Hebrew Word Study – Great – Gadol – Gimmel Daleth Lamed

Genesis 12:2-3: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing.  And I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee.”

With the war in the Middle East, I hear many Christians quoting Genesis 12:2-3 in declaring their support of Israel. I almost get the impression that the only reason they support Israel is the promise that if they bless Israel they will be blessed. In other words, they are on Israel’s side because they want all the goodies that come from God’s blessing. Some because they fear if they don’t support Israel they may lose out on a blessing or if our nation does not support Israel God will take His hand of blessing off of us and boy, hate to think what will happen to our country then.

I have also heard many Christians firmly insist that the church is the new Israel and that all the blessings of Israel also apply to the church. If that is the case then all the blessings of Israel are for the church today which would include this promise that those who bless us, will be blessed, and those who curse us will be cursed. It would also mean we would be a blessing to the world as well.  If you believe this, and you believe we have the same promise as Joseph that not only was he blessed by God when he submitted to God’s will but his employers also prospered as well as his family,  then let me explain what the sages teach this “blessing” others mean.

First God will make you a great nation.  The word nation is gavah which means a person or people.  God will make you a great person or a great person.  The word great gadol is great in kindness, charity, and love.  If we obey God’s laws, and walk the righteousness walk, God will make us a people of great love and kindness.  Both words, gavah and gadol start with a Gimel which has the picture of running to someone to offer kindness. We will be people who will spend our lives reaching out to offer love, hope, and kindness. 

First God will make you a great nation.  The word nation is gavah which means a person or people.  God will make you a great person or a great person.  The word great gadol is great in kindness, charity, and love.  If we obey God’s laws, and walk the righteousness walk, God will make us a people of great love and kindness.  Both words, gavah and gadol start with a Gimel which has the picture of running to someone to offer kindness. We will be people who will spend our lives reaching out to offer love, hope, and kindness. 

Then God says that we will be a blessing. The word for blessing is barak.  So what is it to be a blessing?  The word blessing in its Semitic root means a gift or present.  Rabbi Sholomo Yitzchaki explains in the Talmud that the correct rendering of this passage should be: the blessings are entrusted to your hand. In other words, we are God’s great Santa Claus.  We are the vessel from which God distributes His blessings. 

There is an old rabbinic story of a gifted tailor who could have made great wealth serving the rich. However, he served only the poor.  He would travel from village to village offering his services to those who could not afford a good tailor.  He made just enough money to survive with a little left over for a small savings in case there was a real economic disaster when not only the poor but also the rich could not pay him.  

One day they came to a village where he met a Jew who earned his living by collecting taxes for the local nobleman.  The tax collector shared his woe with the tailor.  He told how he owed the nobleman $400 pieces of silver and he was about to be thrown into the dungeon. The nobleman’s daughter was getting married and he charged the tax collector to find a tailor to make the wedding garments and if he could not find an adequate tailor he would call in the debt and throw him in the dungeon.  The nobleman was not satisfied with any of the tailors the tax collector could find and now he faced the dungeon.  The tailor offered to make the garments.  As he was such a gifted tailor, the nobleman was very pleased. On top of that, the tailor took all his savings over many years and paid off the tax collector’s debt.  

The tailor now had no money left for any economic downturn and right after this, you guessed it,  there was an economic downturn where there was no business for a tailor from the poor or the rich.  Without his savings, the tailor was forced to beg for food.  He stopped a local businessman and asked for a donation that he might purchase some food.  The businessman asked: “What will I get for giving you charity?”  “I will give you my blessing,” said the tailor.  The businessman laughed and said: “The blessing of a fool.”  But he gave the tailor some coins.  That very day the businessman had a major breakthrough in his business and he went back and gave the tailor another donation and he had another breakthrough.  Then other businessmen started to give the tailor a donation and receive his blessing and they too prospered.  They found his blessings really worked.

So, if you believe we are a spiritual Israel and those who bless us will be blessed, then what that means is that if we walk the righteous life before God he will grant us the right to be a spiritual Santa Claus.  If our employers bless us then their business will prosper. If our families bless us we can give them blessings (gifts) from the Father.

Hi there! Thank you for reading this Daily Word Study. Can I ask a favor? Share this Daily Word Study with your friends on Facebook and Twitter by clicking one of the icons below.

Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!