Hebrew Word Study – The Wedding Chair – Kursia – Kap Vav Resh Samek Yod Aleph

Hebrew 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Author’s Note:  This study is Chapter 2 of my book on prayer entitled Palal –  A Notch In A Tent Peg.  You may purchase this book through this website or off of Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Palal-Hebrew-Teacher-Explores-Prayer/dp/1960024183/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JKdKdgfd8VPN4Cg6PDSKPTzQdP6JQPf9vGmJdb40I1GVTg8Fm5-csp-yFF0kZ5e8DX5xRS6VqgM4fZ2gqZSp37Yt0oDDk5qunrqO3sI28SkBQA4NtQj-ljKmscnXxuvNDEUfBs6iJCu-_H4mUUHAmZ4UXRAoFefIC4hoGGtD1v905MqFB5kIq29M8oigR4gfcLOUPbSsnT0iLS0-ASYABK6cNw7oXSbjhyo-mzzY4tM.8PnU1jxOhFxqScWYEqUVomR0vUGBiaqa4zvHEnnNyBk&qid=1708577884&sr=8-1

So, what is this throne of grace that we are to approach boldly?   I used to hear this verse quoted throughout my childhood on Christian radio as the station would have a time of prayer.  They would begin by quoting this verse saying: “Let us come boldly onto the throne of grace.” I would then picture in my mind marching boldly, that is shoulders held high, walking with sure step up to this throne where Jesus or God the Father, or both with the Holy Spirit behind them all sitting on this magnificent chair surrounded by dozens of attending angels and presenting Him (Them) with my requests. 

Of course, the first problem I have with this image is trying to picture God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all sitting on one throne. They are, of course, one yet in three persons as we are taught in Evangelical circles.  Most preachers do a spin dance around a child’s question: “When we get to heaven will we see three individuals or one?”  That pastoral nightmarish question has no realistic explanation that we human beings can wrap our brains around. I shall try to offer some insight into this conundrum that sends our imagination into a dizzy tailspin in later chapters of this book but only with respect to prayer, don’t expect a satisfactory explanation of the Trinity which has eluded us Evangelicals for centuries. Greater minds than Chaim Bentorah have pondered this question and have come up with no satisfactory response, so little chance this dusty old professor will offer one. 

As I grew older and wiser, I began to learn that Jesus dwells within us and that our bodies are the Temple of God.  So, if there is a throne room it is in our bodies. Then again, I don’t even find any mention of a throne in the Temple itself.

Going to the Aramaic, which was Paul’s native language, I found that the word throne is kursia which is really a seat or place of honor.  It is the same word used for the chairs that a bride and groom sit in when they are lifted by the celebrants during a Jewish wedding reception.  The Talmud teaches that the guests at this wedding would form a circle around the bride and groom and dance.  At some point during this dancing, the bride and groom are placed in chairs or kursia and lifted up.  This is because men and women do not dance together at an orthodox Jewish wedding but they form a separate group called a mechitzah.  At Some point, the bride and groom are placed in a kursia and lifted up so they can peer over the barrier between the men and women and see each other. The couple can connect with each other by holding either end of a handkerchief over the mechitzah.  This is a very bold move for the bride and groom to make such a connection during the celebration before they are allowed to enter the bridal chamber and consummate their marriage.  Despite the fact that his is not proper protocol, it is accepted because they are married, after all, and the whole thing takes place while everyone is dancing, rejoicing, and having fun.  Herein, lies the key word in our study of prayer.  It is making a connection with God before we have fully consummated our marriage to Him in heaven. 

This may be what the Apostle Paul is referring to about coming boldly before the throne of grace.  We are allowed to break traditional protocols as the bride of Christ and make this connection between the dimensions of the natural and supernatural realm with Jesus our groom.  I believe Paul was trying to say that to approach the throne of grace is not really a somber moment but a time of rejoicing, celebrating, and dancing as one is being given the grace to become the bride of Christ.  Prayer, no matter what the reason, is still a time of connecting with God and anytime we form a connection with the God of the universe, it is a time of celebration. 

The Talmud in Avoda Zara 3b talks about two metaphorical thrones that God sits upon in relation to a proselyte when a gentile wishes to enter the Jewish faith.  There is the throne of judgment and the throne of mercy and grace.  A proselyte was usually an idol-worshipping, non-Jew who forsook his idolatry and converted to become a Jew. A proselyte was considered born again, one who enters a new life, forsaking his pagan beliefs.  He is one who is leaving idolatry to become a follower of God.  But proselytes many times will convert for lesser motives than a desire to follow God.  It may be a woman who just wants to marry a man who is Jewish and so accepts his faith to become his bride.  Just as in Christianity, many become Christians for motives other than those that centered on following God but maybe to just escape hell or get certain benefits.  Such a proselyte finds God sitting on the throne of Judgement. However, if the proselyte is like Ruth who only wants to be a follower of Jehovah then that person will enter the throne of grace not judgment.  The bride of Christ will get a glimpse of her groom and even be allowed to make a certain connection before that relationship is consummated. 

The word for grace explains clearly why the protocol is allowed to be broken. You see in the Jewish wedding the bride and groom are married and in just a short time they will consummate their marriage so why would it be so bad if they publicly connected just to glimpse each other and connect on opposite ends of a handkerchief?  When we accept the grace of Jesus Christ we are married to Him and it is just a short time until we leave this body and consummate our marriage to Him. So, why not in this time of celebration of receiving this grace, a time of rejoicing and dancing that we would catch a glimpse of the presence of our Savior?

The word bold in Aramaic is very interesting. It is galva (sounds like gala) and means to uncover to make or be visible. Just as during the merchitzah when the celebrants at the wedding are dancing and having fun, they will make the bride galva, visible to the groom, by lifting her in a kursia. So too, when we enter into the grace of God, we are lifted up in a kursia with Him so He can uncover Himself not as a judge but as a loving bridegroom filled with passion. 

You see the word grace in Aramaic is tivota which is a word used among the Semitic people in ancient times and even today when one is granted entrance into a family or community.  Bedouins often encamped as a family with all their brothers, sisters, cousins and other close of kin putting up their tents in a circle. Only a blood relative had access to this encampment. If someone was not a blood relative he could not enter.  Although a good friend, one who is beloved by a member of the family may explain why this friend deserves the same rights and privileges as a blood relieve and after a certain vetting process could be allowed entrance into the community or encampment as he would be accepted as a family member. Still, he must be considered a member of the family. Even today in the Middle East if someone considers a friend worthy of the privileges of being a blood relative, he will call that friend: “My brother.”  That is tivota, grace, being granted the privileges of being a blood member of a family. We are welcomed into the family of God by the Son of God who shed His blood for us to allow us to become a member of His family through marriage.

“Let us therefore, come boldly before the throne of grace” means we have been granted the privileges of being a family member of the bride of God’s Son Jesus Christ.  Prayer is our connection to His Son. Even though our marriage is not yet consummated in our Father’s house, we can still connect with our bridegroom Jesus Christ, and catch a glimpse of Him beyond the mechitzah of time and space. 

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