HEBREW WORD STUDY – HIDDEN TIMES – TA’EL LE’OTH  תעל  לעת

Psalms 10:1 “Why standest thou afar off, O’Lord, Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble.”

David finds himself in trouble and seeks the Lord and the Lord seems to be very distant. I think we can all relate to David as when we all have times we call on the Lord and He seems to stand afar off.  

The word stand is ‘amad which is a standing over someone or something as a protection.  Then oddly he uses the word barach which is to flee or run away. It is a picture of standing over someone but when they try to get close, he runs away.

David is faced with trouble and every time he reaches out to God it seems like He sort of moves away from him. He can never really grab hold of him. But here is the crux of the matter. The word trouble is basar’ which is a pruning type of trouble. The kind of trouble that just strips you of all your trust in yourself.  David is aware that this trouble is meant to create a closer relationship between him and God, a deeper faith, yet this being the case why is God so distant. Instead of drawing him closer to God it seems to be driving him further away.  

There is a play on words here between the words hidden and times. The word hidden is ta’ elim and the word for times is le ithoth. In their root forms, we have Taw, Ayin and Lamed for hidden and times is Lamed, Ayin, and Taw.  Hidden is times or season spelled backward. 

There is an interesting history behind this word for hidden. In the Canaanite language, where this word has it roots and beginning, the word was used in a marriage or wedding ceremony. There was an old tradition that a bride is not to be seen by the groom on her wedding day until the time of the ceremony. This has its roots in that word for hidden.  The bride was to be hidden away as she is being prepared for the ceremony.  Embodied in this word le’ithoth is a strong desire. As the groom is so desirous of his bride, yet he cannot have her until she is properly prepared and the ceremony is completed. Then when the Lamed changes places with the Taw it now becomes the season or time for the bride and groom to be together. I read where there is a concealed meaning for Lamed which is a garment, coat or covering. In the word hidden in the Lamed is concealed at the end.  In the word “times” the Lamed appears at the beginning. The bride steps out of her hiding place into view of the groom dressed in all her splendor and beauty.  The groom remarks that his bride never looked more beautiful than on her wedding day. The concealed meaning of the Taw is wholeness, perfection, and purity.  Thus the Taw stands in front of the bride and groom as she is being brought into a state of perfection and purity.  Once she is properly prepared the Taw steps to the end of hidden and the lamed steps forward to the front changing the hidden to the “it is now time.” 

Could it be that David is using this picture here to show what is going on in Psalms 10:1?  He understands that this time of trouble is pruning time, a time of preparation so that he can be brought into a state of purity to be joined with God. He understands God is just as anxious as he is for this process to end. Thus the interrogative is not meant as to why God is standing afar off but why is it taking so long, the desire and longing to be joined as one with God are just taking too long. 

Perhaps we feel that God is distant, we just don’t seem to have that power anymore, or those answers to prayer. It may be that He is only distant so that we can be pruned and prepared for deeper intimacy and like the anxious bridegroom, we must allow this process to take place. It may seem like a long process but before long there will be a wedding ceremony and we will be pruned and purified so we can enter into deeper intimacy with God than we have ever known.

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