Hebrew Voices #97 – What is the Torah
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, What is the Torah, Nehemia Gordon explains the meaning of the Hebrew word “torah” and the Greek word “nomos”, and how these words are often mistranslated.
In this episode of Hebrew Voices, What is the Torah, Nehemia Gordon explains the meaning of the Hebrew word “torah” and the Greek word “nomos”, and how these words are often mistranslated.
I look forward to reading your comments!
Podcast Version Transcript
Hebrew Voices #97 - What is the Torah
You are listening to Hebrew Voices with Nehemia Gordon. Thank you for supporting Nehemia Gordon's Makor Hebrew Foundation. Learn more at NehemiasWall.com.
Nehemia: And so, He’s going to Torah us His ways. This is a prophesy. The Torah’s not done away with. If you believe Isaiah, and I love this prophesy, because it ends with them beating their swords into plowshares, and there’s peace to the world. To get to that, we need to go through the Torah and be taught this Torah and the ways of God.
Benjamin Netanyahu: Le ma’an Zion lo ekhesheh, u’l’ma’an Yerushalayim lo eshkot.
Michael: We have a lot of great questions coming in from cyberspace, and one of these questions I thought best to be answered by a Torah scholar himself, and that is Nehemia Gordon, here with us from Israel. Nehemia, good to have you back.
Nehemia: It’s great to be here, Michael. Shalom.
Michael: Shalom. I had the question, “What is the Torah? What is the Torah, exactly?” We’re going to hear it from someone who was raised in the Torah his whole life.
Nehemia: Let’s start with really basic. Torah is the Hebrew word that means “instruction”. Every word in the Bible in the Hebrew language – or I should be more precise – every adjective, noun and verb, has a three-letter root. The three-letter root of Torah is Yud-Reish-Hey, to instruct, yarah. And Torah simply means “instruction”. It’s often translated as “law”. In Greek it was translated as “nomos.” Nomos is the Greek word for “law”, and then we have in English “antinomian” which is really anti-Torah, anti-law.
But “law” doesn’t get the full sense of the word “Torah”. Torah really is instruction. For example, the word for teacher in Hebrew is “moreh”. Moreh is from the same root as Torah. Moreh is the one who teaches the Torah. One of the places where we can see a more literal meaning of this, you’ll see commandments in the Torah where it’ll say, “This is the Torah of the sin offering. This is the Torah of burnt offering.” The word there is “Torah”. It’s the instruction for that particular…
Michael: It’s the Torah of or for. The instructions for, concerning, pertaining to the sin offering.
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Comments
It doesn’t really do this as best I can tell (neither does Logos). That is, neither translates word for word, such as based on Strong’s.
The point Nehemia makes here (Greek vs Hebrew equivalents) is so important. Amazingly, I have not been able to find a translation dictionary based on the Septuagint. Understanding what Greek words were used for each Hebrew word is critical in properly understanding the Greek texts of the Apostolic Writings (known in error as the “new testament”). If anyone knows of one, please provide the full name and author/editor.
Accordance Bible software can do this. Their regular interlinear feature is customizable, and they have an MT-LXX module specifically for the purpose.
Thank you Nehemia! Don’t know how many times I’ve heard this. I love it. Basic and to the point. Good idea to bring it back.
Michael’s comment on “Think not” was hilarious!
What you said about scholars looking to ancient Hellenic sources for the meaning of NT words such as *nomos* was so true. It would be no different than consulting Ovid’s Metamorphoses for the meaning of *Deus* in the Vulgate Bible.
Keep up the great work, achi!
Shavua tov!
We were just discussing how we need to compare the Greek Septuagint to the Hebrew in order to find the full meaning of New Testament words and phrases yesterday at our Shabbat gathering. I haven’t been able to find a good Septuagint interlinear. Is there a resource you recommend?
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