I forgot to mention in my last post that the name Miriam and
Merari are also related to the word myrrh, which is associated with death and
martyrs.
That concluded the studying I did in Numbers 12, and I was
eager to begin translating the names that were in the following chapter. There
were twelve spies chosen by Moses, one from each tribe, to spy out the Promised
Land. Each of the men were leaders among the tribes, and the list is given out
of birth order. One of these days, I’m going to look at the different order the
tribes are listed in. I just know there’s something interesting there. But I
digress.
As usual, I added some prepositions, articles, and
conjunctions to make it a sentence. But I want to caution you about that. I’m
sure you’ve heard the joke about how punctuation saves lives:
How much more cautious should we be about an inserted word
or punctuation mark here, especially when we’re looking for beautiful messages
in scripture? Always, always, ALWAYS take things like this to the Lord in
prayer, so he can give you confirmation. Don’t rely on me. I’ve only been
really digging into scripture a little more than one year, as of this writing.
I’m a rookie.
Because three sets of names are listed – the tribe, the spy,
and the father, I’ve given the translations three ways at the end so you can
decide for yourself.
Without further ado, here are the names of the tribes, spies,
and their fathers, translated from Hebrew to English.
TRIBES
|
Tribe
|
Translation
|
|
Reuben
|
Behold! A Son
|
|
Simeon
|
Hearing w/Acceptance
|
|
Judah
|
Praised
|
|
Issachar
|
He Brings Wages
|
|
Ephraim
|
Doubly Fruitful
|
|
Benjamin
|
Son of the Right Hand
|
|
Zebulun
|
Glorious Habitation
|
|
Joseph (Manasseh)
|
He Will Add (One Who Forgets)
|
|
Dan
|
A Judge/Judging
|
|
Asher
|
Happy
|
|
Naphtali
|
My Strife/Wrestling
|
|
Gad
|
Harrowing Fortune
|
Possible Translation: Behold! A son, (who,) hearing with
acceptance, (is) praised. He brings wages, doubly fruitful, (the) Son of the
right hand (in) glorious habitation. He will add, (the) one who forgets,
judging well through strife and a fortune hard won.
It’s awkward reading, but the point is that Jesus obeyed God
and was praised. He paid the wages of sin, and is doubly fruitful. He’s seated
at the right hand in Heaven, forgetting sins, and judging well those who have
been the striving of God, His hard-won fortune.
SPIES
|
Tribe
|
Spy
|
Translation
|
|
Reuben
|
Shammu-a
|
Renowned
|
|
Simeon
|
Shaphat
|
Judged
|
|
Judah
|
Caleb
|
Dog, Cur, Heart
|
|
Issachar
|
Igal
|
He Will Redeem
|
|
Ephraim
|
Hoshea
|
Salvation
|
|
Benjamin
|
Palti
|
My Deliverance
|
|
Zebulun
|
Gaddiel
|
God is my Fortune
|
|
Joseph (Manasseh)
|
Gadi
|
My Fortune
|
|
Dan
|
Ammiel
|
Servant of God
|
|
Asher
|
Sethur
|
Hidden
|
|
Naphtali
|
Nahbi
|
Concealed
|
|
Gad
|
Geuel
|
Majesty of God
|
Possible Translation: The renowned has judged the cur/dog
and will redeem his deliverance. God is my fortune, and my fortune is the
servant of God; the hidden and concealed majesty of God.
FATHERS
|
Tribe
|
Father
|
Translation
|
|
Reuben
|
Zaccur
|
Remembered
|
|
Simeon
|
Hori
|
Cave Dweller
|
|
Judah
|
Jephuneh
|
For Whom God Will Prepare a Way
|
|
Issachar
|
Joseph
|
He Will Add
|
|
Ephraim
|
Nun
|
Fish, Increase
|
|
Benjamin
|
Raphu
|
Cured/Healed
|
|
Zebulun
|
Sodi
|
Secret, Acquaintance
|
|
Joseph (Manasseh)
|
Susi
|
Horseman, My Horse
|
|
Dan
|
Gemalli
|
Burden of Investment
|
|
Asher
|
Michael
|
Who is Like Unto God?
|
|
Naphtali
|
Vophsi
|
My Addition** (Fiancé )
|
|
Gad
|
Machi
|
Humble
|
Possible Translation: The remembered cave-dweller (like a
troglodyte) for whom God will prepare a way. He’ll add cured fish, my secret,
healed (by) my horseman (through) the burden of my investment, who is like unto
God. My humble addition.
That one feels like kind of a stretch, to me.
Here’s what
all three of the groups, read in order presented in scripture, looks like:
ALL THREE
|
Tribes
|
Spies
|
Father
|
|
Behold! A Son
|
Renowned
|
Remembered
|
|
Hearing w/Acceptance
|
Judged
|
Cave Dweller
|
|
Praised
|
Dog, Cur, Heart
|
For Whom God Will Prepare a Way
|
|
He Brings Wages
|
He Will Redeem
|
He Will Add
|
|
Doubly Fruitful
|
Salvation
|
Fish, Increase
|
|
Son of the Right Hand
|
My Deliverance
|
Cured/Healed
|
|
Glorious Habitation
|
God is my Fortune
|
Secret, Acquaintance
|
|
Added (One Who Forgets)
|
My Fortune
|
Horseman, My Horse
|
|
A Judge/Judging
|
Servant of God
|
Burden of Investment
|
|
Happy
|
Hidden
|
Who is Like Unto God?
|
|
My Strife/Wrestling
|
Concealed
|
My Addition** (Fiancé)
|
|
Harrowing Fortune
|
Majesty of God
|
Humble
|
|
|
Joshua*
|
|
Possible Translation: Behold! A son is renowned and remembered. Heating with
acceptance, he judged the cave dweller and praised the cur for whom God will
prepare a way. He brings wages, will redeem, and will add, doubly fruitful
salvation of the fish.
The son of the right hand is my deliverance, my cure, my
glorious habitation. God is my fortune. I am an acquaintance, added by one who
forgets: My fortune, my horseman, my judge, the servant of God through the
burden of investment. The happy are hidden.
Who is like unto God? My wrestling has concealed my
addition. The hard-won fortune is the Majesty of God, in humble Yeshua.
*Note: Hoshea’s name becomes Joshua, and is repeated at the
end, for an emphatic “Salvation of Jehovah!” or “Yeshua!” to close out this
translation.
**Vophsi in modern Hebrew translates to My Fiancé. It’s
related to the name Joseph, so it’s generally translated to addition, or
adding, in Bible translations. It makes sense, either way, because the church
is both a fiancé and an addition.
What do you think? Putting them all together seems like the correct
interpretation, though one could make a case for separating them.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MAP
It was interesting to look at a map to figure out where the
Wilderness of Zin was in relation to the potion of the Promised Land to which
the spies were sent. Did you realize they didn’t have to cross the Jordan to
get to their destination? It looks like a symbolic lack of baptism given the
subsequent entrance into the same general region, led by Joshua, which involved a miraculous crossing of the Jordan and replacement of twelve Levitical priests
by stones of Joshua’s choosing. And, the Jordan River is exactly where John baptized
people - including Jesus himself.
A LINGERING QUESTION
My big question right now is when one looks at these three lists
of names, is there a prophetic interpretation to be made in the division of the
generations, the same way there are different groups in a harvest? I wish that
I had the answers for you. Unfortunately, I don't and I would hate to speculate
on something so significant.
As for this post (sorry for the delay), I thought I might
share this interesting find with you, in hopes that you would look into it yourself
and see if you can come to any conclusions on your own.
As ever, I keep looking up in eager anticipation of the
rapture, and each watch date projected by the Watchmen community serves
as an added motivation to give my very best to God until we meet face-to-face. It's an exciting time.
Eyes up!
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