By Oskar Edin Indergaard - translated by me from Norwegian

KNOWLEDGE OF JUDAISM AND BIBLE INTERPRETATION


There is a great difference between the Hebrew language and the thought it expresses, and the Greek language and its values. When Hebrew expresses ACTION and DYNAMISM, Greek expresses ABSTRACT and LOGICAL THOUGHT and WAYS OF THINKING. (We who live in the West have a Greek way of thinking and expressing ourselves.)
The reason for this lies in the history and spiritual experiences of these two peoples. While the Hebrews were on a constant pilgrimage during Old Testament times, the Greeks were most interested in discussing religion and philosophy. This can be seen in the account of Paul’s visit to Athens. "For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either telling or hearing some new thing" (Acts 17:21).
The Hebrews did not spend their lives thinking philosophical thoughts and discussing them, but life was a struggle, such as YHWH had decided to give them as his people. One of the ways that this happened was that during a large part of their history the people were ON A JOURNEY- either from the Promised Land or to the Promised Land, which is Israel.
This must have had consequences for their way of living and thinking.
If we do not know this, it is IMPOSSIBLE for us fully to understand the content of the Bible. This applies to reading both the Tanach (O.T.) and large parts of the N.T.
"Tanach" is the Hebrew term for the O.T. It is an abbreviation of the words Torah, Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketubim (Writings.)
The New Testament, which should have been called the New Covenant or the Renewed Covenant, is called in Hebrew "Berit Chadashah".
The word "testament" is not a biblical concept. It goes back to the Latin Bible, the Vulgate. It is a false translation of the Hebrew word "berit", which means "covenant". The word "testament" should have been REMOVED from our Bibles, for it gives us a false impression of the relationship between the old (first) covenant and the new (renewed) covenant in Jesus’ blood.
The way of thinking that we find in the Tanach, we find again in the N.T., and the is nothing strange, for those who wrote both the Tanach and the N.T. were Jews (it is also possible that Luke was a Jew, both by birth and by faith.)
Paul was also aware of the difference between the Hebrew and Greek ways of thinking, for he wrote that the Jews demanded SIGNS (Gr. seimeion), but the Greeks sought WISDOM (Gr. sophia) (1 Cor.1:22).
This means that Jews wanted to see signs, for they were an expression of action, but the Greeks were satisfied with knowledge and wisdom. This was an expression of the way in which the two peoples saw and understood the world.
In John’s Gospel Jesus’ miracles are called "SIGNS".
Martin Luther said that "there is a SPECIAL ENERGY in the Hebrew language." The Kingdom of God was given to this people and in this language, for it is the Lord’s language and they are the Lord’s people.
He also said about this language: "In it (the Hebrew language) we hear GOD SPEAK… thus study directed towards learning this language might rightly be called a kind of Mass or divine service." (Luther’s Works, Vol. 12.)
He further said about the Hebrew language: "The Hebrew language is the BEST language of all, with the richest vocabulary… If I were younger I would want to learn this language, because no one can really understand the Scriptures without it. For although the New Testament is written in Greek, it is full of hebraisms and Hebrew expressions. It has therefore been aptly said that the Hebrews DRINK FROM THE SPRING, the Greeks from THE STREAM THAT FLOWS FROM IT." (Luther’s Table Talk.)
It is not certain that all the N.T. books were originally written in Greek. There is much that indicates that the first three gospels were written in Hebrew and were later translated into Greek. This might also apply to other books of the N.T., such as, for example, the Letter to the Hebrews and the Revelation of John. The Book of Revelation is written in bad Greek, but when we translate it into Hebrew, its language becomes excellent.
Not only does the Hebrew language express action and dynamism, it is also a language that to a large degree expresses EMOTIONS. The Jews liked to give expression to their emotions. The did not see in this anything unworthy. They could both cry and laugh, be angry and be joyful. We know that King David, for example, wrote Psalms and danced before the ark (2 Sam.6:14-16.) Jacob wept aloud when he revealed his identity to his brothers. (Gen. 45:2.), and even Jesus wept. (Lk. 19:41.)
This stands in opposition to the Greek way of life. A person should be logical and clear in his thinking and keep his emotions under control. The Stoics, for example, tried to suppress their emotions and live a disciplined life. They did not want to let external circumstances affisere affect them. They wanted to keep a "mask" whatever might happen. They would receive everything with "Stoic serenity".


THE JEWS HAVE FEW ABSTRACT CONCEPTS.


The language of the Jews has FEW abstract concepts. When the Jews wanted to express abstract ideas, they used expressions from the MATERIAL or PHYSICAL WORLD. I here quote from Marvin R. Wilson’s book "Our Father Abraham", p.137. One of the things he says is: " "look" is "lift up the eyes" (Gen. 22:4.); "be angry" is "burn in one’s nostrils" (Exod. 4:14.); "disclose something to another" or "reveal" is "unstop someone’s ears" (Ruth 4:4.); "have no compassion" is "hard-heartedness" (1 Sam. 6:6.); "to prepare" is "to gird one’s loins", "to decide to go" is "to turn one’s face", "stubborn" is "stiff-necked" (2 Chron. 30:8; cf. Acts 7:51.)."
In addition, we have a number of other similar expressions in the N.T.
This is also one of the reasons why the Hebrews described YHWH in CONCRETE and HUMAN WAYS. God was described using expressions such as "God's arm", "the finger of God", "face", "right hand", "heaven", "power", "might", etc.
Because the Jews did not like expressing themselves in abstract ways they were not interested either in formulating doctrinal statements or dogmas for their faith. The only dogma that they had was the Shema: "Shema Israel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai echad". This has been translated as: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Dt. 6:4).
The correct translation of the Shema of the Jews is: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our Gods (the trinitarian God), the Lord is one."
In spite of the fact that the Jews did not like to formulate doctrinal statements for their faith, Rabbi Maimonides did produce thirteen tenets for the Jewish faith.
The most important for the Jews was not abstract ideas about doctrine, but RIGHT ACTIONS. This was not an intellectual matter, but an ethical one. This can be seen in the story of the Rich Young Ruler who came to Jesus and asked WHAT HE SHOULD DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE. Jesus mentioned a number of things that he should do. When he had done all this, he should follow Jesus. It was the same as to come to faith in Jesus (Mt. 19:16-26).
The Hebrew word "olam" and the Greek word "aion" are MISTRANSLATED in our Bibles. These words do not mean "eternity", which is a Greek concept, but "time" or "age".
When late Jewish thinkers (Late Judaism 200 BC to 135 AD.) came into contact with Greek philosophy and thought, they were "forced" to translate this word as "world" or "eternity". They unfortunately gave way to Greek pressure and thus "sold" part of their inheritance to the Gentiles. This have led to GREAT FRUSTRATION and CONFUSION when reading and studying God’s Word.
"To inherit eternal life" is "to receive a share in the age to come" (Heb. olam ha ba), which is the Kingdom of Israel.
This was what the Rich Young Ruler wanted a share in. He did not want to have a share in the abstract Greek concept of "eternity"- neither he nor the Jews knew what it meant. He wanted to have a share in the Kingdom of God that Jesus had already established in Israel, and which together with John the Baptist and the apostles was growing from day to day. This was the Kingdom that the prophets had described in the Tanach. (See my book: Jesu Gjenkomst./Jesus’ Return Vol. 5. Chapter: 1000 års-rikets tidsalder/The Millennium)
The Hebrew language has no word for "eternity" in relation to time. Hebrew operates in AGES. Time is not seen in relation to eternity, but in relation to ages. When ages are filled with this theological content, we have "the fullness of time" (Gr. pleroma tou kronou), and a new period of time with its own theological content. It is God's Word and the prophetic Word that give periods of time their content.
The Norwegian theologian Carl F. Wisløff says the following in his book Jeg vet på hvem jeg tror/I know in whom I believe: "The Bible does not speak of time and eternity, but of time and ages."
(See Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum’s book: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology. pp. 665-666. See also my book Kristendommens Jødiske Røtter/The Jewish Roots of Christianity. Chapter: Betydningen av ordene "olam" og "aion"/The meaning of the words "olam" and "aion").
The right question for the Jews was: "What shall I DO to do the works of God." (Jn. 6:28), and not what shall I THINK in order to give expression to what God wants. The important questions were: What does God want me to do? What is God's plan for my life? How do I find out how to realise God's plan for my life?
The Jews also tried to understand the acts of God. None of the great questions that Jews ask themselves were: How can God act with his people as he does? Why are the righteous punished, but the unrighteous go free? The question: "How long, O God, will it take before you save your people and punish Israel’s enemies?” is a frequent question in the Tanach.
The most important thing for the Jews is the relationship with God and their fellow-men. In relation to God PRAYER is the most important thing, and GOOD WORKS are the most important thing in relation to fellow-men. The important question is: What shall I do to do THE WORKS OF GOD? (Jn. 6:28) They are what God wants us to do.
While the Greeks tried to give a correct and logical account of what happened, it was the action itself, a description of it and the impression it created, that was important for the Jews. When Solomon described the Jewish bride in the Song of Solomon, he described her in concrete terms. He wrote that her neck "is like the tower of David" (Song of Solomon 4:4), and that her nose is "like the tower of Lebanon" (Song of Solomon 7:4).
The Greeks did not immediately understand these images, for they wanted to understand them in a concrete manner. For them, a girl with a long neck and a big nose was not a beautiful sight, but in Hebrew it means something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. It means that this girl was IMPOSING and BEAUTIFUL when she straightened her neck and lifted her nose.
There are many similar examples of Hebrew words and expressions that have a different meaning from Greek words and expressions. We can take another example. In Greek "son of God" means someone who has "characteristics of God" or even someone with "a divine nature".
In Hebrew this expression means someone who has a "special relationship with God". This might be Jesus, the Jewish people or angels.
Even the internal organs, such as the heart, intestines, liver and kidneys were regarded as centres of the will, intentions, mind, emotions and spiritual power.
In Hebrew nature is also described with concrete images. When it says in Isaiah 55:12 that the trees will "clap their hands", it means that trees, too, will rejoice over the salvation and liberation that God will give to the whole world and the whole creation in the Millennium (Rom. 8:19-22).



JEWS LIVED IN TIME AND GREEKS LIVED IN SPACE.


While HEARING was the most important sense for the Jews, SIGHT was the most important thing for the Greeks. Through the sense of hearing a person can hear a series of sounds, one after the other. This means that an action or movement takes place. The sense of vision, by contrast, imprisons a series of objects that are simultaneous or parallel. The Jews lived in TIME, but the Greeks lived in SPACE.
For the Jews time was the same as the actions that take place in time. Time was seen in relation to other periods of time, and not in relation to "eternity". When the prophetic content, which belonged to a particular time, was fulfilled, there came a "new time" or a "new period of time".
I quote from the well-known Norwegian theologian Thorleif Boman, who says the following on this subject: "The Greeks and all other Indo-Europeans experienced the world as the cosmos, a beautifully ordered whole. They lived securely on earth under the eternal stars of heaven. Everything was fixed and unshakeable."
For the Jews the world was in movement. The whole of existence, even the universe, was a continuous series of events and coincidences that they experienced and influenced. There is hardly any other way for us to come closer to this way of thinking than to say that they experienced existence as history, eventful time. They lived in time, as we live in space. We also make time a place.
When late Jewish thinkers encountered Greek philosophy and were forced to find a Hebrew word for universe, they called it "olam", boundless time, time without beginning or end, but meaning the same as our concept ’universe’." (Jødenes Messias, Grekernes Kristus / The Messiah of the Jews, the Christ of the Greeks. p. 19.)
For the Greeks HISTORY WAS A PART OF NATURE, and because events recurred in ever-repeated cycles, they sought a law to explain it. They tried to find fixed rules for what happened.
For the Hebrews NATURE WAS A PART OF HISTORY, and it was God that determined the course of history. God was the Lord of History, who wanted to bring it to a CONCLUSION, and this conclusion was the "Kingdom of Israel" or "the world to come", as the rabbis called it.
THE GOAL OF HISTORY was thus different for the Greeks from what it was for the Hebrews. For the Greeks the goal of history was TIMELESS ETERNITY, but for the Jews the goal of history was THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Therefore the Jews cannot translate the word "olam" as "eternity". This word includes everything that has happened in history - in the past, present and future, but it does not mean timeless eternity.
This is the reason why VERBS play a dominant role in Hebrew, for they describe movement and a process. Different characteristics are the result of a process. We shall give a few examples: "broad" is "to be broad", "wide" is " be wide", "little" is "to be little", "to put up a tent" is "to dwell" and "to become" is "to be" or "to become".
This means that in Hebrew A is not always the same as B, but A becomes B. There is greater dynamism and movement in Hebrew than in Greek.
Because Hebrew does not seek to reveal all the nuances of what happens, or to find every logical detail, Hebrew verbs have only TWO TENSES, and they are:
IMPERFECT. This is used of actions that are NOT COMPLETED.
b) PERFECT. This is used of actions that are COMPLETED.
Hebrew sentences often begin with a verb, followed by a noun.
We can understand the great problems faced by the translators of the Tanach from Hebrew into Greek, which has many verbal tenses, both active and passive.
In Greek NOUNS are the most important, and many verbs are also formed from nouns. Both verbs and nouns primarily describe space, relations and objects. A world that is understood on the basis of sight seems a world that is full of objects. While "TO BE" is most important in Greek thinking, "TO BECOME" is the most important in Hebrew thinking.
"To be" expresses a STATE, but "to become" expresses MOVEMENT.
This relationship is also visible in the meaning of the Hebrew noun "davar". It is translated as "logos" in Greek.
In Hebrew this word has the following characteristics:
It is the same as God himself (Jer.1:4-6).
It created the world (Psalm 33:6).
It can save and heal a person (Psalm 107:20).
It is the same as the glory of the Lord (Jn. 1:14).
It is related to covenants (Gen.15:1-21).
It reveals itself. (Ezek.1:3) (See my book: Jesu Gjenkomst. Chapter 4: Jesus er det livende Guds ord / Jesus is the living Word of God.)
This word gives expression to something that is dynamic and full of creativity. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with (Gr. pros) God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Everything WAS MADE through him (the Word), and without him nothing was made that was made.” (Jn. 1:1-3.)
As concerns the Greek preposition "pros", it means "to be equal to", "to be similar to" and "to be on the same level with" someone.
When we compare the Hebrew word "davar" with the Greek word "logos", we note that the latter word also means "meaning", "content", "cause " and "reason", but the difference is that "davar" brings changes. It changes the world, but "logos" is something that is contained in the world, and helps people to understand the world.
"Logos" is like passive world reason, but Hebrew "davar" is what created the world and upholds it. (See Marian Eigele’s article: Jøde og/eller kristen / Jew and/or Christian in Jødene og Jødedommen / Jews and Judaism. Eds. Egil A.Wyller and Terje Gudbrandsen.)
We can also see that these two words are a meeting-point for the two languages, but the Greek "logos" must give way to the Hebrew "davar", for YHWH is the God of the whole world. Everything must bow down before him.
We should have written the word "davar" in CAPITAL LETTERS, for it is an expression for the Lord himself. It is an expression for the triune God.


LOGICAL THINKING IS DIFFERENT IN HEBREW FROM IN GREEK.


The Greeks and we Europeans are wont to think in logical ways, with one idea based on another in order. Finally this leads to a "logical" conclusion or a fixed rule.
It is not like this with the Jews. They think either in LOGICAL BLOCKS or in LOGICAL STEPS.
For the Greeks and for us the Hebrew way of thinking creates great problems and paradoxes, for one verse can contradict another. Hebrew blocks or sentences therefore CHALLENGE Greek logic.
This is not a problem for the Jews, but it is a problem for us, if we are not familiar with the Jewish way of thinking and Jewish logic.
The Jews did not need to have everything proved by Greek logic. The Hebrews had no problem in living with these "paradoxes".
The Jews had no need to know everything, for only God knew everything.
For the Jews God's existence, for example, was an "axiom", which is the same as "a self-evident fact", that need not be demonstrated. For the Jews it was YHWH who always existed. God described himself as: "I am" (Ex. 3:14).
While the Greeks and we in the West have wasted much precious time trying to prove God's existence, the Jews have saved this time. They thus have a GREAT ADVANTAGE over us in the area of theology. They have been able to go straight to the heart of the problem, without first having laid a "logical basis" for their ideas. (This does not mean that Jews are right in all their theology. They can also learn something from us, just as we can learn much from them.)
Jewish theology is defined as a "JOURNEY ON EARTH", not as creeds, ideology or ideas. On this journey God interacts with human beings. When they keep God's commandments (Heb. mitzvot), they can be certain to receive a share in God's Kingdom.
The Jews were not interested in knowing everything, either. The Hebrews knew that man’s position was "UNDER THE SUN", and that they could not understand everything. "and I have observed all that God brings to pass. Indeed, man cannot guess the events that occur under the sun. For man tries strenuously, but fails to guess them; and even if a sage should think to discover them he would not be able to guess them" (Eccl. 8:17).
The Jews noticed that what God had made difficult- made crooked- they could not straighten out or understand. "Consider God's doing! Who can straighten what He has twisted?" (Eccl. 7:13)
Paul says the same, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age (Gr. aion)? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world (Gr. kosmos)?" (1 Cor. 1:20)
God's thoughts are not man’s thoughts. "For My plans are not your plans, nor are My ways your ways - declares the LORD. But as the heavens are high above the earth, so are My ways high above your ways, and My plans above your plans" (Isa. 55:8-9).
"Concealed acts concern the LORD our God; but with overt acts, it is for us and our children ever to apply all the words of this Torah" (Dt. 29:29).
God was also a RIGHTEOUS GOD, who judges righteously. Human beings need not understand everything, but they should DO what is good and right. "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God demand of you? Only this: to revere the LORD your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul" (Dt. 10:12).
What was CENTRAL, and what was IMPORTANT in Jewish theology, was not to receive answers to every question, but to love the Lord one’s God and one’s fellow human beings. GOD and HUMAN BEINGS were in the centre.
The Jews could not think of formulating dogmas or "logical" general surveys of the Bible concerning theological problems or future events, as we in the West are very "skilful" in doing.
The Jews were more interested in "EXPERIENCING THE TRUTH" than in "THINKING THE TRUTH". They were more interested in "walking in the truth" (2 Jn. 4) and "living in it" (1 Jn.1:6) than in constructing theological systems about the truth.
Rabbi Josef Soloveitchik has said: "We (Jews) are practical. We are more interested in finding out what God wants people to do in describing the nature of God….As a teacher, I never try to answer questions, for MOST QUESTIONS CANNOT BE ANSWERED… Judaism is never afraid of contradictions, it recognizes that it is only possible fully to resolve them IN GOD. He is the one who resolves contradictions."
In the Jewish way of thinking ALL AREAS OF LIFE ARE THEOLOGICAL. This means that the Jews do not distinguish between sacred and secular areas of life. They see the whole of life as a UNITY (Heb. "echad"). Everything is God's domain. He has a plan for everything that happens, and the Jews are aware that that God is IN EVERYTHING that happens and that will happen - whether it be a matter of joy or sadness. It is he that determines both what is evil and what is good. It is he that stands behind everything that happens. He has a plan for everything, and if people trust in the Lord, it will finally go well with them.
Some of this is also good "old" Christian theology, and it greatly differs - fortunately - from the "prosperity theology" that we hear today. Prosperity theology is not biblical, but comes from the prince of this world, who tries to bring confusion about both the way in which God comes to human beings and God's way with human beings.
The Psalmist says: "I am ever mindful of the LORD’s presence; He is at my right hand; I shall never be shaken" (Psalm 16:8).
Proverbs 3:6 (Heb. 5) says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and DO NOT RELY ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will he make your paths smooth."
Paul says something similar, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).
"and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:17).
In spite of the fact that it was God that determined everything, most Jews considered that FREE WILL was something real. The Talmud says: "Everything is in God's hand except the fear of God" (Berakhot 33 b).
God’s sovereignty and human responsibility were not irreconcilable (Berakhot 33 b).
Rabbi Akiba said, "Everything is subject to Providence; nevertheless man has free will."
We have many examples from the Bible where one verse and account seem to be contradictory. This was no problem for the Hebrews, as we know.
We shall here mention a few examples.
Concerning the alleged "two creation accounts" (Gen. 1-2:3 and Ex. 2:4-9) in our Bibles, they seem to be "in conflict" with the Greek way of thinking, because they partly describe different things and different situations. In order to explain this Western theologians have supposed that there are two sources behind these two accounts.
For the Jews this has never been a problem. These accounts give expression to the fact that it is GOD WHO ACTS. It is not a question of contradictions - the accounts describe MOVEMENT and ACTION. God was active in creation.
For the Jews there is only one creation account, although they are formulated differently. God cannot contradict himself.
When it is a question of different ways of thinking or different logical blocks that seem to be in conflict with one another, this can be resolved in several ways. One way of thinking or block can be seen from God's perspective and God's starting-point, but the other can be seen from the human standpoint.
When, for example, the Bible speaks of RIGHTEOUSNESS, it refers both to God's righteousness and man’s own righteousness. The verses that define this concept might seem to be contradictory, but they are not. Isaiah 55:1-3 speaks of God's righteousness, and it is FREE.
Isaiah 56:1-2 speaks of man’s own righteousness, which is an ethical righteousness that cannot save a person. It says here that a person must "do righteousness and what is just."
Ex. 8:15 says that Pharaoh hardened his heart against God. Ex. 7:3 says that it was God that hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
The Tanach teaches us that God is both "angry" (Isa. 45:7) and "merciful" (Hab. 3:2).
The N.T. says that Jesus is both "the lamb of God" (Jn. 1:29) and "the lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5).
Jesus said that he will not drive away anyone who comes to him (Jn. 6:37), but he also said that no one could come to him unless the Father had drawn him (Jn. 6:44).
Jesus said that he who wants to preserve his life must lose it (Mt. 10:39).
Paul said that when he was weak, then he was strong (2 Cor. 12:10).
The Letter to the Galatians says that we should "bear one another’s burdens" (Gal. 6:2.), but also that everyone "shall bear his own burden" (Gal. 6:5).
1 John 3:6 says that "whoever abides in him does not sin". 1 John 2:1 says that "if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
The first verse has to do with the born again person. He or she cannot sin.
The second verse has to do with the unconverted nature, the flesh that sins.
Another problem that arises when we read the Bible may be that two verses give conflicting information. This can be resolved by seeking a third verse that solves this problem. (See chapter: De rabbinske reglene for tolkning av Bibelen / The rabbinic rules for interpreting the Bible. Paragraph 6.)
When we study the Bible we must adapt our way of thinking to the way in which the Hebrews thought. Robert Martin-Achard has said in his book: An Approach to the Old Testament: "that we must undergo an INTELLECTUAL CONVERSION" when we study the Bible.
This is right, but before we can do this we must learn the principles of Jewish thinking and the special characteristics of the Jewish language. KNOWLEDGE COMES BEFORE RECOGNITION. We thank God for giving us both.
The Hebrew and Greek ways of describing and understanding the world COMPLEMENT each other. They are both valuable, for they both describe some of the mysteries of the world and life. The Hebrew way of thinking is in its psychological profundity able to give us a right explanation of the real and true revelation of God, but the Greek way of thinking laid the foundation for the scientific method, in which Greek logic plays a central role.
Both ways of thinking help us to understand the world, but they must not be confused, for they function largely in their own areas. We should not try to combine them. They complement each other. The Danish scientist Nils Bohr said, "Truth lies in what is complementary."


THE DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THE BIBLE.

The rabbis said that the different aspects in God’s Word are INNUMERABLE. The also said that every passage of the Torah contains 70 aspects, for the number of members of the Sanhedrin was 70, and they had the task of interpreting the Torah.
The purpose of "interpreting" God’s Word is "TO SIMPLIFY IT" so that as many people as possible should gain a better understanding of the Bible. For this reason the rabbis also gave rules for the interpretation of God’s Word and divided the content of the Bible into different levels. They divided it into FOUR LEVELS, and these are:
1. "PESHAT". This level gives expression to the LITERAL UNDERSTANDING of the Bible. The story itself is told. It gives the framework to the story, and is a basis for the further understanding of the text. One must be well acquainted with the first level before one can go further in the interpretation of a text.
This level also deals with the simple rules for how a person should live to have a share in the Kingdom of God. This applies, for example, to the ten commandments in their simple and literal sense.
All words and expressions in the Bible have their starting-point on this level, but they can be separated into several levels or laws.
"Mishnah", which means "the second Torah", is the Hebrew commentary that best describes the first level.
In the N.T. (Heb. Berit Chadashah) the Gospel of Mark best describes the first level. Mark wrote a short, exact and sober account of Jesus’ life. He presented the Messiah as the Servant of God who had come to help and heal men and women.
2. "REMEZ". This level gives expression to the HIDDEN MEANING of a text. It is not obvious.
In order to understand this level, one must also know the various BIBLICAL CONCEPTS, and how they should be understood in relation to each other. One must also know what the different IMAGES and SYMBOLS mean.
This level is written for those who are able to interpret the Scriptures. They will be able to pass it on to those who do not understand it immediately. We should serve one another with the spiritual gifts that we have received (1 Cor. 12:28).
This level does not replace the first, but supplements it. It has another viewpoint than the first level. It gives life and variation to the story. It uses references and symbolism.
This level uses ALLEGORIES, METAPHORS, PROVERBS, RIDDLES and PARABLES.
It has been said that King Solomon and Hiram, king of Tyre, sent each other riddles to solve.
When God spoke to the prophets, he spoke to them in dreams, visions and parables, but when God spoke to Moses, he spoke to him directly - face to face. God spoke to Moses through the Messiah. (Dt. 12:6-8.)
The judge Samson once gave a riddle to the Philistines for them to solve. He said, "…Out of the eater came something to eat, out of the strong came something sweet…" (Jg. 14:14).
Jesus, too, gave a riddle to the Pharisees and teachers of the law when he asked them who was meant in Psalm 110:1 by the words, "the Lord said to my Lord." They could not answer him (Mt. 22:42-46).
Paul uses the allegorical form in Galatians 4:22-31, where he compares the old covenant with "Mount Sinai in Arabia" and the new (renewed) covenant with "the Jerusalem above". This "is free" and "the mother of us all" (vv.25-26).
When Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 3:12 that the Christian should build on the foundation, that is Jesus, with "gold, silver and precious stones" and not with "wood, hay and straw", he used images or symbols. These gave expression to spiritual realities. The first three images are part of the Pauline teaching. The last three images are part of law-based Judaism.
"Gemara" is the Jewish commentary that best expresses this level.
In the N.T. it is the Gospel of Luke that best expresses this level. This Gospel has a greater wealth of detail than the Gospel of Mark. Luke also uses more biblical concepts, symbols and words in his account. He presents the Messiah as Son of Man, who would both suffer and die, but who would also establish the Kingdom for the Jews.
3. "DROSH". This is the level of INTERPRETATION. It gives expression to both the DOCTRINAL content of a text and the MORAL TEACHINGS that can be deduced from the text. The word "Midrash" comes from the verb "drosh", which means "to find out" or "to interpret."
A "midrash" is an interpretation of God's Word, which tells us something about the theological ideas of the author. It will also tell us something about what is IMPORTANT for every person in every age to know and to live by. A midrash therefore has relevance in every age.
This level contains both "halachah" and "haggadah". The former gives expression to the doctrinal part of the text. The latter give expression to the moral interpretation of Scripture.
We find many parables on this level. It is "parabolic" in nature. A parable bases its interpretation on the ENTIRE STORY instead of interpreting an individual word or sentence.
The word "parable" itself comes from two Greek words: "para", which means "beside", and "ballo", which means "I throw" or "I place". It means that one "places something beside" the story. Two contents are compared. In this way the story is made more vivid and exciting.
This is a means of expressions whereby a moral or spiritual truth is illustrated by comparing it with everyday experiences. Ordinarily parables begin with the words that something "is like".
This level expresses the GREATEST KIND OF WISDOM, and then shifts to the PROPHETIC LEVEL.
When it says in the Tanach that God wanted to establish a kingdom for David, one that would last for ever, and that the Messiah (Jesus) would eventually be the king of this Kingdom, this interpretation of the Scriptures belongs on the prophetic level.
Both the Gospel of Matthew and the Revelation of John contain this level in their description of Jesus who fulfilled these prophetic promises. "Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest" (Mt. 21:9).
"But one of the elders said to me, ’Do not weep. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals’" (Rev. 5:5).
The many parables in Matthew’s Gospel give expression to this level. The disciples asked Jesus to speak to them more simply and explain the parables to them. "Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house (both Peter’s house and the messianic congregation). And his disciples came to him, saying, ’Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field’" (Mt. 13:36).
"His disciples said to him, ’See, now you are speaking plainly, and not in a parable’" (Jn. 16:29).
Jesus was a master at telling parables. Approximately a third of his sayings and teaching is comprised of parables.
This was a very popular form of expression among the rabbis. We know more than 5000 parables that they composed.
In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus spoke directly to the Jewish people without parables, but from chapter 13 on he began to speak to them in parables. From then on he frequently spoke to the people in parables. He interpreted these parables for his apostles and disciples (Mt. 13:34-35). Jesus was the only person in the N.T. to use parables
The fact that Jesus spoke in parables to the Jewish people was foretold in the Tanach (Psalm 78:2). One of the things that the Tanach declared was that JUDGMENT lay over the people because they did not recognize Jesus and his teaching (Isa. 6:9-10). A parable CONCEALS a truth as much as it REVEALS it.
Most of the parables that Jesus told have been misinterpreted, for the Christian Church has torn them from their Jewish context.
Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as the king of the Kingdom of Israel. Matthew therefore has another viewpoint than Mark and Luke.
The Book of Revelation uses many comparisons, but they are not parables.
The parables and stories that Jesus told in the Gospels contain the first three LEVELS. We must remember that these parables and stories concern Israel and the end-time. Jesus’ first coming introduced the end-time in Israel, but because the Jews rejected Jesus, the end-time was "postponed" approx. 2000 years.
In the story of Peter’s walking on the water, in Matthew 14:22-34, we find these three levels in the following places:
The first level is the STORY itself.
The second level seeks the HIDDEN MEANING in the text, and this depicts THE JEWS’ BATTLE against their enemies during the great tribulation. The situation that they were "in the middle of the sea", means that they were "in the middle of the great tribulation". The "wind" and "waves" symbolize "the enemies of the Jews" (v. 24).
When Jesus came walking on the water (v. 26), it was a picture of the second coming of Jesu for the Jews.
Peter’s rescue from the wind and waves is a picture that Jesus will save the Jews in the end-time (vv. 27-31).
The third level occurs in the disciples’confession. "Truly, you are the Son of God" (v.33). This is a picture of the Jew’s recognition of Jesus as Son of God. It corresponds to Jesus’ words: "… you shall see me no more till you say, ’Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!’" (Mt. 23:39)
This reflects both the DOCTRINAL and PROPHETIC LEVELS in this story, for Jesus was all the time both Son of God and Saviour of the Jews, but they did not always understand it. In the end-time, however, they will understand this fully.
The MORAL ASPECT of this story concerns both the disciples and all believers in every age. When we is in trouble, we should trust in the Lord and believe that he wants to liberate and save us (vv.27 and 31).

4.) "SOD". The fourth level gives expression to a DEEPER, HIDDEN or SECRET MEANING of the words and content of a passage. The kabbalistic interpretation of the Bible operates on this level. The Kabbalists used gematria (the different letters have a particular numerical value) and supposed that the letter values in a word, in sentences and expressions showed an esoteric and different meaning than what was written.
An example of this is found in the Book of Revelation, where the number of the beast is 666, so that this numerical value might help to reveal the identity of the Antichrist (Rev. 14:18).
There is GREAT DANGER in interpreting the Bible exclusively on this level, for it departs from the literal meaning of the words.
This level extends to the TRANSCENDENTAL and reveals the SECRET ASPECTS of God. It is also more prophetic than the remez and drosh levels can express. It describes the world through the supernatural instead of seeing it through the material.
Examples of this are found in God's numerous meetings with Moses, Elijah’s ascension into heaven, and the Heavenly Jerusalem. (See my book: Jesu Gjenkomst. Vol. 5. Chapter: Mose forskjellige møter med Gud peker in tidsperiodene /Moses’ meetings with God point to different ages, and the chapter: Det nye Jerusalem / the New Jerusalem.)
Of the N.T. writings, the Book of Revelation and the Gospel of John best express this level.
When John described Jesus as "the Word", "Light" and "Life", we cannot prove this scientifically. It belongs to ANOTHER DIMENSION, which is the DIVINE DIMENSION.
John focused his gospel around seven miracles that Jesus performed. He called them "signs"- signs that Jesus was both Messiah and the Son of God.
The key to understanding this Gospel can be found in John 20:30-31: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."
John described Jesus’ life in a completely different way than the first three Gospels. He tried not to write like the other evangelists, for his gospel was written from another viewpoint. He described Jesus as God.
When we understand that the four Gospels were written on these four levels, we can see that the so-called "synoptic problem" is an ARTIFICIAL PROBLEM with roots in pagan and Greek philosophy. It cannot give us any explanation as to why the first three Gospels are so alike in structure. The first three gospels are not constructed one upon another, but the Holy Spirit guided the evangelists to write what they did.
In the stories and parables that Jesus told in the Gospels, and which CONTAIN NUMBERS, ALL the four levels are found. We can, for example, analyse the story where Jesus fed the five thousand Jewish men, plus women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, and twelve basketsful of food were left over (Mt. 14:15-21).
The different levels occur in the following way:
The story itself gives the first level.
The second level is that Jesus will care for the Jews in the Kingdom of Israel. "To give someone something to eat" has two meanings: "to care for someone" and "to have fellowship with someone".
The third level is faith that Jesus can perform this miracle.
The fourth level is comprised by the different numerical values. When we add together five and two, we get seven. That is the number of perfection. The number two means that it applies to both the southern kingdom and and the northern kingdom.
The number five stands for God's grace. It comprises the number four, which is an expression of perfection and unity, and the number one, which is God's number. When we add these numbers together, we get five, and this number stands for God's grace.
The number twelve stands for the twelve tribes of Israel.
The number 5000 stands for God's grace to a much greater degree than the number five. This is God's grace towards the Jews in the millennium. (See my book: Jesu Gjenkomst. Vol. 1. Chapter. Bibelens tallsymbolikk og matematiske mønster / Numerical symbolism in the Bible and mathematical models)
When we work with passages from the Bible, we must be aware of these four levels. They may occur to a greater or lesser degree in all the Scriptures.
The Hebrew terms for these four levels come from the Hebrew word "prds" or "PaRDeS". The four consonants in this word are the first letters of the different levels. The word "pardes" means "garden", "orchard", "paradise" or "the Garden of Eden" (Heb. Gan Eden). The latter is also the name for the world to come.
Later MORE SECRET INFORMATION has been revealed in both the Tanach and the N.T. This information has been found by counting letters from a certain point onwards in similar large sequences. In this way secret messages have been found in the text. This method is called the ELS method, and the rabbis have known about it for several thousand years. The letters ELS stand for "Equidistant Letter Sequences".
What has made it possible for us in our day to discover so much new information is that we have entered the Hebrew Bible (the Masoretic Text) and the King James Version of the N.T into a computer. We have more programs that can analyse biblical texts and discover the hidden information for us.
This is a wide area, and we cannot go into the subject in more detail in this lecture. I shall merely quote what Rabbi Gaon said about the mass of information in the Tanach: "The rules in the Torah (Tanach) are that EVERYTHING that WAS, IS and WILL BE until the end of time, is included in the Torah, from the first to the last word. And not only in a general sense, but also when it concerns details of every kind and every individual, and details of everything that has happened to him from the day of his birth to the day of his death."
We remember what is written in the Book of Revelation 20:12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and BOOKS were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books."

THE RABBICAL RULES OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION.

Many rabbis have formulated rules or principles of biblical interpretation. Rabbi Ishmael gave 13 points. Rabbi Eliezer Ben Josi ha Gelili introduced 32 rules. He was one of the last students of Rabbi Akiba, who was involved in the Bar Kochba revolt in the years 162-165 A.D.
There were also rabbis that had either 49 or 70 rules for the interpretation of the Scriptures.
We shall here take the seven rules formulated by Rabbi Hillel, describe them and see how they can be employed in the reading and understanding of the Bible.
These rules are called "middoth", which means "ways of describing" or "ways of interpreting" the Scriptures.
Hillel, who was a contemporary of Jesus, formulated the following rules or principles:
1.) "KAL VA CHOMER". This means "light and heavy". This means that a CONCLUSION is drawn from a smaller matter to a greater matter. When God or a human being does something in a particular situation, they can do something even greater in a different context. This principle can often be seen in the expression "HOW MUCH MORE".
We have many examples of this principle in both the Tanach and the N.T.
We shall show some of them from the Tanach: "The king said to Queen Esther, ’In the fortress Shushan alone the Jews have killed a total of five hundred men, as well as the ten sons of Haman. What then must they have done in the provinces of the realm? What is your wish now? It shall be granted you. And what else is your request? It shall be fulfilled’" (Esther 9:12).
"If the righteous on earth (in Israel) get their deserts, how much more the wicked man and the sinner" (Proverbs 11:31).
In the N.T. this principle is employed in, for instance, the following passages: "Then he said to them, ’What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful (according to the Torah) to do good on the Sabbath’" (Mt. 12:11-12).
"But God demonstrates his own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Rom. 5:8-9).
This principle is also found in Matthew 5:29-30, when it says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
This passage does not say that a person should pluck out his eye or cut off his foot to enter the Kingdom of God, which in those days was the Kingdom of Israel, but it says that one must beware and avoid letting a small sin lead to not receiving a share in salvation. One must prevent the slightest sin, lest it have such serious consequences that one goes to hell, which is a picture of damnation.
2.) "GEZERAH SHAVAH". This principle involves an ANALYSIS of different expressions in a sentence and the inner connections between them.
An example of this is found in Romans 4:1-5, which says, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something of which to boast, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ’Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."
Here we see the relationship between faith, works and justification compared.
One can also compare different words and expression in two different verses and find the inner relationship between them.
Hebrews 3:11 says, "So I swore in my wrath, ’They shall not enter my rest.’"
Gen. 2:2 says, "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done."
The conclusion can be drawn that the rest mentioned here is one day, which is like 1000 years.


3.) "BINYAN AV MIKATUV ECHAD." This principle involves COLLECTING verses, ideas and meanings from the Bible, that are related to each other and collect them into GROUPS or FAMILIES. When one comes to similar words or similar concepts when reading the Bible, one knows which group or family they belong in. One needs to repeat or think over all the passages of Scripture where a particular word or concept belongs, in order to gain a full overview of this subject.
It demands great Bible knowledge if one wants to use this method of Bible interpretation.
Such words as form groups or families around them are, for example, "rock", "stone", "bread", "wine", "liberation", "prophet" and "blood".
If we look at Hebrews 9:11-22 concerning blood sacrifice in Old Testament times and the blood of Jesus, the passage is based on texts from the Tanach, such as, for example, Ex. 24:6-8, 29, 21, Lev. 8:15,19 and 17:11 and Jeremiah 31:31-34.
What is said about the blood of Jesus in the Letter to the Hebrews is then included in this group or family.
4.) "BINYAN AV MISHNEI KETUVIM". This principle is closely related to the third principle. A GENERAL CONCLUSION is derived from two Bible passages or parts of passages. This conclusion becomes an example for other passages in the Bible dealing with the same subject, for the testimony of two or three witnesses proves the case (Dt. 19:15).
Hebrews 1:5-14 contains a number of such examples. Verse 5 says, "For to which of the angels did he ever say, ’You are my Son. Today I have begotten you’? and again: ’I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son.’?"
This Bible verse refers to Psalm 2:7. "Let me tell of the decree: the LORD said to me, ’You are my son. I have fathered you this day.’"
These two Bible verses say the same, and so it is confirmed that the MESSIAH is the SON OF GOD.
Hebrews 1:7 says, "And of the angels he says: ’Who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire.’"
This Bible verse refers to Psalm 104:4. "He makes the winds His messengers (angels), fiery flames his servants."
Thus it is confirmed that angels are part of creation, and that they are ministering spirits with various tasks to carry out.
5.) "KELAL UFERAT UFERAT UKELAL". This principle proceeds from a general idea and supplements it with what appears in another passage. One proceeds from the GENERAL to the SPECIFIC and PARTICULAR.
One can also go the opposite way - from the specific and particular to the general.
Gen. 1:27 says, "And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Gen. 2:7 says, "The LORD GOD formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."
Here we find out that God not only created man in his image, but we also know how it happened. The latter verse gives more detail about what is said in the former verse.
"KAYOTSE BO MIMEKOM ACHAR." This principle is that two sentences or verses that seem to be CONTRADICTORY, ARE RESOLVED by a third sentence or verse.
Ex. 25:22 says the following: "There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you - from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on top of the Ark of the Covenant - all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people.
Lev. 1:1 says, "The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying..."
Here are two verses that seem to contradict one another, but this is resolved by Num. 7:89. "When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him (the Lord), he would hear the Voice addressing him from above the cover that was on top of the Ark of the Covenant between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him."
Romans 1:17 says that "the just shall live by faith".
In the same letter (3:10) it says that "there is no one righteous, no, not one."
This conflict is resolved by Romans 4:3. "What does the Scripture say? ’Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’"
"DAVAR HA LAMED ME INYANO". This principle is that PRACTICAL and SPIRITUAL CONCLUSIONS are drawn from a passage. This is a well-known principle of biblical exegesis (interpretation), and it appears throughout the Bible. [See, for example, what I wrote in connection with the different levels in God's Word under points 2 (remez) and 3 (drosh).]
When Paul used the expression, "WHAT SHALL WE SAY (to this)?", he applied this principle: "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone (Jesus the Messiah)" (Rom. 9:30-32).

From what is written above we understand how important it is that we know the Hebrew way of thinking and expression. If we do not know this, it is QUITE CERTAIN that we will not understand God's Word as it should be understood. We must make EVERY EFFORT to enter into the Hebrew way of thinking, for the Jews are God's people and the Bible is a Jewish book.
This does not means that the Jewish rabbis were (are) right in everything that they have written and asserted, for no human being knows the whole and full truth about God and his thoughts. Both Jews and Gentiles are on a JOURNEY towards a greater understanding of the Holy Scriptures.
We can help each other in this work, and especially this can happen when the Holy Spirit (Heb. Ruach ha Kodesh) is present and can lead us into the truth.
There is basically only One PROBLEM and one subject of controversy between Jews and Gentiles in the area of theology, and this concerns a man - Jesus of Nazareth. The N.T. says that he is both God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). Most Jews says that he is only a man.
Many Jews have stated that Jesus is the greatest man and the greatest rabbi that has ever lived. Hyman G. Enelow (1877-1934) said the following about Jesus: "Among all the great and good there is NO ONE LIKE HIM. When all misunderstandings are resolved, he will perhaps be the one to unite Christians and Jews." (See my book: Jødenes Konge /The King of the Jews. Vol. 4. Chapter: Jødiske Bibel-forskeres syn på Jesus og Paulus / Jewish Bible scholars’ view of Jesus and Paul)
I am QUITE CERTAIN that Jesus of Nazareth is the man who is able to do this, but this cannot happen until he returns from his "unwilling" stay in heaven. He has nothing against being in heaven, but he longs for his people, the Jews, to ask him to come back. First to save them and then to establish the Kingdom for them. He will come when the time is ripe.
We conclude this lecture with a quotation from the penultimate verse in the Bible: "He (Jesus) who testifies to these things says, ’Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20)


Tingvoll, May 19th, 2004. Oskar Edin Indergaard.