Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

This study is an excerpt from a much longer study on the Book of Nehemiah, but can stand alone as an illustration of God’s perfection in the recording of His Word to convey spiritual truth to the believers. May it be a blessing to all who read it.

Nehemiah “VIEWED” the walls; Jesus “PURCHASED” the walls

In Nehemiah 2:13 and Nehemiah 2:15 we read the following in the King James English Translation, “And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.” and “Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.“

The word “viewed” was placed there by the King James translators, because it made more sense from and earthly perspective given the historical temporal context, but that word was, nonetheless, NOT in the original Hebrew texts. The translators therefore must have “assumed” that there was an otherwise inexplicable “error” in the transcription in the original Hebrews manuscripts. This misinterpretation was despite the fact that the original Hebrew word transcribed the same precise way, TWO TIMES, in the original manuscripts!

Here is how you can find this difference described (as being due to an error) on the Internet (Blue Letter Bible) as follows: “שָׂבַר sâbar, saw-bar’; erroneously שָׁבַר shâbar; (Nehemiah 2:13,15)“.

How was that possible? Well, we first have to acknowledge that it could only have happened that way because God ordained it to serve God’s own purposes. How and why could that be? Let us take a close look at the original Hebrew word that this author is claiming was “misinterpreted” by the King James Translators and was in fact NOT erroneously transcribed.

So to repeat, the Hebrew word for “viewed” שָׂבַר (sâbar), saw-bar’ ^H7663 was put there by the translators because they evidently assumed that the word in the original text was written “erroneously” as שָׁבַר (šāḇar), shâbar ^H7666  in both Nehemiah 2:13 and Nehemiah 2:15).  While שָׂבַר sâbar is a primitive root; meaning “to scrutinize”; or “to inspect”, by implication (of watching) to expect (with hope and patience):—hope, tarry, “view”, wait; alternatively שָׁבַר shâbar is interpreted as “buy” or “purchase” as in buying wheat or corn.  The only difference between the two words in the original Hebrew is the placement of a single “jot” (dot) in the word. The fact is that the jot (dot) was on the top of the right arm rather than the top of the left arm of the Hebrew letter in the original manuscripts was NOT an error or accident!  And we know this has to be the case, because God made sure that it was repeated twice for confirmation! 

So then, while it would seem perfectly correct and logical from a temporal, earthly, historical perspective for the King James translators to expect that Nehemiah would have “viewed/examined” the wall(s); nonetheless, from a the spiritual perspective, we know that Jesus (who is clearly being presaged by Nehemiah in this particular Biblical account), would not only have viewed the living wall(s) from an eternal perspective… but far more importantly, because of His Atoning sacrifice (that started on Passover night the Garden of Gethsemane after crossing the same Brook Kidron/Cedron in the night), Jesus “purchased” the living wall(s)!

The result is that God had effectively concealed the spiritual meaning within the text, such that it could easily be misinterpreted by translators who were evidently not sufficiently trusting the original texts to be without error. Moreover, because of the misinterpretation that resulted (despite appearing to be reasonable from a human perspective), the correct spiritual understanding could only discovered through Holy Spirit led searching out the meaning of the the Hebrew word as it was originally transcribed and not the English translation misinterpretation of it as being a different word (that only differed from the original by the placement of a single “jot”). The only reasonable explanation for why such things are only now just being revealed to us by God is that it is His Will…because we are all now living in the last of the latter days leading up to the end of the world and Judgment Day.

We can know the spiritual interpretation of the original Hebrew word שָׁבַר (shâbar) is correct because it is consistent with all other Biblical scripture and the Gospel. We should remember that all believers are “purchased” by the shed blood of Jesus as we read in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Also in 1 Corinthians 7:23, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.”  

And, moreover, all the believers, the elect and chosen people of God, are the “lively stones” that are built into the wall of the  spiritual temple of God of the spiritual New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) of which Jesus Christ is the “Chief Cornerstone.”  See 1 Peter 2:5-8, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in scripture, (Found in Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22) behold I lay in Si-on a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  Unto you therefore which believe he (The Lord Jesus Christ) is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” (See also Isaiah 8:14-16, Matthew 21:42, Mar 12:10&11, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and Romans 9:33)

See also Ephesians 2:19-22, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”  

The believers are also not only the “lively stones” in the wall, but are also “co-builders” of that wall with Jesus Christ, as we are informed in 1 Corinthians 3:9-11. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Note how this is also consistent with the last words of Nehemiah 2:16…as “the rest that did the work” is historically referring to those co-laborers with Nehemiah in building the earthly wall(s) of the physical Jerusalem, who spiritually represent the believers with Jesus Christ in building the eternal church encompassing the New Jerusalem.

The New Jerusalem

To see that the new Jerusalem is a spiritual representation of the kingdom of God that is made up of the body of believers, we just have to turn to Revelation 3:12, where we read, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall no more go out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.” 

This truth is also evident in Galatians 4:25&26, which contrasts the earthly Jerusalem and her children (the Jews of national Israel), described as being in bondage (to the works of the law), with the heavenly spiritual “Jerusalem which is above is free (through the grace of God), which is the mother of us all (all true believing Christians).”

This entry was posted on December 7, 2023 at 4:43 am and is filed under Bible Studies. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.