HEBREW WORD STUDY – MEN & ANGELS – ISH MALEK אשה מלך Alpeh Shin Hei Mem Lamed Kap
Genesis 18:2: “And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,”
Genesis 19:1: “And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;”
In these two chapters we have a very curious story. Three men which called Enoshim in Hebrew suddenly appeared to Abraham and they sat down and Abraham served them a meal. Then Abraham was told his wife Sarah would have a child. Sarah laughed thinking she was too old. The one of the Enoshim who is identified as YHWH asked: “Is anything too hard from YHWH.” Then as this narrative ends two of these Enoshim go to Sodom where they encounter Lot who identifies them as hamalakims or angels.
I remember in Bible College and Seminary where our professors would stop their lectures and enter in a discussion about a theophany, the appearance of God as a human. Much debate ensured about whether this was the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit or it was an appearance of Jesus incarnate or whether they were three angels or just God (as one is identified as YHWH) and two natural men. So much controversy surrounds this little encounter that we really missed an important point, well to me it is important.
You see reading this in the Hebrew these three men are called Enoshim which is the word for men both spiritual and physical. Then two of the leave to go to Sodom to warn Lot of the coming destruction and when Lot sees them they are called hamalakims or angels. Nobody bothers to consider why two different words are used for these beings. Most Biblical scholars are content to just assume it is just a difference in terminology and there is no real significance. Biblical criticism just say the story was told by told different writers one favoring Enoshim the other favoring malak and hence proof that Genesis was written by many different writers over time.
But there is another option that no one seems to consider except the Jewish sages and Chaim Bentorah. I read something interesting morning in the Genesis Rabbah that makes perfect sense to me. But then that is because I can relate as maybe some of you can. When I was living in silence it seemed the supernatural became almost like the natural. A bird would fly up to me and start singing or a dove would fly up to me while I was praying and start cooing. I thought nothing of this and actually felt I understood what the were saying, I felt they were joining me in my prayer. A squirrel would run up to me, twitch his nose and chatter and run away, I felt he left me a little message from God. I would hear a wood pecker tapping on a tree and actually decipher something from Morse Code. Crazy no? Get the net, get the net, the dusty old professor finally snapped his cap.
Maybe not, because the Mishnah Rabbah teaches that the three appeared to Abraham as Enoshim because Abraham walked so close to God that a supernatural appearance was perfectly natural. Lot was not walking close to God so when two of these Enoshim appeared before him he fell to the ground and they were called malaks or angels. To him the natural was what he lived in and if there was s supernatural occurrence he would be like “OMG, called CBS, NBS book me on their morning show, call Harper Collins, have I got a book to write.”
Remember the story of Balaam and the talking donkey in Numbers 22? When the donkey started to talk to him Balaam didn’t cry out: “Holy s***t, a talking donkey, what was in that drink King Balak gave me anyways?” No, he was so used to the supernatural that he did not appear surprised at all. He in fact just answered the donkey’s question.”
I believe the Bible is clearly teaching that we can walk so close to God that the supernatural becomes more real than the natural. I know I have experienced it and no one has locked me away – yet!
I’d love to experience the supernatural at that level. yours, Abrahams and Balaam. I get bits and pieces of “knowing” and also praying and ministering and worshipping in my dreams on occasions. OK something to look forward to.
As my bus passengers aren’t always well behaved the last couple of times I get the distinct impression that there is an angel or angels on my bus. I can’t see them though.
Keep on inspiring Chaim!
A fascinating concept Chaim, but think of all the times the disciples saw Jesus as a man after his resurrection, and did not know him as Jesus until he revealed himself to them as their Lord. I think the same concept is revealed in Genesis 18 as it was with the disciples and the resurrected Lord. In Gen 18:17 the Lord says “Shall I hide from Abe the thing which I do.” It looks to me as if God is getting ready to reveal himself as YHWH as well as what He is planning to do. The chapter ends with “the Lord went his way” again indicating again that He had revealed himself to Abe as YHWH. Quite possibly due to his conversation with Abe in 18, about His plans for Sodom, that He is recognized as a spirit being, i.e. YHWH in angelic form, by the writer, Moses. Thank God all our questions will be answered one day. Until then, it is fun to speculate.