In Touch Quarter 1 - 2012

10 // IN TOUCH
Lowliness
Hebrew Word Study with John C. P. Smith
Contrary to worldly thinking, in
God’s eyes humility is one of the
greatest attributes: “This is the
one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite
in spirit, and trembles at My word” (Isaiah
66:2). And, conversely, one of the worst
offences is pride: “Everyone who is proud/
arrogant/haughty in heart is an abomination
to Yahweh” (Proverbs 16:5).
The metaphor often used in the Bible
for both these attributes is elevation, preserved in English
words such as ‘lowly’/’lowliness’ (clearly deriving from ‘low’)
and ‘haughty’/’haughtiness’ (derived “from Middle English
haute ‘high in one’s own estimation’ [1430]... from Old French
haut ‘high’, from Latin altus” 1 ). Even the origin of the more
commonly used words ‘humble’/’humility’ conveys a picture
of low elevation. It dates to the mid-thirteenth century,
deriving “from Old French humble, earlier humele, from Latin
humilis ‘lowly, humble’, literally ‘on the ground’, from humus
‘earth.’” 1
There are a number of Hebrew verbs which can be
translated “be humble” (William Wilson’s Old Testament
Word Studies lists ten, p. 223). The most common are hn'[' anah,
[n'K' kana and lpev' shafel. There is overlap in meaning and “no
thoroughgoing distinction is possible between” these three
terms, though “slight distinctions may be drawn”. 2
Anah, ‘to afflict, oppress, humble’, seems to stress the
aspects of forcible humiliation (including rape), enforced
submission, punishment and infliction of pain. For example,
“[the Egyptians] appointed taskmasters over [the sons of Israel]
to afflict/oppress/humble [anah] them with hard labour” (Exodus
1:11). A special occurrence of this verb describes Messiah’s
willing submission, allowing Himself to be afflicted and
humiliated: “He was ill treated, whilst He bowed Himself
(=suffered voluntarily) [anah], and opened not His mouth” (Isaiah
53:7, translation by F. Delitzsch) 3 . Other words derived from
the same root include wn'[''' anav ‘humble, meek’; hw'n'[] anavah
‘humility, gentleness’; tWn[/ enut ‘affliction’; ynI[' ani ‘poor, weak,
afflicted, humble’; ynI[\ oni ‘affliction, poverty’; tynI[]T; ta‘anit
‘humiliation’ (by fasting, Ezra 9:5). The name of the New
Testament village Bhqani,a (‘Bethany’, Matthew 21:17, etc) is
thought to mean “Poor-House”—either from Hebrew ynI['-tyBe
Bet-Ani or Aramaic ay'n>[;-tyBe Beth-Anya—as it “may have been
the site of an almshouse... caring for the sick and aiding the
destitute pilgrims to Jerusalem” 4 .
Kana, ‘to be humbled, subdued; be brought down, low,
under; be brought into subjection’, compares dominion and
subjection, the submission to another’s will. “It denotes
bringing a proud and recalcitrant people or spirit into
subjection” 2 . Half the 36 occurrences of this verb refer to
spiritual submission, e.g. “Do you see how Ahab has humbled
[kana] himself before Me? Because he has humbled [kana] himself
before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days...” (I Kings 21:29). The
other half refer to military subjection, e.g. “So the descendants
went in and possessed the land, and [Yahweh] subdued [kana] before
them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites [Kena‘anim], and
gave them into their hands... to do with them as they pleased”
(Nehemiah 9:24). There appears to be a play on words here
since ~ynI[]n:K. Kena‘anim ‘Canaanites’ shares the same root letters
as [n:K' kana, and one plausible meaning for the name ‘Canaan’
is “The Submissive One” 5 . Certainly, this verse testifies to the
fulfilment of Noah’s pronouncement, with descendents of
Ham’s son Canaan (i.e. the Canaanites), being subdued before
descendants of Shem (i.e. the Israelites): “Cursed be Canaan; A
servant of servants he shall be to his brothers... Blessed be Yahweh,
The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant” (Genesis 9:25-
26).
Isaac Mozeson suggests an interesting link between [n:K'
kana and the English word ‘knee’ (and hence ’kneel’), which
share the root consonants k-n-‘ 6 . Certainly, one expression
of humility is bending the knee: whether a voluntary and
effective aid to humble, submissive prayer and worship (as,
also, is lying prostrate); or a compulsory eschatological event:
“…for I am God, and there is no other… Before me every knee will
bow” (Isaiah 45:22-23).
Shafel, ‘to be low, sink, be humbled’, contrasts height and
lowness, and describes the objective state or condition of
being low and/or humble. Other words derived from the
same root include lp,ve shefel and hl'p.vi shiflah, both meaning
‘lowliness, low estate or position’; lp'v' shafal ‘low, humble’;
and hl'pev shefelah ‘lowland, the Shephelah’. In contrast to the
kind of humility which is enforced upon a person by another
or by their circumstances, there is a meekness which can be
chosen. For example, king David was unashamed to make
himself “humble” (shafal) before the Lord and his people (II
Samuel 6:22).
Indeed, the very author and perfecter of our faith, Messiah
Yeshua, “humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8) and declared that
“whoever humbles himself as [a] little child is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). James and Peter both urged
their readers to “humble” themselves (James 4:10, I Peter 5:6).
Why? “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). “God is the Judge:
He puts down [shafel] one, and exalts another” (Psalm 75:7
[Hebrew v. 8]).
The prophet Isaiah foresaw this on a grand scale: “For the
day of Yahweh of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low [shafel]...
The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of
men shall be brought low [shafel]; Yahweh alone will be exalted on
that day... Every valley shall be raised up and every mountain and
hill brought low [shafel]... For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and
holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble [shafal] spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble [shafal], and to revive the heart of
the contrite ones’” (Isaiah 2:12, 17; 40:4; 57:15).
And in response to the humble obedience of Messiah
Yeshua, “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the
name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Messiah Yeshua is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
Notes
1) Online Etymology Dictionary, definitions of ‘haughty’ & ‘humble’ http://
dictionary.reference.com, accessed 3/1/2012.
2) Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, entry on [n:K' kana (see also
entries on hn'[' anah and lpev' shafel in the same book).
3) C.F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7
(Isaiah), p. 512.
4) Wikipedia article on ‘Bethany (biblical village)’, http://en.wikipedia.org,
accessed 7/1/2012.
5) C.F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, ibid., Volume 1 (Pentateuch), p. 99.
6) Isaac E, Mozeson, The Word: The Dictionary That Reveals The Hebrew
Source Of English, p. 209.
“A man’s pride will bring him low [shafel], but the lowly [shafal] in spirit will obtain honour” (Proverbs 29:23)