WHAT DOES "CREATE" MEAN?
There is an interesting section in Y'shayahu which states:
Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there
is none beside me. I am YHWH, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create <01254>
darkness: I make peace, and create <01254>
evil: I YHWH do all these things.
8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness:
let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness
spring up together; I YHWH have created <01254>
it.
01254 arb bara' {baw-raw'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 278; v
1) to create, shape, form
1a) (Qal) to shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject)
1a1) of heaven and earth
1a2) of individual man
1a3) of new conditions and circumstances
1a4) of transformations
1b) (Niphal) to be created
1b1) of heaven and earth
1b2) of birth
1b3) of something new
1b4) of miracles
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to cut down
1c2) to cut out
2) to be fat
2a) (Hiphil) to make yourselves fat
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Focusing on verse 7, why is it stated this way? Wouldn't it make more sense to
say He created light and peace, and not that He created darkness and evil? Or,
is it more likely that Y'shayahu knew exactly what he was writing, and it is my
perception that needs tweeking?
Just what does this word bara often translated "create" mean? I notice
Young's Literal Translation often translates bara "prepare". I have
also heard the idea that bara has much to do with making something from
nothingness. I don't claim to know for sure what bara means, but allow me share
some of my speculations.
I had been taught that YHWH did not create formlessness/confusion, and have
heard this verse quoted to "prove" this idea:
Isa 45:18 For thus saith YHWH that created <01254>
the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established
it, he created <01254> it not in vain <08414>,
he formed it to be inhabited: I am YHWH; and there is none else.
Doesn't this seem in contradiction with the creation account though?
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form <08414>,
and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of
God moved upon the face of the waters.
08414 wht tohuw {to'-hoo}
from an unused root meaning to lie waste; TWOT - 2494a; n m
1) formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness
1a) formlessness (of primeval earth)
1a1) nothingness, empty space
1b) that which is empty or unreal (of idols) (fig)
1c) wasteland, wilderness (of solitary places)
1d) place of chaos
1e) vanity
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So, what should I believe? Should I blindly accept what some preachermen might
say? Or should I try to look more deeply into what Y'shayahu stated, and what he
is implying?
Maybe it would be best if I take a closer look at what the great prophet
Y'shayahu is trying to convey. I think that is the best path, for surely he knew
YHWH well.
If I were to translate that verse, I would translate it in this manner:
Isa 45:18 Because thus says YHWH, Creator of the heavens, He, the Ahlahym,
He, Former of the land and Maker of her, He, Establisher of her. Not for
formlessness/confusion did He create her. To shabat He formed her! I, YHWH, and
there is none else.
Again, we see the distinction between creating and forming. As you may have
noticed, I changed "to be inhabited" to "for shabat". Either
way though, is this the end result that is being spoken of? In other words, He
CREATED formlessness/confusion, for the purpose of FORMING an orderly end
result, which is Shabat (or inhabitation, restful inhabitation, whichever you
prefer)? Could this be what Y'shayahu is trying to convey? Is he saying, oh yes,
He did "create" it in confusion/formlessness, but that is not His
desired result. It is merely a means to an end.
Notice also this verse, where we see both Yaqob and Y'shral being used:
Isa 43:1 But now thus saith YHWH that created <01254>
thee, O Yaqob, and he that formed thee, O Y'shral, Fear not: for I have redeemed
thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Did He first create Yaqob, and then formed Y'shral from that
"creation"? Is this what is being implied? Is there a pattern here?
Even in the creation accounting we see He first CREATED mankind male and female,
and He then FORMED a man who was then placed in the garden. Is there an
implication here, something to the idea of a CREATED man not being fit to enter
the garden unless he has been FORMED into something useful?
Lets look at a few verses where the Hebrew word bara is not translated
"create":
Jos 17:15 And Y'howshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then
get thee up to the wood country, and cut down <01254>
for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount
Ephraim be too narrow for thee.
Jos 17:18 But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and
thou shalt cut it down <01254>: and
the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites,
though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.
1Sa 2:29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I
have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make
yourselves fat <01254> with the
chiefest of all the offerings of Y'shral my people?
Eze 21:19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of
the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and
choose <01254> thou a place, choose <01254>
it at the head of the way to the city.
Eze 23:47 And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch <01254>
them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn
up their houses with fire.
Ps 89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made <01254>
all men in vain?
Hmmm. Cut down? Dispatch? Make fat? Made all men in vain? How can this word bara
be translated both create and cut down, or dispatch, created men in vain, unless
maybe bara does have much to do with formlessness?
Well, have you ever decided to clean out your garage, or your toolbox, or
something of that nature? Isn't it often best to simply take everything out of
it and then discard what you no longer need, and re-arrange what is left in an
orderly fashion?
I am one who does not consider YHWH Ahlahym and science to be at odds. Actually,
I believe the more we study and understand the creation, the more we can gain a
better understanding of the Creator. By studying His works, we can gain a better
understanding of Him and His will.
Science talks of the "big bang" theory. They also nowadays are
discovering the idea of "dark matter" (darkness?). They are realizing
that the universe is not only expanding, but is accelerating. They cannot
understand why it is accelerating and are starting to believe that it may very
well be this dark matter that is causing the acceleration. Does this fit with
the creation account and what Y'shayahu is trying to convey? Personally I
believe it does, allow me to attempt to explain.
YHWH Ahlahym created darkness, then forms light. He created evil, then makes
shalom.
Is the implication that He "pushes away" for the purpose of later
"drawing back" the parts of the creation that willingly comply?
For example. Can it be said that a ball of clay is "created", although
it is useless until "formed" into something that can be useful and
used for a purpose?
If so, can it be accurately said that YHWH Ahlahym did indeed create/dispatch
darkness and evil, for the purpose of forming light and good?
Maybe we need to take a closer look at the Hebrew word often translated
"formed":
03335 rcy yatsar {yaw-tsar'}
probably identical with 03334 (through the squeezing into shape),
([compare 03331]); TWOT - 898; v
AV - form 26, potter 17, fashion 5, maker 4, frame 3, make 3,
former 2, earthen 1, purposed 1; 62
1) to form, fashion, frame
1a) (Qal) to form, fashion
1a1) of human activity
1a2) of divine activity
1a2a) of
creation
1a2a1)
of original creation
1a2a2)
of individuals at conception
1a2a3)
of Israel as a people
1a2b) to
frame, pre-ordain, plan (fig. of divine)
purpose
of a situation)
1b) (Niphal) to be formed, be created
1c) (Pual) to be predetermined, be pre-ordained
1d) (Hophal) to be formed
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03334 rcy yatsar {yaw-tsar'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 1973; v
1) to bind, be distressed, be in distress, be cramped, be narrow, be
scant, be in straits, make narrow, cause distress, beseige
1a) (Qal) to suffer distress
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If you notice, it is even translated "potter" 17 times in the KJV.
Looking at the individual letter meanings I see:
yud = to work, a deed, to make; ie; a hand
tzade = to catch, desire, need; ie; a fish-hook
reysh = a person, the head, the highest; ie; the head of a man
Can it be said that this word is conveying the idea of the work of catching a
man? Having a person in a fish-hook? Does YHWH figuratively have people like us
"hooked" and is reeling us in? Is His fish-hook our lifeline which
draws us out of the ever flowing waters of confusion, darkness and chaos that
seemingly surround us? Do we feel like a fish out of water? Should we feel like
a fish out of water? How about the Hebrews in Mitzrym? Did they feel like fish
out of water?
Could it be that just as the universe is expanding and accelerating due to
darkness, it is His desire that some of the creation says something to the
effect of "Hey, wait a second, I am tired of accelerating away from my
Father. I desire to stop and turn back". Is this the desired end result?
Even procreation seems to show this. A man has relations with his wife, sending
out his sperm. Then a conceived child is sent forth out of the womb, only to be
drawn back and near to the ones who first sent them forth. We also see how Yaqob
was sent forth out of his house, and so too was Yoseph. Is this why Y'shral is
seemingly scattered over the globe today?
Even eating suggests this "chaos first/forming later" concept. When
one eats something, for it to be properly digested and useful it must first be
chewed thoroughly and then broken down to its molecular level before it can be
rebuilt into useful proteins and such for our bodies to flourish, with the
useless molecules being discarded. If food is not properly digested and broken
down to complete chaos on a molecular level, much of it is simply wasted and
never used.
To me, creation seems to be much like having a big can full of building blocks
and simply dropping them out on the floor. This is chaos/confusion/formlessness.
From this, these blocks are then arranged/formed in a manner that they can be
built up into something that is useful.
I don't know about you, but I am quite tired of the rat race, and simply running
about for seemingly no purpose. If you weigh these thoughts against Shlomah's
ruminations recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes you may get a better idea of
what I am trying to say here.
If our lives are simply about running around, chasing the almighty buck,
building, only to be torn down, storing up riches, only to be wasted away, never
satisfied, living in the field, being one with this rebellious teenage
wasteland, then life is indeed empty and vain. Whereas, if we take time to stop
and smell the roses, examine His glorious creation, and recognize His presence
in our lives and the world around us, we can become content, and not be empty.
We can experience His shalom and shabat, which may very well be the purposeful
end result He desires for us.
I believe this is also shown in the contrast between Yaqob (who would be called
Y'shral) and Eshau (who would be called Adowm):
Ge 25:27 And the boys grew: and Esau was A CUNNING HUNTER, A MAN OF THE
FIELD; and Yaqob was A PLAIN <08535>
MAN, DWELLING IN TENTS.
Don't let the translations and definitions confuse you. What is translated
"plain" is actually:
08535 ~t tam {tawm}
1) perfect, complete
1a) complete, perfect
1a1) one who lacks nothing in physical
strength, beauty, etc
1b) sound, wholesome
1b1) an ordinary, quiet sort of person
1c) complete, morally innocent, having integrity
1c1) one who is morally and ethically pure
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Whereas the supposed meaning of Eshau is quite ludicrous, imo:
06215 wv[ `Esav {ay-sawv'}
apparently a form of the pass. part. of 06213 in the original sense
of handling;; n pr m
AV - Esau 97; 97
Esau = "hairy"
1) eldest son of Isaac and Rebecca and twin brother of Jacob; sold
the birthright for food when he was hungry and the divine blessing
went to Jacob; progenitor of the Arab peoples
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Hairy? Yes, he was hairy, but I don't think that is what is being conveyed here.
The Hebrew word for hairy (sheen, ayin, reysh) is quite different than that.
Even Strongs admits "apparently a form of the pass. part. of 06213." I
think it is much more than "apparantly". That word means "to
do", "to make":
06213 hv[ `asah {aw-saw'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 1708,1709; v
1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to do, work, make, produce
1a1a) to do
1a1b) to work
1a1c) to deal
(with)
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And then there is also the meaning of Adowm (Edom), which is mankind, adam, with
a wav infixed. The letter wav means "to secure" a nail. Mankind,
stamped and secured, as I read it. A human who never progresses into Y'shral,
but simply accepts and enjoys the animalistic nature within the human animal.
Simply accepts accelerating away from the Creator, and even builds walls to
separate himself from the One who desires to draw back. A fish who never takes
hold of the hook.
How many people do you know who have seemingly worked their lives away, making
and building only to be torn down, working simply for the sake of working,
movement simply for the sake of movement, with no real meaningful purpose in the
end?
This all reminds me of this very thought prevoking statement made by Moshe
before reciting the song:
De 31:29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves,
and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you
in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of YHWH, TO PROVOKE HIM
TO ANGER THROUGH THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS.
I cannot say for sure if this all is related, although I have often wondered
just exactly what "works of our hands" are being referred to there.
May YHWH make something useful of us, and may we learn to stop the accelerating
away process. May we be more like Yaqob, to circumvent, to supplant, to turn
about on our heels and stop going with the flow which is moving further away
from our Father.