Ancient Temples and Sacred Symbols by Bill Hamblin

Exodus 3:14 - I AM THAT I AM

I have commented on this verse in a previous post here.

Exodus 3:5

"Put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground"

Why would the Lord require Moses to remove his shoes? Here is Adam Clarke's explanation:

"Pulling off the shoes was... an emblem of laying aside the pollutions contracted by walking in the way of sin."

The Burning Bush

In Exodus 3, the curious story is told of Moses' encounter with the burning bush where the Lord (יהוה - Yahweh or Jehovah) speaks with Moses from the midst of the bush regarding his mission to deliver the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. While the idea of God speaking from the midst of a burning bush may seem foreign to modern readers it was not an unfamiliar theme to the ancient Israelites and carried meaning not immediately obvious to us.

The early religion of the Canaanites and the Israelites were closely related (See See Daniel C. Peterson, . "Nephi and his Asherah." Maxwell Institute. Maxwell Institute, n.d. Web. 29 Jun 2012.). In the Canaanite pantheon the chief deity was El, whose wife was a goddess named Asherah (aka Elat - the feminine form of El). Additionally, as Daniel Peterson explains:

"In the earliest Israelite conception, father El had a divine son named Jehovah or Yahweh.⁴ Gradually, however, the Israelite conception of Yahweh absorbed the functions of El and, by the 10th century BC, King Solomon's day, had come to be identified with him.⁵" (Peterson, "Nephi and his Asherah").

Asherah (אשרה) was commonly associated with many different types of trees including the almond tree. She was also associated with the concepts of fruitfulness, posterity, fertility etc. One of the main features in the temple at Jerusalem was the menorah which represented a stylized almond tree (see Exodus 25:31-35). Therefore, in the minds of the Israelites the menorah was probably connected with Asherah. It is interesting to note also that the burning bush and the menorah were both, in essence, burning trees and the Israelites would have undoubtedly have seen this connection as well.

Additionally, rabbinic writings associate the burning bush with the Shekinah or Divine Presence. The word Shekinah is a feminine word (the -ah ending making it feminine) and was thought of as having feminine attributes (See Louis Ginzberg, "Legends of the Jews.", http://philologos.org, Web 30 Jun 2012.).

We see, therefore, a strong connection between Asherah and everything associated with her and the burning bush. That connection is reinforced by the text of Exodus itself and the account of the interaction between Moses and God.

In Exodus 3, verses 2 - 6 describe how Moses sees the bush from afar, draws closer to investigate, is told to remove his shoes and then speaks with the Lord. The Lord then identifies himself to Moses as the God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but does not use the name יהוה (Jehovah or Yahweh).

However, later in Exodus chapter 6 verses 2 - 3 the Lord explains that:

"I am Jehovah. And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, as El Shaddai, but by my name Jehovah I did not make myself known unto them."

In the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי ) is usually translated as "God Almighty". As has been discussed in other posts, the name/title of El Shaddai carries a female connotation which is generally used while discussing the concepts of fertility, posterity, fruitfulness etc. (See Gen. 28:3 for example).

The Israelites were on the cusp of being delivered from bondage in Egypt and coming into being, as a distinct nation. It would appear, therefore, that God, by appearing in the burning bush, was sending a clear message to Moses and the Israelites that they were about to be delivered (or born) to a fruitful land to be made a fruitful people.

Healing In His Wings

In Malachi 4:2 God speaks to the prophet Malachi and explains to him that the "Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings..." (Incidentally, the JST translates this passage as "Son of Righteousness").

The word from which the word wings was translated is כּנף (kânâph) which carries the basic meaning of something that projects laterally, so it can be translated as: wing, extremity, pinnacle etc. One particularly interesting translation could be: the flap of a garment or bed clothing.

This verse is understood by Latter-Day Saints as referring to the then future coming of Jesus Christ into the World. One instance of this prophecy being fulfilled could be found in Luke 8:44-48 wherein the woman having an "issue of blood" for twelve years touched the hem (or fringe) of the Savior's clothing and was healed as a result.

If we translate Malachi 4:2 as something like "the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in the fringes or borders of his garments" then the prophecy finds literal fulfillment in the story of the woman's healing.

Genesis 48

In the first few verses of chapter 48 we are once again introduced to the feminine themes that are so common throughout the book of Genesis.

Joseph, upon hearing of his father's illness, takes his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim to receive a blessing under the hands of Jacob. Before blessing Joseph's sons Jacob tells of the appearance of אל שדי (El Shaddai, usually translated as "God Almighty") at a place called לוז (Luz, which means "almond tree").

Both terms אל שדי and לוז have a feminine connotation attached to them (see above links) and femininity, in general, is associated with fertility or fruitfulness. In verse 4 of chapter 48 Jacob recalls the words of אל שדי to him at Luz which included blessings of:

1. Numerous posterity
2. The land of Canaan for an inheritance.
   

In verse 4 the term land is translated from ארץ (eretz, e.g. "The land of Israel" or "the land of America"). Interestingly, one of the terms for earth or ground (as in dirt, e.g. "I love the feel of the earth in my hands", a concept related to land) is אדמה (adamah see Genesis 2:7 ). אדמה is the feminine form of the name or word אדם (adam). אדמה, mother-like, begot or brought forth Adam, therefore, land or earth connotes fertility, femininity etc.

In addition, the words which were translated as fruitful and multiply in verse 4 of chapter 48 come from the roots פרה (parah) and רבה (rabah) which are also feminine words (the "-ah" ending in Hebrew words generally make them feminine).

For additional reading regarding these and similar concepts I highly recommend a short, but fascinating book called "Temple Theology" by Margaret Barker.

Notes on Gen. 46

Verse 34 - "Every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians."

Why would this be? Here is one possible explanation from Wikipedia under Abomination(Bible):

Every shepherd was "an abomination" unto the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34). This aversion to shepherds, such as the Hebrews, arose probably from the fact that Upper and Lower Egypt had formerly been held in oppressive subjection by the Hyksos (a tribe of nomad shepherds), who had only recently been expelled, and partly also perhaps from this other fact that the people of Egypt detested the nomadic habits of these wandering shepherds.

Joseph typified Jesus Christ

Currently in my scripture studies I am slowly making my way through the book of Genesis. I have reached Genesis 42 and have found some notes that I took while studying in the Holy Land. My Old Testament teacher's name was Calvin Stephens and he was an inspired teacher. He made a great contribution to experience there. This list comes from him:

Joseph typified Jesus Christ

1. Both were favored sons of their fathers.
2. Both were rejected by the Israelites.
3. Both were sold into the hands of gentiles.
4. Judah proposed the sale of Joseph. Judas (Greek for Judah) sold Jesus.
5. Both were sold for the price of a slave in their respective eras.
6. In thier attempt to destroy Joseph they unknowlingly set up the conditions that would bring their temporal salvation. Those responsible for the death of Jesus also unknowingly helped set up the conditions that would bring about their salvation.
7. Joseph began his labors for preparing for the salvation of Israel and Jesus began his mortal ministry at the age of 30.
8. When Joseph was raised to his exalted position in Egypt all bowed the knee before him. All will eventually bow the knee to Jesus.
9. Joseph provided temporal bread to Israel. Jesus (the Bread of Life) provides spiritual bread to Israel.

Notes on Genesis 38

Presumably this account was included because it provides some information regarding the ancestry of King David and therefore the ancestry of Jesus Christ.

Verse 29

Pharez - Ancestor of Jesus Christ. See Luke 3:33

Notes on Genesis 37

Verse 2 -

Joseph (יוסף)

Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews vol. 2:

"For among the sons of Jacob Joseph was the one that resembled his father most closely in appearance, and, also, he was the one to whom Jacob transmitted the instruction and knowledge he had received from his teachers Shem and Eber."

Verse 3 -

"Coat of many colors" = כתנת פסים (Kethoneth pasim) = Long coat or coat reaching to the hands and feet.

Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries:

כּתּנת כּתנת
kethôneth kûttôneth
keth-o'-neth, koot-to'-neth
From an unused root meaning to cover (compare H3802); a shirt: - coat, garment, robe.

פּס
pas
From H6461; properly the palm (of the hand) or sole (of the foot), (compare H6447); by implication (plural) a long and sleeved tunic (perhaps simply a wide one; from the original sense of the root, that is, of many breadths): - (divers) colours.

This phrase is found one other time in the Bible. It is found in 2 Sam. 13:18-19.

Alternate translation as given by Hugh Nibley is "coat of certain marks".

William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies p. 82:

"One noted scholar suggested that if (the coat) was a 'tunic reaching to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet', the long tunic with sleeves worn by the... better class; in the case of Joseph... (it is thought) to have been the badge of the the right which had been forfeited by Reuben and transferred to Joseph."

Legends of the Jews tells of two gifts given to Joseph by Jacob after Jacob came to Egypt:

Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews vol. 2:

"Joseph received two gifts from his father. The first was Shechem, the city that Jacob had defended, with sword and bow, against the depredations of the Amorite kings when they tried to take revenge upon his sons for the outrage committed there. And the second gift was the garments made by God for Adam and passed from hand to hand, until they came into the possession of Jacob. Shechem was his reward, because, with his chastity, he stemmed the tide of immorality that burst loose in Shechem first of all. Besides, he had a prior claim upon the city. Shechem, son of Hamor, the master of the city, had given it to Dinah as a present, and the wife of Joseph, Asenath, being the daughter of Dinah, the city belonged to him by right.

Adam's clothes Jacob had received from Esau. He had not taken them from his brother by force, but God had caused them to be given to him as a reward for his good deeds. They had belonged to Nimrod. Once when the mighty hunter caught Esau in his preserves, and forbade him to go on the chase, they agreed to determine by combat what their privileges were. Esau had taken counsel with Jacob, and he had advised him never to fight with Nimrod while he was clothed in Adam's garments. The two now wrestled with each other, and at the time Nimrod was not dressed in Adam's clothes. The end was that he was slain by Esau. Thus the garments worn by Adam fell into the hands of Esau, from him they passed into Jacob's, and he bequeathed them to Joseph."

Rent coat served as a symbol of the remnant of Joseph's seed which was rent from the main body and taken to the New World and preserved there. See Alma 46:23-24.

Verse 22

Pit = Cistern

בּור
bôr
bore
From H952 (in the sense of H877); a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or prison): - cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well.

Verse 28

The journey to Egypt:

Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews vol. 2:

"The journey was continued until they came to Ephrath, the place of Rachel's sepulchre. Joseph hastened to his mother's grave, and throwing himself across it, he groaned and cried, saying: "O mother, mother, that didst bear me, arise, come forth and see how thy son hath been sold into slavery, with none to take pity upon him. Arise, see thy son, and weep with me over my misfortune, and observe the heartlessness of my brethren. Awake, O mother, rouse thyself from thy sleep, rise up and prepare for the conflict with my brethren, who stripped me even of my shirt, and sold me as a slave to merchantmen, who in turn sold me to others, and without mercy they tore me away from my father. Arise, accuse my brethren before God, and see whom He will justify in the judgment, and whom He will find guilty. Arise, O mother, awake from thy sleep, see how my father is with me in his soul and in his spirit, and comfort him and ease his heavy heart."

"Joseph wept and cried upon the grave of his mother, until, weary from grief, he lay immovable as a stone. Then he heard a voice heavy with tears speak to him from the depths, saying: "My son Joseph, my son, I heard thy complaints and thy groans, I saw thy tears, and I knew thy misery, my son. I am grieved for thy sake, and thy affliction is added to the burden of my affliction. But, my son Joseph, put thy trust in God, and wait upon Him. Fear not, for the Lord is with thee, and He will deliver thee from all evil. Go down into Egypt with thy masters, my son; fear naught, for the Lord is with thee, O my son." This and much more like unto it did the voice utter, and then it was silent. Joseph listened in great amazement at first, and then he broke out in renewed tears. Angered thereby, one of the Ishmaelites drove him from his mother's grave with kicks and curses. Then Joseph entreated his masters to take him back to his father, who would give them great riches as a reward. But they said, "Why, thou art a slave! How canst thou know where thy father is? If thou hadst had a free man as father, thou wouldst not have been sold twice for a petty sum." And then their fury against him increased, they beat him and maltreated him, and he wept bitter tears.

Notes on Genesis 28

Verse 3

Almighty = שדי (Shaddai). See The Father, Mother and the Son.

Verse 19

Luz = לוז (Luz) = almond

The Meaning of Trees by Fred Hagender

"Almond

"From the beginning of civilization, the white blossoming almond heralded spring and provided an emblem of the archetypal White Goddess. Its archaic Semitic name, amygdala, can be traced back to the Sumerian ama ga, which means the Great Mother...

"Among the tribes of Israel, the almond was originally conceived as a Tree of Life. Moses' (and Aarons's) staff was of almond (Numbers 17:8) and was described as the 'rod of God' (Exodus 17:9). It was said to have been handed down from Adam via Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Joseph who took it to Egypt where Moses obtained it. That Moses should bear the almond of the Great Mother is ironic, because in the Old Testament he is instructed to destroy the ancient cult of the Goddess (Exodus 22:1 and 34:13). However, his staff became the sceptre of the kings of Israel for many generations...

"Jacob slept at Luz, an almond sanctuary in Canaan, where the Lord appeared to him (Genesis 28:11-19), In Judaism, the divine light that shines mystically from the almond came to be celebrated in the Tree of Light. In ritual, this is the menorah, the candlestick which has a light for each of the seven planets. The menorah in Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem had almond shaped sconces to represent Aaron's rod when it broke out in buds."

Verse 21

Lord be my God = והיה יהוה לי לאלהים (hayah Yahweh li Elohim)

Hayah (היה) = to exist, that is, be or become, come to pass

Compare with:

Chavah (חוה), Eve = "to live", "lifegiver"

Possible word play?

Notes on Genesis 25

Jacob and Esau

Verse 27

Possible explanation of the description of the two brothers:

Legends of the Jews vol. 1, by Louis Ginzberg:

At the end of the years of famine, God appeared unto Isaac, and bade him return to Canaan.
Isaac did as he was commanded, and he settled in Hebron. At this time he sent his younger
son Jacob to the Bet ha-Midrash of Shem and Eber, to study the law of the Lord. Jacob
remained there thirty-two years. As for Esau, he refused to learn, and he remained in the
house of his father. The chase was his only occupation, and as he pursued beasts, so he
pursued men, seeking to capture them with cunning and deceit.

Verses 29 - 34

Easton's Bible Dictionary - Birthright

(1.) This word denotes the special privileges and advantages belonging to the first-born son among the Jews. He became the priest of the family. Thus Reuben was the first-born of the patriarchs, and so the priesthood of the tribes belonged to him. That honour was, however, transferred by God from Reuben to Levi (Num 3:12, Num 3:13; Num 8:18).

(2.) The first-born son had allotted to him also a double portion of the paternal inheritance (Deu 21:15-17). Reuben was, because of his undutiful conduct, deprived of his birth-right (Gen 49:4; 1Ch 5:1). Esau transferred his birth-right to Jacob (Gen 25:33).

(3.) The first-born inherited the judicial authority of his father, whatever it might be (2Ch 21:3). By divine appointment, however, David excluded Adonijah in favour of Solomon.

(4.) The Jews attached a sacred importance to the rank of "first-born" and "first-begotten" as applied to the Messiah (Rom 8:29; Col 1:18; Heb 1:4-6). As first-born he has an inheritance superior to his brethren, and is the alone true priest.