CHRISTIANS APOLOGETICS: Defending The Christian Faith By JOSHUA NAABU

INTRODUCTION TO HEBRIASMS

Mr. Goldblatt," announced little Joey, "there's somethin' I can't figger out." "What's that Joey?" asked Goldblatt. "Well accordin' to the Bible, the Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, right?" "Right."  "An' the Children of Israel beat up the Phillistines, right?"  "Er--right."  "An' the Children of Israel built the Temple, right?"  "Again you're right."  "An' the Children of Israel fought the 'gyptians, an' the Children of Israel fought the Romans, an' the Children of Israel wuz always doin' somethin' important, right?"  "All that is right, too," agreed Goldblatt. "So what's your question?" "What I wanna know is this," demanded Joey. "What wuz all the grown-ups doin?"

“Hebraism” is “a characteristic feature of Hebrew culture, idom or language occurring in another language”. Hebraism is a feature of Hebrew discovered in the Bible. Hebraisms can be found in all books of the New Testament — after all, most, if not all, of these books were authored by Jews inspired by the Holy Spirit, living in the land of Israel in the first century. Isolated idioms do not prove Hebrew origins, just as a French word or idiom in American English does not prove Americans speak French. No single Hebraism can support the supposition that a New Testament book was originally written in Hebrew; however, masses of Hebraisms in a New Testament book tend to indicate a Hebrew ancestor.

Let’s look at examples of Hebraisms in the New Testament.
1. In Luke 14:26 Jesus says: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother…he cannot be my disciple” (NIV).
From the NIV translation, it appears that Jesus desired his disciples to despise their parents; however, that seems difficult to suppose, since honoring father and mother is one of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:12). In the Luke 14:26 context, the word “hate” does not carry the meaning it normally has in English usage, but seems to be used in a Hebraic sense. If we found these words in a first-century Hebrew inscription or manuscript, we would translate them to English as follows: “If a person comes to me and doesn’t love his father and mother less (than me)…he cannot be my disciple.”
In Hebrew, “hate” can also mean “love less” or “put in second place,” and “love” can mean “love more” or “prefer.” For example, Genesis 29:31 states that Leah was “hated” (by Jacob), but the context indicates that Leah was not unloved, but rather loved less than Jacob’s other wife Rachel. Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife. Notice that the preceding verse specifically says that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
A second illustration of this particular Hebraic shade of meaning of the word “hate” is found in Deuteronomy 21:15: “If a man has two wives, one loved and the other hated….” Here, too, the context shows that the “hated” wife is only second in affection and not really hated in the English sense of the word.
In summary, the meaning of Jesus’ saying might be: “If a person comes to me and does not love me more than his father and mother…he cannot be my disciple.” Perhaps Jesus was saying that his disciples should make him their first priority?
What’s the bottom line? The meaning of Jesus’ important saying could be almost the exact opposite of the Greek, and its usual English translation! Instead of “hate,” the meaning of the verb might be “put in second place.” This would make more sense and solve a difficult textual problem.

2. In John 17:12 where Judas is described as the “son of perdition.” John 6:71 tells us that Judas was the son of Simon. What does John 17:12 mean by describing Judas as the “son of perdition”? The word perdition means “destruction, ruin, waste.” Judas was not the literal son of “ruin, destruction, and waste,” but those things were the identity of Judas' life. Judas was a manifestation of perdition. In this same way, Jesus is the Son of God-- The one and only Son of God, in a unique sense. The Son of God is God. He is God made manifest in human form. He is the manifestation of God, the image of the invisible God (John 1:1-3, 14, Heb 1:5; Ps 2:7)

3. Matthew 19:24 "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
“A camel to go through the eye of a needle” is a mode of expression common among the people of the East including the Jews that signified a thing impossible. This is why in the verses following Jesus said "With men this is impossible, (meaning what He said) but with God all things are possible.” There is a similar expression to this in the Quran.  "The impious, who in his arrogance shall accuse our doctrine of falsity, shall find the gates of heaven shut: nor shall he enter there till a camel shall pass through the eye of a needle.  It is thus that we shall recompense the wicked."  Surah 7:40

4. In Luke 1:35, the Bible says “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.”
The Greek word used here is “episkiazo” means to overshadow as used here. When the Bible says the Most High overshadowed Mary, it does not mean God had a sexual intercourse with Mary to produce a son as some people think. How people managed to read a sexual content or intercourse in this verse remains a mystery to me! How great is this mystery. This prejudice and misinterpretation of scripture was first instigated by late Ahmed Deedat in his book Christ in Islam, page 24. Where he said "The language used here is distasteful - gutter language - you agree!?" This isn't the only place where the bible uses such word to describe any occasion where a very real anointing of the power and holiness of God might come upon a person. 
For Example:
      While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5)
      And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (Mark 9:7)
      While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. (Luke 9:34)
      Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. Acts 5:15
All these verse have the same Greek word used but they do not denote a sexual connotation, do they? You decide!

“We are to rightly divide the Word of God. I do not claim to do that but let me present my case and you, present yours and falsehood will expose itself when the Truth comes to light.”

I pray that the Lord open your eyes to see and soften your hearts to understand so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ will shine on you in Jesus name. Amen.

Shalom.

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