Some of the Judaizers like to limit God's Messages in His Word in favor of only Bible interpretation per their own methods, instead of allowing our Heavenly Father to speak to us hidden matters not readily apparent to those who see only letters. Here's one such example:
Here's an OT example of how God's Word can contain 'hidden' Messages within the written Scripture that is not obvious to English speaking folks.
The timing is Judah's return to Jerusalem after their 70 years Babylon captivity had ended. The Hebrew scribe Ezra is viewing the people returning. Then he notices none of the sons of Levi returning among the group. Can't have temple service without them.
Ezra 8:15
15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.
KJV
Then Ezra sent for chief men to go to Iddo, one of the head Nethinims, to go back to Babylon to bring back ministers for the house of God.
Ezra 8:16-17
16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.
17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
KJV
For those studied in their Old Testament, something in verse 17 should immediately be noticed. It's the idea of Nethinims. The Nethinims were temple servants of the nations, given to the sons of Levi to take care of menial duties in the temple. They were strangers, not Israelites...
"NETHINIM
= "given." Neh 11:21; Ezra 2:43; 7:24; 8:17,20; 1 Chron 9:2. Servants of the temple (Josephus uses of them the name given to the slaves attached to the Greek temples, hiero (NT:2411) douloi (NT:1401), Ant. 11:5, section 1). So the LEVITES (which see) were "given" (nethuniym) unto Jehovah instead of the firstborn, and by Jehovah "given" to Aaron (see Num 3:9; 8:16-19). Nethinim occurs only in the later books: Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. To the Levites 320 of the Midianite captives were given, and 32 to the priests (31:40,42,47). To these slaves doubtless the Levites and priests assigned the more laborious work of the tabernacle service. The Gibeonites similarly, having obtained by craft a covenant from Joshua (Josh 9:9,27), "because of the name" and "fame of Jehovah, Israel's God," were made "hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and altar." The Nethinim were their successors; a larger number of servants of the sanctuary being needed when David was reorganizing the worship, he and the princes "appointed" (Hebrew, "gave") Nethinim for the service of the Levites (Ezra 8:20), probably from the prisoners taken in war, upon their embracing the worship of Jehovah. The foreign or Canaanite names confirm this view: "Mehunim, Nephusim, and the children of Sisera" (Ezra 2:43-54)."
(from Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1998 by Biblesoft)
Thus Ezra chose Iddo, a chief of the Nethinims, to go back to Babylon to bring sons of Levi for the temple service once the temple and city was rebuilt. Both king David and king Solomon had allowed the Nethinims into service. They were made up of the leftover Canaanite nations also, which Israel was not able to fully destroy.
Look at some of the names of Levites that Iddo brought back...
From Ezra 8:18 - 19:
"Mahli" = Strong's no. 4249, from OT:2470, meaning 'sick', 'afflicted', 'weak', 'diseased'. Mahli was the first mentioned that Iddo selected from Babylon.
"Sherebiah" = Strong's no. 8274, 'Jah has brought heat', literally 'God has scorched'.
"Merariry"= Strong's no. 4847, 'bitter'.
Is that a coincidence that those Levite priests Iddo brought back from Babylon for temple service had names with such meanings? You'd never know that without translating those names from the Hebrew. But a reader in the Hebrew would notice it right off the bat. (Next will come the Judaizers trying to change Dr. Strong's definitions for their names.)
What our Heavenly Father showed there in Ezra 8 with that situation was the sad state the Levitical priesthood had fallen into during Judah's Babylon captivity. Way back in Judges 2 & 3, God rebuked the children of Israel for not fully destroying the nations of Canaan that He commanded them, so He said He would leave the remnants of the Canaanites among Israel, to try Israel with, to see if Israel would follow Him, or not. A group of Canaanites that feared destruction even hid themselves to Joshua to make a pact of protection before being discovered (Joshua 9). During the time of Solomon's reign, they were still among the children of Israel as slaves (1 Kings 9).
What's important to note, is that per God's commandment in the Book of Numbers, only the sons of Levi were given duty at God's holy things; the stranger was not to go near (see Numbers 18; 1 Samuel 6). But here were the Canaanites and foreigners, crept in as temple servants.
Ezra 8:20
20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.
KJV
Hey, old Iddo didn't just bring back sons of Levi. He brought back to Jerusalem more of his brethren Nethinims also!
So brethren, get out your Hebrew and Greek Lexicons and translate those names of people and places, as sometimes they may contain more of God's Message about the state of affairs at the time. This one in Ezra 8 certainly does.
Here's an OT example of how God's Word can contain 'hidden' Messages within the written Scripture that is not obvious to English speaking folks.
The timing is Judah's return to Jerusalem after their 70 years Babylon captivity had ended. The Hebrew scribe Ezra is viewing the people returning. Then he notices none of the sons of Levi returning among the group. Can't have temple service without them.
Ezra 8:15
15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.
KJV
Then Ezra sent for chief men to go to Iddo, one of the head Nethinims, to go back to Babylon to bring back ministers for the house of God.
Ezra 8:16-17
16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.
17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
KJV
For those studied in their Old Testament, something in verse 17 should immediately be noticed. It's the idea of Nethinims. The Nethinims were temple servants of the nations, given to the sons of Levi to take care of menial duties in the temple. They were strangers, not Israelites...
"NETHINIM
= "given." Neh 11:21; Ezra 2:43; 7:24; 8:17,20; 1 Chron 9:2. Servants of the temple (Josephus uses of them the name given to the slaves attached to the Greek temples, hiero (NT:2411) douloi (NT:1401), Ant. 11:5, section 1). So the LEVITES (which see) were "given" (nethuniym) unto Jehovah instead of the firstborn, and by Jehovah "given" to Aaron (see Num 3:9; 8:16-19). Nethinim occurs only in the later books: Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. To the Levites 320 of the Midianite captives were given, and 32 to the priests (31:40,42,47). To these slaves doubtless the Levites and priests assigned the more laborious work of the tabernacle service. The Gibeonites similarly, having obtained by craft a covenant from Joshua (Josh 9:9,27), "because of the name" and "fame of Jehovah, Israel's God," were made "hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and altar." The Nethinim were their successors; a larger number of servants of the sanctuary being needed when David was reorganizing the worship, he and the princes "appointed" (Hebrew, "gave") Nethinim for the service of the Levites (Ezra 8:20), probably from the prisoners taken in war, upon their embracing the worship of Jehovah. The foreign or Canaanite names confirm this view: "Mehunim, Nephusim, and the children of Sisera" (Ezra 2:43-54)."
(from Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1998 by Biblesoft)
Thus Ezra chose Iddo, a chief of the Nethinims, to go back to Babylon to bring sons of Levi for the temple service once the temple and city was rebuilt. Both king David and king Solomon had allowed the Nethinims into service. They were made up of the leftover Canaanite nations also, which Israel was not able to fully destroy.
Look at some of the names of Levites that Iddo brought back...
From Ezra 8:18 - 19:
"Mahli" = Strong's no. 4249, from OT:2470, meaning 'sick', 'afflicted', 'weak', 'diseased'. Mahli was the first mentioned that Iddo selected from Babylon.
"Sherebiah" = Strong's no. 8274, 'Jah has brought heat', literally 'God has scorched'.
"Merariry"= Strong's no. 4847, 'bitter'.
Is that a coincidence that those Levite priests Iddo brought back from Babylon for temple service had names with such meanings? You'd never know that without translating those names from the Hebrew. But a reader in the Hebrew would notice it right off the bat. (Next will come the Judaizers trying to change Dr. Strong's definitions for their names.)
What our Heavenly Father showed there in Ezra 8 with that situation was the sad state the Levitical priesthood had fallen into during Judah's Babylon captivity. Way back in Judges 2 & 3, God rebuked the children of Israel for not fully destroying the nations of Canaan that He commanded them, so He said He would leave the remnants of the Canaanites among Israel, to try Israel with, to see if Israel would follow Him, or not. A group of Canaanites that feared destruction even hid themselves to Joshua to make a pact of protection before being discovered (Joshua 9). During the time of Solomon's reign, they were still among the children of Israel as slaves (1 Kings 9).
What's important to note, is that per God's commandment in the Book of Numbers, only the sons of Levi were given duty at God's holy things; the stranger was not to go near (see Numbers 18; 1 Samuel 6). But here were the Canaanites and foreigners, crept in as temple servants.
Ezra 8:20
20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.
KJV
Hey, old Iddo didn't just bring back sons of Levi. He brought back to Jerusalem more of his brethren Nethinims also!
So brethren, get out your Hebrew and Greek Lexicons and translate those names of people and places, as sometimes they may contain more of God's Message about the state of affairs at the time. This one in Ezra 8 certainly does.
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