Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Carl Christensen" <cwbachur AT gmail.com>]

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "bowick AT idirect.com" <bowick AT idirect.com>
>
> Hi folks:>
> I was wondering if you would be willing to share stories or places where
> your knowledge of Hebrew has let you see something in the text, or have an
> insight that made you say 'wow'.  I am not thinking of advanced studies,
> and the cutting edge insights you have made so much as I am asking us to
> reflect back on our early experiences with the language.  In some cases,
> later reflection may have led us to discard aspects of those insights, but
> their emotional impact remains.
>
> My purpose is to collect stories to motivate beginning students.  We know
> that learning Hebrew is a lot of work, and it can get discouraging.  These
> stories can give students, perhaps some even lurking on this list, a
> reminder of why they are doing it.
>
> ...
>
> My guess is many of you have much better stories and insights.  Lets
> collect them to motivate the novices on the list, and also to help one
> another encourage our students.
>
> James Bowick

Hello,

I am a beginning Hebrew Student, only been at for 3 years.  I've had many
WOW experiences thus far.  Many of them I may forget for their deficent
exegeitcal impact or accuracy.  When I began an Independent Study of the
Book of Genesis I trudged through, having to look up so many words over and
over till they were memorized.  Soon I began flying through the Abrahamic
narrative.  At the "end" in Chapter 21, I was amazed to see the idea of
"seeing" punned on throughout the book--especially in the Abrahamic
Narrative.  God is the one who causes Abraham to see.  The name of God
"Jehovah-Jirah" made so much more sense then I could possibly describe.
The passage of Habbuk 2:4 and Romans 1:16, 17 clicked into greater clarity.
The chapters of John's Gospel have recently also clicked into place with
those insights.  God has strengthened my weak and feeble faith to continue
to follow like Abraham though I can't see everything yet.


Carl Christensen
--
אשרי־אדם לא יחשב יהוה לו עון ואין ברוחו רמיה