Hebrew Word Study – Spider – Semanith – שממית Sine Mem Mem Yod Taw
To All Of Us Spiders, Let Us Arise!!!
Hebrew Word Study – Spider – Semanith – שממית Sine Mem Mem Yod Taw
Proverbs 30:28: “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings ‘palaces.” KJV
Yesterday I pressed the button on my dashboard to open the doors of my disability bus to let off one of my passengers on 26th Street on the border of Berwyn and Cicero. This is in the heart of the Metro Chicago area, a pure city. The only wildlife you see are a few squirrels and some birds nothing more. There have been occasional sightings of coyotes, but they are pretty elusive.
Yet, when I opened the doors standing on the sidewalk in front of the opening doors stood a dragon as if he were waiting to board my bus. I am not kidding, a dragon. Ok, I am romanticizing, it was a big lizard. No not the Jurassic Park size lizards, just your ordinary green, scaly, a creature with horns and warts, about a foot and a half long. I mean driving a bus through Chicago I have come to expect most anything when I open the doors to my bus, but a lizard? That I never expected to see. You know how your mind works, my first thought was that the Wicked Witch of East Cicero put a curse on one of our drivers and turned him into a lizard and he was trying to get a ride back to the terminal. Of course, I dismissed that idea completely. It would have had to be a toad, not a lizard.
Would you like Chaim Bentorah as your personal Hebrew teacher?
|
|
He appeared to be quite polite as if he were waiting for my passenger to disembark before he stepped onto my bus. My passenger was not charmed by his manners. She just let out a blood-curdling scream –“EEEEEK it’s a monster.” Poor little guy scared him to death. He quickly scurried off under a bush. I had to personally walk the little old lady to the door of her apartment assuring her I was ready to slay that dragon if he should attack, which was very unlikely as this lizard is about as out of place in the big city of Chicago as a, well as a lizard in the big city of Chicago. I actually thought he was cute in a lizardly sort of way. It was just as well he scurried away; I probably could not have given him a ride anyways. You had to be a resident of Cicero to ride the bus and you had to either be a senior citizen or disabled. The only disability I could detect on my little friend was being green which was not enough of a disability to qualify for a ride. He certainly did not appear to be a senior and I seriously question he was a resident of Cicero. I think we have some sort of ordinance forbidding lizards as pets. I took a poll of the other drivers and no one, no matter how many years they have worked for the town could recall ever seeing a lizard, let alone one waiting for a ride on their bus.
I had really been seeking an answer in Scripture to a personal issue so I began to assume that maybe this was yiredu. I mean if a lizard shows up at your door in the middle of the City of Chicago, perhaps he came to share a message.
So I began to search the Scriptures on lizards and behold, I found the answer to the issue I have been struggling with for many months now. Actually, I have been struggling with this since the release of my newest. You see I have been suffering from something called an inferiority complex.
I mean I do have degrees from good schools like Moody Bible Institute and Denver Seminary, all accredited by North Central but it is not like I have degrees from Princeton, Harvard, or Oxford. I do not have a large platform like some of the big names in our Christian world. Yet, I a proposing something I have never heard anyone propose and that is that we learn how to enter God’s heart, to know His heart, to experience what His heart feels both His love and His broken heart. I have been on a search for the heart of God now for at least 15 years and I have had many unusual experiences, that I long to share and encourage others to experience. But, I mean like who am I against all these big names in Christianity. Sort of like, “Buddy, you don’t have an inferiority complex, you are just inferior.
I felt led to this passage in Proverbs which seems to be addressing two things. One is that the spider is taketh hold with his hands. One Jewish rabbi renders the word yadaim not as hand but as handiwork. Only a privileged few are allowed to enter a king’s palace, let alone perform his handiwork, but an insignificant creature like a spider manages to wander into the palace and even demonstrates his handiwork in the throne room. I sensed God telling me to just be that spider and spin my personal handiwork. He will let my work be seen in a throne room if He wants.
There is one other thing about this passage. The word in Hebrew for spider is ‘akabyish and the word for lizard is leta’ah. Yet the word used in Proverbs is semamyth. I read this in twenty different modern English translations and twelve render this as lizard while eight render it as spider. Now there is a big difference between a spider and a lizard.
My point is this, we evangelical Christians are just so trusting of our handful of scholars who translate the Bible for us, and we just accept what they say without question. Then we are confounded when we see such a variance in renderings. I mean a spider and lizard? The simple fact is that our great Bible scholars literally have no idea what semamyth really means, they are just giving it their best guess. How many other English words in the Bible are merely man’s best guess or what tradition has dictated. Worse, what particular denomination or school of thought dictates what a particular Hebrew word should mean? There are more such words than we care to imagine. That is why the Jews teach their children from the age of four to read Hebrew so they can read the Scriptures themselves and not depend upon some expert who may have a biased opinion or even a personal agenda.
I believe with all the resources we have today online and readily available, there is no reason why anyone of us can be a spider or lizard and approach the throne room of the elite scholars with our own handiwork in an interpretation guided by the Holy Spirit.
Maybe that old lizard didn’t make it on my bus because he was just so out of place, but doggone it, you can’t blame him for trying and when the doors opened he was there. If that lady hadn’t screamed and called him a monster he might just have got on my bus and would be munching on my carrot sticks right now in my apartment. Too often we come up with some revelation given to us by the Holy Spirit and someone in authority who thinks they have some special knowledge lets out a scream and we take our little revelation and hide out in the bushes. After all, who are we to argue with the great minds of our denomination or church leaders? Ok maybe the little lizard did not have the proper credentials to ride my bus; he wasn’t a senior or disabled and probably not a resident of the town. Just like many of us do not have the credentials to offer the little insight that the Holy Spirit has given us. Not only are we not allowed to board the bus of revelation but someone screams and needs another leader to guide them and slay the dragon with that bit of insight that they think is beneath them. I mean they have the Holy Spirit to teach them, but then so does everyone else who has given their life to Jesus.
I say to all of us Spiders and Lizards of the Christian world, let us arise, it is our time to enter that elite throne room and share the insights that Holy Spirit has given us.
Hi there! Thank you for reading this Daily Word Study. Can I ask a favor? Share this Daily Word Study with your friends on Facebook and Twitter by clicking one of the icons below.
Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
Chaim,I too was commenting to a friend how I tried to share with a “man of the cloth”. and he totally shut me down. He had made up his mind, I believe The Precious Holy Spirit said, He is passing down what those before him had said.”. What a shame! There aren’t enough believers who take the time to listen , dig and wait on The Lord. What a shame, I do hope The Body wakes up very soon.(me included! :) Thanks for sharing, I needed that! Many Blessings to you, all thru coming to KNOW HIM!
The answer God gave you , shows how He speaks to us among many. If we are listening. With only a middle school education, Holy Spirit teaches me in ways and through people like you, that truly I can say I need no teacher, For He Is my teacher, yet remain humble and listen to others. The church needs more round table discussions, so we may learn through Christ from one another, always keeping Him in the center. Have you printed that book on Gods heart, I have just began the journey of this subject. You are a blessed scribe to the King.
Chaim, this is from my heart to yours, and I feel resonant with every word.
I didn’t grow up in church but gave my heart to Jesus at 5. My family rejected Him but He was always with me.
In 2015, I woke up from a dream about a word I didn’t know and had never heard: Y O D. That was the first day of my Hebrew school, me being taught by the Holy Spirit.
I received more words, dream by dream, and they led me to you. I can’t express what this post means to me, but I hope you will receive my heartfelt thanks because you are helping me unlock the very same feelings of inferiority for the same reasons.
And I love the spider. I am a fiber artist and always appreciate references to “handiwork”!
Keep spinning your valuable stories and weaving your precious words. We in the world need it!!
Thank you, Chaim. Too often even in small, congenial home groups, those who are considered “not mature” are somewhat dissed in sharing a Word, a scripture, etc. I am one of those, but feel strongly the Lord has given me those words to share. We need to encourage one another, and no matter how small, how “new” , how insignificant we seem to others, we have the Power and the Word of God to share. Another scripture comes to mind, “who despises the day of small beginnings?” and the story of the Widow’s mite, so small yet it captured Jesus’ attention enough to honor her above the “important” people.
The impact you make in my and others’ lives is greater than you realize. I am inspired to know the Word more, and your teachings also set me free from cast-in-stone religious renderings, and it feels so good!
To consider oneself as being inferior comes from a point of perception…..your gift of knowledge is so far above and beyond what a lot of your readers can ever hope to achieve that we must “travel” through the scriptures following your “footsteps” …..that being said, that anywhere along the timeline of life, you must realize that your position is far superior to many that depend on your wealth of knowledge
Amen brother!
Wow, I’m on board with that. You bear witness to what I’ve been feeling for some time. Now I just need the wisdom to know when to show up at the bus stop. ;)
Love your word today. I am getting above my low self image by reminding myself when I lookin the mirror That I am beautiful because Jesus lives in me
Would love to know your Hebrew understanding of teeth in the bible
Monique. Australia
Thank you. I needed to read this today. It lifts me up. I have one woman at church who is very perfect, something I am not. I try but just can’t catch up. she shines so bright that I feel like a little spider. the good news is that I used to be a fire breathing dragon so I’ve come a long way. Your humor is wonderful. God bless you and your ministry.
Beautiful. Simply beautiful! Thank you!
Love it 😍 well said
Brilliant
Delightful Chaim! That was fun but also so very true. Tasty little morsel today. Thank you!
Wow, Chaim, I know this is way off topic but it’s funny you talk about spiders taking over the world because I’ve just encountered two scifi books from two different authors which deal with intelligent spiders or spider like creatures. I thought it was very odd that they both chose the lowly spider to anthropomorphize, as one assumes a creature would at least need opposable thumbs to build a civilization with. Thank you for your valuable and ever surprising biblical insights.
Chaim, I never worry about credentials for anything! I make violins, violas, and guitars, and will talk with any maker in the world online, and with some in nearby Ann Arbor, in person. Doesn’t bother me.in the least.
I find many words, in the Hebrew especially, while writing my blog, that are very rare. Sometimes they have a meaning today, and often not. Sometimes I use the accepted !eaning, sometimes I don’t. I have no idea about grammar, let alone Hebrew!
It doesn’t bother me one bit.
Sometimes.The translations are obviously wrong. They say three words in a row that don’t conform to the meanings that they give in Strong’s. They.didn’t fit what they wanted to say. I write it the way that it comes to me.
Doesn’t bother me one bit.
It’s a lot of fun, and the meanings always line up with the character of God.
I don’t claim that they are the best or only translation, but they are what I see in them.
Why be ashamed of what you are given in scripture, or feel that it might be somehow inferior?
No one has.It all right!
Chaim, you are such a “dear”. I am reminded, and I paraphrase what Dr. Jim says.
“Jesus wants disciples, not converts”.
For me that translates to “plants seeds, water, and let God do the rest”.
You have no idea the seeds you plant, but know that many of them are growing. Blessings. Eileen
Thank you so much That was a great encouragement
Blessings and love
Julia
Haha
Love it.
I’ve been reading proverbs lately and this particular scripture caused me to stop reading as I was wowed by the fact that spiders do in fact live in kings palaces.
I love lizards, so cute, and they too find their way in kings palaces.
This ministry is the best. I don’t have emails from any other ministries that I never miss to read, and I can’t count the times that I read Chaimbenturah’s daily word and it amazes me that the subject coincides with what’s on my mind and heart that month or week or day.
So for me, I believe Chaimbenturahs ministry is in perfect flow of deeper and new revelation from the Holy Spirit
I really like this, as I felt like God may be speaking to my issue as well, which is quite different, but still relates to God wanting me to do my handiwork and not quit, like I thought He was telling me earlier. So thank you for this. I would LOVE to learn the true Hebrew and Aramaic Scripture, but I don’t know the languages, like you do, and i don’t know where to find any teaching materials on it. And I can’t afford it, either. So how does a person like myself get to learn what you know and truly enter the heart of God? That’s my true desire. I want to be closer than closer than close to Him.
I have been banned from facebook and twitter for years, so sharing on those platforms is not for me.
I don’t know what to say about today’s revelation of spider versus lizard. I’m with the lady who screamed; that’s about it.
I would like to learn Hebrew, but I don’t seem to want to pay the price of time to study. It is still in me however to do it; Thank you for making yourself available as a teacher, this is wonderful and $19 a mo isn’t much, really even for someone like me who has made some unfortunate financial mistakes. I will consult with my husband because as I recall you meet at 10 am on Sat morn and he, my husband and I ususally do our “coffee” thing together at that time. Or do you meet Tues eve now?
Dear Chaim, you make me cry. What a gift from God you are in my inbox daily. Truly: every day something about what you share speaks straight into my own struggles. And this is no exception. I have been struggling with something so similar and so as you have blessed me so often, I want to bless you today with the poem I published 7 months ago that someone out of the blue liked today (the only person to do so, other than my faithful friend), and so blessed me in doing so because I needed to re-read the encouragement God gave me – years ago – again today…so here you go: this is for us lizards:
Break the Night
Do you hear
The voices speak of you
As too broken
And frail?
Too foolish
And shameful
My holy Word
To wield?
Cut down
Each step you take
As in My purposed Way
You walk.
Now still
My child
Feel My heart
Burn within.
Your blessed
Childlike soul
Your inmost being
Praises still.
Fearfully
And wonderfully
From the womb
Overshadowed.
My Word
In Spirit breath
Is flaming
You alive.
For, the foolish
Of this world
I have chosen
To shame the wise.
The weak
Of this world
I have chosen
To confound the strong.
Do not dim Your lamp
But shine it brightly
For all to glorify
My Son in you.
I’ve created you
To unleash
My glory
And praise.
Trust Me
Child
You’re spoken for
You’re Mine.
I am your light
Your shield
Your glory and
The lifter of your head.
For, I am
Your portion
Your Rock
And Redeemer.
Arise and shine
You’re sent
To shine your light
And break the night!