Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.

Genesis 31:45-50

source

Leban and Jacob met last week and Jacob's camp was searched as they looked for Laban's missing gods. Tempers cooled and they decided to make a covenant.

Pillars, alters, or piles of rocks were used back then. They would put hands on the heap and swear promises between parties. In today's reading, we see them referring to these rocks as "a heap" (gal in Hebrew) and the name the place is Geleed and Mizpah.

Gal-eed means heap of stones - witness
Mizpah means watch tower

Using a Galeed, over which each promises not to cross this Mizpah with intent to harm the other, they are about to sweare their covenant. We will be seeing the terminology of the covenant and what each one promises as we finish chapter 31 next week.

Today's reading

English

So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, "Gather stones." And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,' but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." Therefore he named it Galeed, and Mizpah, for he said, "YHVH watch between you and me, when we are out of one another's sight. If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me."

Hebrew

The story continues next week as we finish the chapter...

Info on each letter starting at the beginning

If you are just starting, my lessons are all here starting at Alef, adding vowels (the dots and lines) as we go. I explain the meaning of each letter and its numerical value. Just go to my blog and scroll to the bottom or click here

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Thanks for reading.

Shabbat Shalom