‘Walk’ in Hebrew, which is also the word translated ‘go’, more deeply means ‘strive towards (a) goal’.
The Greek word for walk, peripateo, according to a Greek concordance, is used 49 times not pertaining to physical walking.
32 of those are by Paul. Not surprising; why? ‘Walk’ was a particular focus of the Pharisees. As we’ve repeatedly pointed out, Paul very much remained a Pharisee cf. esp. Acts 23:6. The Pharisees based their use of ‘walk’ from the Hebrew Bible.
In fact, what would we would call in English Jewish ritual law is literally a form of the Hebrew word ‘walk’.
Paul uses peripateo ‘walk’ very much as a Pharisee would. In some of his Letters. Paul literally speaks of walking referring to spiritual life. Unfortunately, this is missed in English because it’s translated ‘life’. In fairness, this is perhaps because translators may feel people would think Paul is talking about physical walking.
On the other hand, unfortunately Western Tradition translators have no qualms about translating the Text to fit the Western System.
Had Paul meant to speak of life rather than walk then in those instances he would have used one of the two Greek words for life. ‘Bios’ for physical life or ‘zoe’ for life in general.
When Paul uses peripateo, he talks about an active spiritual life. That is what the original hearers of his Letters heard!
I don’t think it’s happenstance that Paul uses this 32 times. Why? 32 happens to be the number value of the Hebrew word ‘heart’. We spiritually walk based on a heart in which Mashiach lives and we are empowered by the Ruach Hakodesh.
The notion of spiritual walking of course is brought to mind by the well-known verse “…we walk by steadfast trustworthiness, not sight”.
I used to find it ironic when I ran into so much opposition in the Buildings about “all that Hebrew Jewish stuff”. Ironic because we hear so much about the “Christian walk”.
Sometimes when I ran into opposition and questions about “where are we going with all this Hebrew Jewish stuff”, I would point out that their Christian walk was entirely Hebrew Bible, Hebrew, Jewish, and even Pharisee based!
Lastly for here. Unfortunately, the idea of the Christian walk in Western Tradition seems to be one largely of an individualistic devotional. That is not what Paul had in mind! As we’ve repeatedly repeated: 63% of the uses of ‘you’ in the Greek text are ‘you’ plural not ‘you’ singular.
There are 865 uses in Greek of what’s translated ‘we’, ‘us’, or ‘our’.
Further, one of the hallmarks of Greek is (being) passive. Yet obviously when we physically walk we’re not being passive, we are active!
How much more so then should our spiritual walk together in love be active!
We have much more teaching about walk on the website. You can find it in the third of our eight teaching windows, The Deeper Hebrew & Jewish Basis of the Bible form A-Z. Simply scroll down to the letter W.
We always very much need and covet your material support of our work, as we covet the blessings for you that our wonderful LORD bestows upon those who bless the Jew and Jewish Brother, as Scripture is abundantly clear.
Praise God, thanks so very much for your prayers and material support! May you and yours have a very blessed weekend, in Yeshua’ s name!
Please also pray for the spiritual warfare dynamic that has caused me financial pain. And for the individual I fear has run into negative influence, that we will be able to rescue them from their situation (Jacob 5:19-20).
Please remember, if you or anyone is in need of prayer simply go to the website, go to Contact Us, scroll down to the direct email message link.
I’m always humbled to include those prayers with my traditional Hebrew prayers, and to afford your request on to others if you’d like. Again, email addresses are always kept strictly confidentially. Full names in prayer request emails are not used without your express permission.
Jacob
Gen. 12:3 Rom.15:27 3 Yochanon 5-8