Hebrew Word Study – Confide – Sod – Samek Vav Daleth 

Psalms 25:14: “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”  KJV

Psalms 25:14: “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”

Many years ago as a young graduate student I studied under Dr. Kalland who, at that time, was on the executive committee for the translation of the Old Testament for the New International Version of the Bible.  Another student and I would receive graduate credit for sitting in his office and discussing some of the various nuances that would arise in a modern English translation of the Bible. At the time I did not realize the important role that NIV would play in Christianity in the  coming years so I was pretty free with my opinions and Psalms 25:14 was one verse where I voiced a strong objection to the way it was to be rendered in this new Bible translation. 

My problem was that my undergraduate work was in Jewish Studies and I was aware of the mystical reputation the word sod – secret had with many orthodox Jews and just simply saying that the Lord confides in someone that fears Him was a very weak rendering indeed. 

The word sod is really used for a group of friends forming a counsel that would sit on a divan, a sofa like bench that on could relax upon.  This was the image of friends who sit down together to collaborate over some deep mystery or philosophy. It is sort of like what my fellow students and I would do in the student lounge in seminary during an evening of relaxation where we would sit around on comfortable sofas and debate the deep mysteries of God or carry on theological debates. It was all very informal but intense and I would often come to an understanding of some very complex theological issues during these discussions. 

Thus, to simply say the Lord confides in those who fear Him, that is respect Him, honor Him and love Him; in my mind really fell short of what sod meant. To me it meant God sitting down with us and sharing with us the secrets of His heart. This would be like a young couple who are in love and their love and trust in each other is so deep that they will share the secrets of their hearts with each other, things that they would share with no one else in the universe. It would be opening up to the other person, making oneself vulnerable to that person by revealing the most embarrassing and confidential things that buried deep within them. 

As the years have gone by and I am now old and grey like my mentor, I am understanding why he chose the word confide.  Confide comes from that word confidential.  Webster defines confide as to reveal in private, tell confidentially, to unburden or relieve oneself of troubling information. In my earlier years I saw God as sharing his secrets with me but as I grew older and more mature in my relationship with God I realize that God is doing more that sharing his secrets with me He is also conveying troubling information to me which fits more with the word confide. 

A few years ago when I was living in silence before God in a monastery where everyone lived in silence, totally off the grid, and spoke to no one but God, I shared with God my heart and made a deal with Him that if he would weep for me when my heart was broken, I would weep for Him when His heart was broken.

Since that day He has called me to my end of the deal.  I recall not too long after this I drove by a hospital that had a group of demonstrators with their picket signs demonstrating their support for the right to life and their opposition to abortion.  At the time I never gave abortion much thought, there were other battles for me to fight and as I passed I offered a prayer of support for those who took from their time to demonstrate their beliefs.  I drove off putting it out of my mind.  Yet, suddenly I felt something welling up inside of me.  I felt a deep, deep sorrow and grief. In a few moments I had to pull to the side of the road as I was sobbing so hard I could not drive.  Deep sobs of grief and sorrow. I knew and realized what was going on, I had entered into what the rabbis called sod or God confiding in me, not just the secrets of His heart but confiding in me, relieving Himself of something that was deeply troubling Him.  He was allowing me to feel the pain in His heart over the millions of lives that He created.  Lives that He created to carry out a mission here on earth, to bring Him joy and pleasure in their exercising of the gifts He gave each one. A life that at the point of birth displays that pure, unconditional love of racham and then having those lives snuffed out before they even had a chance to enter this world.

I understand now that the best possible 21st Century English translation for the word sod in Psalms 25:14 is the one given by the NIV as confide.  For God not only reveals the secrets of His heart to those who honor, love and respect Him, but He also shares the pain and sorrow in His heart to us so we may weep with Him.

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