Hebrew Perspective

I asked Our Beloved Brother Alan to provide the following:

To My Beloved Brother:

An accurate understanding of the Hebrew word ‘hah-lal’, Strong’s # H1984, which is the three-letter root verb that is the basis for the word we translate as ‘Lucifer’ (hey-lel, Strong’s #1966), is necessary to grasp the clarity, both naturally and Spiritually, of the word ‘hey-lel’.  Religion has done a very effective job of distorting and confusing the word ‘hey-lel’.

The verb ‘hah-lal’, #1984, is used often in the Old Testament scriptures, and conveys a variety of thoughts and ideas. Many have ascribed the word to mean ‘praise’, because it is used and translated in that setting more often than other ways. And the scriptures are filled with verses describing how the people ‘praise’ (hah-lal) YHVH, or God, or David, etc. To be worthy of ‘praise’ is to be worthy of public and conspicuous adulation and honor; to openly and dramatically offer ‘praise’, as illustrated when David openly and publicly praised and danced before YHVH.

And this is how ‘hah-lal’ is most often represented. However, ‘praise’ is not the primary idea that ‘hah-lal’ is communicating. The primary root ‘hah-lal’ only appears once in the Torah, or Pentateuch, and that appearance is in Gen. 12:15, where it gets translated into KJV as “commended”. However, the word appears many, many times in the later books, and in a variety of ways. The verb form of this word is ‘hah-lal’, and the noun form is ‘hah-lel’.

The primary function of the word ‘hah-lal’ is to draw attention to the conspicuousness of ones actions, activities or appearance. This word ‘hah-lal’ emphasizes the obvious, and even is used to dramatize the ostentatious. The word is used to emphasize and/or accentuate one’s actions, or intentions and motivations, for doing whatever they are doing, which is why it is sometimes translated as ‘to shine’, and sometimes translated as ‘to be clear’. The word is often translated as an indication of how emphatically an action or activity is expressed.

A good example of this is in 1Samuel 21:14, where it is translated as “…feigned himself mad”. This word ‘hah-lal’ is more a description of how emphatically one goes about doing whatever they are doing. Again, that is why it is sometimes translated as “…to be clear; to shine; to be conspicuous.” For example, in Job 12:17 this word is translated as “fools”, while in Job 29:3 it gets translated as “shined”.

Psalm 5:5 shows this word being translated as “foolish” to describe those that profess one motivation, but are obviously driven by a completely ‘other’ motive, or appetite. Other translations convert this word ‘hah-lal’ as ‘boastful’; as one that feigns being something that he is not, just as David illustrated in 1Samuel 21:14. In Psalm 34:2, however, this word is also translated as ‘boast’, though in this verse it is seen as a positive activity because the ‘boaster’ is ascribing his ‘boast’ to YHVH.

In Psalm 105:3 this same idea is translated as “Glory”. It would be beneficial to study these references to get a solid feel for what this word is describing.

Throughout the Psalms ‘hah-lal’ gets translated most often as “Praise”, for it is also the basis of the word we pronounce as ‘halleluyah’; or more literally, “Hallel to Yah”. There are groups of Psalms that are referred to as “Hallels” that Judaism tends to ritually embrace during certain feast day remembrances.

The most famous of these is probably Psalm 113 thru Psalm 118, even though the word ‘hah-lal’ doesn’t appear in Psalm 118. My Hebrew mentor taught me that Psalm 118 is called The Great Hallel by devout Orthodox Jewish Believers, those that pride themselves on being ‘Torah Observant’, attempting to remain untainted by the ‘world’.

Tradition has ascribed Psalm 136 as The Great Hallel. However, my mentor also taught me that in Matthew 26:30, where the verse reads “And when they had sung a hymn,”, is referring to the traditional singing of the Great Hallel, Psalm 113 thru 118, after the Passover meal. I tend to believe that is correct, for this ‘Psalm’ is traditionally referred to as the “Hallel of Egypt”.

The idea of ‘hah-lal’, as an action verb, is to be openly conspicuous and obvious in your actions and activities, and in particular your praise and adoration and devotion to God. Yashua, on the other hand, tended to be more prone to a much less ostentatious public show, indicating that dramatizing your worship of God openly, to be seen by men, was more theatrics than purity of heart.

I sometimes also feel like some of us are over dramatizing their ‘Christianity’, but that is my own short-coming to deal with. For what its worth, after the Psalms, the word ‘hah-lal’ is used less frequently, and tends to be used more to emphasize negatives, rather than praising and boasting of God. I think I see an understandable pattern in that bit of trivia.

I do apologize for the length of this introduction, but I hope this will give a proper backdrop for a better understanding of ‘Hey-lel’, that which has been translated as “Lucifer”. I find a proper Spiritual understanding of this word ‘Hey-lel’ to be of supreme importance, particularly in the day in which you and I find ourselves.

‘Hey-lel’ is from the verb ‘hah-lal’, but it has a yode, the tenth letter of the Hebrew Aleph-beyt, inserted into it. When a word is prefixed by the yode, that word takes on the distinction of having been authorized, and initiated, by a higher authority; a Spiritual Authority. That is why I refer to a yode prefix as ‘causative’, having the authority to cause a specific activity, or event. And to me, that represents Spiritual Authority. Even Judaism ascribes the tenth letter, the yode, which also represents the value of ten, as being the presence or activity of deity; a spiritual authority.

Observers of Judaism are very careful not to mix the yode and the vav, the sixth letter, together, and to avoid putting 6 and 10 as numeric representations together. Are they superstitious? Maybe, but it may be more of a spiritual awareness than mere superstition.

That is my own brief description of the yode as a prefix.

However, that same Spiritual Authority is indicated when a yode is inserted into a word that can stand alone without the presence of a yode. ‘hah-lal’, as an action verb, does not have a yode as part of its normal construct. When the yode is inserted into ‘hah-lal’, that word then becomes ‘Hey-lel’, which gives this word a more direct reference to being a spiritual activity rather than just a soulish activity. Anyone that can make a ‘joyful noise’, or even a not so ‘joyful noise’, can be deemed ‘hah-lal’. However, only by Spiritual influence can one be ‘Hey-lel’.

YLT Isaiah 14:12 How hast thou fallen from the heavens, O shining one (Hey-lel), son of the dawn! Thou hast been cut down to earth, O weakener of nations.

This verse is from Young’s Literal Translation, which usually has a good rendering of the Hebrew. To me, the most telling word in this verse is the word translated as ‘dawn’. This is the verb ‘shah-hkhar’, Strong’s # H7837. This word is translated several times as ‘black’. This word is best describing that time when all is dark, but you can sense that the light is beginning to ascend above the horizon. Think of the phrase “The darkest hour is just before dawn”.

‘Shah-hkhar’ is a darkness that is just on the verge of having the light appear, and change the darkness into light. I hope you can grasp what I’m trying to illustrate. ‘Hey-lel’ is the description of one that has been entrusted with carrying the light, but is not yet a manifestation of that Light. ‘Hey-lel’ is not called ‘Son of God’, or even ‘son of man’. ‘Hey-lel’ is called ‘son of darkness’, the one that was entrusted with the Light, but in his carnal ego, determined that he was worthy of the Light, and could become his own ‘god’ in his own ‘heavenly realm’. To me, this is the very apt description of ‘adam’ before being expelled from the Garden.

For ‘adam’, both male and female in manifestation, was exposed to and entrusted with the Light of God, but because ‘adam’ had not yet been duly tested (death and resurrection), ‘adam’ trusted their own ability to make GOoD decisions. And yet in that condition, in a garden setting, the serpent ‘nature’ easily confused and distorted their rationale. Their spiritual muscle, their own light, was no match for the cunning of carnal ego.

There is a great gulf between being given light or entrusted with light, and Being the Light. To me, that is the story of Isaiah 14:12. ‘Adam’, permitted to carry the Light, was easily deceived by carnal ego to think that ‘Adam’ was qualified, and capable, to “…ascend into heaven; exalt my throne above the stars of God;” I am sorry that translators called ‘hey-lel’ Lucifer. They even describe ‘Lucifer’ as “…the light bearer”. I can find no reference in scripture to support the idea and indicate that ‘Hey-lel’ was a ‘light bearer’.

That is so misleading, and confusing. Instead, ‘adam’ was allowed and given access to the Light of God, just to show ‘adam’ that until he has experienced death, and resurrection, his own carnal ‘management’ of the Light of God is not sufficient spiritual muscle to combat the forces of carnal ego. For those that have been shown the light, even to the point of being ‘hey-lel’, must learn that until the death and resurrection of self, the most one can be is only ‘hah-lel’, and no match for the satanic forces of carnal ego. Not by power, not by might, but by My Spirit, says Our Father.

Isaiah saw, and realized, that the carnal ego, which is the king of Babylon (Is. 14:4) was the oppressor that caused ‘Hey-lel’ to fall from heaven (fall from the confidence of the heaven within), which did weaken all the nations (all goyim). It is of premier importance to note that the Hebrew word that gets transliterated as ‘goy’; ‘goyim’ is the plural of ‘goy’. And this word/concept most often gets translated into English as ‘gentile’, ‘nation’, or ‘heathen’, etc.

However, this word ‘goy’ has nothing what-so-ever to do with nationalities, ethnicities, religiosities, or cultural identities. Goy is a reference to any and all that have their backs turned to God, and have yet to repent (turn around) and have a ‘face to face’ relationship with the Wholly Spirit of God that inspires and urges all to have a repentance of attitude, and turn to the God of Light to illuminate the path that all are to walk if they are to depart from being ‘goy’ in their walks, and begin to take on the nature of the Christ of God.

All of the ‘patriarchs’ of the Old Testament are called ‘goy’; over and over and over again, emphasizing that until one turns and embraces a Higher Spiritual calling, he remains ‘goy’, with the back turned to the God of Light and Love. So it is that ‘hey-lel’ is referring to that powerful carnal ego that empowers all to walk in pride and superiority. And therefore, ‘Hey-lel’ is called the ‘son of darkness. For none is so blind as he that refuses to see.  [Is. 14:1 thru 14:14]

And yet in all of this, Isaiah saw that YHVH will have mercy on Jacob (carnal ego; Hey-lel), and will yet choose Israel (Christ in you, the hope of Glory). [Is. 14:1]

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