Vayeshev 2011

B. Scott 12/16/11

This weeks portion is an exciting new chapter in the family of Israel because the focus now switches from Jacob to Joseph! Vayeshev, And He Settled, covers Genesis 37:1-40:23. It starts off with Jacob and his family settled in the Promised Land, but quickly switches to Joseph and the prominence that comes with his coat of many colors and the prophetical dreams. The parshah ends with Joseph having been sold into slavery and in jail down in Egypt. With Josephs tribe, Ephraim, being the face of the northern tribes that are scattered and exiled, this parshah provides a beautiful shadow picture of the intention of Yahweh to make of the 2 (Ephraim/Joseph & Judah) one! So lets delve into the Torah to see the Hand of Yahweh at work! Genesis 37:1 Dwelt: Strongs #3427 yashab to dwell, remain, sit, to abide, to marry; 1st reference of this word is Genesis 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of Yahweh, and dwelt (yashab) in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. *Nod: Strongs #5113 Nowd wandering; connected to the term niddah (#5079) impurity, filthiness, menstruous Breaking this word apart 2 letter root yesh (#3426) being, existence, substance, there is or there are; the latter root forms shuv meaning to return. There exists/there is a house that will return! *Gematria = 318, same as Jezreel (#3157) Yiszrael Yahweh will scatter, one of the prophetical names given in the book of Hosea. Its also the same value as #3437 Yashuwb he will return. Right from the start we are reminded that the one who was scattered and found in a niddah condition will return to dwell in marriage in the land! Genesis 37:2 Notice that even though it states that these are the generations of Jacob only Joseph is listed instead of the actual genealogy! Generations: Strongs #8435 towledah/toldot descendants, results, proceedings, generations, genealogies; from #3205 yalad to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail, a birthing Prefix = future tense meaning you will, she will, they will + root =birthing + ot (on the end) cognate of #226 owth sign, signal, distinguishing mark, proof, ensign, or standard There is a future birthing concerning the house of Joseph that will be accompanied by a sign, a distinguishing mark as proof! This sign has to do with Joseph being 17 years old. The 17th letter of the 1

Hebrew alephbet = meaning the mouth, by extension word, expression, vocalization, or speech. The sign/mark that acts as proof that the house of Jacob is in travail or in a birthing process is when Joseph speaks again when his speech is restored and he is reconnected to the Hebrew language! In order to understand the significance of this promise, lets look at the state of the house at this point. Genesis 37:2 Notice that Joseph is specifically mentioned as being with the sons of Bilhah & Zilpah at the opening of this passage. Bilhah: Strongs #1090 Bilhah troubled; from #1089 balahh to trouble; cognate of #1086 and #1087 balah waste away, wear out, grow old, or be exhausted describes the corrupt and lewd character of someone worn out by acts of harlotry *Also describes Sarahs inability to conceive having waxed old (Genesis 18:12), in other words, the birthing promised to the house is unable to come to fruition and it is because the house has played the harlot! This is substantiated in Genesis 37:17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. They are supposed to be feeding the flocks at Shechem but instead are in Dothan. Shechem: Strongs #7927 Shekem back or shoulder; Shechem was located between Mt. Gerizim (mountain of blessings) & Mt. Ebal (mountain of curses), representing the responsibility of the Torah! 2 = letter root of Sukkot/Sukkah, the Tabernacle or tent = living water Shekem is the tabernacle where the living water of Torah is located that is to feed the flock! Dothan: Strongs #1886 Dothan two wells; = law, decree; = to decrease, to diminish or make small they leave the well of Torah for another and seek to diminish/make small/decrease the law (the ketubah/wedding contract)! Zilpah: Strongs #2153 Zilpah a trickling =to despise or to neglect (Kleins Etymological Dictionary) & = Mouth, speech, language One of the indicators/marks and repercussions of the house playing the harlot is that the language has been despised and neglected! Instead of being a free flowing well, it only trickles. It is interesting to note that there are 2 things associated with Joseph in this passage each one reveals something about the future birthing of the house! 1) Coat of many colors 2) Dreams

1) Genesis 37:3 Coat: Strongs #3801 kethoneth tunic, under-garment; first reference is Genesis 3:21 concerning the coats of skins that Yahweh clothes Adam and Eve with (the 2nd is concerning Josephs coat), this coat/kethoneth is given to Adam and Eve upon losing their first covering the light of Yahweh! When they lose this light, they become niddah (unclean) and the blood flows (their physical body changes, the light slows down to blood and it marks them as niddah). Genesis 2:25 naked and not ashamed naked: Strongs #6147 arowm gematria = 316; Genesis 3:7 naked and ashamed naked: Strongs #5903 eyrom gematria = 320 320 316 = 4, the difference is revealed in the 4, on the 4th day the lights in the firmament were created! They had lost the light! Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart (niddah) seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. Issue: Strongs #2100 zuwb to flow, gush, issue, discharge; gematria = 15, same as #2247 chabah to withdraw, hide, hide oneself this term is a cognate of #2244 chaba to withdraw, hide this is the term used in Genesis concerning Adam and Eve when they hide themselves! The reason for their hiding being the blood now having replaced the light marking them as niddah! Colors: Strongs #6446 pac flat (of the hand or foot), palm, or sole; from #6461 pacac to disappear, vanish, cease, or fail *This coat is taken away from Joseph (just as this root hints at), just as Adam and Eve lose their covering of light! Job 30:18 By the great force [of my disease] is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat (kethoneth) Force: Strongs #3581 koach strength, power, might (Genesis 4:12 when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth [yacaph root of Joseph] yield unto thee her strength/koach speaking to Cain, the one who would dwell in Nod in a niddah condition) Garment: Strongs #3830 lebuwsh clothing, garment, apparel, or raiment; from #3847 labash to dress, wear, or clothe (1st reference Gen. 3:21 and clothed them) Changed: Strongs # 2664 chaphas to search, search for, to search out, or to disguise oneself (*Notice the play on words with pas colored) Bindeth: Strongs #247 azar gird, encompass, equip, clothe Collar: Strongs #6310 peh mouth The ground (representing the Word/Torah) would not yield its power/might/or

strength to those in a niddah condition. It is only when the house of Joseph once again searches out this garment that had been disguised/disappeared/vanished and once again girds his mouth with it connecting this garment with the Hebrew language! Since there is an intricate connection between light and sound, once the house is reconnected to the language it points towards the house being reconnected/reclothed with the light of Yahweh! *Gematria of Pas/colors = 140, same as the plural of #4482 men (plural being minim) string of a harp, stringed instruments Psalm 150:4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments/men and organs. Praise: Strongs #1984 halal to shine, to praise Timbrel: Strongs #8596 toph timbrel, tambourine ( = mark, sign, proof & = mouth) Dance: Strongs #4234 machowl dance, dancing; from #2342 chuwl to twist, to whirl, to bear or bring forth, used to describe the labor pains of giving birth Organs: Strongs #5748 uwgab a musical instrument, such as a flute; from #5689 agab to have inordinate affection or lust used to describe Israel playing the harlot! With this connection, it once again confirms what this garment was about! The one who had played the harlot would shine (have the light) again and the mark/sign would deal with her mouth/speech being restored causing her to bear/bring forth/give birth the house would be born! 2) Genesis 37:5 Dreamed: Strongs #2492 chalam to dream, or to be healthy, strong, or to restore to health; gematria = 78, the same as chanak (#2596) to train, dedicate, inaugurate (*This is the root of Hanukkah!) Proverbs 22:6 Train up (chanak) a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Child: Strongs #5288 naar a boy, lad, youth; Joseph is described as a lad/naar in Gen. 37:2; this term is a cognate sharing the same 2 letter root as #5216 niyr lamp & #5214 niyr to break up, freshly plough or till Way: Strongs #1870 derek way, road, distance, journey, manner; from #1869 darak to tread, bend, lead, march Used several times to describe the bending/darak of the tongue (Psalm 64:3, Jeremiah 9:3) Go: Strongs #6310 peh mouth The dreams connect us once again to the significance of the Hebrew languages restoration to the house of Jacob! When this happens, the 4

ground/Word that would not yield its strength will now become broken up/freshly ploughed as the mouth and tongue are restored leading to the niyr/the lamp of Yah! Now lets look at his first dream! Genesis 37:7 Sheaves: Strongs #485 alummah sheaf (as something bound); from #481 alam to bind, to be dumb or silent, the tongue being bound Arose: Strongs #6965 quwm confirmed, to be fixed

to rise, arise, stand up, be established,

Made obeisance: Strongs #7812 shachah to bow down; gematria = 313, same as #2814 chashah to be silent, quiet, still, inactive *Could this have to do with the restoration of the language, once bound and silenced, being fixed and established again, causing all others to be silent, quiet, and still? The language is diminished when the house leaves Shechem (neglects the responsibility of Torah), but Yahweh promises to bring us back! Zephaniah 3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Yahweh, to serve him with one consent. Consent: Strongs #7926 shekem shoulder or back And it is here in this same location of Shechem that the bones of Joseph are buried waiting upon this rebirth, waiting for the house to be restored! *Notice the connection to Hanukkah the Feast of Dedication (train up a child) and the Feast of Lights (niyr the lamp). Not only is Joseph referred to as a naar in Gen. 37:2 (play on words with niyr/lamp) but Bilhah and Zilpah are referred to as his fathers wives. Wives: Strongs #802 ishshah woman, wife, female; cognate of #801 ishshah offering made by fire, fire offering. Last week we looked at how the altar represented the bride/the womb. Again in this portion, we see the Bride (the fire offering upon the altar) being compromised or becoming niddah (having played the harlot). The deeper meaning of Hanukkah deals with the niddah bride, having restored to her the light the niyr of Yah, in order for her to yashab/dwell in marriage in the land! Hanukkah is about the restoration of the light through the Hebrew language!