- Take note that מרה, bitter; rebellious, is in the same cognate permutations group as רחם compassion.
- Impression רחם compassion; womb ערם combine; join חרם devoted to destruction ארם Syria אמר organize speech ערם together; sheave; heap מרהoppose; bitter cognate permutations (spread/contain; bring together/separate)
One other thought has come to me based upon the present study, if the possible viewpoint in Exodus 15:25 is followed, that making the bitter waters sweet was a specific teaching and testing for Moses (the singular rather than the plural), brings another potential connection to explore. Was at least a part of the reason that Moses was excluded from the Promised Land and buried in an unmarked grave that he was painting for the people too harsh a picture for them of the character of YHWH? According to Artapanus of Alexandria who lived in the second century BCE and to Josephus, a Roman-Jewish historian living c.CE 37-c.100 (caution – this information is NOT in Scripture, therefore does not carry the weight of Scripture in being inspired. See companion piece, Blog 212. Who Was Josephus? The Controversial Backstory of the Famed Historian shared from the Aish website), Moses was a general in Egypt before leaving the country due to his committing murder. Such information could reflect the military-like formation (“orderly ranks”) that is noted in Scripture:
⦁ Exodus 13:18
18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.
Might it be that the prior experience of Moses led him to paint a picture of YHWH as less compassionate than the picture that Yeshua/Jesus paints for us? Can this be why the attributes of YHWH are pointed out to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7? Can this be an important reason he does not lead the people into the Promised Land?
- A very recent Aleph Beta video, which I hope you can watch through the link below, touches on this topic. See the screenshot I did just below showing the picture that many of us have of God as being a mean old man throwing javelins down at us. But the discussion that R. Fohrman gives shows that such is not the case, that YHWH is a loving parent that desires to walk alongside us, only wanting in return the respect of recognizing that YHWH is the source of everything in life.
https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/why-would-god-curse-his-people
- The question I am raising is whether Moses had a tendency (over time) to reflect YHWH as the pictured “mean old man,” whereas Joshua was more the kind of leader one would choose to walk alongside.
Note that leadership is transferred to Joshua, and if you go back in the Blog section of LogAndSpeck, entries 40, 41, and 42 “On Joshua, Assistant/Servant,” Parts I, II, and III, you will see a much more compassionate character painted. Warning, these thoughts are given as questions raised by this writer, not that I have read them elsewhere, so you MUST “be Berean” and go back and (Acts 17:11) “… receive(d) the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Test what I share. The following passage gives a picture of an arrogant Moses, not demonstrating the humility shown by Joshua. See that Moses is blaming his troubles on “the people,” though the troubles in that case are of his own making. (Moses shares a similar attitude toward YHWH also in Numbers 11:10-15.)
⦁ Deuteronomy 3:23-27 (ESV – Moses Forbidden to Enter the Land)
23 “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, 24 ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan.
- Please review each of these investigations. Especially focus on the מרה/רחםgroup, which is our current topic.
⦁ Exodus 34:6-7
6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, upon threes and upon fours.” ESV gives “merciful;” BDB gives “compassionate.”
- Note רחום “compassionate” (from BDB) is from the root רחם
Impression ערום naked; cunning חמור male donkey; bray פארן Paran ואמר and I said מעור from skin מאור from light; luminary ורחם and compassion ברחם in womb; in compassion נחור Nahor אבנר Abner מרוח from spirit המור Hamor רחוםcompassionate cognate permutations (unfold/limit)
(Two tribes that include this cognate permutation group are Reuben ראובן andEphraim אפרים)
Recall that waters reflect teaching. Remember in the Exodus 15 passage, we raised the question about whether the log/tree עץ being thrown into the bitter waters to sweeten them might have been focused specifically on Moses. Was it an individual teaching? Is he being taught to use “sweet words” (compassion)? [[cognate permutation meaning for עץ group is (strength; concentrate energy).]]
- Fairly early in the Exodus journey, Moses is described as “meek.”
⦁ Numbers 12 (ESV – Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses)
1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.
10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the LORD, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
▸ h4784. מָרָה mârâ; a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) bitter (or unpleasant); (figuratively) to rebel (or resist; causatively, to provoke): — bitter, change, be disobedient, disobey, grievously, provocation, provoke(-ing), (be) rebel (against, -lious).
AV (44) – rebel 19, rebellious 9, provoke 7, disobedient 2, against 1, bitter 1, changed 1, disobeyed 1, grievously 1, provocation 1, rebels 1;
- to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against
- (Qal) to be disobedient, be rebellious
- towards father
- towards God
- (Hiphil) to show rebelliousness, show disobedience, disobey
- (Qal) to be disobedient, be rebellious
The question arises, does leadership later “go to his head?” We will explore that idea more later, YHWH willing. I am beginning to see some connections between Moses and Elijah. We may have to do a separate entry related to that relationship. You will recall that they were both “fired“ from their “job” by YHWH. Moses’s “job” was taken over by Joshua and Elijah’s by Elisha. Did it relate to the successors reflecting more of the compassion of YHWH?
After Moses met YHWH and/or his messenger at the “burning bush,” Moses was reticent to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt, making note about his way of speaking.
⦁ Exodus 4:6-17 ESV
6 Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
10 But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
- In verse 10, the typical translation seen above is, “I am not eloquent.” More literally it is “not a man of words.”
Simply raising the question here, when Moses notes he is not a “man of words” (v. 10), is this a reflection of either rebelliousness or compassion? If he was formerly a general, did he strictly follow the rules, neither rebelling against them nor showing compassion in the face of them because of his training? And his brother Aaron אהרן is brought in, whose name includes the רחם group (always remember מ reflecting נ). What is the message here?
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I encourage you to look at the cognate permutation group overall, with the spectrum/continuum from unfold to limit. At one end is compassion and at the other is bitterness. What is our response to the difficulties of life? And if you look at the Deuteronomy 3 passage, where was the heart of Moses toward the people? Early on, Moses was “meek” after having escaped from having committed murder, and being taken in by the priest of Midian and having been given a job and a family. But, did he became more bitter and less compassionate over time with the responsibility of his leadership role?
What are we to learn from this transition? How does it apply to our own life situation? Of course, I can have no answer for your own life experiences. I only raise questions. The challenges of taking on responsibility for others may well harden our hearts. But if our life goal is to become more like YHWH, we must reflect back upon the Exodus 34 passage, the “so-called thirteen attributes” verses.
A key word there in Exodus 34:6-7 is the Hebrew word פקד (EDBH p.205 invest with purpose or responsibility;; protect/endanger (B3)).
The cognate permutations group meaning for פקד is: Impression כבד great/make heavy כתב write תוך midst בית house דבק hold פקד visit בגד garment ידו his hand cognate permutations (allow/embrace [God’s] consequences).
BUT RECALL it is easy to misinterpret, and must turn to:
- Is the idea of “compassion” an important theme throughout Scripture, one that Yeshua/Jesus brought back to our attention?
⦁ Genesis 4:1-15 ESV
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
- I leave you here to 🤔. We have some further connections to be made, upcoming, YHWH willing.
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Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates; LogAndSpeck.com, May 2026. Please cite if you use this material.