Without an explanation beforehand for the title, I will begin today’s discussion with a continuation of the קר discussion from last time. Hopefully I will be able to steer your thinking toward the topic at hand. Recall, please, that the cognate permutations group meaning for קר is (covering/uncovering having impact).
⦁ 1 Chronicles 2:7
7 The son of Carmi (h3756. כַּרְמִי ḵarmîy): ✱Achar (h5917. עָכָר ‘âḵâr), the troubler(h5916. עָכַר ‘âḵar) of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing;
⦁ 1 Chronicles 2:7
7 וּבְנֵ֖י כַּרְמִ֑י עָכָר֙ עוֹכֵ֣ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר מָעַ֖ל בַּחֵֽרֶם׃ ס
- This comment refers back to the action of Achan in Joshua 7:1-26. And see please in Joshua 7:21, where NKJV translates as “Babylonian,” the word is “Shinar (h8152. שִׁנְעָר šin‘âr).” Shinar can be seen as “this is youth.” (ש = “this is” or “which is.”) [[Shinar could be thought of as “the fountain of youth,” the sought-after location of the explorers of America. And indeed, it seems to be what the U.S. has become, trying to prolong life by way of our medical prowess.]]
- H8152. שִׁנְעָר šin‘ār proper noun
- (Shinar, another name for Babylon)
- Gen. 10:10; 11:2; 14:1,9; Josh. 7:21; Isa. 11:11; Dan. 1:2; Zech. 5:11.
- I will try to explain this all below…
✱ the NKJV footnote points out this man is called Achan (h5912. עָכָן ‘âḵân) in Joshua 1:7. As noted long ago in LogAndSpeck, when there are apparent discrepancies, that is a sign to look a bit deeper.
- Recall that all names have meaning, and those meanings are often the understanding of the passages. (For example, Mizraim is Egypt, and it means pressure from all sides, or “besieged,” with an intermediate word מצור indicating “to reach a limit.” It is from the צר family of roots צר family meaning(restrict/exceed).) There are many way in which you might see this word if your mind is expanded to think more in a more organic Hebrew way and less in a linear Greek way. (See post 03. Hebrew Thought.)
1 Chronicles was written after the Babylonian exile, most likely 450 – 400 BC. Its genealogies include several generations after Zerubbabel (descendant of David and in the genealogy of Yeshua/Jesus, in Matthew 1:12-13), who led the return from the exile around 520 BC, mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah. The author of 1 Chronicles is unknown; many believe the “chronicler” to be Ezra. The chronicler may have made changes (warning! my speculation) as a flag to return to the original context, but to instruct in the more current understanding at the time of writing, as the prophets often did. So, you can see from this קר analysis, that the author/chronicler could have been pointing to that piece of history as a “covering/uncovering having impact.” Please read all of Joshua 7. The four “witnesses” in a row highlighted in blue above are powerful, AND, look particularly at some words in some verses from Joshua 7.
⦁ Joshua 7:21-22 NKJV
21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian (h8152. שִׁנְעָר šin‘âr) garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden (h2934. טָמַן ṭâman) in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden (h2934. טָמַן ṭâman) in his tent, with the silver under it.
Joshua 7:24 & 26 Valley (h6010. עֶמַק ‘emaq) of Achor (h5911. עָכוֹר ‘âkôr) – Strong’s indicates עכור means “troubled,” but see clearly the קר group in this name. The root is:
▸ h5916. עָכַר ‘âḵar; a primitive root; properly, to roil water; figuratively, to disturb or affict: — trouble, stir.
AV (14) – trouble 12, stirred 1, troubler 1;
- to trouble, stir up, disturb, make (someone) taboo
- (Qal) to disturb, trouble
- (Niphal)
- to be disturbed, be stirred up
- disturbance, calamity (participle)
- I use some of these word groups to look more deeply at Joshua 7:21-22.
- Take note, this is the language of “addictions.” We all have them. We all like to keep them hidden. This is also the strength of the Twelve-Step programs, where the first step is the “uncovering.” These verses are very reminiscent of our congregation having started “circles” after a visit to Glide Memorial Church in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, circles of openness. It is also very reminiscent of the woman “caught in the very act of adultery,” in John 8 where twice Yeshua/Jesus wrote γράφω/כתב on the ground/earth γῆ/ארץ with his finger. See dissections below with כתב write and ארץ earth. He takes decisive action, embracing God’s consequences. They understood, beginning with the older ones…
- Interesting 🤔 how having descendants should stabilize us, but for sure it changes us. And they may encourage us toward expressing or withholding. How do my addictions affect those coming after me?
The “valley” word.
A very critical idea, though difficult for our culture to understand, in this incident (and a number of others) is the concept of h2763. חָרַם ḥâram. I shared some about it in the post 37. Focused Chiasm א and ב. Briefly, if a people or some personal characteristic (think both literally and within our soul – remember post 43. All Those Nations) has been conquered, it is the “spoil,” which becomes “destined to be destroyed.” It is God’s property. This man, Achan ↔︎ Achar, and King Saul have a large impact because they do not respect the spoil as the property of the LORD. To understand the concept better, read 1 Samuel 15, leading to the rejection of Saul as king. A warning, it is pretty graphic how Samuel deals with Agag. It is graphic in order to get across the point that חרם is not of man’s purview, but the purview of the LORD. Recall from Blog 175. how David fasted for his child with “Uriah’s wife,” while the child was yet alive, but went about his business once the child had died. We can pray and fast in hope, but we must accept the response “No” from God when that is the response, hard to hear though it is. See the cognate permutation meaning here:
⦁ Leviticus 27:29
29 No one devoted (h2764. חֵרֶם ḥêrem), who is to be {devoted for destruction} (h2763. חָרַם ḥâram) from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.
- I don’t know where you, as reader, stand in your theology, but since Yeshua/Jesus understood this concept well, he would have known well that he had to die, yet pursued Jerusalem anyway (he set his face like flint – Luke 9:51; Isaiah 50:7). This is the “unwavering resolve” to fulfill one’s purpose, knowing that in the end it is all in the hands of the LORD. Also, please recall that we have spoken recently about doing things for the right reasons and “at the right time.” (Blog 174.) Remember many times in the Gospel of John, Yeshua/Jesus indicating, “my time has not yet come.”
So, that is some background. When Yeshua/Jesus wrote on the earth in John 8 undoubtedly he prayed to the LORD for the right words to say that would open the eyes of others to know this was in the hands of the LORD. And, he was allowing time for the LORD to work on hearts. But the eyes of the others, being opened, knew they were “sinners,” as well.
Well… let us get to a bit more on Shinar שנער. First we recognize the “ballpark” we are “playing in;” the field of change vs. not change is the continuum.
- Impression מזרע from descendants שנער Shinar cognate permutations(change/stabilize)
On the simplest level you could consider ש as prefix followed by נער, most commonly translated as “youth.” See common translations in the Strong’s entry below.
Shinar שנער ➔ “this is youth”
▸ Strong’s h5288. נַעַר na‘ar; from 5287; (concretely) a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication, a servant; also (by interch. of sex), a girl (of similar latitude in age): — babe, boy, child, damsel (from the margin), lad, servant, young (man).
AV (238) – young man 76, servant 54, child 44, lad 33, young 15, children 7, youth 6, babe 1, boys 1, young 1;
- a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer
- boy, lad, youth
- servant, retainer
▸ h5287. נָעַר nâ‘ar; a primitive root (probably identical with 5286, through the idea of the rustling of mane, which usually accompanies the lion’s roar); to tumble about: — shake (off, out, self), overthrow, toss up and down.
AV (11) – shake 4, shake out 3, overthrow 2, toss to and fro 1, shake off 1;
- to shake, shake out or off
- (Qal) to shake out, show emptiness
- (Niphal)
- to be shaken
- to shake oneself
- (Piel) to shake off or out
- (Hithpael) to shake oneself
▸ EDBH p.159 gives the definition of the root as “shake off; discard.”
- Please remember that we have spoken a number of times of “servants” as having wisdom, the wisdom of experience, allowing them to “see.”
מזרע from descendants שנער Shinar cognate permutations (change/stabilize)
I like to think of Achan/Achar as being in search of the “Fountain of Youth”, that fabled place that most famously the conquistador Juan Ponce de León (and others) sought. (And perhaps that we seek.)
I find interesting the two words shown in the listing for the cognate permutation group, שנער Shinar, “this is youth” and מזרע “from descendants” (מ → “from”) + זרעseed; offspring; descendant, the root meaning “to sow.”
So… this is my thinking, and be aware I have not read these conclusions anywhere else, so you will have to test my witness against the witness of your own life events. I see the seeking of Shinar as this picture of change vs. stabilize. Jeremiah the prophet warned that Israel would be exiled to Babylon/Shinar for seventy (h7657. שִׁבְעִים šiḇ‘îym) years [literally in Hebrew, it is “sevens,” and remember seven is the number of completeness ▼]. He saw the need for a change in the current direction of Israel. Oftentimes for progress we must take two steps back before moving a step ahead. He told the people while they were there to build houses and plant gardens and eat their fruit (Jeremiah 29:5 and 29:28). Remember from the exploration of the קר cognate permutations(covering/uncovering having impact), that fruit פרי includes that idea. Eat their fruit – while you are in exile (a wilderness of sorts) take advantage of the time to see things the way they see them – not necessarily agree with or adapt to them, but consume/eat – allow yourself to consider, “chew on it” – and learn from it. This is, of course, another LogAndSpeck moment. A time to consider other than “my way.”
OK – now there are a couple of distinct ideas I would like to get across here, but they are so intertwined that it may be impossible to draw a line where one ends and the other begins. (מזרע from descendants שנער Shinar as “fountain of youth.”) The first will be to talk about the propensity that we have in our US culture to prolong life, which is a form of the “fountain of youth,” from my viewpoint. ((All of this will eventually lead somewhere, Lord willing.))
Now, I don’t think any of us “earn” anything in life; all is a gift from God (Brennan Manning, All is Grace). But, my background in having spent most of my adult life in the medical field perhaps gives me some license to speak. I believe we are addicted to the idea of living beyond the years the LORD may have designed for us. I will share one aspect of medical ethics, centered around “the right to die.” I recognize this is a very controversial topic, and each individual has a context of her or his own, bringing many nuances.
During my years in medical practice, and in particular my years of doing medical research, I was required to take educational courses in medical ethics. There are a number of landmark cases used in discussions of medical ethics, such controversial discussions as Tuskegee, Nancy Cruzan, and others. But, to simplify, I will focus on the Karen Ann Quinlan case because it relates to our discussion. This is a situation involving the courts and “the right to die.” Is it “right” to prolong life when it is only our medical prowess that makes it possible, and the hope of meaningful life has passed?
Where do we draw the line in prolonging life? Cases like Karen Ann Quinlan are the more obvious. But what about situations like my own mother, who was diagnosed with metastatic cancer at age 80 and chose for herself, after hearing treatment options, not to treat, but to cross over to the other side simply with the knowledge that she would be joining our LORD? A welcome advance in this arena is the idea of palliative care, often provided in a setting of hospice care. I will not get into a debate on doctor-assisted suicide here, though I do have opinions. In general, I will simply state that the LORD sets the appropriate time for all things, and it is not our place to question his wisdom in either direction.
All of this I want to draw together in a discussion of Shinar, which the reader might see as far-fetched, but I will hope to make my case.
If you read Joshua 7, you saw that the actions of one man and his family brought down the entire nation of Israel. You saw that his (Achan/Achar’s) focus was on a goal of having a fancy garment from Shinar. Please recall that clothing in Scripture is reflective of the type of covering that we do, and of the persona that we put forward (a good example is the famous coat of Joseph that reflected his special treatment by his father, another is Jacob’s impersonating Esau to get Isaac’s blessing).
So let’s look at where Shinar appears in Scripture (which is used as another name for Babylon, and reflective of the “more-advanced and desirable” civilization there, at least in their own minds).
⦁ ▸ Tanakh (7 results)
1. Bereshit 10:10 (Mikraot Gedolot) first use
וַתְּהִי רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בָּבֶל וְאֶרֶךְ וְאַכַּד וְכַלְנֵה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר.
- Searching for שנער with prefixes and suffixes:
⦁ ▸ Tanakh (8 results)
1. Bereshit 10:10 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַתְּהִי רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בָּבֶל וְאֶרֶךְ וְאַכַּד וְכַלְנֵה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר.
⦁ Genesis 10:6-20
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).
13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).
15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
- It is far too much to go into the meaning of each of these names in the passage for this entry. Just be aware we are missing much detail by not looking them up. Remember post 43. All Those Nations, which takes a deeper look at some of the nations listed here, some of our struggles to be overcome.
2. Bereshit 11:2 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיְהִי בְּנׇסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם.
⦁ Genesis 11:1-4 (NKJV – The Tower of Babel)
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain (h1237. בִּקְעָה ḇiq‘â) in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake (them) thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt (h2564. חֵמָר ḥêmor) for mortar (h2563. חֹמֶר ḥômer). 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top (is) in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
◆ This set of dissections of Genesis 11:1-4 are strong witnesses to the idea of our having built a tower to make a name for ourselves (in my opinion – accept or reject). And I do not think it is in this one medical arena/ballpark that we have built a tower, but because much of my life has been in medicine, this was a message that was easier for me to see and share. Please do not get me wrong – I have good friends and family whom I love dearly who are here with me in this earthly life because of modern US medicine. And that I wonderful in so many ways. Do not get me wrong, it is a comfortable place to dwell. But our choices for action bring about the results of those actions (post 14. Synthetic Grasp of Life). Did Yeshua/Jesus call us to “comfort? He says to those who would follow that he has no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58), and he asks us to take up our cross and follow him (Mark 8:34, 10:21 – deny ourselves). Is this comfort? And:
⦁ Matthew 20:22-23 NKJV
22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They said to Him, “We are able.”
23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”
- It is all a matter of making choices, for the right reasons and at the right time. And, of course, the LORD works sometimes against his own will to preserve our free will. In Blog 156. A Grasp of Hebrew, I referred to a “planned blog” to be called “God has a Soul.” Though that is something that I wrote a good while back, it has not been published. Perhaps one of these days we will get to it, Lord willing. The point is, he chooses his own pain in order to preserve our right to choose. He takes a deep breath when he is frustrated. He waits patiently.
3. Bereshit 14:1 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיְהִי בִּימֵי אַמְרָפֶל מֶלֶךְ שִׁנְעָר אַרְיוֹךְ מֶלֶךְ אֶלָּסָר כְּדׇרְלָעֹמֶר מֶלֶךְ עֵילָם וְתִדְעָל מֶלֶךְ גּוֹיִם.
4. Bereshit 14:9 (Mikraot Gedolot)
אֵת כְּדׇרְלָעֹמֶר מֶלֶךְ עֵילָם וְתִדְעָל מֶלֶךְ גּוֹיִם וְאַמְרָפֶל מֶלֶךְ שִׁנְעָר וְאַרְיוֹךְ מֶלֶךְ אֶלָּסָר אַרְבָּעָה מְלָכִים אֶת הַחֲמִשָּׁה.
⦁ Genesis 14:1-11 (NKJV – leading up to Lot’s Captivity)
1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.
8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
5. Yehoshua 7:21 (Mikraot Gedolot)
[וָאֵרֶא] (ואראה) בַשָּׁלָל אַדֶּרֶת שִׁנְעָר אַחַת טוֹבָה וּמָאתַיִם שְׁקָלִים כֶּסֶף וּלְשׁוֹן זָהָב אֶחָד חֲמִשִּׁים שְׁקָלִים מִשְׁקָלוֹ וָאֶחְמְדֵם וָאֶקָּחֵם וְהִנָּם טְמוּנִים בָּאָרֶץ בְּתוֹךְ הָאׇהֳלִי וְהַכֶּסֶף תַּחְתֶּיהָ.
⦁ Joshua 7:20-22 NKJV
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it.
6. Yeshayahu 11:11 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יוֹסִיף אֲדֹנָי שֵׁנִית יָדוֹ לִקְנוֹת אֶת שְׁאָר עַמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁאֵר מֵאַשּׁוּר וּמִמִּצְרַיִם וּמִפַּתְרוֹס וּמִכּוּשׁ וּמֵעֵילָם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר וּמֵחֲמָת וּמֵאִיֵּי הַיָּם.
⦁ Isaiah 11:11
11 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
From Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the islands of the sea.
7. Zekharyah 5:11 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לִבְנוֹת לָה בַיִת בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר וְהוּכַן וְהֻנִּיחָה שָּׁם עַל מְכֻנָתָהּ.
⦁ Zechariah 5:5-11 (NKJV – Vision of the Woman in a Basket)
5 Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, “Lift your eyes now, and see what this (is) that goes forth.”
6 So I asked, “What (is) it?” And he said, “It (is) a basket (h0374. אֵיפָה ’êp̱â) that is going forth.”
He also said, “This (is) their resemblance throughout the earth: 7 Here (is) a lead disc lifted up, and this (is) a woman sitting inside the basket (h0374. אֵיפָה ’êp̱â)”; 8 then he said, “This (is) Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the basket (h0374. אֵיפָה ’êp̱â), and threw the lead cover over its mouth. 9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.
10 So I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?”
11 And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, (the basket) will be set there on its base.”
8. Daniel 1:2 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיִּתֵּן אֲדֹנָי בְּיָדוֹ אֶת יְהוֹיָקִים מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וּמִקְצָת כְּלֵי בֵית הָאֱלֹהִים וַיְבִיאֵם אֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר בֵּית אֱלֹהָיו וְאֶת הַכֵּלִים הֵבִיא בֵּית אוֹצַר אֱלֹהָיו.
⦁ Daniel 1:1-13
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. 10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.”
Continuing with our narrative, שנער “this is youth…” And our culture (and likely many cultures) finds it desirable, to the extent that one of our addictions is focusing on this desire. Is it all excessive? By no means, some is necessary and a great service to many. But in general, as you see from dollars spent, it is a huge driving force in the U.S.
Are we addicted to “being youthful” and to “prolonging life?” Is this our “fountain of youth,” our Shinar שנער? The choices we make always have consequences. At some point don’t we have to simply stop fighting the consequences and embrace them? Is this not our “cross to bear?”
And let’s turn now to the other word I listed in the cognate permutations group. מזרע from descendants שנער Shinar cognate permutations (change/stabilize)
Most societies have depended upon the “מזרע from descendants” approach. And this is God’s approach.
⦁ Genesis 18:19
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
- And the “traditional method” was the passing along of family/tribal values by way of “the firstborn.” This is why there is so much focus on the idea of the firstborn in Scripture. At the Passover/Pesach, the firstborn of Egypt were all killed in order to kill a certain culture that had arisen in Egypt. And, the LORD calls Israel his firstborn בכור (see this is a קר word!)(Exodus 4:22). And in Exodus 13:1-2 the LORD tells Moses to separate/set apart all firstborn to him. And, of course, see Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7; Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 1:5-6, 12:22-23; and Revelation 1:4-5 for the idea carrying forward into the Greek Scriptures. Yeshua/Jesus is the firstborn.
- See that Genesis 18:19 does not specifically use the word “from descendants,” but clearly this is what the LORD’s plan was, AND it shows up in the more hidden language.
So, the point I am getting to here is really twofold. The first is, perhaps we should be focusing more on passing on a legacy to our children and our children’s children, etc. and less on keeping ourselves alive longer. (Some Medicare studies have shown that 25% of total Medicare spending is expended on the last year of life (some studies as low as 13%). And the second point is to be thinking about the legacy that we are leaving. What has our generation done to the environment? Will Social Security be viable for our children? What is the cost to our descendants of the choices that we make?
Sorry to share so many “opinions.” Discard what you will and retain what you will.
Blessings,
PG
Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates; LogAndSpeck.com October 2025