Aramaic Word Study – Old – ‘Atiqa –   עתיקא   Ayin Taw Yod Qop Aleph 

Ephesians 4:22-24: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;(24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” 

The Apostle Paul explained it a little more clearly in Ephesians 4:22-24: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;(24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”  Paul explains that we have an old man, an old nature which is at war with the new man, the new nature we have in Christ Jesus. The word for old in old man is ‘atiqa which means enduringly strong.   In other words, even though God has given us a new or nature there is still that old nature within us that is enduringly strong.  The Jewish sages call this an inner and outer heart. The outer heart is the “I” that is always saying: “I want a new car, a new house a new relationship. It is the destruction of a relationship when we are saying: “I want you to bring me joy, I want you to treat me better, I want you to bring me pleasure.”   The inner heart is that which is joined to the heart of God and takes us to another level.  This is the level which says: I want to bring you joy, I want to treat you better, I want to bring you pleasure.”  

We often hear II Corinthians 5:22: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”   We were spiritually dead.  The sages would say that our inner hearts would be cut off from God. In Christ Jesus we are made spiritually alive and our inner hearts are able to resist the lust of the flesh of the outer heart. 

There is a Cherokee legend in which “An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

“‘A fight is going on inside me,’ he said to the boy.

‘It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.’ He continued, ‘The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.’

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf will win?’

The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘The one you feed.’”

This is really the teaching of the Apostle Paul of the old man and new man at war with each other.  It is Jesus Christ who brings that new man to life, yet it is still doing battle with the old man and it is the one you feed the most that will win. You feed the old man with your lustful desires, selfish motives and self centered longings. However, it is the new man that you feed with prayer.  The Apostle Paul exhorts us to pray without ceasing. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice evermore. (17) Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”   How can you pray without ceasing? You have to work, you have to sleep, you have to have conversations.  The word pray in Aramaic is ma’alu which is to enter the belly or the womb. In Hebrew prayer is palal which is notch in a tent peg.  It is the tent peg that keeps the tent attached to the ground, but it is the little notch in the peg that keeps the fabric of the tent attached to the peg so when the storms come the tent will not blow away. Here, however, Paul takes is a step further by using the word ma’alu which describes resting in the inward part of God himself, the womb or more precisely  God’s inner heart. We do this by rejoicing and giving thanks in everything.  We do this by keeping our minds stayed on Christ. Isaiah 26:3: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” The word stayed in Hebrew is samak which means to be close or to cling to. We are to keep our minds close or clinging to God. 

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