MIQRA - GATHERING OR PROCLAMATION?

If they have “apple” wrong, what else might be misinterpreted?

A sister’s question:

Please brother how do I write and say YHVH is calling in the Hebrew?

Dear sister,

  I'm so glad you asked about this. It will involve a word distorted by Catholic translators, so this explanation will follow a few “rabbit trails”.

It will impact how we understand the context of key verses of Scripture.

I’m sharing this response, I hope you don’t mind.

This will take us into both Hebrew and shared Arabic words, since a better comprehension will result if we draw from a wider perspective.

  In this day of so many Hebrew-roots teachers and calendar specialists, there are many inherited errors and omissions. Everyone seems to know best, and yet everyone is different. I tend to be suspicious, and test the words by looking in more than one place. One of them involves another “brother”, currently of another faith, but of the same language roots. This “other brother”, in many incidences, has preserved ancient Hebrew words in a slightly purer form.

Aysha (ashah or ishah in modern Hebrew), Laila (night), Tamar, Yakoob, Daud, Yusef, Alisha (delivered by Al), Aminah (faithful), and Abraham are just a sampling of names commonly used among the Arabs – the other brother, descended from Yishmaal (Ishmael, “Al hears”). 

  In Hebrew, "Yahuah is calling" would involve the use of two words: yod-hay-uau-hay + mem-kof-resh-alef.  There is no letter “vav” in Hebrew, since the Hebrew letter “uau” (originally shaped Y) produced the Greek upsilon (also shaped Y), then went into Latin with the lower stem removed (v), yet still operating as a “u” (as in the Latin word “GLADIVS”,  for sword). 

The letters yod-hay-uau-hay + mem-kof-resh-alef  are transliterated "Yahuah miqra".

The word "miqra" is based on the root "qara" (note the qra component), meaning "to call" or “proclaim”. 

Many Natsarim teachers understand the word miqra means "gathering", rather than “proclaiming”, since concordance dictionaries define it this way. When defining words, the context of how the word is used needs to be taken into consideration. Christian translators in the 15th & 16th centuries were all Catholic*, so it is not surprising to see this word “miqra” defined as “gathering”, since the Circus had made it a “mortal sin” to miss Mass on Sun-day.

  The Hebrew term “miqra” is best understood to be a calling, and not the concrete idea of an actual assembly. There are at least four other Hebrew words that specifically mean “assembly”, yet none of those are ever used to refer to the weekly Shabath. A qodesh miqra is a special calling or announcement, a proclamation. We read about these special (qodesh) “times”, or moedim.  They are "announced" or “proclaimed” as being "qodesh".

Let’s consider a translation, the ISR version, where the word “miqra” is interpreted to be a “gathering”:

Lev 23:3:  “‘Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to יהוה in all your dwellings.”

  From this translation and many others, we have inherited the teaching to “assemble” every 7th day. Even the assemblies (synagogues) we read about in Yahusha’s day were small rooms for teaching proselytes, as they would often be filled with teachers-in-training, and many gentiles who were being “called” to learn Torah. Paul sought such assemblies (synagogues) as he traveled to distant communities throughout the Roman empire.

In observing the Shabath day, we “worship” by obeying the qodesh announcement, and the command is to rest, or cease. The “qodesh” announcement (miqra) is to rest “in all your dwellings”. The context shows the conflict, since “gathering” and ceasing work" to remain in “all your dwellings” is like staying-put and going-out at the same time.  The word "qara" gives us the Arabic word, "quran", the word for "recite". It is derived from Hebrew, a language. Islam is a religion that uses many Hebrew words, and this does not mean we immediately dismiss the words because they happen to be used in an apostate faith group. Arabic is based on Hebrew, and in many cases preserves words in their purer form, since the Arabs were never scattered to have their language corrupted by foreign tongues, nor did they have a group like the Masoretes ("traditionalists") molest the vowels for hundred of years in order to make their version of Hebrew "fixed" and uniformly spoken, distorting the pronunciation of the Name.

  In Arabic we have the name Abdul, and may not realize we’re looking at Hebrew. Today we see the Hebrew word obed for servant (obed gives us the English word “obey”). Ali (highness) is the Arabic word equivalent to the modern Hebrew Eli, and the Hebrew letter “alef” begins the word. It means “mighty” in the sense of “high-up”, or “upward”. For this reason, I use the spelling “Alahim” in the BYNV, rather than “Elohim”.  This is not to condemn, but to challenge our traditional way of rendering the Hebrew in our English alphabet. Who knows, the linkage of Hebrew and Arabic may have a huge impact.  If many will embrace this new understanding, it may influence Arabs to listen to the Besorah of deliverance, and at the same time weigh the hearts of those who conceal hatred for their enemies, rather than love and helpfulness toward them.

  Thank you for asking about this. Yahusha is seeking “other sheep” that are not of this fold. Anytime “tradition” is threatened, there is a strong opposition mounted to defend it. What I’m sharing with you here will be criticized severely by many, but the Truth will prevail. Those who pursue peace will keep their tongue from evil, and exhibit love as their hallmark.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in all circumstances give thanks, for this is the desire of Alahim in Mashiak Yahusha for you.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, prove them all. Hold fast what is good.” 1Th 5:16-21

“Come, you children, listen to me; let me teach you the fear of Yahuah.

Who is the man who desires life, who loves many days, in order to see good?

Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Psalms 34:11-14  

Love is Yahusha’s goal for all His creatures,

Lew White

Torah Institute

POB 436044, Louisville, KY 40253

502-261-9833

www.torahzone.net

*Catholic: The Anglicans are protestants, yet are still “Catholics” in their understanding. The word “Catholic” (Latin, universal) involves a specific doctrine, according to the definition set forth by the Council of Nicaea and Athanasius, who is called the “Father of Orthodoxy”.

Protestants do not accept the pope as the head of their circus, and most may not use the term “Catholic” in their denominations, yet by definition they are Catholic.

In the Nicene Creed and the writings of Athanasius, the defining aspect of being a Catholic is belief in the trinity.

It follows that any who profess a belief in trinitarianism as part of their Christian faith are also Catholics.