RUACH HAKODESH
THE HOLY SPIRIT – THE DEEPER MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEBREW NAME
The Hebrew name of the Holy Spirit, like that of the Hebrew Name LORD and the name Yeshua, yields us richness and treasures and deeper truth than that found in any other language!
We will very shortly give the meaning and then with the help of the Spirit, expand on this. First we would like to reiterate again, the great significance of a name in Hebrew.
That Name or name is not merely a way to refer to someone or something, nor is it merely a designation. Neither is it a way merely to distinguish one thing from another; say a Phillips head screw from a slotted screw.
Name again in Hebrew in short says something about the character and characteristics of someone. Their spiritual and intellectual focus and activity. In a sense, their “mission-function-purpose”.
We also cannot strongly enough reiterate and repeat again; names as well as most nouns in Hebrew, are derived mainly from verbs.
The significance of that again is not at all merely grammatical! It has to do with God communicating through understandable language – Hebrew – what seems to be a deep but obvious “key” to us.
What is being communicated? That as we explained and opened up we hope in our teaching about the Hebrew Name LORD, that He “Be” “Exist” “Cause To Exist”.
That again then, is that the LORD is active and to put it Hebraically, is actively active in sustaining the Universe and the totality of what it contains.
The obvious key is that one can merely look around themselves – or even just at them-self; and see this Truth. Are not the Universe and ourselves not in constant motion or active in some way? Obviously the Universe and we are.
Even while sleeping our body is not of course completely inactive – otherwise we could not live!
Only the things of Man’s invention or inanimate objects in nature are without motion or active. By motion we do not mean that something necessarily moves from one location to another. Rather, it is another way of saying there is action–activity taking place in some way.
As we hope we opened up on the name of the Master, Yeshua, his name too is derived from a Hebrew verb. The name Yeshua does not merely refer to nor is it a designation for “an object of faith”. That developed post-Biblically with the de facto rejection of Hebrew for Greek as we have repeatedly repeated. Rooting itself in Greek thought led to post-Biblical Western Tradition infusing, instilling, and inculcating into itself passive and position.
With the infusion also of the pagan approach to a divine savior figure came the loss eventually of the focus on the life, the words, the teaching, and the model of Yeshua for his followers.
The ancient pagan cults and religions had no focus or emphasis on godly conduct and ethical and moral behavior and integrity or actualizing in their lives, the character traits of their “savior”. In short, it was about getting the soul “saved” while allowing the body to indulge as it desired.
Scholars point out that only the post-Biblical and very popular Mithrais cult had any sense or emphasis on ethics, morals, and community.
The late very highly regarded evangelical scholar Krister Stendahl pointed out decades ago the following; that about 300 years after Yeshua, Gentile leadership and emerging Gentile Western Tradition shifted in a major way. This is according to Stendahl in his seminal book Paul Among Jew And Gentile.
It went from a focus-emphasis on the Gospel to a focus-emphasis on Paul’s Letters. What developed is what I (and some others it turns out!) call “Paulianity”. That is, a shift from focusing on the Gospel to focusing on Paul’s Letters. Thus, focusing on the life, words, and teaching of Paul – rather than Yeshua. Yeshua became constrained-reduced to an object of faith to be believed in. Also, in the Greek meaning, that of more of belief-idea-concept than Hebrew’s steadfastness.
With this sea change in Western Tradition and the instilling of the pagan savior model the only action-active-movement of the savior focused on was that of “saving”. Even that was constrained. In what way?
Again, with the Greek rooted approach it became about what is fixed and static, passive, and position.
The “there be” meaning to the name Yeshua, and to “grant vigorous existence” and “as much of the essence of God that Man can comprehend has been revealed”, went by the wayside.
We have pointed out elsewhere that in Mk. 12:28-34 vss. 28-30 especially, Yeshua illuminates what that “essence of God that Man can comprehend” is.
That recognizing and affirming that God is (in Hebrew) “…absolute compound oneness absolute one” Dt. 6:4 leads not to a “position about God”; but rather, to action.
What is that active-action-activity? Love! Love; not as a noun, not as an idea-concept; certainly not as a “theological position”.
The rabbis correctly and astutely point out that in Hebrew Dt. 6:5 is connected to the end of Dt. 6:4. How? Dt. 6:5 begins “And (our emphasis) love the LORD your God”.
The rabbis astutely and correctly go on to say then that recognition of the Oneness of the LORD leads not to a position – but rather to action-love.
We point out in our teaching that while many Christians are familiar with the KG term “agape” “love”, they really should be more familiar instead, with “agapeo”.
Agape is a noun; agapeo is a verb. Agapeo is found in the KG RCS Text about 2 dozen times more than the noun agape.
Thus, it would seem then that overall the Ruach Hakodesh inspires more use of verbal – active – uses of love than as a noun. (Or love as an idea-concept).
Yeshua in short in Yochanon 13-16 holds out love as an imperative. Not a “theological position” nor a “doctrinal statement” but rather “love – do it!” “Do it in a reciprocating way between yourselves!” “That is how the World will know you have given everything up to follow the life, the words, the teaching of the Teacher” cf. Yochanon 13:34-35 et al. (The deeper and original Hebrew 1st-century meaning of a “Taught One”, translated “disciple”).
What has the above to do with the meaning of the name Ruach Hakodesh? Quite a bit! How? The KG O Agios Pneuma and English’s Holy Spirit are basically nouns. Their meaning – unlike Hebrew – does not derive from verbs. Are we talking about merely grammatical technicalities? Not at all!
Then what is the significance – uniquely – to the Hebrew name Ruach Hakodesh?
The name Ruach Hakodesh is not merely a “Hebrew” or “culturally Jewish” way to refer to the Holy Spirit. It also – and this is the “key” – is not a title nor a name without the great meaning and significance of a name in Hebrew.
As we have repeatedly repeated name in Hebrew speaks of in short the spiritual and intellectual activity of someone. In a way also, their “essence” if you will. Also very much in a sense, one’s “mission-function-purpose”.
When it comes to the Divine we must of course avoid putting any sort of “constraints” on Who He Be (as we have explained; Hebrew has no word “is”. “Be” is the more accurate Hebrew regardless).
We must avoid “constraining” Who He Be by only what Man can understand, comprehend, or makes sense – in human terms or human limitations.
As a short aside, science will readily admit when it does not understand something, does not know why, or cannot explain something or why something works or functions as it does.
Science readily admits in certain areas that it is just beginning to learn of something. Science readily admits when there is either much unknown or much to learn about something.
Yet when it comes to the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe and the totality within it, Man and Science are often all too ready to “disbelieve”, scoff, or doubt. Doubting or scoffing or skepticism enters when Man-Science does not understand something about God, or when they do not understand why.
Most especially this occurs if/when things do not “make sense” – from Man’s very limited intellect or perspective!
Yet why then does Science not do the same with regard to the things of the Universe which Science cannot or cannot yet quantify, understand, or explain?
If one were to call themselves an agnostic or atheist so to speak when it comes to science, they would be considered a fool.
Yet agnosticism or atheism is perfectly “sensible” especially in the secular world.
While we are at it and speaking of the Ruach Hakodesh a verse of the Shine Forth – Songs of Praise (English “Psalms” from the Greek “Psalmois” “Songs”) comes to mind.
This verse is particularly appropriate because in short King David tells us (2 Saml. 23:1-2 v.2; cf. 1 Saml. 16:12-13 v.13) the following in the opening of Ps. 14. (Actually, as this is in the form of a Song, it is not a declarative statement nor a “theological” or philosophical statement; this is really given poetically).
“(A) withered (person) in his heart says no God”. We rendered it Hebraically as best we could. It is generally translated “A fool says in his heart there is no God.”
We rendered “withered” because the Hebrew translated “fool” is from the verb “wither”. In short this is not a “fool” in the sense of a clown; not at all! Rather, this is one whose heart has become withered. In Hebrew it is not “no God” but literally “none”.
This individual does not merely say – bad enough as it would be – “no in fact (there is) no God” but rather “none”. In short it seems to be a complete denial of even the possibility of God.
The “key” to note is that this is not on the basis of empirical observation or applying Western reason and logic and coming to an intellectual assessment.
We would be remiss though we do not wish to digress further, if we did not point out the following. What is translated and does mean the Flood in the Torah’s teaching on Noah’s Ark is also derived from the verb “wither”. It is very organically related to the verb.
In short the Flood is not merely or even primarily about the flood waters. The Flood is the result of the “withered” spiritual condition of Man found in Gen. 6.
Our Master Yeshua warned against denying or blaspheming the Ruach Hakodesh (Mt. 12:32, Lk 12:10, cf. Mk. 3:29). To say something negative about Yeshua would be bad enough. To blaspheme the Ruach Hakodesh is completely unforgivable Yeshua says!
We pointed out and opened up we hope in our essays on the Name of the LORD, and on the name Yeshua, that these (the Name, and the name) are rooted in Hebrew verbs. This again in short means that these reveal and communicate to us from the LORD, that what can and should be known is that “Be” “Exist” “Cause To Exist” and His Son Yeshua are active activeness, action, flow.
God is not “fixed and static”. As we have repeatedly repeated “fixed and static” is a hallmark of Greek thought and the polar opposite of Hebrew’s action-activity, flow, movement.
The “key” is that thus the name Ruach Hakodesh is also not a noun, not a fixed and static title; but rather a verb – indicating active activeness, action, flow, movement!
Christians unfortunately and tragically if given any Hebrew at all, are given what we call “Western Hebrew”. That is, that Hebrew in Western Tradition is generally seen as just another language or just another Semitic language. Basic and plain meanings are all that is put forth. Even – far too often – these are either inaccurate, less than accurate, or flat out wrong-incorrect!
Unfortunately, a knowledgeable Jewish brother could have at least a half time ministry – if not more – just correcting what is put forth not only from Hebrew, but also what is touted as “Judaism” or “Jewish” is far far too often flat out incorrect.
Far too many times we have heard things and said to ourselves “where did they get that from”??
In Hebrew in short the word Spirit comes before Holy. This is standard in Hebrew, that is the noun followed by the adjective. This is not to say again that the Spirit is a noun, “a thing”. In short where English or Greek is for example “the good man” Hebrew puts the adjective after the noun, thus the Hebrew is “man good”.
We say this because based on Hebrew we will explain and open up with the LORD’s help, the word Spirit first.
Ruach basically does mean “wind, breath, spirit. This is the same as the KG pneuma. Ruach though comes from a verb as one of the great 19th century Torah teachers and philologists correctly points out “force open space; spread”.
That he is right is seen from the Torah during one of its most seminal events. That is, the collective redemption of the Jewish People. Also in connectedness – the events that unfolded for them to walk on dry land, between the walls of the waters of the Reed Sea Ex. 14.
This with the LORD’s help we will now finally open up a bit in order to hopefully much more deeply, understand and apply the Spirit.
More to follow