.(2) Patriarchal Lineage: Traced through the father. This was most common in pastoral societies. The eldest son becomes the head of the household when his father dies. Avram did not leave Haran until his father died (Gen. 11:32-12:4), indicating that he had no authority in the household until that time.
(3) Fratriarchal Lineage: Headship passes to a man’s eldest brother when he dies, taking precedence over the man’s own sons. This pattern was common in the monarchies of Europe. While ancient Israel was typically patriarchal, it reverted to a fratriarchal pattern if a man had no sons to succeed him. Yahshua passed his position of leadership in the family to his next brother, Yaaqov (James). Levirate (brother-in-law) marriage is also a remnant of the fratriarchal pattern in Israel.
People were bound together by holding an elohim in common. Names were based on their elohim’s name, as in Sh’mu-el, Eli-yahu, Yah-shua. Kinship was also based on being from the same geographical region. (e.g., Judges 19:16.) But the most common thing that connects people is blood. Blood gives one the right to be the redeemer, but the one who redeems also becomes our brother. If someone joined another house in order to uphold its honor, he was considered to have the same father as those naturally born into that house. This gives us many insights into events in Judges, Kings, and Chronicles. It also shows us the how of Yahshua’s reconciling us through His blood. (Col. 1:20). Blood redemption is not a Christian concept, but a much older Hebraic one. Job was not a slave, but knew he needed redemption. (19:25) David called YHWH His Redeemer, who brought him into His house and made him an heir to honor. (Ps. 19:14) When we sold ourselves to those around us, YHWH’s indictment was that we took on their ways. (Lev. 25:47) None of the Northern Kingdom’s immediate relatives were left in a position to redeem us; the closest of kin that were still recognizeable was Yehudah. He is our kinsman, which in Hebrew would simply be akh (brother). Though we cannot clearly trace our blood connection to Israel, Yahshua gave us a “transfusion” of His blood and extended His family honor to us. We take it into ourselves, not just as a covering. (Yochanan 6:54-55) He is now the firstborn of many brothers (Rom. 8:29)—a fratriarchal redeemer! We can be joint heirs because we now have the same Father (Yochanan 20:17), if we are concerned for the honor of His family. It is sharing (partaking) in Messiah’s blood that makes us one community. (1 Cor. 10:16) It is His blood that brought us near when once we were aliens from the covenant. (Eph. 2:11ff) We are now kinsmen again, for we have common blood!
YHWH, our true Redeemer, is strong; He will plead the case of both Ephraim and Yehudah. (Yirmeyahu 50:33ff) Yahshua is His messenger, endued with the full authority of the One he represents—an important Hebraic concept thath clears up the many misinterpretations of who He is. The covenant is with those who turn from transgression when the Redeemer comes. (Yeshayahu 59:19) As we walk in the light (the Torah), we have fellowship and are cleansed from sin by His blood--that is, becoming His kinsmen and one another’s. (1 Yoch. 1:7ff) And we will get our Land back as well! (Y’hezq’el 34:13-14)
(5) Marriage
A mishpakhah must begin with one man and one woman, but there can be more than one wife in a household. There is no ancient Hebrew term for polygamy, because it was normative until at least the time of the Judges, and still common thereafter. It is still practiced today among Bedouins and Arab cultures and Jews living within them. The Talmud says a king should not have more than 18 wives (since the Torah specifies that he is not to multiply wives to himself, as Shlomo did and thereby made major compromises with idolatry), and a common man should not have more than four.
Why would a man have more than one wife?
There are restrictions in the Torah on whom a man may take as a wife. (Lev. 18:5ff) He may not marry (or have sexual relations with):
Since men and women were segregated much of the time, how did men in ancient Israelite society meet women whom they might wish to marry? They could meet at the feasts to which all able-bodied men were required to attend, but which most women who were free or able to attend would attend as well. They might meet while working in the fields (the way Boaz met Ruth). Many met their wives at wells. (Moshe, Yitzhaq’s representative, and Yaaqov) This also highlights the fact that many unmarried women were shepherdesses, though not every shepherd was a woman. Since wells were held in common by several local clans, meeting a wife at a well often meant people married their distant cousins. There was a pattern of marrying relatives in Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov’s case, partly because of the negative religious influence others around them would have had. (Ex. 34:11 forbids us to marry pagans, for they will tend to turns us away from YHWH, as seen in Deut. 7:3. There are spirits attached to any cultural heritage, and they will ensnare those who become united to one who still practices them. Usually the woman’s practice wins out, since women are by nature more spiritual than men. A man from outside Israel may not marry an Israelite woman unless he becomes part of Israel, but he cannot just join the nation at large; he must attach himself to a particular, already-established house. He might only have been an Israelite for a few years, but if he is committed to that household, its honor extends to him and no one can ever remind him that he was once not an Israelite.
A man is said to “take” (choose, receive, or acquire) a wife. (Deut. 24:1) The wife calls her husband ba’al (owner), as he has title over her. That means her children are his, and she serves his house, but he does not have a right to sell her like any other possession he owns (though he can sell one of his children to pay a debt). A man may purchase another man’s daughter to be his wife, but if he does he is never permitted to divorce her or diminish her inheritance, no matter how many other wives he takes.
The bride price (mohar) does not buy her. It is paid to her father (to whom the proposal is made for marriage rather than to the woman herself), but it belongs to the wife as “insurance” in case she is ever widowed or divorced. (Gen. 31:14-16) It is stored up or invested by her family until such a time as it is needed. The minimal bride price (paid for humiliating a virgin) is 50 sheqels of silver. (Deut. 22:28ff) The bride price might not be monetary. Kalev offered his daughter to whomever would capture a city (Josh. 15:16; Judges 1:12), and David paid Sha’ul more than his asking price of 100 Philistine foreskins! Yaaqov provided seven (and, as it turned out, really 14) years of labor for his father-in-law as Rakhel’s bride price. Additional gifts were often given to the family of the bride to compensate them for the loss of her help in the household. (Gen. 24:52ff; 34:12)
The proper protocol was that the groom-to-be proposed marriage to the woman’s father, who then discussed the matter with all her brothers and made inquiries to screen him before it would ever go any further. If they all agreed, her parents would then ask the woman herself if she was interested in marrying the man. Then the choice was up to her, though arrangements had often already been made.
There are two stages to a Hebrew marriage. The first, betrothal (erusin), is like engagement, but much more binding. The woman is already “under contract” and responsible to be faithful. Neither party can back out of the arrangement without deep dishonor to both families. The second stage is the wedding (be’ulah), when the husband has the right and responsibility to consummate the marriage.
The Talmud says that the minimum age for a male to marry is 13, and 12 for a female—the same as the traditional age for bar or bat mitzvah. This was from very close to the time of Yahshua.
One who is betrothed to a wife but has not yet taken her may be excused from the army. (Deut. 20:7) This is a privilege one is not even given if he has a newborn child. Later the Torah added that one should not be called into the army or any civic duty for a year after his marriage. (Deut. 24:5)
The betrothed woman is considered his wife, and if she is found willingly consenting to lie with another man, she and the other man are both to be executed (Deut. 22:22-27), for she belongs to another and has broken this covenant to which YHWH Himself has been a witness. (Mal. 2:14; Prov. 2:17) The groom, however, is not considered her husband until the second stage of the marriage; her father is still her ba’al until that point.
Joseph Good notes that when Yahshua told His disciples, “In My Father’s house are many chambers. I am going to prepare a place for you; I will come again and receive you to Myself…” (Yochanan 14:2-3), He was speaking in the terminology of the betrothal ceremony. The ceremony also included the presentation of tokens of intent, such as a ring and bracelets. (Gen. 24) The bride is then veiled to let all know that she is now set apart to a ba’al. This stage of the marriage could last up to 13 years, but usually was one to two years—until the groom’s father determined that all was ready, which meant the groom himself did not know exactly when it would end either. (Compare Mat. 24:36.) He would be building the khuppah (wedding canopy) and the kheder (bridal chamber), and the bride would be learning to make herself beautiful for her husband and how to be a capable wife.
(2nd stage) Consummation (be’ulah/kiddushin)
One thing that stands between the two ceremonies (aras and be’ulah) is celebration by the people. One enters the covenant by an oath, though in Scripture the marriage is seen more as civil (before the people of Israel) than religious as such, though YHWH certainly has a hand in it all. Those He joins together, no one is to separate. (Mat. 19:6) Yahshua cited this concept to show that some of those supposedly most religious were actually entering into marriages for reasons of political advancement rather than marrying the ones YHWH had chosen as best-suited for them.
The bride also wears a veil, for she is seen as a queen, to be most highly honored on that day. (Song 4:1-3) If she is not the first wife, she has certain rights—to receive the same ring and the same amount of jewelry as other wives. She is brought in wearing embroidered clothes, accompanied by unmarried companions with gladness and rejoicing. (Psalm 45:14) The groom comes out from his father’s house, where there has already been some measure of celebration, in a procession with his friends and brothers and much baggage, to be greeted by musicians. (1 Maccabees 9:39)
Joseph Good adds that the Passover was YHWH's covenant meal with Israel. Moses led them away from one master to another. The blood of the lamb was the bride price. Mt. Sinai, being lifted up off the ground so they could go UNDER it (Ex. 19:17) was their khuppah.
A written contract called the ketubah is signed.
There were two witnesses at the wedding. (Compare Z’kharyah 4; Rev. 11:3.) One (much like today’s “maid of honor”) escorts the bride to the khuppah, and the other (much like today’s “best man”) accompanies the groom.
The father of the groom gives a feast for his son (Mat. 22:2). The bride is entitled to a feast that lasts seven days. (Gen. 29:27) If someone is being honored very highly, the feast can last 14 days. (Tobit 8:20)
On the first night of the feast (Gen. 29:23), the couple goes into the wedding chamber for the yikhad (consummation—becoming one). Now he is finally her ba’al. The “friend of the bridegroom” (Yoch. 3:29-30) stands outside and listens for the groom to call out to him that the marriage has become complete. He then relays this information to the guests who are already celebrating at the father’s house (Yoch. 14:2), and of course this takes the celebration to a higher level.
The laws in Torah regarding borrowers are very similar to the mohar (bride price), because the groom is essentially borrowing the bride from her family. Like a bank that holds the note for a loan that is not yet paid off, the family holds the groom responsible to take proper care of their daughter. They could “recall” her if they feel she is not being treated rightly; the children that result from the marriage belong to the father regardless. The parents keep the proof of the woman’s virginity at the time of the yikhad—the blood-stained sheet. If the husband, discontent with the wife for some other reason, falsely accuses her of not having been a virgin at the time of the wedding, the parents can bring the blood as proof. (Deut. 22:13-15)
YHWH divorced Himself from Israel, but elsewhere He promises to go into the kiddushin stage with her. Is this a contradiction? No. She has been taken by other lovers (Hosea), but God is free to take her again, because He divorced her while they were only betrothed. In fact, it says His get will not be able to be found!
Today Jewish genealogies are figured through the mother, because in the Dark Ages so many men were killed and women raped by conquerors, and their children couldn't be considered Jewish. The law was changed by the rabbinical authorities in order to allow the children of these "marriages" a place in the commonwealth of israel, since they would be afforded no other place in society. But in Biblical times, inheritances went from a father to son and then in turn to his son.
If a man died childless, his brothegr was to take his widow and raise up children for the original husband's name. A key example is Ruth (celebrated at Shavuoth, because it took place during the wheat harvest). Judges 1:25 provides the backdrop: "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." It led to a famine. This story has metaphorical significance as well: Naomi's famine and subsequent exile parallels the Jews' diaspora after the Roman sword drove them out of the land. She returns to the land with a non-Jew, Ruth, who is childless. Israel is returning to her land with non-Jews who have attached ourselves to Israel's Elohim.
There are prophetic parallels in the relationship of Boaz to the nearest kinsman as well: The nearest relative refused to do his duty, so Boaz fulfilled his responsibilities. Adam was unable to take his fullest place because of His debt of sin that he himself could not even pay for. Yeshua, then, became the next of kin who was eligible to pay our debt, and He becomes the one who marries the bride as well.
The "nearest kinsman" or "brother-in-law" was called a yavam (levir in Latin, hence the term "levirate"; it has nothing to do with "levitical").
Rachel died of birthpangs in Bethlehem ("house of bread"), where the Messiah would be born of her seed many generations later! Ephrathah means "fruitfulness". Jacob and his sons were returning home after 20 years of exile when she gave borth. The "birthpangs of the Messiah" (the more common Jewish term for the "great tribulation") come after Israel has returned to the land after 20 centuries of exile.
Rachel named her son Ben-Oni ("son of my affliction") because she knew she was dying from his birth. But Jacob changed his name to Ben-Yamin ("son of my right yad", or, figuratively, "son of my old age". When the sons are seated at a meal with the father, the eldest sits to his left, and the youngest at his right hand, because he is seen as a proof of the father's strength in his old age.)
There is an eschatological picture in the two sons of Rachel. Joseph represents Y'shua's first coming. He was the "son of the left hand", the despised, the one persecuted, yet he brought forth a plan to save the lives of many people. He was not recognized by his Hebrew brothers, having been raised to power among the Gentiles, but in the end they saw him as their brother after all. Benyamin is the younger son, who sits at the Father's Right Hand, the Messiah who returns in glory the second time.
YHWH created the birthing process to be a picture of the "Great Tribulation". The labor pains start out slowly, with a stage called "effacement", then they increase in frequency and regularity ("dilation") until they are unbearable ("transition"—spoken of in Isaiah 37:3/2 Kings 19:3..."The children are brought to the birth and there is no strength to deliver!" This is when YHWH intervenes, cf. Ezekiel 38). Y'shua spoke of the increase of earthquakes and wars and famines in various places.
There are often premature "false labor" pains, called Braxton-Hicks contractions, which give a false alarm, but they do communicate the reality of the fact that a baby is indeed coming eventually. These can be likened to times when the Tribulation appeared to be starting, such as in Hitler's day. But the time of actual birth is not known until the true labor begins. The day comes like a thief (1 Thess. 5:1-3), suddenly overtaking those who do not know how to read the signs. But in the same passage Paul says those who pay attention will not be ignorant of these matters.
There are actually two separate times referred to in these images of the birthing process. On is the birth of Messiah Himself (Khevlo shel Mashiach). Jeremiah 4:31 tells of the "daughter of Zion" bringing forth her firstborn child. "Daughters of Zion" was a term for the suburns of Jerusalem, of which Bethlehem was one. Micah 4:8-10 specifies that it is to the Migdal Eder, the "tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughters of Zion", that the Kingdom would come, and where these birthpangs would begin.
The other example of this imagery, which the eschatological passages usually refer to, is the time when the whole people of Israel is born into Messiah (khevley shel Mashiach). The "Day of YHWH" is described as being so intensely terrifying that even men will howl in pain and be so troubled that they will appear like women in labor (Isaiah 13:8; Hosea 13:13; Jer. 6:24; 13:21). This is part of what tells us that these seven years are part of the 1,000 years, rather than preceding them: because the prophecies about the "Day of YHWH" (the seventh or Sabbath "day" of the "week of ages") include both tremendous terrors and great blessings. Isaiah himself reacted this way when he saw the vision (21:3).
In the context that speaks of the Resurrection, Isaiah speaks of Israel feeling like they have "labored" in vain for all their history: they have not been able to effect the redemption that today we hear so many of the Orthodox speaking about. (Isa. 26:17ff) But YHWH's own arm brings Him the victory. The Messiah's coming does not depend on their success, but on YHWH's timetable. But the fact that so many of the Jews are speaking of the redemption and the nearness of Messiah's coming tells us that we have entered the "footsteps of the Messiah" (,em>iqvot shel Mashiakh)—the Jewish term for right before He comes.
Because there are two similar images, they often become confused. There are strange passages such as, "Before she labored she brought forth a Son" (Isa. 66:7). But knowing there are two points of reference helps us realize that Israel gave birth to the Messiah (khevlo shel Mashiakh) before she as a community experiences the pains of birth into Messiah (khevley shel Mashiakh). Revelation 12 speaks of both situations: the birth of the man-child who is to rule the nations, and his mother's flight into the wilderness for 1,260 days. The woman turns out, then, to be Israel, who Satan persecutes.
In another birth metaphor, Zola Levitt points out that the united sperm and ovum take 49 days to totally penetrate. This is related to the maturing process that we see expressed in the counting of the omer, the 49 days between the two feasts of firstfruits (the barley and wheat harvests, the latter of which is called Shavuot, or Pentecost). Ephesians 4 relates this to our growth to maturity in the Messiah, who is our Head, as the purpose of the wheat's growth is so that the head may be useful.
Yiftach (Jephthah) made a rash vow to offer as a burnt offering whatever first greeted him when he returned home from his victory. (Judges 11:29-40) He had to keep his vow, though it was his only daughter, yet this violated Scripture. Unger's Bible Dictionary says the "and" in v. 31 should be translated "or", so that his daughter could "be YHWH's OR offered". (p. 568; it was translated like this in Lev. 27:28 and 1 Samuel 14:24, 25.) In other words, she would be devoted to a life of celibacy, ministering to YHWH. It was considered a sin to be deliberately childless, but some unmarried women did become Nazirites; Anna was one after she was widowed (Luke 2:37) Exodus 38:8 speaks of the "women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle", to engage in such service. The term lethanot, translated to "bewail/lament" her virginity could also be translated "celebrate", since this did represent a highly significant level of devotion. The Levites were like this—not celibate, but wholly devoted to YHWH. They received no inheritance, and they ministered to YHWH "in place of all the firstborn of Israel", which would otherwise have been devoted to YHWH for such service (Numbers 8:16-18).
Abraham bound Isaac as a sacrifice as well—called the akkedah, which is considered by Jews to be one of the most important passages in Scripture (Genesis 22; Acts 7). He was to be offered as an olah, a "whole burnt offering". Tradition says Isaac was 37 when this took place. Then Abraham saw a ram in the thicket akherit ("behind him"—but it can also mean "later in time"). The thicket is taken to represent the sins of the people. Yet YHWH doesn't allow human sacrifice. Numbers 3:12-13 tells us how children were to be treated. The first command given to mankind by YHWH was, "be fruitful and multiply".
The birthright is the right of inheritance, in terms of authority. When the father dies, the eldest son becomes the head of the household, and receives double the inheritance of the other children, unless something happens to him that removes his rights; then it passes to his second son. The firstborn's rights went to Judah (the line through whom Yeshua came), because his three older brothers lost their rights for various reasons.
All of mankind can be represented by two men, Adam and Yeshua. Adam was the firstborn, but lost his birthright because he breached the agreement by sinning. Yeshua, like Adam, was called the Son of God, and so He was the "younger brother". He accomplished what Adam should have originally done, so He merited the birthright.
In the case of twins, the one whose head appears first is considered the elder, because the head "crowns". We see twins born in the cases of Cain and Abel, Esav and Ya'akov, and Peretz and Zerah. When Peretz and Zerah were born (Genesis 38:27-30), Zerah put out his arm (yad=hand, but includes the arm to the shoulder) first, but drew it back, and then Peretz was born first. Zerah's name is related to zeroah (an arm), a symbol of the Messiah. "To whom has the Zeroah of YHWH been revealed?" (Isaiah 53:1) Peretz comes from poretz, which means "to break forth".
Related to the "arm" is the Messianic term tzemach ("branch"). In 2 Samuel 13-17 we see the births of David's sons. Amnon is the firstborn, like Adam. The next is Av-Shalom (Absalom). Av-shalom's sister Tamar ("date palm tree") is raped by their half-brother Amnon. Two years later, Av-Shalom killed Amnon. Av-Shalom's name "father of peace" is a picture of Satan, the liar, who was a murderer from the beginning.). Again six years later, Absalom revolted against David. Absalom made Amasa captain. Amasa was the son of a woman named Nahash ("serpent"). Av-Shalom had long hair, a picture of the counterfeit end-times Messiah who is worshipped for his beauty, unlike the true Messiah who "had no form or comeliness that we should desire Him." Av-Shalom's demise comes when his pride, his hair, is caught in a tree branch (zamakh, a symbol of the true Messiah, who will defeat the false Messiah in the end).
Here, too, we see reference to "birthing stools". In Mesopotamia, women in labor crouched over benches made of bricks and stones. In Egypt, they were called mishnat. There is an opening in the bench, and the midwife crouches in front of it and catches the baby as it is born. This is why there are so many references to children being born on someone's knees (e.g., Gen. 30:3). This terminology is used of adoption as well, in the case of primary wives who couldn't have children (llike Sarah and Rachel) so whose handmaids had children "for" them. Joseph, when showing his sons to his father, "brought them out from between his knees" in order to bless them (Gen. 48:12). He also saw his son Ephraim's children, and they were "brought up on his knees" (Gen. 50:23). This means he adopted them and raised them as his own. Job asked, "Why did the knees receive me?" (3:12) because his life was so bitter. In other words, "Why was I ever born?"
Why the eighth day? The body doesn't produce enough vitamin K for the blood to coagulate quickly until the eighth day. But YHWH designed it this way for a reason. He wanted it to be an eschatological picture as well. The 6 days of creation symbolize the 6,000 years of labor ("a day is as a thousand years", Psalm 90; 2 Peter 3:8-10; Epistle of Barnabas), and the Sabbath symbolizes the Millennium of rest to follow. The feast of Sukkoth (the seventh festival) pictures this even more vividly, as it lasts seven days. But the eighth day (Shemini Atzeret, or the "eighth conclusion") is a special one because it symbolizes a new beginning after the cycle of seven is complete. The culture of Israel ties its festivals together with its covenants with YHWH and with eschatology.
The "eighth day" in the cycle of millennia is not a millennium after all, but a new creation, an eternal one. It is called the Olam haBa, the "coming age" or "world to come". Hebrews 6:5 speaks of those who have the Holy Spirit as "tasting the powers of the world to come". Death is swallowed up in victory, there is no more sin, and everything is restored back to YHWH. Jewish children begin to be taught about such things from right after their birth! YHWH said that circumcision is given as an "everlasting covenant".
The child is circumcised on the eighth day to speak of a "new beginning", a new covenant. Peter tells us that this is why there were 8 persons on the ark of Noah, symbolizing this new beginning, and he relates this to baptism, which bears the same symbolism (1 Peter 3:20-21; 2 Peter 2:5).
Strangers (gerim) born in a Jewish household were also to be circumcised. If not, they were karet (cut off, meaning cast out of the community or else slain). Pagan Gentiles who want to marry Israelites had to be circumcised (Gen. 34). Israel is a set-apart people, chosen for a task, and it is a reproach to them to give their daughters to uncircumcised men. But they could become Israelites by being circumcised and going through a ritual washing.
Moses had three periods of 40 years in his life. In the first, he was a prince in Egypt. He was called by YHWH, and he knew it, but he was not yet sent. He jumped the gun, and had to spend the next 40 years as a "nothing" on the backside of the desert. He lived in Midian, and apparently he turned away from YHWH, because he married the daughter of a pagan priest of Midian, who were known for their vile (orgiastic) worship of Ba'al. Later Moses came back to YHWH as the chosen deliverer, but he had to divorce his wife. (Ex. 18:2) He sent her back to her father, because she had not been in agreement with Moses circumcising his son, which almost cost Moses his life. He was almost cut off for not obeying in this covenant sign.
To eat the lamb at Pesakh (Passover), one must be circumcised. One who was not circumcised could eat any other part of the meal--maror (bitter herbs), matzah, etc. Jews were not allowed to marry non-Jews who did not convert (the sign of which, for the males, is circumcision). It is a shame to them (Ezekiel 32:30). It is ruled to be an invalid marriage.
The concept of circumcision also applies to other things: Leviticus, the first book taught to children, teaches that the fruit of a tree for the first three years was considered "uncircumcised", then after that it was holy, for the priests, and after that acceptable for other Israelites to eat.
Ya'aqov (Jacob) means "supplanter", "conniver", or "fink"! He grabbed Esau's heel at his birth, and displaced him by deceit later in life. But it was changed to Yisra'El—"a prince with Elohim"—after he lost the wrestling match.
The name he gave to the place was also significant: PeniEl, or "the face of Elohim." His twelve sons became the heads of twelve tribes. Each of them was called a zekan—an elder (literally, a bearded one!). The structure YHWH gave was to remain the same when the mishpochah became a kingdom. The names of the original "children of Israel" have significance:
When Tamar bore twins to Yehudah, it was important for them to know which one was born first. (Gen. 38:29) One's arm broke forth first, and he was called Peretz ("the breaker-through"), but they tied a scarlet cord around his wrist, and when the double-birth was over, his brother was said to have been born first, because the first one who sees the light of day is said to be born first (and that was Zarah).
Children were also named according to historical happenings. After Eli died, his daughter named her newborn son Ichabod ("the glory has departed"), 1 Samuel 4:21).
Children were also given prophetic names. Hosea's son Yezreel means "Elohim has planted" (Hosea 1:4-5), and YHWH tied this with the breaking of the bow of Israel at Megiddo, because of what Jehu had done in the Valley of Jezreel, which opens up through a narrow pass in the Carmel Mountains near Megiddo. (See 2 Kings 9)
Hosea's daughters were Lo-Ammi ("not my people") and Lo-Ruhamah ("not having received mercy" or "no longer merciful"), because YHWH was divorcing Israel. He had no more patience for their sins. (But because He divorced her during the betrothal stage, He could remarry her later; this was not the case if a wife was divorced after the consummation.) But in the Day of YHWH (of which the 7-year "tribulation" is the first part), YHWH will "hear the heavens" and will again call her "My people". (Hosea 1:21-23)
Isaiah's children also had prophetic names:
Fathers and elders are commanded to teach the Torah's divine commands to their sons and grandsons, as well as the national history of Israel, especially Passover (Exodus 10:2; 13:8; Deut. 2:7; 32:46). When the children asked about certain monuments and rituals, they were to use this occasion to relate YHWH's works (Deut. 4:9; 6:7, 20) At such times, they were to talk only about YHWH; no secular subjects (although learning a trade, etc., was all related to YHWH too—it kept one from disobeying His command not to steal).
Children were taught the book of Leviticus (the center and heart of the Torah) by the time they were 5 years old. They were to be conversant in all the Scriptures by age 10, and then they began to be instructed in its applications, to be finished by the time of Bar/Bat Mitzvah at age 13.
Da'at means knowledge (Prov. 20:15). Parents are to discipline their children with the shevet ("rod", but also the staff of a shepherd or king), for it drives foolishness away from them (Prov. 13:24; 22:15; 29:15-17). Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft in YHWH's eyes. He describes His own chastening in terms of a father's (Deut. 8:5; 2 Sam. 7:14; Prov. 3:12), so we know it was the common practice.
A synonym is hoq, a decree, which denotes a scroll containing those prophecies which would be fulfilled in that particular king’s day.
This scroll also contains some names and titles given by YHWH to that king. We see it in Psalm 2 and in Revelation 5, when it is presented to the Messiah at His coronation (in context of a Rosh haShanah passage in Rev. 4) after no one else in heaven or earth was found worthy to open its seals. Daniel 7:13 mentions that the Son of Man receives the scroll, bracelet, and signet ring from the Ancient of Days. So the edut is related to prophecy. ("The testimony/edut of Y'shua is the spirit of prophecy", Rev. 19:10. This is the context and key to understanding the book of Revelation: the coronation of the Messiah-King.)
Priests may not marry any non-virgin except the widow of another priest; no divorcees. (Lev. 21:7) Levites also may not marry outside their tribe. Other women in Israel can marry into another tribe unless they have an inheritance since they have no brothers. (Num. 36)
Betrothal and Wedding Ceremonies
(1st stage) Betrothal (aras)
Both bride and groom would wear white. The bride wore a crown of gold, and the groom a garland of olive branches that is placed on him by his mother. (Song of Songs 3:11) He is “on display” before the other women.
Levirate Marriage
In order for a divorce to ever take place, the groom must give her the get (bill of divorce) by hand before the kiddushin. We see the two stages of marriage in biblical phrases such as "When a man takes a wife [betroths himself to her] and marries her [the full marriage]". If she had a get, she was free to remarry, but could never then marry the original husband again, unless they had been only in the first stage of marriage when they were divorced.
Raising of Children
To not have children (by choice) was considered equivalent to murder. Sons were more sought after than daughters, because you had to feed either one, but sons could do more physically for the household. Until they married, there was little return for daughters.
Birth of a child
Birthpangs in Hebrew are called khevlim, and this term is used very often in Scripture to refer to the time just before the Messiah comes. In Herbrew terminology, the seventh (sabbath) millennium begins with a specific 7-year period (mentioned 50 or 60 times in the Tanakh) called the "Birthpains of the Messiah".
Birthrights
The firstborn is dedicated to YHWH. (Ex. 13:11-15) They were to be redeemed with a sacrificial animal (Ex. 34:20), not sacrificed to Molech (Lev. 20:2-5). Molech was a hollow image made of brass shaped like a human body or an ox's head. It was heated by a fire within it until it glowed red, then children were laid in its red-hot arms while music drowned out their cries. This was done on a bamah ("high place") in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom (Ge-Henna in Greek). One of the kings destroyed it and made it a trash heap because a place used for such vile acts was not worthy to have anything else built there. Trash was burned there and it became a prototype of hell, "where the worm does not die, and the fires do not go out day or night."
The Birthing Process
In the account of Pharaoh's slaying of the firstborn, the excuse the midwives gave Pharaoh of why they did not kill the baby Hebrew boys was that they were born quickly; i.e., the women walking more closely with God had an easier labor. (Ex. 19) This may refer back to the curse of having greater difficulty in labor given in Genesis 3:16.
Circumcision (Gen. 17; Lev. 12:3)
This symbolizes the fuller covenant (b'rith) which would also be sealed by blood. (See Clay Trumbull's book, The Blood Covenant.)
Naming
Names had significance back then, unlike our day when we simply give children names that we like the sound of. Moshe means "drawn out", because that's how he was delivered. He then drew the rest of the nation out of Egypt. YHWH told him, "I have known you by name." (Ex. 33:17) In other words, He endorsed Moses, and His power went with him. YHWH revealed His name to Moses at Sinai. (Incidentally, "I am that I am" is not possible to say in Hebrew; the words Ekhyeh asher ekhyeh translate more like "I will be what I will be." The meaning is something like "The same yesterday, today, and forever." Moses' son's name (Gershom) has to do with his being a ger, a foreigner, at that time.
Rachel's children were also prophecies about the Messiah:
Usually the mother named the children, but as we see, Jacob changed the name given by Rachel (Ben-Oni) to Benjamin. People were often able to have more than one name. Jacob's name was changed (Genesis 32). One's name was tied with his authority and power. (Hosea 12:4 ties this power he had over the angel to the reason his name was changed.) That's why Y'shua told us to pray in His name: it is an appeal to His authority.
Then, of course, there is Immanuel—"Elohim is with us" (7:14). This one has THREE fulfillments! In the immediate context, the northern kingdom had attacked Judah, and YHWH told King Ahaz to ask Him for a sign that His promises would come true. He declined, "not wanting to test YHWH". So YHWH offered His own sign. An almah would bring forth a son, and certain things would happen to him. The first point of reference was to Ahaz's own day, since the "young woman" was Isaiah's wife (8:2-10). But the word almah can mean either a "virtuous young woman" or "a virgin", so the name Immanuel was most completely fulfilled in Y'shua, Israel's Messiah, who showed us the Father by His own life. In fact, the Greek LXX (Septuagint) translates the word as parthenos, or "virgin", and that was several hundred years before Y'shua was born. But the third reference derives from the fact that a few verses later (7:18, 23) YHWH says "It shall come to pass in that day...", which is always a prophetic reference to the day of YHWH, when the "code-name Assyria", which Ezekiel 38:17 leads us to realize is the same as Gog and Magog, will come up against Israel, and Israel will then see that YHWH is indeed with them and accept Y'shua as Messiah.
Education of Children
Children were raised by their mothers (e.g. 2 Samuel 4:4). They The nobility also had nurses (as seen in the case of Jonathan's son Mephibosheth). Boys and girls played in the streets (Zech. 8:5; Matt. 11:16). They are commanded not to forsake the instruction of their father and mother (Prov. 1:8; 6:20. King Lemuel passed on what his mother had taught him (Prov. 31:1).
Coronation of the King
The edut (2 Kings 11:2) is a scroll that was given to each king. A related word is used in 2 Samuel 1:5 of a bracelet that was presented to a king at his coronation.