Praise God we are very excited in offering you what we hope honors the LORD, His Son Yeshua, and educates, equips, and encourages you! How?
Directly from the incredibly rich, deep, and unmatched Hebrew and often Hebraic & Jewish Koine “Common” Greek Bible text!
As well as including for you the historical & cultural setting and the context of the Text. This is always extremely “key” for both properly understanding and applying the Text to those around us – and our own lives!
In short, in Romans 15:20 (a verse I’ve always tried to keep in mind in teaching), Paul writes the Romans from Corinth (in Greece, south of Athens). Paul hoped to pass through Rome on his way west to Spain. Paul would not stop in Rome to proclaim the Good News of Yeshua, since other Jewish brothers were already doing so!
Speaking of brothers; did you know there are 370 uses in Greek of forms of adelphoi/adelphos “brothers” (including of course sisters); yet only three uses of Xristianos “Christians”? Did you know Paul uses forms of brothers or sisters between 125 and 150 times? Did you know Paul never uses “Xristianos” – period? Never calls himself that nor anyone else. (Paul also never uses in Greek, “tithe”, “doctrine”, or “convert/conversion”).
Would I (your Jewish brother Jacob) really benefit you, if I merely teach you about the same things already taught; and especially as the majority of good-hearted Bible teachers do, who teach from English – rather than Hebrew or Greek?
By learning together from the original languages, we learn uniquely deep insights and truth – and the most accurate and authentic Message given to us! Plus – as I hope you’ll learn below, learning from the Bible’s original languages of Hebrew & Koine Greek (with a few chapters in Hebrew’s very close sister language Aramaic), clears up many many misunderstandings – and thus misapplications – of Scripture!
What are the Bible’s Actual Languages? Why They’re So Important!
We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out quickly that the Koine Greek of the Renewed Covenant Scriptures – a much more accurate name than “New Testament”, as we explain in our teaching – is different than that of the classics and Greek philosophers’ Attic Greek.
Koine Greek frequently contains Hebraic thought expressed in KG (my shorthand for Koine Greek), Hebraic type expressions, and Jewish thinking and expression. Most especially so in Yochanon’s writings and Revelation, and the Gospels; as well as Paul. Hebraic and very Jewish understanding, thinking, and expression is naturally found throughout the words and teaching of our wonderful Yeshua!
Speaking the truth in love, the expression “it loses something in the translation” is never more true than when it comes to the Hebrew of the Bible!
Although done with the best of intentions, the Bible is far far far too often taught as though the Bible was actually originally given to us in English.
This results in everyone in the Bible – most especially perhaps Yeshua – coming across as though English was their native language and the lived in the 19th-century American Bible Belt. This is no more accurate – or authentic (!) – than portraying William Shakespeare as an Orthodox Jew who lived in Jerusalem,and wrote Hamlet in Hebrew!
Teaching and learning from the original languages – and including the historical cultural context of Scripture also (!), would prevent disagreements that result in splintering the Body of Yeshua!
A Very Key Reason Why Teaching from the Original Languages is So Very Important
One very key way is that using the KG (again, my shorthand for Koine Greek) text shows us that 63% of the uses of “you” are plural. A KG concordance shows us there are 778 more uses of “you” plural – than “you” singular. Did you know that? Have you ever heard that?
This demonstrates – as do the 865 uses of “we us our” in KG – that the actual Biblical message is a “we” message – not the typically taught “me” message! Did you know that? Have you been taught that?
A Greek concordance also shows us that 9 of the 10 uses of God (as) Savior are Savior of we/us.
In short; while followers of Yeshua are overwhelmingly taught a “me” message, the original languages very clearly show us that Yeshua’s model – and that of the Bible as a whole – is really a “we” model!
Why We Learn Scripture Together from the Hebrew & Koine “Common” Greek
A Very Key Example from the Good News – Mattiyahu “Matthew” 5:17 – Yeshua and the Torah
Mt. 5:17 is of course part of Mt. 5-7:28. It is typically referred to as The Sermon on the Mount. We refer to it though by what we feel is the much more accurate term The Teaching on the Hill. First century Jewish teachers – including Yeshua – did not give “sermons” in the modern connotation of that word.
In Mt. 5:17, many think when Yeshua says he is not come to destroy the Torah or the Prophets but to fulfill, that he is somehow, God forbid, ending the Torah – rather than filling it full. That Yeshua “fills full” is clearly seen from what he particularly illuminates in Mt. 5:18-7:28.
In the historical cultural context of Yeshua’s earthly world – first century Israel – not the 19th century American Bible Belt (!) – misinterpreting the Torah was seen as destroying it. Very clearly Yeshua does not – at all – misinterpret the Torah. Rather, he illuminates its highest and truest essence in Mt. 5-7:28.
As a quick but keynote: first century Jewish teachers also did not give the quantity of teaching material at one time, that is seen in these chapters. We must remember that Matityahu (Matthew’s original Hebrew name) writes under inspiration of the Ruach Hakodesh (the original Hebrew name of the Holy Spirit; we also explain the deeper meaning of the Hebrew in our teaching).
Scholars astutely and correctly believe that given the great illumination – and great significance – of these chapters, that Matityahu gathers together a number of teachings of Yeshua, into one place. That would be so they would be heard together.
Matityahu (“Matthew”) renders Yeshua’s Hebraic original in Koine Greek in Mt. 5:17 by a form of “pleroma” “fill”. Many unfortunately think of the translation “fulfill” in English terms. As though someone pursuing a license says, “I fulfilled all the requirements of the license so I no longer need to study for it”. I.e., “my time of studying for my license is now ended”.
This is not what Mattityahu records or means.
In Ephesians 3:19, we read that Paul says to the hearers of Ephesians to know the surpassing knowledge of the love of the Mashiach (Messiah; but with much greater meaning from Hebrew, that we explain in our teaching) in order that they would be filled. With the result being (KG “eis” used here to indicate purpose, result, place reached) specifically referring to the fullness of God.
Paul uses two different forms of “fullness” in Eph. 3:19. The first use is “filled”; the form gives an overall view without a reference to time, i.e., when. The form also indicates that “fulfilled” is subject to some condition or there is some uncertainty. Greek text commentators I think are correct by pointing out this is a prayer (or at least certainly a wish) by Paul for the hearers of the Letter; rather than a declarative statement.
The second use in Eph. 3:19 is “pleroma” “fullness”. Technical commentaries lay out a few possibilities of what exactly the fullness is of. It may well be the fullness of God’s love. The point is: it is a fullness of God; not something fulfilled, meaning God forbid ended!
Further and very quickly for here, Paul’s KG form at the end of Eph. 3:19 is “of the God”, used to indicate something absolute and placed at the end of the verse for emphasis.
In short, looking at the Greek text of Eph. 3:19 helps us to better understand what Matthew actually meant to communicate of Yeshua’s Hebraic original.
In Mt. 5:17 it is extremely important to keep the following in mind: What Matityahu (“Matthew”) renders in KG is originally by Yeshua in Hebrew or Aramaic.
I’ve seen many rightfully well-regarded evangelical scholars repeatedly make the same mistake; “JC says such and such in Greek”. They know – or should – know better! Ironically, I’ve never seen a scholar claim Yeshua’s first language was “KG”. A number of commentators in fact think Matityahu originally wrote in Hebrew – and later rendered his Hebrew Good News in a KG version.
On Yeshua and Paul being fundamentally and foundationally rooted in Hebrew: be sure to see Acts 26:14-15!
One question we must ask of course: If Yeshua (God forbid!) ends the Torah, why not say so? There’s two different Hebrew words Yeshua could have used for “end”. Shlomo (“Peace (of the) LORD” ” Solomon”) uses both of the two Hebrew words for “end” at the end of Kohelet “Preacher”. Kohelet is known to the world from its Greek-based name “Ecclesiastes”.
In Eccl. 12:12, Shlomo says “… making of many books (there is) no end”… (In Hebrew “none”). This is “end” as in English. However; in 12:13 he uses a different Hebrew word for “end”. This word “end” is used to refer to the final end of something. Shlomo uses the Hebrew word for “final end” regarding what he sees as the “final end” of what he’s considered throughout the Book.
This word for “final end” in 12:13 is used as a term of reverence for God by Orthodox/observing Jews. It is used in an expression that means God has “no end”. (In Hebrew “no” is literally “none”).
If Yeshua “ends” the Torah he could have – very easily – used either one of the two words “end” regarding his coming and the Torah and the Prophets, in Mt.5:17; yet he doesn’t!
Matityahu’s KG rendering of Yeshua’s Hebraic original also reflects and indicates that Yeshua says the following in Mt.5:17. Don’t even think it’s possible/worry that I came to destroy – “destroy” in the 1st-century Israeli context meant “misinterpreting” – the Torah and the Prophets….
Matityahu doesn’t record for us that Yeshua said he “ended” the Torah and the Prophets. Matityahu simply uses a KG form of the word “plero” “fulfill” for the Hebrew “fill”. His KG form indicates a one-time action without regard to when; and, the KG form also indicates here the “purpose”.
The purpose of Yeshua coming regarding the Torah and the Prophets in the wider context of what he illuminates in Mt 5-7, is the true, deeper meaning of the Torah – that he “fills full”!
The Wider Historical & Cultural Context
What later reverberated from Yeshua’s teaching in Mt.5:17 and beyond, was this. Acts – from start to finish (!) and in between – shows us that the Jewish Brothers (followers of Yeshua) all – without exception – including Paul – all – understood this: Yeshua instructed his fellow Jews to continue to more deeply in Hebrew, “safeguard by observing, protect; distance from danger”, the Torah, as followers of him. Cf. Acts 3, 18:18, 21:20-26, 28:17 et al.!
Acts 21:20 – in KG – in short shows us that tens of thousands of Jewish followers, continued to have a great zeal for the Torah!
The Jewish Brothers (followers of Yeshua) would not merely continue to observe the Torah as they had prior to coming to their Jewish Mashiach (Messiah; we explain this much more deeply in our teaching). They would now – and filled with the Ruach Hakodesh (original Hebrew name of the Holy Spirit, as we also explain in our teaching) – be empowered to “be and do” the deeper illumination of the true essence and substance of the Torah, that the Master illuminates in Mt. 5-7:28.
It is the true essence and substance of the Torah as illuminated by the Mashiach in Mt. 5:1-7:28 – as well as elsewhere in Yeshua’s teaching – that will make Christians more Mashiach like followers of Yeshua! For Gentiles in particular those things are also – very much so – taught and emphasized by Paul, among others. Also esp. cf. 2 Pet. 1:3-11.
Yeshua does not God forbid, fulfill the Torah meaning end it, but rather fills it full, as Mt. 5:21-7:27 shows us! Cf. esp. Mt. 7:12 “the Golden Rule”, drawn and expressed positively from the earlier Jewish non-canonical book Tobit.
Lastly for here, we need to point out two other things. One is in looking at what Yeshua says in Mt. 5:18-20, that of course immediately follows v.17. What does Yeshua say in Mt. 5:18-20 – in context – originally speaking to his fellow Jews in his home area of the Galil (“Galilee”; the northern most part of Israel)?
Does Yeshua say – God forbid (!) – thus I have ended the Torah? We see just the opposite! In short for here: We also see Yeshua’s Hebrew approach in his teaching here. We point out in our teaching that Hebrew begins with the Universal, the big picture, and moves to concrete specifics.
That is exactly – exactly – what our wonderful Master Yeshua does. Mt. 5:17- 20 is the overarching big picture followed by the concrete specifics from Mt. 5:21 until the end, Mt. 7:28.
A quick but key side note: Paul takes exactly – exactly – the same Hebraic approach in Rom. 9-11. The second half of Romans is sometimes presented as “Paul the theologian in chpts. 9-11, followed by Paul the pastor from chpt. 12 on”.
That anachronistically revises and reads back into Paul post-Biblical Western Tradition; as when he’s called “the first Calvinist”. Unfortunately, Western Tradition, being largely uninformed or ignoring the overarching Hebrew and Jewish basis of things, misses the Hebrew heart and thinking of Paul! Cf. Acts 18:18, 21:21-26, 22:1-3, esp. 26:3; 28:17, etc. Cf. Rom. 7, 9:1-3, cf. 2 Cor. 11:22, Gal. 2:15, Phpns. 3:5 etc. etc.
Rom. 9-11 is Paul Hebraically giving the universal big picture about the Jewish People and Gentile followers. This is followed by the concrete specifics of Jew & Gentile followers in Rom. 12 and 14-15.
Rom. 13, incidentally, is a Pharisee/rabbinic type excursus to answer another subject, before returning to his main focus.
Finally regarding “filled”. In Ex. 28:3 the LORD tells Moshe to speak to those that in Hebrew, more deeply are “..(the) totality in an encompassing way wise of heart that positively going forward and summing everything up I filled (with a) spirit of wisdom”… In context this has to do with making garments for the (in simple English for here) High Priest Aharon (“Aaron”).
Did the LORD “fulfill” and thus bring their wisdom to an end? Obviously not! Those men who are going to make the garments were filled with wisdom. They were filled with wisdom for that purpose. Please be sure to also see Ex. 31:1-5, and v.6 regarding the LORD “filling” men with the wisdom and skill they will need for a particular function in serving Him!