ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – HUMILIATE – TSARAR צרר Sade, Resh, Resh

Numbers 25:16-18: “And the Lord said to Moses (17) Attack (Vex) the Midianites and strike them dead. (18) For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor.” NIV

Matthew 18:16: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

While preparing for our Torah Portion Study a few weeks ago I ran across a profound statement in the Midrash Rabbah: “The one who causes a man to sin is even worse than the one who kills him.”

In Exodus 15:9 we learn that the Egyptians and the Edomites advanced against the people of Israel with swords murdering them. Yet, God said you shall not abhor an Edomite nor an Egyptian. In Numbers 20:18 we learn that the Midianites and Moabites formed an alliance against Israel and tried to curse them through the pagan prophet Balaam only whenever he opened his mouth a blessing came out. A donkey even tried to talk some sense in Balaam who did not heed the advice. It is a sad day when you don’t take the advice of a talking Donkey.

Knowing it was useless to try and curse Israel, Balaam suggested that King Balak of the Moabites send in Moabite and Midianite women and prostitutes to seduce the Israelite men. Balaam told King Balak that the God of Israel hates that kind of stuff especially when it leads them to pagan worship and they assume a foreign culture like the Moabite and/or Midianite culture. The results were pretty quick and the Israelite men were adequately seduced and began to worship and join themselves with the Baal Peor. Now the nations of Moab and Midian only tried to corrupt Israel, not murder them like Egypt and Edom. Yet God commanded that Israel not abhor Egypt and Edom but for Moab and Midian they were to attack or tsarar them and strike them dead.” I will explain this play on tsarar later.

As for the Moabites God declared in Deuteronomy 23:4: “An Ammonite or a Moabite . . . even to their tenth generation shall not enter into the congregation of God.”

The Midrash teaches that from this we learn that someone who causes a person to sin does worse to him than one who kills him for one who kills him kills him only in this world whereas one who leads him into sin will keep him from accepting Jesus as His Savior or developing a close intimate relationship with Him.

In fact, Jesus pretty well taught the same thing in Matthew 18:16: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

The word in Aramaic for little one is zo’ra’ which comes from a Persian word for little or diminished, tender, and loved. On the negative side, it means to belittle and humiliate someone. Only the context will tell you if you use a positive or negative definition. It sounds like a child but it is not a word for a child, although it could be. It is used to describe someone who is childlike, innocent, and easily manipulated. The word for “better” as it is better to have a millstone around your neck, is really a play on words. The word in Aramaic is paqach which is something used for profit or personal gain. It is rendered as better in the sense of bettering yourself. In this case, there is a little play on that word, it would be a profit or better to have a millstone tied around your neck and dumped into the sea and drowned. Asa play on words it describes the motive for causing a tender-hearted one who is inclined to God to sin, the motive is profit.

Jesus is speaking to those leaders, the ones who teach those who are hungry for God and long to build a relationship with God. These leaders will teach doctrines that will work to their advantage and profit. To draw in more offerings, more people to make them look successful. These are the ones who use their new converts to fill their wallets and make them look like spiritual giants, who build big churches and ministries just to make a name for themselves

Note the words of Jesus “And he were drowned in the depths of the sea.” Did I tell you what happened to the Egyptians who murdered the Hebrews and then tried to murder them all? You know the story, they were “drowned in the depths of the sea.” Jesus was using a story very familiar to the Jewish people and told them basically, “The Egyptians tried to murder your ancestors but God was merciful to them, they were not abhorred they just drowned in the sea. Those who cause a spiritually hungry person to stumble face something much worse. They will be vexed. The word vex in Hebrew is tsarar which is related to the Aramaic word zo’ra. Before Israel was to smite the Midianites and Moabite dead, they were to first humiliate them.

We have heard of many famous preachers, teachers, and Christian leaders who have made themselves rich and powerful off the backs of innocent Christians and fell into scandal forcing them to resign in shame and worldwide humiliation. Many often die not long after their tsarar, humiliation. The Egyptians just died for murdering the Hebrews. The Midianites and Moabites not only died but suffered humiliation. Someone who causes a person to sin, to fall away, even to just stumble does worse to him than one who kills him.

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