Do you ever wonder why Jesus says certain things?

[Rella ~ I am a woman]

This may be in the wrong section.... if so I apologize and someone can move it to where it should be.

I just got in my email something that made me take a double take.

I have heard this and read so often and it escaped me.

The email came from the Israel Bible Center and reads as such...

Rethinking Jesus’ Words From the Hebrew Original​

By Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg​

Do you ever wonder why Jesus says certain things? In Luke’s Gospel, his last words are “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”. But this statement is not a Jesus original; these words are part of a prayer from the Hebrew Psalms! What do these words mean in their original context? ​

Frankly, knowing these words, I have never given specific thought to them. If you have, great, but
not until there has been so many threads in several forums ...recently....regarding the study of what happens to our spirits when we died... and reading

Eccl 12:7
then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

I had never given thought to what that meant for Jesus when Jesus said it, and more importantly how that applies to his being resurrected... and all that followed potentially before and certainly after the tomb was found empty because He certainly did not return to the earth, as we expect to.

Now continuing what Israel Bible Studies said on this. (NO... I have not signed up for them)

Israel Bible Center

The best place to fully understand the Bible

lp.israelbiblecenter.com

Jesus Cites the Psalms​

We read these fitting words in Psalm 31:5

Into your hands I commit my spirit; (בְּיָדְךָ, אַפְקִיד רוּחִי)
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
It is highly likely that Jesus, in his agony, was reciting this psalm from memory as he faced the greatest challenge of his incarnate life.

I would like to focus on the text which was quoted in the Gospels (vs. 5). How does this beautiful verse sound in Hebrew original? Is it possible that something essential about it has been lost in translation?

Hearing the Original Hebrew​

The Hebrew word translated, “I commit,” is “אַפְקִיד” (pronounced afkid). This word has a meaning that is much closer to “I deposit” – which necessarily signifies a future “reclaiming” of the thing deposited. A vivid image might be that of checking in a coat at theater or restaurant, or even money into the bank, with the definite intention of getting it back. While the English word “commit” can also be used to describe giving something with the purpose of claiming it back at some point in the future, it might just as well mean the giving of something without stating any clear intentions for the future. In Hebrew, on the other hand, the unequivocal meaning of this verse is the temporary submission of one’s spirit into the hands of God – giving it into “His custody,” with the definite intention of receiving it back.

Jesus’ Great Jewish Faith​

It makes perfect sense that Jesus would quote this particular psalm while hanging on a Roman cross.

This shows that if we take the time to compare the original verse Jesus was reciting from Hebrew, a simple, but significant insight into the words of Jesus on the cross will emerge. The words Jesus uttered were nothing less than a declaration of his great Israelite faith. He was confident that as he deposited his soul into the hands of his Heavenly Father, he will surely get it back at his resurrection. What happened three days later proved that Jesus did not hope in vain.