Archives: FAQs
27. How do I find the Hebrew word for an English word in my Bible?
26. Why do different English Bible translations have different English words for the same Hebrew word?
25. What is meant by Context, Context, Context?
The first concern one should have in understanding a language is the context in which the writer wrote the word and in which the reader or hearer received the word. To assume that the meaning of a word used 2500 years ago, in a cultural setting that was nomadic and agrarian, would have the same meaning as it does today in a modern urban setting would be short sighted at best. It has been said that a text taken out of context is simply a pretext! The same holds true for a text taken in a context that didn’t even exist at its writing.
The first rule of discovery in Ancient /Paleo Hebrew is Context, Context, and Context.
24. What is the difference in phonetic learning and pictographic learning of languages?
As an example, the English language is learned phonetically. For instance, when we see the word “cat” in English we put together the sounds of each letter for the word that helps us envision a small furry animal that is our pet. The “c” has no meaning by itself, nor does the “a”, or the “t”.
Not so in the Paleo Hebrew pictographic learning. Each picture letter in a word has a meaning that would be easily recognizable by an ancient Bedouin. The sum of the meanings of the letters would reveal the meaning of the word.
Our website has videos and worksheets explaining how to break down and understand different words to assist in understanding the process.
23. What is the difference in a definition vs a functional meaning?
A definition is the generally accepted meaning(s) of a word based on the general usage of that word. This can apply to pictorially based words as well as phonetically based words. The functional meaning of a word is that perspective that the word projects based on the combining of the pictographs that comprise the word with the context within which the word is used. Functional meaning is based on the physical message of a person, place, thing, or action each letter projects and can therefore not only speak to a natural meaning but to a spiritual principle or precept as well.
22. How does Culture affect the understanding of the Hebrew language?
21. Can’t someone shanghai a Paleo Hebrew word meaning and say it means just about anything they want?
20. How do you get more meaning out of Paleo Hebrew compared to Modern Hebrew? – Why does Paleo Hebrew give a different meaning than Modern Hebrew in many cases?
Rather than pursue a different or more accurate definition or a deeper or mystical meaning of a Hebrew word, Paleo / Ancient Hebrew’s greatest asset is to assist the student in more clearly determining the “functional meaning” of the word. The scriptural principle that enhances this process is that, first comes the natural and then comes the spiritual. In other words, once the natural message(s) of the individual pictograph is known then the “functional meaning” of that word picture finds its value. This process is interdependent on the reader knowing the message conveyed by the individual pictographs in their cultural context. In contrast, English as well as most Western language systems are phonetic in design using a memory system of shapes and sounds to form words that are phonetically memorized but have little if any embedded meaning in the individual letters. An excellent example of these differences is found in the word “dog”. In English D – o – g is simply three individual shapes with no inherent meaning. In Ancient / Paleo pictographs, the Hebrew for dog is K – l – b, or Kalev. Its functional meaning is “all heart”. Anyone that has spent time with “man’s best friend” knows that a dog’s nature is “all heart”!
Additionally, it should be noted that the growth of Modern Hebrew, dictated by the need for new words with no Biblical background, has accelerated the pressure to use phonetic practices to create new Hebrew words without the underlying meanings prevalent in Ancient / Paleo Hebrew.
19. Since many of the letters have multiple meanings, how do you determine which to use?
18. Where can I find more information about Hebrew pictographic letters, like books or websites or videos?
17. Are there any ancient documents that were written in Paleo Hebrew?
- The Zayit Stone contains the earliest known inscription in the Paleo-Hebrew script and has been dated to the 10th Century BC. While not technically a document, it is inscribed with a complete abecedary, basically a listing of the letters of the alphabet.
- The Siloam Inscription, 8th Century BC, indicates that King Hezekiah closed up the waters of the Gihon Springs and had the water diverted through an underground tunnel to the Pool of Siloam. The inscription records the construction of the tunnel.
- Another find is the Ketef Hinnom scrolls. These two tiny silver scrolls (about 1 inch long) were found in burial caves. It took experts three years to unroll and discover the priestly blessing in Paleo Hebrew. The scrolls are believed to pre-date the Dead Sea scrolls by about four centuries.
- The Samaritans of Israel still use a unique form of Paleo Hebrew in their religious and worship practices.
Additionally, scores of archaeological finds in recent times depict Paleo Hebrew inscriptions. These include pottery, jewelry, cave inscriptions, and architectural engravings to name a few.
The explanations and products on our website occasionally use some of the regional variants that help demonstrate the functional meanings of the words depicted.
16. Is Paleo Hebrew harder to learn than Modern?
15. Why are there different depictions of Paleo Hebrew?
The earliest Paleo Hebrew inscriptions dated about 1450BC. Until recently it was assumed that the Hebrews had acquired the knowledge of an Aleph Bert from Phoenician alphabet carvings. However, modern archeology has provided evidence that the Hebrews in Egypt devised the world’s first Aleph Bet and carried that knowledge to Canaan on their sojourn. Over the next several hundred years, regional characteristics began to separate the script into different national alphabets (all within 100-200 miles), including Israelite, Samaritan, Moabite, Edomite, Phoenician, and Old Aramaic. Even within those smaller regions, the script also changed due to the writing medium changes, i.e. chiseled stone, clay, papyrus, etc.
The explanations and products on our website occasionally use some of the regional variants that help demonstrate the functional meanings of the words depicted.