Word Study: IRRITANTS שׁנאיאיבי

WORD STUDY – IRRITANTS SONEI OYEV שׁנאיאיבי
Numbers 10:35: “And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: Rise up Lord and let your enemies be scattered and let them that hate you flee before you.”

Those who will flee from the presence of God are his enemies which in the Hebrew is oyeu and those who hate him, are sonei. But in their Semitic roots oyeu is not necessarily an enemy as we understand enemies and sonei is not necessarily hate as we understand hate. The Talmud teaches that oyev really refers to an enemy who masquerades as a friend or lover. When Moses speaks of this enemy of God he is referring to those who pretend to be lovers of God, religious, pious, servants of God but really have a personal agenda and by pretending to serve Him and love Him they are seeking to enhance their own well being whether it be riches, honor or fame. The word sonei rendered as hate really means a briar or an irritant. We find God usually destroys His enemies and haters, but here he scatters them. You see when the presence of God arises these oyeu and sonei are seen for the phonies they are and sort of scatter and flee or disappear from sight.