Hebrew Word Study – Naked – ‘Aerom – Ayin Yod Resh Mem
Hebrew Word Study – Naked – ‘Aerom – Ayin Yod Resh Mem
Genesis 3:10: “And he said: I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
The word for naked in Hebrew is ‘aerom from two possible roots: ‘aram which means naked, act wisely, prudently, cautiously or it could be from the root word ‘eyar which means to be in grief, agony as the agony of death or grief over a death.
If you study Scripture with the purpose of learning about God’s heart, you may begin to find answers to questions that many have found troubling. For instance, somehow the idea of God wandering around the garden unable to locate Adam and having to call out to him hoping for some response so he could find him just doesn’t seem to make much sense to me. I mean if God had problems locating Adam because he was hiding in some bushes, then that picture does not inspire much confidence in us as to a God who can keep track of us 24/7.
Practically every modern translation will translate the word ‘alyekah as “Where are you?” Yet there is a rendering to this word ‘alyekah which would make more sense if you were seeking to discover God’s heart. Translators will not use this rendering for two reasons. One is that there are no English words we can use for this alternative rendering and the second reason is that even if we found some English words that fit, we certainly would not want to ascribe something like that to God. It would come out to be something like this: “O’ like woe is me like woe is me.” Turn to the Book of Lamentations. If your Bible has the Hebrew rendering for the word “Lamentations,” you will note that it is the same word ‘elyekah, the same consonants only with a difference in vowels. However, the root word is the same and means a lamentation or a cry of grief and mourning.
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Now can you picture God wandering through the garden, weeping and saying “O woe is me?” If we believe we are created in God’s image then we have a heart like His, a heart that can be broken like ours. How many times have you lamented over a broken relationship in your lifetime? Most Christians seem to have a hard time picturing God as weeping over his lost children. Hence we take the more appropriate rendering of “Where are you.” ‘Alyekah is an interrogative but it is also an expression of grief. So, what is causing this grief? Note Adam and Eve were not hiding from God; they were hiding from the presence of God. They had willfully separated themselves from the presence of God. It was not their sin that separated them from God but their guilt. God didn’t remove Himself from them, they removed themselves from God.
Now, why did they hide from the presence of God? Adam said they were naked. Another little mystery, why did they not want God to see them naked? He is after all the master Physician, He knows the human anatomy better than anyone. There should be nothing shameful about God seeing them naked. The word naked used here comes from a questionable root. It could be ‘aram which means naked but could also mean to act prudently, wisely, or cautiously. This word could also come from the root ’eyar which would then mean to be in agony as the agony of death.
If you are seeking to understand God’s heart then you might want to step out of the box for a moment and consider possible alternative renderings which are not generally accepted by our translators. If you believe in a God who can’t find you if you hide yourself in some bushes and is repulsed if He sees you naked, then go with the standard translation: “Adam where are you” “I am hiding in the bushes because I am naked.” There is an alternative rendering that is also possible and one that I find drawing to. However, I can find no English words to give a translation, I can only describe it. It would be the cry of a lover who is separated from his beloved and his beloved is hiding from her lover’s presence because she is in agony over having betrayed her lover.
This alternative rendering would show a God who is grief-stricken, not angry over your sins. He is grief-stricken because the sin has caused you to hide from His presence that He longs to share with you. Note Matthew 11:28-29: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” He is not a taskmaster ready to whip you into submission to His will, but he is a lover who has arms open, ready to hug you, forgive you, and seduce you into submission.
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
When I first humbled myself and committed myself to follow Jesus and began to read His word, what you described is the first thing I saw and understood.
My first glimpse of the word coming alive for me.
Praise be to our FATHER in heaven. In Jesus name!
Adam no longer knew God spiritually..he became carnal..and we know that to be carnally minded is death and enmity with God. Maybe why He created enmity between seeds. Thank You Jesus. If Adam no linger knew God, God then becomes a stranger – and we all know what we do when strangers come around as children – “stranger danger”. How many current “christians” treat God as “stranger danger?” Interesting
Thank you Chaim! In looking for God’s heart with you, my heart softens. I too am seeing things that stand out and [another] one is The Lord’s timing. It wasn’t that He was away finishing the Milky Way and came back after the fall – He was there. And He didn’t have His eyes closed when the serpent was talking to Eve. I would submit He knew He’d have to change diapers but waited until Adam and Eve stunk before He came and was grief-stricken because of the broken relationship.
I have no words to describe how this truth suddenly refocus the entire scripture that unfolds hereafter.
The standard translations introduced a warp that perverts everything from this point onwards.
The true heart of a loving God is obscured.
I somehow feel I have been robbed for a lifetime long
Wow. This one is as powerful to my heart as the one about the woman at the well and the word for husbands. I love learning His heart like this!!!! Truly got a lot from this one…He has a tender heart I believe and I do not keep that in my heart enough. Forgive me for not coming to spend time with you more Father. My kids don’t me either now… so now I can know how I have hurt you Fathet!!!
Could not “Where are you?” be interpreted as God musing, “Adam, what has happened to your consciousness? To what depths have you fallen?”
Naked might also suggest the contracted, shadow meanings of the letters: AYIN (You have eyes but do not [no longer] see ), YOD (You are stuck in place, [no longer becoming] ), RESH (You are self-absorbed [no longer radiating light] ) and MEM (ominous shadows are all around you [no longer feeling protected] ). A sad state for this once-divine being.
Perhaps replace naked with shame?
Every time I think you can’t do any better Chaim, you turn around and show us more of God’s heart.
This is So wonderful and true..bless you for your diligence!
I noticed something a while back that I have thought about frequently, but had a hard time giving it much credence, because it was an English translation. God provided a ram caught in a bush for Abraham in lieu of Isaac. I read it as ‘Aram’ instead. This would fit with God providing Aram (Christ) in lieu of Isaac. It could be a stretch, I don’t know. But I have noticed that we have greater understanding of God’s word when we read various translations. It makes me think of Babel when they all spoke with one tongue, before God confused their language. It is almost like God divided up the understanding too when He divided up their language. It makes it more obvious how we all have to come together and share understanding in order to be able to see the greater/more complete understanding. I have also viewed the fig leaves that Adam and Eve sewn together to hide their nakedness as works. Once a leaf is plucked from the tree, it is already dead. It just takes a little time for it to wither and turn old and brown, needing another leaf plucked and sewn in. Kind of like the parable of old and new wineskins and garments. That’s how our own works to cover our nakedness are. Constant works. Never enough. Futile. Like the sacrifices of bulls and goats. Constant, and never enough to save. That view helps me to understand more why Jesus cursed the fig tree. Jesus was hungered when He came upon the fig tree. But all He found was works and no fruit. Kind of like how, when He came in the flesh to the Jews, He found no Fruits of the Spirit, only sacrifices of bulls and goats. Kind of like how He will be when He returns and finds churches and religions that teach that our own works, that are never sufficient, are what save us. Not finding any Fruits of the Spirit.
The Fig leavesssss
Thank you for adding another layer of understanding to these verses of scripture. In light of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross, I can only imagine His heartbreak at our fall in the garden. His love for us cost Him far more than we can contain in the smallness of our souls.
Than you! Your explanation calmed and satisfied a decades-old question lingering in my mind about this.
Thank you. Very encouraging.