The samek looks like this x/s/s in Pictorial, Paleo, and Modern Hebrew
respectively. Samek is defined as; to
lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or unfavorable sense). Looking at the
Pictorial and Paleo we get the sense of its meaning as a “prop,” or to
“uphold.”
It serves as the number sixty (60) which gives us another important view to
link it with the idea of “prop” or “uphold.” As we learned previously,
the waw/vav
(f/w/w)
serves as the number six which is the number for man (Adam) who was created on
the sixth day. The primary element of which we are made is carbon. Amazingly,
the atomic number for carbon is six (6). It is the “hand” (yod/i/y/y)
of Yahweh that not only made man, but provides, sustains,
upholds him (us). The Yod
equals ten (10). Ten times six equals sixty!
The word samek (kmx) first appears
in Genesis 27:37 where Isaac tells Esau, “Behold, I have made him thy lord,
and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine
have I sustained (samek/kmx) him: and what shall I do now
unto thee, my son?
King David sang, “Yahweh, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are
they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no
help for him in Elohim. Selah. But thou, O Yahweh, art a shield for me; my
glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto Yahweh with my voice, and he
heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for
Yahweh sustained (samek/kmx)
me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set
themselves against me round about. Arise, O Yahweh; save me, O my Elohim: for
thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the
teeth of the impious. Salvation belongeth unto Yahweh: thy blessing is upon thy
people,” Psa. 3:All.
Again, he declared, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the
riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but Yahweh upholdeth (samek/kmx) the
righteous,” Psa. 37:16-17.
He further revealed, “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the
righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit
the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good
man are ordered by Yahweh: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he
shall not be utterly cast down: for Yahweh upholdeth (samek/kmx) him with his hand,” Psa. 37:21-24.
After the adulterous situation with Bathsheba and the purposeful death of
her husband Uriah the Hittite, David cried out in deep remorse and repentance,
“Create in me a clean heart, O Elohim; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold
(samek/
kmx) me with
thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be
converted unto thee,” Psa. 51:10-13.
“Behold, Elohim is mine helper: Yahweh is with them that uphold (samek/kmx) my soul,” Psa. 54:4. “By
thee have I been holden up
(samek/kmx)
from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's
bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee,” Psa. 71:6.
Isaiah was inspired to write, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed (samek/kmx)
on thee: because he trusteth in thee,” Isa. 26:3.
We learned in our search of the previous letter (the nun) that it represented the seed, the heir, the
son, especially in relation to Yahshua the second or last Adam. Yahshua, Himself
said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment
is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath
sent me,” Jn. 5:30. “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the
Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the
Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works,” Jn. 14:10.
Yahshua, the Son, the Heir of the kingdom of heaven admitted that He had the
support (samek/kmx) of the Father.
Without that support, He could do nothing. We should certainly examine our own
lives and come to realize that without Yahshua’s help and support, we are
without hope in a dark, wicked, evil world.
When we are called, baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, we become the
heirs of the kingdom, but we must keep in mind Yahshua’s words, “I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing,”
Jn. 15:5.
Yahshua had the Father as His support (samek).
We, in turn, need Yahshua in us doing the work and supporting us. He is our samek.
THE BANNER
Interestingly, if we combine the preceding letter, the nun (n/n)
with the samek (x/s)
the word “nes” (xn/ns) is formed which is defined as; flag,
sail, flagstaff, signal, token, pole, standard, etc. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
#H5251.)
When Israel complained about the manna calling it “light bread”, or
“vile” it greatly angered Yahweh, “And Yahweh sent fiery serpents among
the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore
the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against
Yahweh, and against thee; pray unto Yahweh, that he take away the serpents from
us. And Moses prayed for the people. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Make thee a
fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole (nes/sn): and
it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it,
shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole (nes/sn), and
it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the
serpent of brass, he lived,” Num. 21:6-9.
Isn’t it interesting that the samek
looks like a pole with three crosses in the Pictorial and Paleo Hebrew!? (x/s) Weren’t there
two others crucified with Yahshua? Yahshua told Nicodemus, “And as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life,” Jn.
3:14-15.
Isaiah is inspired to write, “Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not
well strengthen their mast,
they could not spread the sail
(nes/xn):
then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey,” Isa.
33:23. If one has a mast of a ship, or a pole for a banner, how can they
spread the sail, or banner unless there is a crossbeam to hang it on?
After Yahshua’s death and resurrection, the overall majority of the Jewish
people rejected the witness of the apostles and disciples so much so that they
greatly persecuted them. They despised the TRUE BREAD FROM HEAVEN just as their
descendants despised the manna that had sustained them for 40 years (Num. 21:5).
It appears that Yahweh gave them about forty years from the beginning of
Yahshua’s ministry (about 29-30 CE until 69-70 CE) to turn, believe, and
embrace the truth. He then sent the serpent worshipping beast power (Rome) in to
overthrow and destroy Jerusalem, the temple, and the people. According to
Josephus, the Romans crucified thousands upon thousands of them. They were, in
effect, bitten by the great serpent who has the power of death (Heb. 2:14). They
have suffered many calamities ever since because of their unbelief.
LAY HANDS ON
At the end of the wilderness trek before Israel entered the land of Canaan,
Yahweh told Moses that it was time for him to be gathered to his people, “And
Moses spake unto Yahweh, saying, ‘Let Yahweh, the Elohim of the spirits of all
flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may go out before them, and which
may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in;
that the congregation of Yahweh be not as sheep which have no shepherd. And
Yahweh said unto Moses, Take thee Yahshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the
spirit, and lay (samek/kmx)
thine hand upon him; And set him before Eleazar
the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their
sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the
congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. And he shall stand
before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of
Urim before Yahweh: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall
come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the
congregation. And Moses did as Yahweh commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set
him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: And he laid (samek/kmx) his hands upon
him, and gave him a charge, as Yahweh commanded by the hand of Moses,” Num.
27:15-23.
“And Yahshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses
had laid (samek/kmx)
his hands upon him: and the children of Israel
hearkened unto him, and did as Yahweh commanded Moses,” Dt. 34:9.
From this we learn that certain things can be transferred from one to
another by the laying on of hands.
During the days of the Levitical priesthood, animal sacrifices were offered
for various reasons. The primary offering was for atonement (covering). Notice
the instructions, “And Yahweh called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the
tabernacle of the congregation, saying, ‘Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto Yahweh, ye shall
bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his
offering be a burnt sacrifice (olah/hlo) of the herd, let
him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own
voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before Yahweh.
And he shall put (samek/kmx)
his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and
it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him,” Lev. 1:1-4.
Furthermore, on the day of atonement two kids of the goats were to be taken.
Lots were cast to determine which goat was to be sacrificed for Yahweh and the
other to be let go as the scapegoat (azazel).
After making atonement with the blood of the sacrificed kid, the high priest was
to take the live goat, “And Aaron shall lay
(samek/
kmx)
both his hands upon the head of the live goat,
and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and
shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat
shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall
let go the goat in the wilderness,” Lev. 16:1-22, esp. 21-22.
At this point it is called “the goat” which, in Hebrew is riose (ha-saiyr). This can also be translated as “THE
DEVIL!” This is a picture revealing that the people’s sins
will be placed back upon the head of the original instigator of sin to begin
with.
A person who is called, repents and is baptized must have the hands of the
ministry lain (samek/kmx) upon them (those
who have had hands lain upon them to receive the ministry). This
example is revealed in the New Testament, “Now when the apostles which were at
Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of Yahweh, they sent unto
them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they
might receive the Holy Spirit: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only
they were baptized in the name of the Sovereign Yahshua.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy
Spirit. And when Simon saw that through
laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given,
he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.
But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought
that the gift of Yahweh may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor
lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of Yahweh,” Acts
8:14-21.
Paul encouraged Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was
given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the
hands of the presbytery,” 1 Tim. 4:14.
This is certainly a doctrine of the New Testament Assembly, “Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of the Messiah, let us go on unto
perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and
of faith toward Yahweh, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection
of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if Yahweh permit,”
Heb. 6:1-3.
Look at the word samek
in the Pictorial Hebrew kmx. There is the prop
(samek/x),
water (mem/m/spirit), and the
open hand (kaf/k).
This reveals that there is a supporting spirit in one’s hand
(-s). This spirit is able to be utilized for good or for evil. Our hands should
be utilized for the transferring of blessings from ourselves to others, not
evil.
NUMERICS
As stated, the samek
is the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and represents the number 60. We
have already seen what this can mean, but if we add the value of each letter of
this word we get another amazing number: samek
= kmx. k = 20, m = 40, x = 60; 20 + 40 + 60 = 120.
In Scriptural numerics, words that have equivalent values can also mean
close to the same thing, or can have a synonymous relationship. As we know, the
book of Acts reveals that there were 120 believers after the resurrection and
ascension of Yahshua into the heavens (Acts 1:15). One hundred and twenty (120)
is twelve (12) x ten (10). There were twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve
apostles. Ten is equivalent to yod
(i/y)
the hand of Yahweh.
The samek is also the fifteenth
letter. The shortened version of Yahweh’s name Yah (ei/hy)
also equals 15 (e = 5, i = 10).
Yah means hand (i)
revealed (e).
The hand is revealed that supports, sustains, upholds the whole
creation, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high,” Heb. 1:3.
The Hebrew word kanan
(nnk/nnk)
is equivalent to 120. It means to set out, to plant, and is
generally translated as “vineyard.”
The Hebrew word yemiyniy
(ynymy/
inimi) is also
equivalent to 120. It has to do with the right hand.
Another Hebrew word that equals to 120 is tsel
(lc/ly) which has to do
with a shade, or shadow.
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest
Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine
forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come
and save us. Turn us again, O Elohim, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall
be saved. O Yahweh Elohim of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the
prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them
tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours:
and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O Elohim of hosts, and
cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Thou hast brought a vine
out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst
room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs
thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and
her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that
all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste
it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. Return, we beseech thee, O
Elohim of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; And the vineyard which thy right hand
hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It
is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy
countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,
upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back
from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name,” Psa. 80:1-18.
Look at how the words vine, vineyard, right hand, planted, and shadow are
utilized here!
Yahweh eventually cast Israel out of the land for their rebellion and
disobedience, therefore when Yahshua appeared He raised up the New Testament
Assembly, “I am the true vine,
and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may
bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken
unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches:
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for
without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and
they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what
ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye
bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciple As the Father hath loved me, so have
I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide
in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
,” Jn. 15:1-10.
Notice that! We are to abide in Him and keep His commandments. He gave His
commandments at Mt. Sinai. Israel and Judah ultimately failed in their promise
to obey. Yahshua raised up the NT Assembly commanding them to obey His
commandments and do His work of proclaiming His coming kingdom. Hasn’t the NT
Assembly also failed in their charge? Yahshua replaced the husbandmen of His day
with His followers. He spoke parables concerning the vineyard and the evil
husbandmen. When He returns to receive His own, will those who claim to be His
husbandmen be doing the work that He charged them to do?
FEASTS (MOED/MOEDIM)
Another Hebrew word that equals to 120 is moed
(d[ewm/dofm).
It is defined as; properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival;
conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly
(as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by
extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand).
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
#H4150)
The weekly Sabbath is a moed
as are also the annual feasts (Lev. 23). They are signals as appointed
beforehand. In other words, they reveal Yahweh’s plan of salvation.
The seventh day Sabbath reminds us that Yahweh is the Creator who had to
refashion and remake the earth because it had become a ruined waste. He did so
in six days, resting on the seventh. Thus the seventh day Sabbath reminds us of
His creative powers and ability to resurrect from destruction bringing about
beauty, peace, and rest therefrom. As we observe the Sabbath, it is a sign
between us and Him that we are His people and He is our Elohim.
However, it also teaches us that there are seven millennia that He has
appointed to bring in a new heavens and new earth, “But, beloved, be not
ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with Yahweh as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day. Yahweh is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Pet. 3:8-9. We are
near the end of the sixth millennium, but conditions must even grow worse before
He intervenes because Yahshua said, “When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy
place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea
flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take
any thing out of his house: Neither
let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them
that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that
your flight be not in the winter, neither on the
sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the
elect's sake those days shall be shortened,” Mt. 24:15-22.
The Sabbath, and Holy days are moed
(-s, -im) should be observed in the spirit of the samek (120), our supports that teach us and remind us of things
yet to come. They should be utilized to prepare us for the second coming of
Yahshua and the establishment of the kingdom of heaven because things have
become disastrous under the hand of man.
Looking at the word moed
(dofm/d[wm)
in the Hebrew letters teaches us some awesome things! Mem (m/m) is the picture of water (spirit).
Waw (f/w)
is the picture of a nail, or tent peg, which nails together or
upholds, or establishes, etc. Ayin
(o/[)
is the picture of an eye. Dalet
(d/d)
is the picture of a door. The Hebrew word for “witness” is ed (do/d[).
The eye (o/[)
is the door (d/d)
to any event. Therefore, the moed
(-s, -im) are spirit (m/m)
established (f/w)
witnesses (do/d[).
The Passover and days of Unleavened Bread (Ex. 12; Lev. 23, etc.) were to
teach us that the true Passover Yahshua was to come in order to be our Passover
sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7). He also was our true bread from heaven (Jn. 6;
Mt. 26:26; Mk. 14:22; Lk. 22:19, etc.) as the feast of Unleavened Bread teaches.
Pentecost, shavout was established to be observed as the day of firstfruits
when the New Testament Assembly would be raised up (Lev. 23:9-22; Acts 2:1-4).
The next feast (moed)
to be fulfilled will be the Feast of Trumpets.
Moed also has to do with the
congregation as assembled on those day.
Yiqqahah (hhqy/eeqi)
is another word that equals 120. It primarily means
“obedience”, but also has been translated as “gathering, “to obey,”
etc. Yahweh gives His Spirit to those who obey Him, “And we are his witnesses
of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom Yahweh hath given to them
that obey him,” Acts 5:32. Obedience is also
required for eternal salvation, “ And being made perfect, he became the author
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey
him,” Heb. 5:9.
Namal
(lmn/lmn = 120) means to become
clipped or circumcised. We are circumcised in Yahshua, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by
the circumcision of the Messiah,” Col. 2:11.
Pedahel
(lahdp/laedp = 120) means El has ransomed.
“And the ransomed
of Yahweh shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon
their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall
flee away,” Isa. 35:10.
Ammuwd
(dwm[/dmmo = 120) means a column, or
pillar. Yahweh led Israel as pillar
of a cloud by day, and a pillar
of fire by night. He went before them as their leader, but sometimes He was
behind them as their rearguard. Yahweh was also referred to as their “rock”
(Dt. 32:4). Paul writes, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be
ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud (pillar of the cloud),
and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud
and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was the Messiah,” 1 Cor. 10:1-4.
Furthermore, the hangings (ksm/
kxm macak
=
120) of the doors of the tabernacle were on pillars (ammuwd). The vail into the holiest of all was
called both a macak and a poreketh. The vail into the holy of holies was
revealed to be a type of the flesh of the Messiah, “Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Yahshua, By a new
and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the
veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the
house of Elohim; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with
pure water,” Heb. 10:19-22.
Miklul
(llkm/llkm = 120) means something
perfect, i.e. a splendid garment. The most perfect and splendid garment we can
wear is the Messiah. Paul writes, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand:
let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of
light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not
in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Sovereign Yahshua the Messiah,
and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof,” Ro.
13:12-14. Again, he writes, “For as many of you as have been baptized into the
Messiah have put on the Messiah,”
Gal. 3:27. Thus, we must be clothed with the Messiah or we stand naked, “For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a
building of Elohim, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in
this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be
that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we
would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of
life,” 2 Cor. 5:1-4.
Yahshua is the most perfect, the most
splendid garment! When we put Him on through repentance and baptism, then we are
clothed with Him!
OTHER WITNESSES
Let’s allow Robert M. Haralick describe
more wonders about the samek
from his book The Inner Meaning of the Hebrew letters:
[Elohim] supports us by graciousness. The
word !wnxw means and
graciousness and also has the gematria of 120. It occurs exactly
once in the Pentateuch, after Moses receives the two tablets the second time.
Yahweh passed by him and proclaimed: “Yahweh, is a compassionate and gracious
Elohim, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness and truth; maintaining mercy
unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, and transgression and
sin,” Ex. 34:6-7.
And [Elohim] supports us by supplying us
with water. The word ^ymym means your
water and also has the gematria of 120: “And thou shalt serve
Yahweh your Elohim and He will bless thy bread and thy water,”
Ex. 23:25.
And [Elohim] supports us with His strong
hand. The word hqzx means strong
or mighty and has the gematria of 120:
“And I know that the king of Egypt will
not give you leave to go, except by a mighty
hand,” Ex. 3:19.
“And Yahweh said to Moses, “Now shalt
thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong
hand shall he let them go, and by a strong
hand shall he drive them out of his land,” Ex. 6:1.
“And it shall be to thee for a sign
upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes; in order that the Law of
Yahweh may be in thy mouth; for with a strong
hand hath Yahweh brought thee out from Egypt,” Ex. 13:9. (pp. 220-221) [see also: Ex. 32:11; Dt. 4:34; Dt. 5:15; Dt.
6:21; Dt. 7:8; Dt. 9:26; Dt. 26:8]
L. Grant Luton writes, “Samech’s protective influence is also seen in the
fact that the first use of samech
in the Bible is the word bbsh (hasovev),
meaning “to surround or encircle. (Gen. 2:11) Also note that samech (s) is the only letter, other
than the final form of mem
(~), that is completely enclosed.
As samech’s name means support, and its
shape is one that surrounds, the promise of [Elohim] is that He is omnipresent
and thus able to surround, support, and protect us. The Bible is replete with [Elohim’s]
promises to this effect:
For surely, O Yahweh, you bless the
righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psa. 5:12)
You are my hiding place; you will protect
me from trouble and surround me with song of deliverance. (Psa. 32:7)
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so
Yahweh surrounds His people both now and forevermore. (Psa. 125:2)
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not
be dismayed, for I am your Elohim. I will strengthen you and help you; I will
uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isa. 41:10)
SAMECH’S WARNING
Samech
holds a warning for us as well as a promise by virtue of its entirely enclosed
shape. Because we are surrounded and protected by [Elohim], it is unnecessary
for us to surround and protect our existence with self. We must guard against
becoming “closed in” and cut off from [Elohim] by self-interest. If samech ($ms)
is spelled backwards, it renders the word smk (kamas),
meaning “concealed” or “stored away.” If we lack faith in [Elohim’s]
surrounding protection, we become prone to fears and insecurities which cause us
to conceal ourselves from Him and others. Several Hebrew words indicating things
that are closed off or hidden begin with s. A few examples are: rts (satar) “hiddeness”; rws (sod) “secret”; rgs (sagar) “to close”.
Let us take care to learn the lesson of
the samech so that we will not suffer
the consequences of “kamas”
and thus become closed off from [Elohim’s] life-giving fellowship. (In His Own Words, pp. 161-163)
THE AARONIC BLESSING
“Birkat Kohanim (priest’s
blessing), perhaps the most manifest “gem” of structure in Torah, consists
of three verses. The three verses possess 3, 5, 7 words and 15, 20, 25 letters
respectively. Both series proceed in arithmetic progression. The total number of
words, 15 (the number of letters in the opening verse), is the ordinal value of
the letter samech, while the total
number of letters, 60, is the normative value of samech.”
(The Alef-Beit, by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburg,
p. 235)
“Another connection between samech
(s) and the priestly office is found in the
priestly blessing found in Numbers. This is often called the
‘Aaronic blessing’ because it is the one with which [Elohim] commanded Aaron
to bless the people.
Yahweh
bless you and keep you;
Yahweh
make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
Yahweh turn His face toward you and give you peace.
This blessing is a standard part of Jewish liturgy. It is rare that one
would attend a synagogue service without hearing this blessing pronounced. But
what connections do the Sages see between this blessing and the letter samech? To understand these connections we must
look at the blessing as it appears in Hebrew. (see above)
First notice that the three lines of this blessing contain a total of sixty
letters (15, 20, and 25 respectively), which equals the numerical value of s. Next, note that the total number of words –
fifteen – is the ordinal value of the letter s (2
x 3 x 10 = 60; 2 + 3 + 10 = 15). The Jewish Sages believe that the sixty letters
comprising the priestly blessing are what Solomon alluded to when he wrote:
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty
warriors, the noblest of Israel, all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the
terrors of the night. (Song of Solomon 3:7-8)
We must understand that the priestly blessing is of extreme importance as it
is the only blessing commanded by [Elohim] for use by the priests. Therefore,
the sixty letters comprising it are viewed as ‘sixty warriors’ prepared to
do battle against Israel’s spiritual enemies. Let us never underestimate the
protective influence of [Elohim’s] Word when it is declared in faith and
obedience.” (In His Own Words
by L. Grant Luton, pp. 160-161)
ANOTHER WARNING
Ezekiel is inspired to prophesy, “The word of Yahweh came again unto me,
saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith Adonai Yahweh; Howl ye, Woe
worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of Yahweh is near, a cloudy
day; it shall be the time of the heathen. And the sword shall come upon Egypt,
and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and
they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.
Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the
men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword. Thus saith
Yahweh; They also that uphold (samek/kmx)
Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of
Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith Adonai Yahweh. And they shall be
desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall
be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. And they shall know that I am
Yahweh, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be
destroyed. In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the
careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day
of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. Thus saith Adonai Yahweh; I will also make the
multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. He
and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to
destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the
land with the slain,” Ez. 30:1-11.
This is speaking of the day of Yahweh at the end of the age. Who would be
Egypt, and who would be Babylon? While we know where ancient Egypt is in the
middle east, and the location of ancient Babylon in the area of Iraq, we must
understand that neither of these ancient entities have the power of spoken of in
these verses. But we can look on the world scene and identify Egypt without much
difficulty by simply looking at the back of the American dollar bill, and also
look at the magnificent building in the capital of America to wit, Washington
D.C. Spiritually speaking, America is modern day Egypt.
What about Babylon? All we have to do is look to the Scriptures which trace
the power and succession of Babylon from her dwelling in Iraq, to the Persian
kingdom in Iran, to the Macedonian-Grecian kingdom, and to Rome, the fourth
kingdom of Daniel 2, and fourth beast of Daniel 7. Rome’s center eventually
shifted to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) under Constantine, and
then Moscow, Russia when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. Babylon is
identified with the hammer and sickle in Jeremiah 50:16; 23.
Our people have been deceived to trust in, uphold (samek) the symbols of Egypt far too long from
the conception of this country until the modern day. Therefore, this is a Psalm
of David which applies to modern day America, “O Yahweh Elohim of my
salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before
thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my
life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the
pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: Free among the dead, like the slain
that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from
thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard (samek/kmx)
upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy
waves. Selah. Thou hast put away mine
acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them:
I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. Mine eye mourneth by reason of
affliction: Yahweh, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands
unto thee. Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise
thee? Selah. Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy
faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy
righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? But unto thee have I cried, O
Yahweh; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee,” Psa. 88:1-13.
This is the state of Yahweh’s people Israel in our modern world, “Hear
ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come
forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of Yahweh, and make
mention of the Elohim of Israel, but not in
truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy
city, and stay (samek/kmx) themselves upon
the Elohim of Israel; Yawheh of hosts is his name. I have declared
the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I
shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that
thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; I have
even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it
thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image,
and my molten image, hath commanded them. Thou hast heard, see all this; and
will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even
hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created now, and not from
the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou
shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest
not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou
wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the
womb,” Isa. 48:1-8.
Are you being upheld (samek/kmx) by
the hand of Yahweh? Our only hope is found in these verses, “Yahweh is
gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. Yahweh is
good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall
praise thee, Yahweh; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the
glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men
his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. Yahweh upholdeth (samek/kmx)
all that fall, and raiseth up all those
that be bowed down,” Psa. 145:8-14.
I think it appropriate to end this treatise with the priestly blessing:
Yahweh
bless you and keep you;
Yahweh
make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
Yahweh turn His face toward you and give you
peace. JH
