The Torah Network

4 w

Comment

I have an account, but only use it to read a post when I am forced to log in.

· Reply · 1741003027

Same here.

· Reply · 1741003640

Defining 'evil'

5 w

Isaiah 45:7 got stuck with me this past Shabbat. Some translations have it as "causing peace and creating #disaster ", but the original is "I make peace, and create #evil ".

Evil ?

How did I miss this before???

I looked at the first occurrence of the word; which is in the name "the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" and yes, the word "evil" in Isaiah 45:7 is understood to mean evil.

So Satan isn't the origin/creator of evil; iniquity was simply found in him so we can call Satan the first evildoer.

I have so many question on this:

- Why would Father create such a stumbling block?
- Is evil merely a test of self-will so that we can show our true colours?
- Is our understanding of the word "evil" correct?
- Did Isaiah write down exactly what he heard?
- Did the original text go astray over the centuries?

What are your thoughts on this?

#originsofevil

Comment

that's a really good test of bible versions.
to my surprise the king james is one of the few that translated right.
to its credit, considering the smaller store of ancient texts it had to work with (and that in those available texts corruptions were already imbedded), the king james is excellent work.

makes me think, our Father is not evil, yet He created it. therefore, evil has purpose.

· Reply · 1741006388

6 Replies

maybe the other way round, ala cain.
sin crouches at the door of our hearts, waiting in desire to jump in. and then it becomes 'something', but we are told to master it.
but sin was not the cause of cain's anger, his refusal to do right was, and abel became the object of his anger.

and now while typing i search a bit and find a strange thing.
references to adam all seem to say that he sinned, but not tha he was evil.
references to cain, however, have the connotation that he was evil.
so talking about the beginning of sin, adam is mentioned, but about the beginning of evil, cain is.
i haven't checked this exhaustively, but it looks to indicate that adam erred, sinned, but not that he then 'refused to do right'. cain did 'refuse to do right', and not only sinned, but evilled, if i can make a word.
looks like we missed loads of stuff before, hehe.

· Reply · 1741104470

1 Reply

The word discussed is Strong’s 7451. ra'
רע
And is first mentioned in scripture in Genesis 2:9
‘And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and EVIL.’
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I thought that was a nice detail that speaks for itself

· Reply · 1741111008

1 Reply

5 w

Thought for Today: Monday March 03

YHVH grant us the Light through Yeshua Moshiach – which is faith – the warmth of His love -- and all of Moshiach which is Salvation. Why refuse such a gift? It is for free yet many does not want it before it is too late. I pray that your choices will be wise today.

Comment

5 w ·Youtube

Very strange court case. A little over 13 minutes long.

Comment

5 w

https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/history-is-re

History is Repeating: The Comeback of Totalitarianism. - First Century Christianity

firstcenturychristianity.net

History is Repeating: The Comeback of Totalitarianism. - First Century Christianity

History is Repeating: The Comeback of Totalitarianism. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.

Comment

Rosh Chodesh

5 w

New moon was sighted Friday Feb 28, 2024 making March 1, 2025 Rosh Chodesh for the 12th Biblical month.

Comment

5 w

In scripture, stones often represent people. Something borne on the shoulders is responsibility and authority. Remember the two onyx stones on the High Priest's shoulders, inscribed with the names of the tribes.

The stones that the men in Joshua 4 carried on their shoulders also represented the burden of their leadership over their respective tribes.

Comment

5 w

Joshua 4:2-4 contains a parallelism on the selection of 12 stones within a chiasm on the selection of 12 men. Stones often represent people in Scripture.

A. Take 12 men, one from each tribe
B... Take 12 stones from the midst of the Jordan
C...... The place where the priests' feet stood firmly
B... Bring them over and lay them down
C...... In the place where you lodge tonight
A. Joshua called the 12 men, one from each tribe

#biblepatterns

Comment

5 w

This week's #torah reading is #tetzaveh ( #exodus 27:20-30:10). The word means "You shall command." Here are some Apostolic passages I recommend studying alongside this parsha, plus links to commentary: https://www.americantorah.com/....2021/02/08/parsha-te