Exploring The Mind of God (Hebrew Word Study)نموونە

 An Intimate Knowing

[Author’s Note: Throughout these devotionals, I have used English spellings of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words.]

The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15 KJV)

Our English word knowledge is defined as “acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation.” Therefore, when we read the above verse, probably the first thing that comes to mind is that the prudent person studies hard and acquires facts, truths, and principles. However, in the Hebrew, the word knowledge takes on characteristics not often assumed by one who speaks English.

Practical Knowledge and Relational Knowledge

The root word of the Hebrew term translated “knowledge” is yada’. Indeed, it means “acquiring knowledge,” but the word was birthed in a simple, uneducated, and illiterate culture. Today, with the prevalence of colleges and universities and the wide range of training and learning available to us, we automatically think of “knowledge” as book knowledge or information learned from teachers. Yet, in ancient times, only the elite went to schools, such as they were. The vast majority of people had little time for education; they spent most of their existence struggling to survive year to year. 

In ancient Semitic culture, relationships were most important. Whole families and clans often lived under the same roof and shared life communally. They had to know how to get along with each other, so understanding relationships was essential. What is important in a culture is expressed in the language, and the language of Semitic culture is filled with relationship words.

Therefore, in those days, a person needed knowledge about the people in their family and circle of friends. Their continued existence depended heavily upon their ability to trust and work effectively with other people. There were no lone wolves. They survived by the relationships they developed.

An Intimate Knowledge of God

This brings us back to the word “knowledge” in Proverbs 18:15. In our culture, we acquire knowledge so we can either get a good job or advance in a position in order to make more money and buy more things. But when you read the word knowledge in the Bible, think like an ancient Semite—think in terms of relationships.

Consider this: when you acquire knowledge about a subject, you become intimate with that knowledge. Likewise, the more knowledge you have about a person, the more intimate you are with that person. The word for “knowledge” here is also a word used for sexual intercourse between a husband and wife. To the ancient Hebrews, a sexual relationship in marriage was the ultimate in knowing another person; it was the ultimate knowledge in being intimate with someone. Both parties expose themselves physically and emotionally when they share such intimacy. In fact, they know each other better than anyone else in the world, and they would be pretty upset to learn that someone else knew their spouse better than they did.

Because our twenty-first-century understanding of the English word knowledge detracts from the biblical, Hebraic understanding, I hesitate to use the word in most passages that include the Hebrew term yada’. I am not saying the word “knowledge” is a mistranslation; I am only saying it is obsolete, made so by our cultural perspective. We need to use a different word, and in my view, that word should be intimacy. In Hosea 6:6, where God says that He desires “the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (KJV), the idea is better expressed as God saying that He desires intimacy with us more than offerings.

Do you see that, when studying the Bible, it can be helpful to take a closer look at the English words that are used? Even though they may be correct, and our lexicons and Strong’s Concordance may be correct, we must ask ourselves, “What is my understanding of this English word, and does it really line up with the intent behind the Hebrew word?”

Let’s read our entire study verse again: “The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.” If we paraphrase this Scripture in twenty-first-century English, it could read like this: “The heart of the prudent becomes intimate with God, and the ear of the wise seeks words of intimacy.” Does that improve your comprehension of this verse?

Again, it is not that using the word “knowledge” is wrong, but the word intimacy adds the frosting and special topping to our understanding of what that knowledge consists of.