ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – VIPERS – ‘AKIDNA’ אכדא

Matthew 3:7: “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers.

Poor John is so misunderstood. He is often portrayed as a wild, maniacal, doomsday prophet dressed in ill-fitted clothes, subsisting on bugs and robbing bee’s nest of wild honey. He comes into town looking like a wild man. Mothers hide their children and local residents run in terror.

Let me give you a different picture of the man John the Baptist. Let’s start with his clothing. It was not the clothing of a carelessly dressed crazy man.  His clothing was carefully chosen to convey a message. Clothing made of camel’s hair was the skin of the animal with the course, itchy, stingy, thorny hair of the camel removed.  He wore this garment, which no normal person would wear because it was visibly uncomfortable. He was showing his rebellion against the corrupt governmental and religious leaders who made their fortunes off the back of the common people causing them to live in poverty and suffering as if they were living in clothing covered with camel’s hair.  He ate locust and honey not because he was a wild man but because it was kosher (Leviticus 11:21-23) and to show he followed religious law. There is a small bird in the desert that flock together in such swarms that Bedouins call them locust and they are a food source for desert dwellers as they are easily caught. Alternatively, perhaps that is what John ate.

John the Baptist entered a town not as a mad man but as a champion of the people.  As people would gather around to hear the revolutionary message of this radical out to free them from the tyranny of those oppressing them they would see that leather girdle or belt. Suddenly their hero takes on a whole new meaning for that leather belt is a symbol not seen for many, many years in the land of Israel.  Mothers would tell their children of the days long past of men who entered towns wearing a leather belt, men who spoke from the heart of God, who prophesied of a coming day when justice would be meted out and the faithful to God would enter a new golden age. That leather belt was the symbol of a true prophet of God.

John’s message was a simple one.  In the Aramaic, it is the word tuwu which simply means to turn or return. In other words, if you have left your first love, your love for God then return to it.  If you have never loved God, then turn to Him and learn of His love. If you were baptized by John it was simply a declaration that you were committing your life to love the YHWH Elohim, Lord God, with all your heart, soul and might.

When John was baptizing there were some Pharisees and Sadducees who attended the event.  Pharisees were members of a religious order, as a Jesuit and Franciscan in the Catholic Church, some are priests and some are layman but all have committed their lives in a particular service to

Many Pharisees and Sadducees stood around an listened to John.  Not all were bad, they firmly believed they were helping mankind and they were doing a lot of good.  But there was a corrupt element causing many to give a sweeping consensus that all were bad.

It is these Pharisees and Sadducees that John called a generation or children of vipers. The word viper in the Aramaic is akidneh which is really a reference to a scorpion.  When a male scorpion mates it quickly dies and when the young scorpion is born it tears the body of the mother so that the mother dies. As a result, a baby scorpion is born into this world as an orphan without the guidance of a set of parents.  John was simply declaring that the Pharisees and Sadducees were orphans. Your parent Abraham died giving you birth and you have long lost his guidance. However, your real parent is YHWH Elohim, the Lord God. Your salvation is not based upon your relationship with Abraham but with the YHWH Elohim, the Lord God. John’s message was simply one word: “Tuwu.”  Turn or return to your loving parent YHWH Elohim and you will no longer be orphans without any guidance.