random thoughts and musings

[BeNotDeceived]

Phoenicians

Christ, Crist and CRYst are phonetic equivalents.

[abijah]

Phoenicians

Christ, Crist and CRYst are phonetic equivalents.

i will tame all the phoenician birds (with all their phonetic magic) in my arboretum

there have been recent campaigns proposing that "birds aren't real". Don't believe every meme you see, birds are definitely real

They tried to make ]the opposite[ real with Hunger Games, but God controls the birds, and angels rule harder than the demons.

[BeNotDeceived]

nephele jinxed multitudes intent on viewing tomorrow’s eclipse.

(Christ, but not Krist) : whale :

[abijah]

[abijah]

[abijah]

[Dusty Wanderer]

In Hebrew thought, a mountain is not something that's high, a mountain is a lot of something gathered. And so, a mountain became synonymous for a large but centralized group of people (Jeremiah 51:25), or even gods (Isaiah 14:13).

Good stuff, abijah, really got rethinking some things.

I understood the "mountain" referred to in Isaiah as "the mountain of the Lord's house" (Isa. 2:2) to mean a nation rather than an actual mountain, which seems spot on with what you quoted above. But with this definition that you've emphasized, along with what Paul said, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God" (1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16) I think that the "Lord's house" in "mountain of the Lord's house" may simply be the people themselves.

And with all of the above in mind when I read the quote from Matthew on faith ("you can say to this mountain"), I had two thoughts:

1. When I read what Jesus said, "All things will be possible for you", Genesis 11:5-6 came to mind (Babel), where I've read elsewhere about the tower being related to the mountain. "the people is one...and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."

2. Maybe this second thought is not contextually accurate, but when Jesus says "you can say to this mountain", could He have been referring to the gathered group of people around Him? Probably not, just a thought.

[Dusty Wanderer]

The world essentially consists of dry land and water. The people of the dry land (lovingly called Apollonians) think in terms of nations, nationalities and native cultures. They are tethered to their orthodoxies and fashions, heed boundaries and regulations, and cling to law and order. Apollonians worry about aggressive neighbors and invasions by "others". And they worry about torrential rains and floodings, particularly floodings of people: the ultimate "others", namely the Mercurials, the border-crossers, the landless, the "lawless" (more precise: they don't bother much with human law but are eagerly curious after the laws of nature). Mercurials don't bother with orthodoxy or with national borders, only with what works (i.e. natural law) and the road ahead. Their interests are broad and their legacy global. They travel, and entertain, and renew and inspire. But they always move on.

The “sea peoples”?

yes, this probably especially coincides with the Phoenicians who were sea traders who's influence was just as widespread and mercurial as their ships were. There's some deep symbolism going on here, between international trade and the biblical concept of "knowledge", and I'm wondering about how things apply in Proverbs 31 when it's describing the ideal wife as a ship that brings back foreign riches...

If the seas represent the unknown or the subconscious (no footing) and dry land the known or conscious (footing: Genesis 8:9, MATTHEW 14:26-31), then the earliest words had spontaneously distilled from vast mental swaths like mist from the ground (Genesis 2:6). Only when the first words had distilled within the complex interactions of vast populations of very early humans, modern man could begin to exist: "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). Much later, God promised to Abraham that his offspring would be like that same dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16, see GALATIANS 3:9). Later still, he again gathered this Abrahamic "dust", and released once again within them the Holy Spirit (ACTS 2:4) and thus created again a living being (namely the Body of Christ, or εκκλεσια, ekklesia, the "called out").

Gen. 7
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

Is this referring to all those that had the word, or as referred to above, the Apollonians? Seems to be an association here between the living, those that had breath or the word, and the loss of it, as with the collapse of a certain tower called babel.

And in Acts 2:4, “spirit” is taken from the Greek Pneuma meaning, “spirit, wind, breath”.

In general I think "Apollonian" typically describes something that is orderly/structured, with clearly-defined rules, established borders and definitive categories -- a dominant aspect of what has historically made Western civilization great. I know that a common antithesis of Apollonian (at least in the arts and philosophy) is "Dionysian", which is more chaotic than orderly, more impulsive than deliberate, more emotional than rational, etc. "Mercurial" also makes sense though, especially in a context of fluidity and interface in between borders/categories, considering how apollonian order is established through walls, as opposed to the the hermetic/mercurial predilection for wall-hopping or boundary-skirting. I get the feeling Niemand might know more about this than I do though.

In the New Testament, our nouns νεφος (nephos) and νεφελη (nephele) almost exclusively describe loose gatherings of human minds: so loose and vague that they merely hover over our cultures and don't lavish any of us with a systematic supply of instructions.

“Loose” meaning without any guiding principals or structure or bounds within which the minds can safely cultivate?

this is a really good question that cuts to the heart of this symbolism imo. It's a mystery I've given a lot of thought to and still haven't at all cracked yet, since it's a very complex thing. The basic framework is that people who are more ordered/structured-minded are typically more moral than those of a mercurial, and certainly a dionysian disposition. Because rules and boundaries are inextricably connected with morality, ever since God set primordial boundaries on fruit that is good to be eaten, and fruit that shouldn't be eaten - a clear defined partition. But it's a bit more nuanced than that, since the scriptures are full of juxtaposed examples of people who people who are destroyed for their mercuriality (like the pre-Flood party animals, probably derived from the inherently mercurial natures of the nephilim who spawned their culture). However, lots, perhaps even a majority of the significant figures in the scriptures have certain distinctive mercurial qualities to them. Noah is literally a bridge between worlds. Abraham left his family, city and homeland for a totally new thing. Moses was essentially part Hebrew and part Egyptian, with a major transition period in between. King David (the royal musician/entertainer) was as shifty, rhythmic and swerving as any cunning serpent, and Elijah (likely impulsively) struck the Baal priests with lightning (literally ) cobra reflexes, and don't get me started on similarities between Elijah and Hermes, that post is coming eventually.

I hyperlinked this video to a specific section w/ David, but I reckon I should post the video in it's entirety, since it explains really well how God uses mercuriality typically in situations where there is an unjust tyranny/unrighteous dominion in place that God has an interest in toppling. In David's case this was the royal estate of Saul, a situation where Saul was the lawful appointed sovereign, but not the type of sovereignty that God could make an everlasting covenant with:

Likely the original heavenly emblem of mercuriality, the communication and interface between borders, was probably the seraphim angel Lucifer. I wonder if perhaps a big reason why God has a such a unique love for David is because he serves as a vivid, powerful replacement of the angelic son He had previously lost, the serpentine choirmaster musician of heaven, but thats just a speculation that came while writing this.

Are these clouds similar to those that followed Israel by day during their sojourn in the wilderness?

Undoubtedly.

Overall, fantastic post.

I’ve wondered about what the ideal societal, long-term living arrangement for humans waiting for the Lord to come again and establish His system (cities vs purely agrarian vs hunter/gatherer) — ie. best for our bodies, the land, the ecosystem, our daily reliance upon God, preparedness for catastrophes, etc. I can’t shake the idea that whatever it is, it would probably resemble a nomadic or migratory lifestyle than anything else. But I’m still sorting through that.

Me too. At the *moment* my conclusion is that the Luddite perspective is not correct. While we need to be prepared, we also need to be able to take technology (as well as it's bloated innovation) in due stride. Technology was a major factor that precipitated the Flood of Noah, but technology was also the means whereby Noah and a remnant were saved. The dynamic between the City and the Wilderness is so rich in symbolic meaning and personal application, I'm still barely getting a handle on it, and have been very humbled regarding any last-days frameworks I used to have, not because it doesn't matter, but because the eschatological rubric I've been using has needed a lot of much-needed calibration.

Thanks for that response. It seems like the stories and symbolism in the text show that a balance between the structured and the mercurial, or better perhaps, a mastery over the mercurial, enables one to become a more powerful instrument in God's hand. Where purely structured may constrain the Spirit, purely mercurial leads to defaulting to one's own passions, which can blind one to the influence of the Spirit. I haven't watched that linked video yet, but look forward to doing so in the next day or two.

Agree 100% about technology being utilized in both bringing and escaping the flood. Perhaps there's something about how we rely on it or balance its use between the disciplined or mercurial motives? I'm also not sure I understand the dynamic between civilization and the wilderness, but again, I tend to think it's related to what we're talking about here -- balance or paradox; or perhaps that's just what it looks like on the surface and there's underlying criteria that escapes me at the moment. I do find it fascinating, though, and feel that it's important to spend more cognitive cycles to understand it better. Thanks for sharing your thoughts/findings on it.

[abijah]

Luke 8:46
And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.


δυναμαι
The verb δυναμαι (dunamai) means "to can" (to be able to, to have the power to) and is the root of English words such as "dynamic," "dynamo" and even "dynasty". In English "to can" appears a bit clumsy but this English verb is related to the Dutch verbs kunnen (German: können; to be able to) and kennen (German: wissen; to know; "cunning"). Strikingly, the English noun "can" describes a small metal container, as does the Dutch noun kan (albeit rather a jug). Likewise our verb δυναμαι (dunamai) describes a "contained" ability to perform some action: to be able to, to have the opportunity to, to be equipped to. Hence two of this verb's most telling derivatives are the adjective δυνατος (dunatos), meaning "possible," and its antonym αδυνατος (adunatos), meaning "impossible" (see below).

It should once more be stressed that our verb emphasizes ability and possibility but not force or might. Subsequently, translators should try to avoid the much too strong English word "power." Power and the use of powerful force are conveyed by the verb ισχυω (ischuo), mastery or control would be covered by κραταιοω (krataioo), actual doing or working by ενεργεω (energeo) and prevailing by νικαω (nikao).

Our verb δυναμαι (dunamai) speaks of ability as a defining quality: you are what you can. In the Greek classics this verb is often used in mathematical equations to describe equality (something we use the symbol " = " for). It may be used to express the monetary equivalence of some item, or the dictionary meaning of some word or phrase.

Our verb mostly describes having a defining inherent or acquired ability, or even an inferred or formal authority (LUKE 16:2, JOHN 13:37). A negative (to not can) sometimes indicates a mere preference that assumes assent (LUKE 11:7; "The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up"), or a moral objection (LUKE 14:20; "I just got married, so I cannot come"). The middle or passive deponent imperfect of this verb ("he was being enabled to") translates rather naturally to an English simple past ("he could" — MATTHEW 26:9, MARK 6:5, JOHN 9:33).

Our verb is used 209 times in the New Testament, and from it derives:

δυναμις
From the verb δυναμαι (dunamai), meaning "to be able to" or "to have the opportunity to" or "to be equal to" comes the noun δυναμις (dunamis), which unfortunately lacks a proper English equivalent. Translations often render this word as "power" but, as argued above, that is really much too strong. And since this noun often describes the key element of some of the New Testament's most quoted evergreens, a lengthy look at this word is certainly warranted.

Our noun essentially describes "something that can be done" or "something for which the opportunity exists" in as broadly a way as the parent verb means "to can". Our noun may describe one single act that lies within the range of abilities or opportunities of some doer, or it may cover the whole range of things that someone is capable of, whether because of personal skill, some inferred authority or autonomy, sheer lack of resistance from the environment or an opportunity offered by that environment. It denotes any deed, action or effect arising from whatever ability, agility or angle. It's an as general word as "thing" and differs from "thing" only in that it implies ability-due-action. It describes anything that someone can do, not necessarily something strikingly mighty or something that no one else can do: simply an ability or a thing done.

In the classics our noun usually describes a quality, whether physical or mental, from which some signature action stems. It may describe the prowess of heroes or readiness of armies. But it may also denote medicines or formulas designed to do something. Our noun may even refer to some natural property — of elementary forces or plants or even artificial devices and music. It may even describe the action that brings about some special kind of number, namely the kind that arises from multiplying some other number by itself. Even today we speak of raising a number to the "power" of such-and-such, but a number's power is not a power but rather an indication of how many times our source number can hula-hoop inside the resultant number.

• a thing possible through lifted restrictions
Likewise in the New Testament our word does not denote some necessarily "mighty power" or "awesome deed" but simply a thing done because the doer had the ability or opportunity of facility to. And that's certainly no small thing; Paul lists the rare gift of "opportunities to actually do something instead of talking about it or sitting silently in thine pew" as the fourth of the great things established by God in the church (1 CORINTHIANS 12:28, also see 4:19, 12:10, 12:29, ACTS 1:22, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:12, HEBREWS 2:4).

Sarah also didn't receive the "power to conceive" (because what might that be?) but rather the "ability to conceive" (HEBREWS 11:11, also see LUKE 1:35). The apostles didn't give witness of the resurrection with great power — because what is that? fireworks? billy clubs and barbaric yawps? — but with great ability, that is to say: they were driven to seize every possible opportunity to explain and proclaim this awesome and ancient mystery in all appropriate peace and dignity (ACTS 4:33, also see ROMANS 1:4). Likewise, the people of God are called not to pliantly wait for better times, but to spring into action and work to expand the pallet of what is possible to do (Genesis 11:6, MATTHEW 6:13, PHILIPPIANS 2:12).

In PHILIPPIANS 3:10 Paul yearns to know not merely the mighty technical specs of the resurrection but rather what abilities and possibilities the resurrection might entail (also see 1 CORINTHIANS 6:14). In 1 CORINTHIANS 14:11 our word describes not the power but the defining active properties of a certain voice. And something similar — a natural, unaided ability — is implied in 2 CORINTHIANS 8:3. In MATTHEW 24:29 Jesus speaks of "those things that can happen in the heavens" or rather: what normally occurs in the skies, or what normally could be expected to happen in the skies.

• potential: the upper limit of what can be done
Still, quite contrary to what is commonly believed, the Kingdom of God is not a kingdom of gab and also not of noisy chisels, hammers and slug fests (JOHN 18:36, 1 CORINTHIANS 2:5, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9, also see 1 Kings 6:7). It's not violently and painstakingly wrought against the erosive forces of nature, but grows quietly in perfect response to the forces of nature (compare ROMANS 1:20 with COLOSSIANS 1:16-17). The Kingdom will be accomplished when that what naturally grows reaches that for which it was called to grow, like a tree that slowly grows but suddenly blossoms and begins to bear fruit. And until then, the only thing sin can do is necessitate the law (1 CORINTHIANS 15:56).

When creation meets its potential it will be as good as it can possibly get. That's what the Kingdom of God is about (MARK 9:1, 1 CORINTHIANS 4:20, 2 THESSALONIANS 1:11). Likewise, REVELATION 4:11 doesn't speak of God receiving power (as if someone or something could give God power), but rather of God "seizing" the "potential" of creation (also see 5:11, 11:17).

Often (MATTHEW 22:29, MARK 13:26, ROMANS 9:27, 1 CORINTHIANS 6:14, EPHESIANS 1:19, HEBREWS 1:3) our word obviously covers the entire range of things God is capable of and is doing (comparable to the use in MATTHEW 25:15), and this entire range of God's abilities is embodied in Jesus Christ (1 CORINTHIANS 1:24, COLOSSIANS 2:9, HEBREWS 1:3) and likewise as the final purpose of creation that is directing his people from within (EPHESIANS 3:20, ROMANS 15:13). That certainly covers a lot of power but that's not the point of our word. These statements do not merely discuss the mighty powers that the Creator obviously possesses but rather the vast array of his abilities, which also include gentle whispers and kind subtleties (1 Kings 19:12, Isaiah 40:11).

In 1 CORINTHIANS 15:43 our noun occurs semi-juxtaposed with ασθενεια (astheneia), meaning powerless, but not as a symmetric opposite but rather as an alternative; one that is as different from raw power as δοξα (doxa), "glory", is from τιμη (time), precious, the polar opposite of ατιμια (atimia), worthless. In MATTHEW 24:30 our noun δυναμις (dunamis), or "limitless possibilities," occurs again in tandem with δοξα (doxa), meaning "glory".

• a misappropriated thing
In MARK 5:30 our word is used to describe how Jesus did something out of what perhaps may be understood as a divine reflex. Both in LUKE 9:1 and 1 CORINTHIANS 15:24 it's used in tandem with the noun εξουσια (exousia), meaning authority; the Lucan reference discusses actions against demons but the Pauline reference discusses actions against fellow men, particularly by governments and masters and such (see the noun δυναστης, dunastes, below).

MATTHEW 13:58 famously explains how people's dubiosity affected the range of Jesus' ministerial activities (their doubt quite assuredly did not diminish Jesus' power, as many translations curiously appear to maintain), and in LUKE 10:19 even the "enemy" is said to be equipped with "abilities." HEBREWS 11:34 speaks of quelling the signature doings of fire. In REVELATION 13:2 the dragon gives the beast his full portfolio of abilities (which range, one might assume, from lionesque roars to seductive whispers — 1 PETER 5:8, Genesis 3:1), and in REVELATION 17:13 we learn that this range of abilities is manifest in the beast's ten kingly horns.

Paul speaks of the man of lawlessness, who comes in accordance with the working of satan in a complete "range of abilities" and signs and deceitful observances (2 THESSALONIANS 2:9). Likewise, in REVELATION 18:3, Babylon is ascribed the vast array of wondrous and God-given "things you can do with nature" that we are presently experiencing in our modern technological age, and the Revelator's condemnation is toward the world's merchants who are getting drunk on this array of marvels rather than use it to build up God's Kingdom for everyone to enjoy. Had these vast possibilities of God's physical universe been known to Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago and Sodom would not have seen destruction (MATTHEW 11:21-23).

The derivatives of the verb δυναμαι (dunamai), meaning "to can" or "to be able to" are:

• The noun δυναμις (dunamis) as described above. From this noun in turn come:
  • The verb δυναμοω (dunamoo), meaning to enable. It occurs in COLOSSIANS 1:11 only, and from it in turn derives:
    • Together with the preposition εν (en), meaning in, on, at or by: the verb ενδυναμοω (endunamoo), meaning to intrinsically enable. This verb is not found in other extant Greek literature (and an associated adverb twice), but whether or not this word was actually coined by the Bible writers, their relative frequent employ of it demonstrates a key difference between the latent servitude demanded by pagan religions and the widely diverse autonomy we have in Jesus Christ (GALATIANS 5:1, ACTS 1:8). The elite of pagan deities are mere agents or vehicles of their master's perceived powers, but the YHWH equips his people with abilities that arise from their own within (rather like the famous streams of living water, JOHN 7:38, or indeed God's very Kingdom, LUKE 17:21). This magnificent verb occurs 8 times, thrice in close conjunction with the verb ισχυω (ischuom), to be powerful (EPHESIANS 6:10, PHILIPPIANS 4:13, HEBREWS 11:34).

• The noun δυναστης (dunastes), which describes someone in a formal position to do whatever, and usually to do whatever to whoever; a top-manager, someone high up the directory food chain (LUKE 1:52, ACTS 8:27 and 1 TIMOTHY 6:15 only, but also see ACTS 4:7, 1 PETER 3:22, EPHESIANS 1:21). This word does not really emphasize the liberty of the person it describes but rather the necessary lack of freedom of the folks this person manages. When Jesus ends all dominion, authority and "management" (1 CORINTHIANS 15:24), he will typically usher in an age in which the "freedom to do whatever" is not vested in a powerful few but rather the norm for everybody. Everybody will be autonomous and nobody will rule anybody else.

• The adjective δυνατος (dunatos), meaning "possible" (MATTHEW 19:26, MARK 14:36, LUKE 18:27) or "able(d)" in much the same way as our English term "able-bodied" (ROMANS 9:22, ACTS 25:5, 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4). In LUKE 1:49, young Mary does not famously say: "the Mighty One has done great things for me," but rather "the One Who Is Able has done great things for me." Likewise, Apollos from Alexandria was not "mighty" in the Scriptures, but "able" (ACTS 14:23). This adjective occurs 35 times, and from it derive:
  • Together with the particle of negation α (a), meaning without: the adjective αδυνατος (adunatos), meaning impossible or incapable. It's used 10 times, and from it in turn comes:
    • The verb αδυνατεω (adunateo), meaning to be impossible (MATTHEW 17:20 and LUKE 1:37 only).
  • The verb δυνατεω (dunateo), meaning to make able. This verb is very rare in Greek literature and occurs in the New Testament in 2 CORINTHIANS 13:3 only, juxtaposed with the verb ασθενεω (astheneo), weak, feeble, poor or sick.

(https://www.abarim-publications.com/DictionaryG/d/d-u-n-a-m-a-i.html)

[abijah]

[BeNotDeceived]

We are all slaves to our self.

[ransomme]

Luke 8:46
And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.


δυναμαι
The verb δυναμαι (dunamai) means "to can" (to be able to, to have the power to) and is the root of English words such as "dynamic," "dynamo" and even "dynasty". In English "to can" appears a bit clumsy but this English verb is related to the Dutch verbs kunnen (German: können; to be able to) and kennen (German: wissen; to know; "cunning"). Strikingly, the English noun "can" describes a small metal container, as does the Dutch noun kan (albeit rather a jug). Likewise our verb δυναμαι (dunamai) describes a "contained" ability to perform some action: to be able to, to have the opportunity to, to be equipped to. Hence two of this verb's most telling derivatives are the adjective δυνατος (dunatos), meaning "possible," and its antonym αδυνατος (adunatos), meaning "impossible" (see below).

It should once more be stressed that our verb emphasizes ability and possibility but not force or might. Subsequently, translators should try to avoid the much too strong English word "power." Power and the use of powerful force are conveyed by the verb ισχυω (ischuo), mastery or control would be covered by κραταιοω (krataioo), actual doing or working by ενεργεω (energeo) and prevailing by νικαω (nikao).

Our verb δυναμαι (dunamai) speaks of ability as a defining quality: you are what you can. In the Greek classics this verb is often used in mathematical equations to describe equality (something we use the symbol " = " for). It may be used to express the monetary equivalence of some item, or the dictionary meaning of some word or phrase.

Our verb mostly describes having a defining inherent or acquired ability, or even an inferred or formal authority (LUKE 16:2, JOHN 13:37). A negative (to not can) sometimes indicates a mere preference that assumes assent (LUKE 11:7; "The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up"), or a moral objection (LUKE 14:20; "I just got married, so I cannot come"). The middle or passive deponent imperfect of this verb ("he was being enabled to") translates rather naturally to an English simple past ("he could" — MATTHEW 26:9, MARK 6:5, JOHN 9:33).

Our verb is used 209 times in the New Testament, and from it derives:

δυναμις
From the verb δυναμαι (dunamai), meaning "to be able to" or "to have the opportunity to" or "to be equal to" comes the noun δυναμις (dunamis), which unfortunately lacks a proper English equivalent. Translations often render this word as "power" but, as argued above, that is really much too strong. And since this noun often describes the key element of some of the New Testament's most quoted evergreens, a lengthy look at this word is certainly warranted.

Our noun essentially describes "something that can be done" or "something for which the opportunity exists" in as broadly a way as the parent verb means "to can". Our noun may describe one single act that lies within the range of abilities or opportunities of some doer, or it may cover the whole range of things that someone is capable of, whether because of personal skill, some inferred authority or autonomy, sheer lack of resistance from the environment or an opportunity offered by that environment. It denotes any deed, action or effect arising from whatever ability, agility or angle. It's an as general word as "thing" and differs from "thing" only in that it implies ability-due-action. It describes anything that someone can do, not necessarily something strikingly mighty or something that no one else can do: simply an ability or a thing done.

In the classics our noun usually describes a quality, whether physical or mental, from which some signature action stems. It may describe the prowess of heroes or readiness of armies. But it may also denote medicines or formulas designed to do something. Our noun may even refer to some natural property — of elementary forces or plants or even artificial devices and music. It may even describe the action that brings about some special kind of number, namely the kind that arises from multiplying some other number by itself. Even today we speak of raising a number to the "power" of such-and-such, but a number's power is not a power but rather an indication of how many times our source number can hula-hoop inside the resultant number.

• a thing possible through lifted restrictions
Likewise in the New Testament our word does not denote some necessarily "mighty power" or "awesome deed" but simply a thing done because the doer had the ability or opportunity of facility to. And that's certainly no small thing; Paul lists the rare gift of "opportunities to actually do something instead of talking about it or sitting silently in thine pew" as the fourth of the great things established by God in the church (1 CORINTHIANS 12:28, also see 4:19, 12:10, 12:29, ACTS 1:22, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:12, HEBREWS 2:4).

Sarah also didn't receive the "power to conceive" (because what might that be?) but rather the "ability to conceive" (HEBREWS 11:11, also see LUKE 1:35). The apostles didn't give witness of the resurrection with great power — because what is that? fireworks? billy clubs and barbaric yawps? — but with great ability, that is to say: they were driven to seize every possible opportunity to explain and proclaim this awesome and ancient mystery in all appropriate peace and dignity (ACTS 4:33, also see ROMANS 1:4). Likewise, the people of God are called not to pliantly wait for better times, but to spring into action and work to expand the pallet of what is possible to do (Genesis 11:6, MATTHEW 6:13, PHILIPPIANS 2:12).

In PHILIPPIANS 3:10 Paul yearns to know not merely the mighty technical specs of the resurrection but rather what abilities and possibilities the resurrection might entail (also see 1 CORINTHIANS 6:14). In 1 CORINTHIANS 14:11 our word describes not the power but the defining active properties of a certain voice. And something similar — a natural, unaided ability — is implied in 2 CORINTHIANS 8:3. In MATTHEW 24:29 Jesus speaks of "those things that can happen in the heavens" or rather: what normally occurs in the skies, or what normally could be expected to happen in the skies.

• potential: the upper limit of what can be done
Still, quite contrary to what is commonly believed, the Kingdom of God is not a kingdom of gab and also not of noisy chisels, hammers and slug fests (JOHN 18:36, 1 CORINTHIANS 2:5, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9, also see 1 Kings 6:7). It's not violently and painstakingly wrought against the erosive forces of nature, but grows quietly in perfect response to the forces of nature (compare ROMANS 1:20 with COLOSSIANS 1:16-17). The Kingdom will be accomplished when that what naturally grows reaches that for which it was called to grow, like a tree that slowly grows but suddenly blossoms and begins to bear fruit. And until then, the only thing sin can do is necessitate the law (1 CORINTHIANS 15:56).

When creation meets its potential it will be as good as it can possibly get. That's what the Kingdom of God is about (MARK 9:1, 1 CORINTHIANS 4:20, 2 THESSALONIANS 1:11). Likewise, REVELATION 4:11 doesn't speak of God receiving power (as if someone or something could give God power), but rather of God "seizing" the "potential" of creation (also see 5:11, 11:17).

Often (MATTHEW 22:29, MARK 13:26, ROMANS 9:27, 1 CORINTHIANS 6:14, EPHESIANS 1:19, HEBREWS 1:3) our word obviously covers the entire range of things God is capable of and is doing (comparable to the use in MATTHEW 25:15), and this entire range of God's abilities is embodied in Jesus Christ (1 CORINTHIANS 1:24, COLOSSIANS 2:9, HEBREWS 1:3) and likewise as the final purpose of creation that is directing his people from within (EPHESIANS 3:20, ROMANS 15:13). That certainly covers a lot of power but that's not the point of our word. These statements do not merely discuss the mighty powers that the Creator obviously possesses but rather the vast array of his abilities, which also include gentle whispers and kind subtleties (1 Kings 19:12, Isaiah 40:11).

In 1 CORINTHIANS 15:43 our noun occurs semi-juxtaposed with ασθενεια (astheneia), meaning powerless, but not as a symmetric opposite but rather as an alternative; one that is as different from raw power as δοξα (doxa), "glory", is from τιμη (time), precious, the polar opposite of ατιμια (atimia), worthless. In MATTHEW 24:30 our noun δυναμις (dunamis), or "limitless possibilities," occurs again in tandem with δοξα (doxa), meaning "glory".

• a misappropriated thing
In MARK 5:30 our word is used to describe how Jesus did something out of what perhaps may be understood as a divine reflex. Both in LUKE 9:1 and 1 CORINTHIANS 15:24 it's used in tandem with the noun εξουσια (exousia), meaning authority; the Lucan reference discusses actions against demons but the Pauline reference discusses actions against fellow men, particularly by governments and masters and such (see the noun δυναστης, dunastes, below).

MATTHEW 13:58 famously explains how people's dubiosity affected the range of Jesus' ministerial activities (their doubt quite assuredly did not diminish Jesus' power, as many translations curiously appear to maintain), and in LUKE 10:19 even the "enemy" is said to be equipped with "abilities." HEBREWS 11:34 speaks of quelling the signature doings of fire. In REVELATION 13:2 the dragon gives the beast his full portfolio of abilities (which range, one might assume, from lionesque roars to seductive whispers — 1 PETER 5:8, Genesis 3:1), and in REVELATION 17:13 we learn that this range of abilities is manifest in the beast's ten kingly horns.

Paul speaks of the man of lawlessness, who comes in accordance with the working of satan in a complete "range of abilities" and signs and deceitful observances (2 THESSALONIANS 2:9). Likewise, in REVELATION 18:3, Babylon is ascribed the vast array of wondrous and God-given "things you can do with nature" that we are presently experiencing in our modern technological age, and the Revelator's condemnation is toward the world's merchants who are getting drunk on this array of marvels rather than use it to build up God's Kingdom for everyone to enjoy. Had these vast possibilities of God's physical universe been known to Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago and Sodom would not have seen destruction (MATTHEW 11:21-23).

The derivatives of the verb δυναμαι (dunamai), meaning "to can" or "to be able to" are:

• The noun δυναμις (dunamis) as described above. From this noun in turn come:
  • The verb δυναμοω (dunamoo), meaning to enable. It occurs in COLOSSIANS 1:11 only, and from it in turn derives:
    • Together with the preposition εν (en), meaning in, on, at or by: the verb ενδυναμοω (endunamoo), meaning to intrinsically enable. This verb is not found in other extant Greek literature (and an associated adverb twice), but whether or not this word was actually coined by the Bible writers, their relative frequent employ of it demonstrates a key difference between the latent servitude demanded by pagan religions and the widely diverse autonomy we have in Jesus Christ (GALATIANS 5:1, ACTS 1:8). The elite of pagan deities are mere agents or vehicles of their master's perceived powers, but the YHWH equips his people with abilities that arise from their own within (rather like the famous streams of living water, JOHN 7:38, or indeed God's very Kingdom, LUKE 17:21). This magnificent verb occurs 8 times, thrice in close conjunction with the verb ισχυω (ischuom), to be powerful (EPHESIANS 6:10, PHILIPPIANS 4:13, HEBREWS 11:34).

• The noun δυναστης (dunastes), which describes someone in a formal position to do whatever, and usually to do whatever to whoever; a top-manager, someone high up the directory food chain (LUKE 1:52, ACTS 8:27 and 1 TIMOTHY 6:15 only, but also see ACTS 4:7, 1 PETER 3:22, EPHESIANS 1:21). This word does not really emphasize the liberty of the person it describes but rather the necessary lack of freedom of the folks this person manages. When Jesus ends all dominion, authority and "management" (1 CORINTHIANS 15:24), he will typically usher in an age in which the "freedom to do whatever" is not vested in a powerful few but rather the norm for everybody. Everybody will be autonomous and nobody will rule anybody else.

• The adjective δυνατος (dunatos), meaning "possible" (MATTHEW 19:26, MARK 14:36, LUKE 18:27) or "able(d)" in much the same way as our English term "able-bodied" (ROMANS 9:22, ACTS 25:5, 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4). In LUKE 1:49, young Mary does not famously say: "the Mighty One has done great things for me," but rather "the One Who Is Able has done great things for me." Likewise, Apollos from Alexandria was not "mighty" in the Scriptures, but "able" (ACTS 14:23). This adjective occurs 35 times, and from it derive:
  • Together with the particle of negation α (a), meaning without: the adjective αδυνατος (adunatos), meaning impossible or incapable. It's used 10 times, and from it in turn comes:
    • The verb αδυνατεω (adunateo), meaning to be impossible (MATTHEW 17:20 and LUKE 1:37 only).
  • The verb δυνατεω (dunateo), meaning to make able. This verb is very rare in Greek literature and occurs in the New Testament in 2 CORINTHIANS 13:3 only, juxtaposed with the verb ασθενεω (astheneo), weak, feeble, poor or sick.

(https://www.abarim-publications.com/DictionaryG/d/d-u-n-a-m-a-i.html)

[abijah]

interesting new perspective to consider...

Michael and Gabriel
We have been discussing the Biblical witness concerning the Angel of the LORD in the Old Testament. I have argued that the Angel of the LORD is a distinct character with a recognizable constellation of qualities throughout the Hebrew Bible. He is the heavenly high priest who forever bears the presence of God to creatures. The temple of God is the palace of God: the liturgical language of priesthood and cult thus intersects with and explains the civic language of kingship, state, and power. In other words, the place in which the heavenly liturgy is conducted by the Angelic High Priest is also the place from which God rules the world by His Word. The Holy of Holies is God’s throne room. With this in mind, I believe we can offer some informed speculation as to the structure of that heavenly court and the relationship between the angelic administration of the old covenant with the human administration of the new.

Michael and Gabriel seem to be the two principal angelic counselors to the preincarnate Lord Jesus Christ, ruling as Angel of The LORD. As priests are responsible for announcing the coming of the Lord and teaching God’s truth, Gabriel is the priestly angel, and as kings are warriors and conquerors, Michael is the kingly angel.

These two angels seem to me to be the likely candidates for the two inspecting angels who came with the Angel of the Lord to examine Sodom, and are symbolized in the two overlooking cherubim in the Holy of Holies, which Zechariah 4 uses to symbolize the whole divine council. This could also explain the interesting way in which the numbers seventy and seventy-two are connected. Seventy is the number symbolizing the Heavenly Council (Dt. 32:8-9), but seventy-two is also used. On this account, it would be seventy counselors plus Michael and Gabriel as chief counselors. In Exodus 24, when the Seventy Elders of Israel ascend, signifying the divine council, Aaron also ascends with Nadab and Abihu as his two sons. Revelation, a text centered on the divine council, presents us with twenty-four angelic elders (replaced by exalted men, the true Sons of God), twenty-four wings on the four living creatures (signifying the ministering but not ruling angels), and a “third” of the host of heaven expelled from the divine council with the ascent of Christ in Revelation 12. This comes to seventy-two. These are symbolic numbers, of course, but it is important to seek the inner coherence of the scripture.

When man is glorified and is exalted over the angels as Hebrews describes, are there glorified men who take the place of these two chief counselors? It seems to me that there are- John the Forerunner, the announcer of the Lord’s coming and a descendent of the Levitical tribe, takes the place of Gabriel, the chief priestly angel. The Mother of God, as the Queen of her Son’s Kingdom, takes the place of Michael, the kingly angel. Her status as a warrior emerges out two things. First, with her Son, she crushes the head of the Serpent. Our Lady thus stands with women like Jael, the “most blessed” of women as Deborah calls her in Judges 5. Similarly, the Nazirite is a symbol of the warrior-bride, who is personalized in women like Deborah. Deborah says that the “locks lay long” in Israel in their war against Sisera- this is a reference to the Nazirite vow, where men let their hair grow like women. Moreover, the context of the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6 links it with the jealousy inspection of Numbers 5, where a bride is tested for her faithfulness to her husband. Whether or not this was ever literally carried out, this was a symbol for Israel’s faithfulness to her Divine Husband, and the jealousy inspection is echoed many times throughout scripture, including in 1 Corinthians 11 with reference to the Church’s fidelity to Christ in the Eucharist [the woman was to bring consecrated bread in the ritual]. Strikingly, the structure of the Orthodox iconostasis fits beautifully with these links. On either side of the Lord Jesus Christ there is John the Forerunner and Mary the Theotokos. Then, on the ends of the iconostasis, there is Gabriel the Archangel and Michael the Archangel. I am not suggesting that the men who developed this structure were consciously replicating the symbolic links I am suggesting, but that the Holy Spirit, who inspires both scripture and tradition, has beautifully woven these things together in a manner transcending, but not contradicting, the intent of their human crafters.

[abijah]

Fire and Water
In preceding posts, we have discussed the significance and symbolism of the gathered seas of Genesis 1:9-10. Here, I wish to pan out and recall to your mind the significance of water’s narrative journey in the text thusfar. This will help us frame the symbolic freight that the interrelation of land, water, heaven, and earth carries throughout the rest of the Scriptures. In the process of this, I also wish to reflect on the concrete qualities that water carries in our minds. The creation of the world begins with the production of a twofold cosmos: heaven and earth. The scriptures consistently distinguish between two heavens- the “heaven of heavens” and the “heavens.” Deuteronomy 10:14 gives one example among many of this distinction: heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD.” The relationship between “heaven” and the “heaven of heavens” is analogous to the relationship to the “Holy Place” and the “Holy of Holies.” Indeed, the grammatical construction is the same- “Holy Place” is simply a substantive use of the word “Holy.” It is the “Holy” and the “Holy of Holies” just as scripture deals with “Heaven” and the “Heaven of Heavens.” This relationship is not accidental, as the scriptures link the structure of the cosmos to the structure of the temple and tabernacle. As has been discussed many times before, the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle are given in seven speeches, the last of which deals with Sabbatical regulations. Naturally, then, we are to take the tabernacle as a miniature representation of the cosmos, with each of the seven speeches interpreting the furniture of the tabernacle in light of the creatures made on the corresponding day of Genesis 1.

We therefore have the “Holy of Holies” containing the place of God’s indwelling. The “Holy” contains the Menorah with seven lamps. And the Courtyard is accessible by any Israelite (and even gentiles are permitted, according to the Book of Numbers, to bring an offering on the Courtyard Altar. The Holy and Holy of Holies can only be entered by special invitation of God, signified by the wearing of distinctive priestly garments. Deuteronomy 10:14 summarizes the threefold structure of the cosmos: “Heaven of Heavens”, “Heavens”, and “Earth.” The Tabernacle and Temple share that threefold structure: “Holy of Holies”, “Holy”, and “Courtyard.” Linking each level of the tabernacle with the corresponding level of the world, we see that the Heaven of Heavens is where God dwells. The divine, uncreated fire is behind the veil of the Holy of Holies, and the “Heaven of Heavens” is where the prophets of Israel encounter God enthroned with His council. The “Heavens” is where we find the celestial bodies. This is signified in the architecture of the tabernacle and temple by the Menorah with seven branches. Remember that the imagery of the world tree- the tree which unifies the various levels of creation- is pervasive in the ancient world and almost certainly belongs to the primordial tradition of the human family going back to Adam. Revelation 6 utilizes the imagery of the world tree by describing stars falling from heaven like fig leaves. That Adam and Eve eat the Tree of Knowledge and then wear fig leaves suggest that the Tree of Knowledge may have been a fig tree- we become what we eat- the Tree of Knowledge contained the knowledge of all the natures of things, fitting a person for sovereignty over the world, and is thus an appropriate specification of the world tree image. If stars are analogized to leaves, then the world tree stretches into the visible heavens.

This is what we find concerning the Menorah- it is a Tree with bowls fashioned like “almond blossoms.” [I am still exploring in my mind the symbolic relation between the almond tree and the fig tree. What matters here is that the Menorah is a tree at all.] If the Holy Place corresponds to the Heavens, and the leaves (and blossoms?) of the world tree spiritually correspond to the celestial Heavens, this makes intelligible one of the dimensions of the seven branches of the Menorah- it represents the sun, the moon, and the five “wandering stars” or visible planets moving against the relatively fixed background of the starry heavens. These seven celestial bodies designate the seven days of the week in a variety of traditional cultures. Thus, we see the symbolic architecture of the world suggested above makes sense of the architecture of the tabernacle. It is the middle place of the Tabernacle which contains the sun, moon, and stars. Biblical critics are therefore shown to be mistaken in thinking that the Hebrew Bible makes no distinction between the place of God’s dwelling and the starry heavens. Important for our purposes, they are demonstrated to be wrong in thinking that Genesis 1 only mentions a single heaven and has no concept of an invisible heaven transcending the visible world. On the contrary, it is precisely this heaven which is mentioned in the first verse of Genesis.

Now, recall your mind to the fall of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10. Leviticus 8-10 narrates the inauguration of the liturgy of the tabernacle. Nadab and Abihu help preside over its first offering, but bring unauthorized worship before God. We are told that "fire came out from the presence of the LORD” and killed them (Leviticus 10:2). The reference to the LORD’s presence suggests that the origin of the fire is the Holy of Holies- matching the Heaven of Heavens. This is highly significant in the framing of the narrative of Genesis 1, because the “Earth” of Genesis 1:1-2 is utterly unformed. God creates the high heaven and the earth, but the earth lacks form, population, and illumination. Genesis 1:2 begins to narrate the development of the world by describing the descent of the Holy Spirit over the surface of the waters. Hence, we see what almost every ancient culture recalled about the world’s creation- the initial state of the corporeal world was a mass of undeveloped water, which is the primordial element. It is not that the ancients noticed the significance of water in the structure of creation and generated invented stories in order to make sense of it. Instead, it is that scripture describes the reality of things: creation genuinely did begin with God’s calling into being a world in potency that took the form of the cosmic sea. He crystallized everything else out of that water, and as the whole is in every part, so this dynamic is to be found in countless small stories in creation. Every human being, for example, begins in water. Genesis 1 describes the growth of the human family in terms of arboreal and agricultural imagery- they are to be fruitful. Genesis 3 describes human beings as having seed which extends their life to future generations. These images are rooted in the third creation day, where trees and plants possess fruit and seed.

It is not an accident, then, that just as human beings are literally born of a watery womb, so also are the trees and grains which signify humanity. The ground is saturated with water, and the seed which is implanted in the watery ground is energized by heat coming from the burning heavens. Likewise, a human being in the womb of his mother develops within a watery environment that is heated and energized. This is the narrative arc of creation week: God begins the creation by producing two environments: heaven, associated with fire, and earth, associated with water. The Spirit-Fire of God descends from Heaven, illumines the world, and begins shaping it out. Observe, moreover, that the first creature other than water and fire produced is the land produced by the gathering of the dispersed waters on the third day of creation. The waters themselves are drawn together and united, giving birth to an environment which the scriptures and other ancient cultures associate with an altar or sanctuary. The land which rises from the sea rises towards the heavens which send forth light and heat and is apparently ordered in relation to a sacred mountain (Genesis 2:10-14) in the midst of which man will be planted. The waters birth the land, and the land is saturated with heavenly fire. Indeed, as noted in preceding posts, the very word used for “gather” carries the connotation of one thing being stretched in relation to another- the word is related to a cord, line, or thread of yarn which links together two things.

The “first consummation” of the world takes place on the third day of creation. The world story is a process of the world’s creation, division, and unification in glory. God creates the world, divides the upper part of the world (where He dwells) from the lower part (where we dwell.) In the eschaton, God makes His habitation in the lower part of the world by bringing the upper part into the lower part. Thus, the city of God descends from heaven to earth (Revelation 21:1ff). Adam is created, divided in two, and then unified with his bride, acquiring a new name (instead of Adam, man of dust, he is Ish, Man of Fire- see preceding posts for a development of this imagery, but observe the centrality of fire in Genesis 15, which is the only other passage besides Genesis 2 where the word for “deep sleep” is used). On the first day, the world is created. On the second day, it is divided. On the third day, the land rises from the sea so as to unify the world, and trees and grains are born out of the union of the two. Heaven is masculine, earth is feminine, and the birth of trees and grains signify fertility- they are the offspring of the two. Moreover, trees are linked with fire in a number of ways. One obvious way is that they provide the necessary precondition for controlled fire. Only with wood can human beings learn to manipulate fire in a way that is creative rather than destructive. Another way- less obvious to a man of the ancient world but evident in the plan of God for creation- is that trees generate oxygen- it is in the coincidence of heat, fuel, and oxygen that fire emerges.

[InTheKnow]

Fire and Water
In preceding posts, we have discussed the significance and symbolism of the gathered seas of Genesis 1:9-10. Here, I wish to pan out and recall to your mind the significance of water’s narrative journey in the text thusfar. This will help us frame the symbolic freight that the interrelation of land, water, heaven, and earth carries throughout the rest of the Scriptures. In the process of this, I also wish to reflect on the concrete qualities that water carries in our minds. The creation of the world begins with the production of a twofold cosmos: heaven and earth. The scriptures consistently distinguish between two heavens- the “heaven of heavens” and the “heavens.” Deuteronomy 10:14 gives one example among many of this distinction: heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD.” The relationship between “heaven” and the “heaven of heavens” is analogous to the relationship to the “Holy Place” and the “Holy of Holies.” Indeed, the grammatical construction is the same- “Holy Place” is simply a substantive use of the word “Holy.” It is the “Holy” and the “Holy of Holies” just as scripture deals with “Heaven” and the “Heaven of Heavens.” This relationship is not accidental, as the scriptures link the structure of the cosmos to the structure of the temple and tabernacle. As has been discussed many times before, the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle are given in seven speeches, the last of which deals with Sabbatical regulations. Naturally, then, we are to take the tabernacle as a miniature representation of the cosmos, with each of the seven speeches interpreting the furniture of the tabernacle in light of the creatures made on the corresponding day of Genesis 1.

We therefore have the “Holy of Holies” containing the place of God’s indwelling. The “Holy” contains the Menorah with seven lamps. And the Courtyard is accessible by any Israelite (and even gentiles are permitted, according to the Book of Numbers, to bring an offering on the Courtyard Altar. The Holy and Holy of Holies can only be entered by special invitation of God, signified by the wearing of distinctive priestly garments. Deuteronomy 10:14 summarizes the threefold structure of the cosmos: “Heaven of Heavens”, “Heavens”, and “Earth.” The Tabernacle and Temple share that threefold structure: “Holy of Holies”, “Holy”, and “Courtyard.” Linking each level of the tabernacle with the corresponding level of the world, we see that the Heaven of Heavens is where God dwells. The divine, uncreated fire is behind the veil of the Holy of Holies, and the “Heaven of Heavens” is where the prophets of Israel encounter God enthroned with His council. The “Heavens” is where we find the celestial bodies. This is signified in the architecture of the tabernacle and temple by the Menorah with seven branches. Remember that the imagery of the world tree- the tree which unifies the various levels of creation- is pervasive in the ancient world and almost certainly belongs to the primordial tradition of the human family going back to Adam. Revelation 6 utilizes the imagery of the world tree by describing stars falling from heaven like fig leaves. That Adam and Eve eat the Tree of Knowledge and then wear fig leaves suggest that the Tree of Knowledge may have been a fig tree- we become what we eat- the Tree of Knowledge contained the knowledge of all the natures of things, fitting a person for sovereignty over the world, and is thus an appropriate specification of the world tree image. If stars are analogized to leaves, then the world tree stretches into the visible heavens.

This is what we find concerning the Menorah- it is a Tree with bowls fashioned like “almond blossoms.” [I am still exploring in my mind the symbolic relation between the almond tree and the fig tree. What matters here is that the Menorah is a tree at all.] If the Holy Place corresponds to the Heavens, and the leaves (and blossoms?) of the world tree spiritually correspond to the celestial Heavens, this makes intelligible one of the dimensions of the seven branches of the Menorah- it represents the sun, the moon, and the five “wandering stars” or visible planets moving against the relatively fixed background of the starry heavens. These seven celestial bodies designate the seven days of the week in a variety of traditional cultures. Thus, we see the symbolic architecture of the world suggested above makes sense of the architecture of the tabernacle. It is the middle place of the Tabernacle which contains the sun, moon, and stars. Biblical critics are therefore shown to be mistaken in thinking that the Hebrew Bible makes no distinction between the place of God’s dwelling and the starry heavens. Important for our purposes, they are demonstrated to be wrong in thinking that Genesis 1 only mentions a single heaven and has no concept of an invisible heaven transcending the visible world. On the contrary, it is precisely this heaven which is mentioned in the first verse of Genesis.

Now, recall your mind to the fall of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10. Leviticus 8-10 narrates the inauguration of the liturgy of the tabernacle. Nadab and Abihu help preside over its first offering, but bring unauthorized worship before God. We are told that "fire came out from the presence of the LORD” and killed them (Leviticus 10:2). The reference to the LORD’s presence suggests that the origin of the fire is the Holy of Holies- matching the Heaven of Heavens. This is highly significant in the framing of the narrative of Genesis 1, because the “Earth” of Genesis 1:1-2 is utterly unformed. God creates the high heaven and the earth, but the earth lacks form, population, and illumination. Genesis 1:2 begins to narrate the development of the world by describing the descent of the Holy Spirit over the surface of the waters. Hence, we see what almost every ancient culture recalled about the world’s creation- the initial state of the corporeal world was a mass of undeveloped water, which is the primordial element. It is not that the ancients noticed the significance of water in the structure of creation and generated invented stories in order to make sense of it. Instead, it is that scripture describes the reality of things: creation genuinely did begin with God’s calling into being a world in potency that took the form of the cosmic sea. He crystallized everything else out of that water, and as the whole is in every part, so this dynamic is to be found in countless small stories in creation. Every human being, for example, begins in water. Genesis 1 describes the growth of the human family in terms of arboreal and agricultural imagery- they are to be fruitful. Genesis 3 describes human beings as having seed which extends their life to future generations. These images are rooted in the third creation day, where trees and plants possess fruit and seed.

It is not an accident, then, that just as human beings are literally born of a watery womb, so also are the trees and grains which signify humanity. The ground is saturated with water, and the seed which is implanted in the watery ground is energized by heat coming from the burning heavens. Likewise, a human being in the womb of his mother develops within a watery environment that is heated and energized. This is the narrative arc of creation week: God begins the creation by producing two environments: heaven, associated with fire, and earth, associated with water. The Spirit-Fire of God descends from Heaven, illumines the world, and begins shaping it out. Observe, moreover, that the first creature other than water and fire produced is the land produced by the gathering of the dispersed waters on the third day of creation. The waters themselves are drawn together and united, giving birth to an environment which the scriptures and other ancient cultures associate with an altar or sanctuary. The land which rises from the sea rises towards the heavens which send forth light and heat and is apparently ordered in relation to a sacred mountain (Genesis 2:10-14) in the midst of which man will be planted. The waters birth the land, and the land is saturated with heavenly fire. Indeed, as noted in preceding posts, the very word used for “gather” carries the connotation of one thing being stretched in relation to another- the word is related to a cord, line, or thread of yarn which links together two things.

The “first consummation” of the world takes place on the third day of creation. The world story is a process of the world’s creation, division, and unification in glory. God creates the world, divides the upper part of the world (where He dwells) from the lower part (where we dwell.) In the eschaton, God makes His habitation in the lower part of the world by bringing the upper part into the lower part. Thus, the city of God descends from heaven to earth (Revelation 21:1ff). Adam is created, divided in two, and then unified with his bride, acquiring a new name (instead of Adam, man of dust, he is Ish, Man of Fire- see preceding posts for a development of this imagery, but observe the centrality of fire in Genesis 15, which is the only other passage besides Genesis 2 where the word for “deep sleep” is used). On the first day, the world is created. On the second day, it is divided. On the third day, the land rises from the sea so as to unify the world, and trees and grains are born out of the union of the two. Heaven is masculine, earth is feminine, and the birth of trees and grains signify fertility- they are the offspring of the two. Moreover, trees are linked with fire in a number of ways. One obvious way is that they provide the necessary precondition for controlled fire. Only with wood can human beings learn to manipulate fire in a way that is creative rather than destructive. Another way- less obvious to a man of the ancient world but evident in the plan of God for creation- is that trees generate oxygen- it is in the coincidence of heat, fuel, and oxygen that fire emerges.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

From "gluing" these two passages together it becomes one precept instead of two seperate precepts. The precept it becomes when glued together is that there is one set of keys and that the leader of the church has them. But is it correct to glue them together? Keys are used to bind and loose locks. The kingdom of heaven is either bound or loosed to each of us. It has nothing to do with the leadership of the church. We each can have our own personal set of keys or not have them.

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

This applies to everyone, not just to the leader of the church. Each of us cannot have Matthew 18:18 apply to us if we do not have the keys. Only if each of us has their own set of keys does it matter what we do on earth. A person without the keys cannot affect in anyway his standing in heaven. That is because without a set of keys we have no standing, no part, in heaven.

2John 1:1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
2John 1:2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

This is one of the keys. The truth must dwell within us.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Christ within us is one of the keys that we must have to open the doors of heaven so that we may come unto the Father.

2John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

2John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

2John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

2John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

The lady and her children that are the focus of these passages walked in truth. In other words they have the key of Christ. What they have "wrought" has been good. Having the key of Christ and abiding in the doctrine of Christ is what earns one the second key which is the Father. The first key, the key of the Son, we are born with. That key is passed down to us from Adam.

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.


The breath of life that God breathed into Adam was the Christ Spirit. It was in the beginning this happened.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

It was the Word that was breathed into Adam. Adam became a living soul because life was breathed into him and the life and light of man is the Christ Spirit. We are born with the Christ Spirit in us or we cannot live.

Psalm 22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

We are born with the key of the Son. We must earn, by having faith and living the doctrine of Christ, the key of the Father. The key of the Son comes with the baptism by water which is this life. The key of the Father comes with the baptism by fire. We cannot enter into the kingdom of God without the baptism by fire. The baptism by water, the key of the Son, and the baptism by fire, the key of the Father, are the two keys that unlock the doors of heaven to us.

I've been looking up post by MS. MS says being born of the water into this world is the baptism by water.
"We are born with the key of the Son. We must earn, by having faith and living the doctrine of Christ, the key of the Father. The key of the Son comes with the baptism by water which is this life. The key of the Father comes with the baptism by fire. We cannot enter into the kingdom of God without the baptism by fire. The baptism by water, the key of the Son, and the baptism by fire, the key of the Father, are the two keys that unlock the doors of heaven to us."

[abijah]

Fire and Water
In preceding posts, we have discussed the significance and symbolism of the gathered seas of Genesis 1:9-10. Here, I wish to pan out and recall to your mind the significance of water’s narrative journey in the text thusfar. This will help us frame the symbolic freight that the interrelation of land, water, heaven, and earth carries throughout the rest of the Scriptures. In the process of this, I also wish to reflect on the concrete qualities that water carries in our minds. The creation of the world begins with the production of a twofold cosmos: heaven and earth. The scriptures consistently distinguish between two heavens- the “heaven of heavens” and the “heavens.” Deuteronomy 10:14 gives one example among many of this distinction: heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD.” The relationship between “heaven” and the “heaven of heavens” is analogous to the relationship to the “Holy Place” and the “Holy of Holies.” Indeed, the grammatical construction is the same- “Holy Place” is simply a substantive use of the word “Holy.” It is the “Holy” and the “Holy of Holies” just as scripture deals with “Heaven” and the “Heaven of Heavens.” This relationship is not accidental, as the scriptures link the structure of the cosmos to the structure of the temple and tabernacle. As has been discussed many times before, the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle are given in seven speeches, the last of which deals with Sabbatical regulations. Naturally, then, we are to take the tabernacle as a miniature representation of the cosmos, with each of the seven speeches interpreting the furniture of the tabernacle in light of the creatures made on the corresponding day of Genesis 1.

We therefore have the “Holy of Holies” containing the place of God’s indwelling. The “Holy” contains the Menorah with seven lamps. And the Courtyard is accessible by any Israelite (and even gentiles are permitted, according to the Book of Numbers, to bring an offering on the Courtyard Altar. The Holy and Holy of Holies can only be entered by special invitation of God, signified by the wearing of distinctive priestly garments. Deuteronomy 10:14 summarizes the threefold structure of the cosmos: “Heaven of Heavens”, “Heavens”, and “Earth.” The Tabernacle and Temple share that threefold structure: “Holy of Holies”, “Holy”, and “Courtyard.” Linking each level of the tabernacle with the corresponding level of the world, we see that the Heaven of Heavens is where God dwells. The divine, uncreated fire is behind the veil of the Holy of Holies, and the “Heaven of Heavens” is where the prophets of Israel encounter God enthroned with His council. The “Heavens” is where we find the celestial bodies. This is signified in the architecture of the tabernacle and temple by the Menorah with seven branches. Remember that the imagery of the world tree- the tree which unifies the various levels of creation- is pervasive in the ancient world and almost certainly belongs to the primordial tradition of the human family going back to Adam. Revelation 6 utilizes the imagery of the world tree by describing stars falling from heaven like fig leaves. That Adam and Eve eat the Tree of Knowledge and then wear fig leaves suggest that the Tree of Knowledge may have been a fig tree- we become what we eat- the Tree of Knowledge contained the knowledge of all the natures of things, fitting a person for sovereignty over the world, and is thus an appropriate specification of the world tree image. If stars are analogized to leaves, then the world tree stretches into the visible heavens.

This is what we find concerning the Menorah- it is a Tree with bowls fashioned like “almond blossoms.” [I am still exploring in my mind the symbolic relation between the almond tree and the fig tree. What matters here is that the Menorah is a tree at all.] If the Holy Place corresponds to the Heavens, and the leaves (and blossoms?) of the world tree spiritually correspond to the celestial Heavens, this makes intelligible one of the dimensions of the seven branches of the Menorah- it represents the sun, the moon, and the five “wandering stars” or visible planets moving against the relatively fixed background of the starry heavens. These seven celestial bodies designate the seven days of the week in a variety of traditional cultures. Thus, we see the symbolic architecture of the world suggested above makes sense of the architecture of the tabernacle. It is the middle place of the Tabernacle which contains the sun, moon, and stars. Biblical critics are therefore shown to be mistaken in thinking that the Hebrew Bible makes no distinction between the place of God’s dwelling and the starry heavens. Important for our purposes, they are demonstrated to be wrong in thinking that Genesis 1 only mentions a single heaven and has no concept of an invisible heaven transcending the visible world. On the contrary, it is precisely this heaven which is mentioned in the first verse of Genesis.

Now, recall your mind to the fall of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10. Leviticus 8-10 narrates the inauguration of the liturgy of the tabernacle. Nadab and Abihu help preside over its first offering, but bring unauthorized worship before God. We are told that "fire came out from the presence of the LORD” and killed them (Leviticus 10:2). The reference to the LORD’s presence suggests that the origin of the fire is the Holy of Holies- matching the Heaven of Heavens. This is highly significant in the framing of the narrative of Genesis 1, because the “Earth” of Genesis 1:1-2 is utterly unformed. God creates the high heaven and the earth, but the earth lacks form, population, and illumination. Genesis 1:2 begins to narrate the development of the world by describing the descent of the Holy Spirit over the surface of the waters. Hence, we see what almost every ancient culture recalled about the world’s creation- the initial state of the corporeal world was a mass of undeveloped water, which is the primordial element. It is not that the ancients noticed the significance of water in the structure of creation and generated invented stories in order to make sense of it. Instead, it is that scripture describes the reality of things: creation genuinely did begin with God’s calling into being a world in potency that took the form of the cosmic sea. He crystallized everything else out of that water, and as the whole is in every part, so this dynamic is to be found in countless small stories in creation. Every human being, for example, begins in water. Genesis 1 describes the growth of the human family in terms of arboreal and agricultural imagery- they are to be fruitful. Genesis 3 describes human beings as having seed which extends their life to future generations. These images are rooted in the third creation day, where trees and plants possess fruit and seed.

It is not an accident, then, that just as human beings are literally born of a watery womb, so also are the trees and grains which signify humanity. The ground is saturated with water, and the seed which is implanted in the watery ground is energized by heat coming from the burning heavens. Likewise, a human being in the womb of his mother develops within a watery environment that is heated and energized. This is the narrative arc of creation week: God begins the creation by producing two environments: heaven, associated with fire, and earth, associated with water. The Spirit-Fire of God descends from Heaven, illumines the world, and begins shaping it out. Observe, moreover, that the first creature other than water and fire produced is the land produced by the gathering of the dispersed waters on the third day of creation. The waters themselves are drawn together and united, giving birth to an environment which the scriptures and other ancient cultures associate with an altar or sanctuary. The land which rises from the sea rises towards the heavens which send forth light and heat and is apparently ordered in relation to a sacred mountain (Genesis 2:10-14) in the midst of which man will be planted. The waters birth the land, and the land is saturated with heavenly fire. Indeed, as noted in preceding posts, the very word used for “gather” carries the connotation of one thing being stretched in relation to another- the word is related to a cord, line, or thread of yarn which links together two things.

The “first consummation” of the world takes place on the third day of creation. The world story is a process of the world’s creation, division, and unification in glory. God creates the world, divides the upper part of the world (where He dwells) from the lower part (where we dwell.) In the eschaton, God makes His habitation in the lower part of the world by bringing the upper part into the lower part. Thus, the city of God descends from heaven to earth (Revelation 21:1ff). Adam is created, divided in two, and then unified with his bride, acquiring a new name (instead of Adam, man of dust, he is Ish, Man of Fire- see preceding posts for a development of this imagery, but observe the centrality of fire in Genesis 15, which is the only other passage besides Genesis 2 where the word for “deep sleep” is used). On the first day, the world is created. On the second day, it is divided. On the third day, the land rises from the sea so as to unify the world, and trees and grains are born out of the union of the two. Heaven is masculine, earth is feminine, and the birth of trees and grains signify fertility- they are the offspring of the two. Moreover, trees are linked with fire in a number of ways. One obvious way is that they provide the necessary precondition for controlled fire. Only with wood can human beings learn to manipulate fire in a way that is creative rather than destructive. Another way- less obvious to a man of the ancient world but evident in the plan of God for creation- is that trees generate oxygen- it is in the coincidence of heat, fuel, and oxygen that fire emerges.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

From "gluing" these two passages together it becomes one precept instead of two seperate precepts. The precept it becomes when glued together is that there is one set of keys and that the leader of the church has them. But is it correct to glue them together? Keys are used to bind and loose locks. The kingdom of heaven is either bound or loosed to each of us. It has nothing to do with the leadership of the church. We each can have our own personal set of keys or not have them.

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

This applies to everyone, not just to the leader of the church. Each of us cannot have Matthew 18:18 apply to us if we do not have the keys. Only if each of us has their own set of keys does it matter what we do on earth. A person without the keys cannot affect in anyway his standing in heaven. That is because without a set of keys we have no standing, no part, in heaven.

2John 1:1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
2John 1:2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

This is one of the keys. The truth must dwell within us.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Christ within us is one of the keys that we must have to open the doors of heaven so that we may come unto the Father.

2John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

2John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

2John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

2John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

The lady and her children that are the focus of these passages walked in truth. In other words they have the key of Christ. What they have "wrought" has been good. Having the key of Christ and abiding in the doctrine of Christ is what earns one the second key which is the Father. The first key, the key of the Son, we are born with. That key is passed down to us from Adam.

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.


The breath of life that God breathed into Adam was the Christ Spirit. It was in the beginning this happened.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

It was the Word that was breathed into Adam. Adam became a living soul because life was breathed into him and the life and light of man is the Christ Spirit. We are born with the Christ Spirit in us or we cannot live.

Psalm 22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

We are born with the key of the Son. We must earn, by having faith and living the doctrine of Christ, the key of the Father. The key of the Son comes with the baptism by water which is this life. The key of the Father comes with the baptism by fire. We cannot enter into the kingdom of God without the baptism by fire. The baptism by water, the key of the Son, and the baptism by fire, the key of the Father, are the two keys that unlock the doors of heaven to us.

I've been looking up post by MS. MS says being born of the water into this world is the baptism by water.
"We are born with the key of the Son. We must earn, by having faith and living the doctrine of Christ, the key of the Father. The key of the Son comes with the baptism by water which is this life. The key of the Father comes with the baptism by fire. We cannot enter into the kingdom of God without the baptism by fire. The baptism by water, the key of the Son, and the baptism by fire, the key of the Father, are the two keys that unlock the doors of heaven to us."

I don't think being born from the watery womb is exactly equivalent to the Baptism by water, but there is definitely a strong symbolic correlation there, as seen in John 3. Something definitely worth meditating on.

John 3
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

There's also perhaps a correlation in Psalm 110, when God's righteous remnant are born from "the womb of the morning", which has something to do with "the dew of [Messiah's] youth", which is for sure drawing in part from the symbolism of Judges 6, when Gideon asks for the sign of a wet fleece, which he then wrings out into a bowl, speaking to the larger typology and symbolism of Resurrection.

Psalm 110
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

[InTheKnow]

I don't think being born from the watery womb is exactly equivalent to the Baptism by water, but there is definitely a strong symbolic correlation there, as seen in John 3. Something definitely worth meditating on.

John 3
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

There's also perhaps a correlation in Psalm 110, when God's righteous remnant are born from "the womb of the morning", which has something to do with "the dew of [Messiah's] youth", which is for sure drawing in part from the symbolism of Judges 6, when Gideon asks for the sign of a wet fleece, which he then wrings out into a bowl, speaking to the larger typology and symbolism of Resurrection.

Psalm 110
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

Just to clarify and not to contend. Starting from John 3:3

3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Is it not implied that one must be born in the first place to be able to be born again?

3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

It appears Nicodemus understood it that way in that he indicates the first birth.

3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Jesus confirms that one must be born from a "watery womb" first before one can be born of the Spirt.

No mention of the word baptism. If baptism by water is not the same as a watery birth and baptism by water is a requirement to enter into the kingdom of heaven that is quite an omission on Jesus part?

In the following versus sequence is laid out with out a single mention of the word baptism. First a natural physical body (birth) and then a body of spirit (born again).

15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The bible says many times that we must be baptized, but only once, to enter into the kingdom of heaven. However, if the Christian understanding is correct and it is the baptism by water then they are wrong because without the baptism by fire no one will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

So the baptism by water that we do is only symbolic and since we can't put people in a tub of fire to baptize them we just combine the two in our symbolic ritual of baptism by water. Therefore if the baptism by fire is being born again into a body of spirt the baptism by water must be the birth from a watery womb.

[abijah]

[abijah]

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[abijah]

"They are the small gods - the spirits of places where two ant trails cross, the gods of microclimates down between the grass roots."

[abijah]

Mark 16
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

• Genesis 29
  1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.
  
  2 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth.
  
  3 And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place.
  
  4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.
  
  5 And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.
  
  6 And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.
  
  7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.
  
  8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.
  
  9 And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for she kept them.
  
  10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
  
  11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

[abijah]

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