HEBREW l 1.8 Ancient Pictograms l #(15) l Utah VidDevo l VidDevoChurch

Hebrew Consonants - Ancient Hebrew Pictograms

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Like other ancient writing systems, the Hebrew alphabet originally was written using a pictographic script. Later, the pictograms evolved into a Hebrew script (sometimes called Paleo-Hebrew) that strongly resembled the ancient Phoenician alphabet. This was the Hebrew (ketav Ivri) used by the Jewish nation up to the Babylonian Exile (or, according to Orthodox Jews, until the Exodus from Egypt). Examples can be found on coins and clay fragments (called ostraca). Today, both the Torah and newspapers use modernized renditions of the Aramaic-style script, though everyday correspondence is written using Hebrew cursive. Warning: While the study of the pictographic script can sometimes yield insight into the underlying meaning (etymology) of Biblical Hebrew words, it is generally to be avoided as a stand-alone exegetical principle since this can lead to speculations and doubtful interpretations. For honest interpretation, the rule of thumb is to first master the p'shat (plain historical meaning) before moving on to other "levels" of the Scriptures.

	The table above is sometimes used to infer the latent meanings of various Biblical terms. Generally, the process is one of simple substitution, where the ancient pictographic symbol is substituted for some Ashri text (modern book text). For example:

	Related Topics:
	History of Hebrew Language Pre-Babylonian Hebrew

	Hebrew Word Pictures by Dr. Frank Seekins. The book that shows how the ancient Hebrew letters declare the Gospel! Discover the ancient script that reveals penetrating truth about the Word of God! Includes an Audio CD that will help you learn the word pictures and hear all the examples. Click for details

	Ancient Hebrew Alphabet Chart. This is the ultimate Alphabet Chart, with over 20 alphabets arranged so you can easily compare Hebrew to any of the languages of Biblical and Modern times. Using this chart, you will see how Hebrew has developed over time.  High color, laminated: 16.25 X 12.5. Click for details

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HEBREW l 1.7 Numerical Values l #(14) l Utah VidDevo l VidDevoChurch

Hebrew Consonants - Numeric Values for Hebrew Letters

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	Hebrew letters are sometimes used to express numbers. For example, Aleph stands for 1, Bet for 2, and so on. The following table lists numeric values for letters:

Examples:

To avoid confusion with words, letters meant as numbers are sometimes marked with geresh (single quote mark) if a single letter is used, or gerashayim (double quote mark) if more than one. These marks mean "not a word" and are also used for acronyms and abbreviations: Gerashayim are normally placed before the last letter in the string. Note: The numbers 15 and 16 are not written as you might expect (i.e., as Yod + Hey and Yod + Vav, but rather as Tet + Vav and Tet + Zayin) in order to avoid irreverently writing the sacred Name of God.

	Taryag Mitzvot According to the Talmud, 613 commandments (mitzvot) are given for the observant Jew to obey. 248 of these are positive commands and 365 are negative ones. The positive mitzvot are said to equal the number of parts of the body; the negative mitzvot correspond to the number of days in the solar year.

The number 613 is sometimes referred to as “taryag,” and the complete set of commandments is referred to as “taryag mitzvot,” or the 613 commandments.

The Hebrew Year The Hebrew year begins on Rosh HaShanah (which occurs on the Gregorian calendar in September / October). When a Hebrew year is written using letters, you simply add the values of the letters. Often the year is written with an implied addition of 5,000. So, for example, the year 5763 is written as 763 rather than 5763. Sometimes a prefix with a geresh is used (Hey-geresh) and then the number to indicate an implied 5000 for the date:

	The year number on the Jewish calendar represents the number of years since creation, calculated by adding up the ages of people in the Tanakh back to the time of creation. To calculate the Jewish Year from our Gregorian calendar, you subtract 1,240 and then add 5,000. For example, if the year is 2005, subtract 1,240 to get 765. Then add 5,000 to obtain the Jewish year of 5765. Note that this works only up to Rosh HaShanah of the current Gregoraian calendar: after Rosh HaShanah, add one more year:

	Sofit Letters / Numbers Although not often used, the Hebrew sofit letters are also assigned numeric values:

The Keys to the Bible. Bible Codes. Gematria. Equidistant Letter Sequences. Click for details

	Lamed-Vav Tsaddikim Thirty six hidden saints believed to keep God from destroying the world on account of their virtue and faith. Note the use of the gerashayim in this word:

	Gematria Gematria is a method of interpretation that involves calculating numerical values to words and names, and looking for correspondences between words which have the same value. This method is often used in mystical interpretations of the Scripture. Think Bible codes.
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					Hebrew for Christians Copyright © John J. Parsons All rights reserved.