HEBREW WORD STUDY – MADE – ASAH – עשה  Ayin Sine Hei

Psalm 121:2 My help [cometh] from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

The difficulty of translating the Hebrew into English is that many times you cannot translate a Hebrew word into English with just one English word. To keep the Bible as readable they must decide on the best English word. Sometimes, you need to insert a word, such as a verb, to make it readable in English.  In English, we need a verb to make a sentence, in Hebrew you don’t. Unfortunately, the result is that there are a lot of alternative and secondary understandings that get lost.

For instance in Psalms 121:2 we learn that our help comes from the Lord.  However, the word comes boa’ is not found in the text. It is just the translator’s opinion that the English word comes expresses the writer’s intent.  The passage literally should read “My help from the Lord.”  Well, that is no big deal, it means the same as comes does it not?  It is just in English we need a verb was in Hebrew you do not.  So translators put in a verb. But it doesn’t change the meaning any does it? Yes and no. Why not use a verb like “is?”  My help is from the Lord. If you use the verb “come” it creates a picture that help is on its way, God sends it out special delivery, possibly overnight delivery but still that word “comes” suggest a waiting period.  Whereas, if we use the verb “is,” the text will read: “My help is from the Lord,” then you already have that help. In this way you have that help safely tucked away so when the time comes, there is no waiting period?   

But let’s examine this preposition “from.”  It is the word in Hebrew me’im which are two prepositions in one, “with” and “from.”  Of course, we cannot really say: “My help comes with the Lord.”  That really sounds awkward like help and Lord are a package deal. If you get the Lord you get help as an added bonus.  But you already have the Lord and having the Lord means you have the help of the Lord. What we are saying with the word me’im is that my help is with the Lord and from the Lord. I am not saying it is wrong to use the verb  “come” it can fit the context it just still suggest a waiting period. 

But when we look at that word “made,” we have a stronger case for inserting the verb “come.” The word made in the Hebrew here is ‘oseh which is in a participial form. It has the idea of doing or working for someone.  As a participle you would render this word made as making, doing or working.  In English that is present tense.  In fact, Jewish literature calls it a present tense even though there are no tenses in Hebrew, there is in English and when you transpose a Hebrew word that is a participle it will translate out as a present tense. The Lord is making the heavens and the earth.  When a baby is born God did not create it, He made it from the stuff He made the parents out of who was made from the stuff that He created.

The word ‘oseh comes from the root word ‘asah which does not mean to create.  But did God not bara’ create the heavens and the earth.  Why does the writer use the word made rather than create? Because He is just upgrading His creation, not recreating it.  He is using the same stuff He created, just renewing the original stuff.  Being a participle this means the making process is ongoing.  He is working with what he created and is continually renewing the heavens and the earth. He did not wind the earth up like a clock and let her go.  The heavens and the earth are a work in progress. All life on earth begins and ends and is renewed. 

Thus, perhaps we really should keep that verb as “come” rather than “is.”  For you see our help comes from and with the Lord as we are a work in progress. It is sort of like my computer, I Pad or phone. I am continually getting notices of an upgrade. The upgrade not only improves my computer, it removes a lot of the bugs and kinks that enter into it causing it to degrade.  

This is likely the idea the writer has that the help God is sending to us upgrades.  He continued working through all those bugs and kinks that come into our lives causing us to degrade.  God is continually doing maintenance on us so that when trouble comes we are fully prepared.

But soft, get this.  What is God renewing, that which we were born with?  Note what Paul says in II Corinthians  5:17: “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.”  Creature? Who wants to be a creature.  The word in Aramaic is berisha which has the same meaning as the Greek word used ktisis which means creation.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are not refurbished, rebuilt or fixed up with used parts.  We become a brand new creation.