HEBREW WORD STUDY – A HUG  – DEVEQ – דבק 

 Genesis 2:24:  “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cling unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

 Deuteronomy 4:4: “But ye that did cling unto the LORD your God [are] alive every one of you this day.”

 When I hear the word cling, it gives me the impression of hanging on for dear life. You cling to a life jacket, you cling to a rock on a ledge, etc.  The idea of a man clinging to his wife somehow does not create the picture I think God intended.  

Practically every modern English translation uses a different English word for deveq or cling. The NIV says  united, the Living Bible says joined, the ESV says hold fast, the KJV says cleave, the CSB says bond,  the CEV says married and the ISV says cling. 

What is interesting is that the same word is used for how we are to relate to God, we are to cling to Him like a man clings to His wife. How can we cling to God and what does it mean to cling to your wife?

The problem lies in our understanding of the word deveqim which comes from the root word deveq.  You see, we really cannot find a decent English word to use for deveqim it is a word that  has to be explained rather than translated.  The closest we can come is the word cling, hold fast, be faithful, remain faithful, be loyal or adhere.  Yet, none of these words come close to properly giving us an understanding of deveqim. It just can’t be done adequately with one English word, unfortunately when translating the Bible you have to come up with one or maybe two words at the most, because there just is not enough room to explain it.  

So what word would I use?  I go to my Jewish sources and find that deveq has a very sacred meaning. To the Jews today deveq is an attachment to God, having God always on your mind.  It refers to a deep, meditative state attained through prayer and Bible study.  In modern Hebrew deveq is the word for glue.  It is also a synonym in modern Hebrew for dedication toward a particular goal. Yet in religious Judaism it is attaching yourself to God in all areas of your life. In the state of deveq one hears the voice of God, receives direction from God. One lives in the presence of God and the heart of God.  It is unifying all aspects of your life, body soul and mind with that of the heart of God.   

Now pause and put all that in light of what a man is to do when he deveq(s) his wife.  That is whole bunches more than just hanging onto her. She is the role model for the relationship we are to have with God.  If a man cannot deveq his wife, then odds are he will have trouble deveq(ing) with God.

For me to sum it up in one word deveq is to give God a deep, loving hug every chance you get just as a man should give his wife a hug every chance he can get without prying eyes. Today as I was alone in my disability bus and driving for a pick up I felt God deveq, give me a hug and I gave Him a hug in return.  I mean in the spirit, I was driving after all, but that is the wonderful thing, you can give God a hug anytime you want and receive a hug in return. This is, of course, done in faith with in Hebrews 11:1 tells us it is the substance of something unseen.  I may not see it but I sure can feel it.