Have you noticed throughout your lifetime that meanings of words seem to change? It could be slang which evolves often– “dude, that’s sick.” But even generally used language is subjected to what’s called semantic change– “awful” originally meant full of awe or inspiring reverent fear. Language is dynamic. It’s amazing. But it can also make what were initially good translations a little confusing. 

This is why understanding a little basic Hebrew, particularly for very common or crucial words in the Bible can be a helpful way to strengthen our grasp of God and His vision for the world. 

Let’s start with an easy one you may already know…

Immanuel

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

Immanuel means “God with us.” And while it is a comforting idea, it also carries with it major implications of a theme woven throughout all of Scripture. In the beginning, God and humans dwelt together. But Adam and Eve pushed God away, hiding from him in their shame. But God, in His persistent love, made a covenant with the people of Israel to dwell among them in the tabernacle and then the temple. But it was still only a partial fulfilment of God’s longing to be with His people. Being in His presence was reserved for a special few. In the person of Jesus, Immanuel, God put on flesh and dwelt among us. He walked with people, talked with people, touched people, and loved them. But in flesh, He was limited. He could only be in one place at a time. Yet after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit becomes the indwelling presence of God. Now, humanity is the temple. God dwells in and among us, and one day when the new heavens and new earth are consummated, Immanuel will be even more tangible. 

Shalom

“‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace (shalom) shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10

Shalom is usually translated as peace. But our modern understanding of peace doesn’t really encapsulate what God was trying to communicate with shalom. When we think of peace, we often think of serenity, calmness, or a passive lack of conflict. But the Hebrew concept of shalom is an active idea. It’s multiple parties working toward a mutual flourishing. It’s pursuing wholeness on behalf of one another. Instead of a mere ceasefire, it’s working together to rebuild. It may help to think of peace as a verb. 

Torah

“The law (torah) of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;” Psalm 19:7

Torah actually has three different but related meanings. First, it can mean instruction or wisdom. This can be from God, parents, or anyone teaching you. Second, it can specifically mean the laws given by God to His covenant people found in the first five books of the Bible. This includes the Ten Commandments and about 600 more. So these five books are called the Torah. Third, it can be used as a shorthand to talk about the entirety of the Old Testament Scriptures (the Hebrew Bible), including the histories, the laws, the prophets, and the writings. Jesus uses all three of these definitions, trusting his audience to pick up the right one through context. In our modern day, you’ll probably most often hear it in reference to the second definition, the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 

Nephesh

“Bless the Lord, O my soul (nephesh), and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” Psalm 103:2-5

Nephesh is sometimes translated as soul. Ready for a major semantic change? If you didn’t know it, western culture has been massively influenced by Greek philosophy– think Plato and Aristotle. One of the Greek philosophies that has been plaguing the church for a long time is what grew into gnosticism and sticks around in things like our understanding of “souls.” Gnostics essentially believed anything physical is flawed and evil, while pursuing what is “spiritual” or nonphysical is the path to salvation. This is an acknowledged heresy in the Church. Think back to Genesis 1 when God creates and deems the physical world good and humanity “very good.” And yet, we have clung to an understanding of soul that takes our translation of nephesh way off track from the Hebrew meaning. Similar to how “Torah” has definitions that build off the one before, Nephesh has a few different meanings each building on the foundation of the prior one. The first is “throat.” The Israelites complain about not having juicy fruits to soothe their parched “nephesh.” From this first very physical meaning, we get the evolution of the second definition of nephesh as one’s body more generally. Rather than the nephesh floating away when someone dies like our ethereal conception of a soul, Scripture references a corpse as a dead nephesh. Developing from that larger idea, the third definition is one’s whole being. You don’t have a nephesh. You are a nephesh. Your body, your desires, your personality– everything that makes you who you are is your nephesh. God doesn’t just care about your spiritual devotion. He cares about your whole nephesh, which he made very good. When you read “soul,” try to rethink it as “self” or “my whole being.” This word is used over 700 times in the Old Testament. So grasping what the biblical authors actually meant when they used it can really change our reading!

Shema

“Hear (shema), O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:4

While shema is translated as hear, a slightly better translation based on our modern language usage is the form of “listen” that parents use when telling their children, “you need to listen to me.” They don’t just mean to hear their instruction. They mean to hear and obey. The verse in Deuteronomy 6 that this comes from is a central liturgy in the Jewish tradition. And, in fact, they call it “The Shema” based on its first word. They recite The Shema every morning and night as both a prayer to God and a reminder to themselves, kind of like reciting a creed or the Lord’s Prayer. 

Ruach

“The Spirit (Ruach) of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.” 1 Samuel 10:6

Ruach has two connected meanings that make for fun wordplay throughout the Bible. We come across Ruach on the first page of the Bible. Ruach can mean “spirit/Spirit.” So the “Ruach of God hovered over the waters in Genesis 1. But ruach can also mean “breath” or “wind.” In all definitions, ruach brings a sense of life. If Jesus is the Word of God speaking creation into existence, the Holy Spirit is the Breath of God, breathing life into creation at the beginning with the first human and every time someone becomes a new creation in Christ. At Pentecost, as the Spirit comes to fill all the gathered believers, they hear a fierce and mighty wind. They are filled with the Holy Spirit. They are filled with the Breath of God.

Hesed

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love (hesed) and faithfulness,” Exodus 34:6

Hesed is a challenging word to translate so it gets translated several different ways in the Bible: kindness, loyal love, steadfast love, and mercy to name a few. A simple way to understand it is as “covenant love.” But it carries with it ideas of commitment and generosity that are motivated by a deep well of love. What is astounding about God’s hesed is that it comes, from the very start, with a complete understanding that humans will not uphold their vows, so to speak. God makes covenant promises (as seen in Genesis 15 and in Jesus’ death) by committing himself to uphold the covenant and personally take on the consequences of either side breaking the covenant. His commitment and generosity are not blind. They are motivated by unfathomable affection for His wayward people. 

Like tourists visiting another culture, it’s helpful to remember that if something seems strange or off-putting in Scripture, there’s a fair chance we are missing a piece of the puzzle. While that could be cultural norms from thousands of years ago, it could also be semantic change. Hopefully, these seven Hebrew words give you a fresh look at God’s character and vision for His Kingdom to flourish on the earth.