#33. Romans 1:28-31 – The Hebrew Crash Course Concerning Unrighteousness, Part 2
Part II: The Conduct of Humanity
And according as they do not test God, to have Him in recognition, God
gives them over to a disqualified mind, to do that which is not befitting, filled with all injustice, wickedness,
evil, greed, distended with envy, murder, strife, guile, depravity,
whisperers, vilifiers, detesters of God, outragers, proud, ostentatious,
inventors of evil things, stubborn to parents, unintelligent, perfidious,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful…
Hey/Distended with Envy
The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is “hey.” This letter generally represents a soft ‘h’ sound. The letter hey looks like an open mouth. This gives the letter a quality of spirit, or breath. The word hey, in Hebrew, is spelled with a “hey” and an “aleph,” and is an exclamation meaning “See!” It is a strong declaration, or heralding, of something.
A practical example of this can be seen in the very nature of the Hebrew language. “Hey,” when used in front of a noun in Hebrew, is used as a definite article. This is seen in Genesis 1:1, where the letter hey is in front of the word samayim, “heavens,” and erets, “earth.” This letter “hey,” the definite article, makes the words ha-samayim and ha-erets, or “the heavens” and “the earth.” The heavens and earth are declared. See the following nouns: heavens and earth!
This letter is used twice within the name of God, “YHWH,” and I will be covering a few different reasons for this throughout our study. As God is spirit (John 4:24,) it makes sense that this letter is used twice in His name, among two other critical letters which we will consider soon.
Christ, upon His descent to the earth, served as a Door for the Jews and proselytes to access the Father, in preparation for His reign as King, His job as Prophet, and His mediation as Priest. To do this, Jesus heralded the evangel of the kingdom, as discussed in the introduction to this Romans study (Matt. 4:23.) Jesus… heralded… “hey.”
From here, we may finally consider man’s antitype. Man’s fifth action which is not-befitting, proof of injustice coursing through us: distended with envy. We are full of this ‘envy’ nonsense. For those who don’t know, envy is ill will that results from desiring that which another has. This is best exemplified in Pilate’s realization that envy is what made the Israelites give up their Christ. They hated that He was their chosen One; they wanted the righteousness in Him, apart from Him. We are so full of this stuff that we would sooner ruin the good and just out of envy than lift Him up.
Our lungs, our hearts, our minds – are distended with envy, bursting at the seams. Most of us do not have a peaceful disposition, and look on at what others have with desire. This leads to fake interactions, ill-advised fantasies, and petty behaviors (and this is the least that envy can do.) Envy, then, is heralded by our bodies and minds on a regular basis – not merely a desire, but poor actions and feelings stemming from desires of other people.
It may be argued, of course, that envy is understandable in many scenarios – you may desire another’s significant other, or desire the home of another, or their income, or their social status, etc. And, there are many sympathetic reasons that you could probably give which would lead you to this conclusion. For example, maybe the significant other is treated poorly by their current “lover.” Or, maybe you’re one paycheck away from bankruptcy, and you dream of all you could do with your friend’s $50k/year. Or, maybe you believe someone else is abusing their social status. These should be adequate excuses for the envy, right?
Well, look. Christ suffered in our flesh; He was certainly tempted, far more than any other living being, to become envious of another. I’m pretty sure He can forgive any of the sinful actions we’re considering. What you must understand about this portion of Romans is that it is speaking in comparison to righteousness – a Godlike righteousness. No mortal could conceive of the overwhelming calculations and rhythms that the universe requires, with such precise, accurate quality that would fall apart with the tiniest sinful error. We, as human beings, err regularly. It’s our lifestyle to err.
We err, guys.
This part of Romans is speaking factually, as such. God is hurt by these actions, yes, but He is simultaneously laying claim to their foundation, so they are clearly issues He can resolve (and He does, in future chapters.) But there is no emotional resolve that can erase the current reality of the situation, and camping in blissful ignorance only lasts for so long.
As we
are full of envy, it would follow that, when our open mouths speak
(the shape of the “hey,”) we release this envy. Irrespective of our
sympathetic (or non-sympathetic) reasons, envy itself is hardly ever an evangel
(good news, as Christ’s was.) It is typically distressing, oft-times
anxiety-inducing. It produces in us an uncertain want that leads to
irrational actions that are simply out of character for us. Christ’s good news
is contrasted with our bad news. Christ has something good, and
wants to enact it, while we generally want what we don’t have, and can’t
appreciate what we do have until it’s gone.
Waw/Murder
The sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is “waw.” This letter makes the ‘w’ sound in Hebrew (sometimes it makes the ‘v’ sound, but I will be keeping my enunciations to the ‘w’ because I have been typing “Yahweh” this whole time, and don’t feel like saying “Yahveh,” even if it’s valid.)
In Paleo-Hebrew, the letter “waw” is pictured as a nail (and some interpret it as a cross.) This should scream the meaning of the letter to any practiced Bible reader, or anyone who recalls the fate of Jesus (spoiler alert: He died. Like, on the cross. With nails in His hands.)
This Hebrew letter is special, in that it will almost always mean “and” when it is placed at the start of every Hebrew word. It simply means “in addition to,” and appears in almost every verse in the Bible.
Its first use can be found in Genesis 1:1 – “In a beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” In Hebrew, the “waw,” the nail, is placed between the heaven and the earth. This is quite a fitting introduction to Christ and His agenda to mediate and reconcile both the heavens and the earth, the visible and the invisible, the spiritual and the physical, through His sacrifice on the cross at Golgotha (Rom. 5:9, 6:3, 1 Cor. 15:3-4, 2 Cor. 5:18-21, Col. 1:19-20, see: the letter “tav” in part 6 of this study.) When He was nailed to the cross, He was bound to sin, becoming sin for our sakes with the express goal of ensuring that we are becoming God’s righteousness in Him (2 Cor. 5:21.)
With this, we have yet another pairing: the “hey” with the “waw.” It is because of Jesus’ declarations that He was sacrificed. And, it is this very sacrifice that ultimately tests the grounds of the evangel Jesus proclaimed.
We contrast this pretty clearly and decisively with man’s unjust antitype: murder.
…Yeah, I know, He’s as subtle as a bull in a china shop. I mean, what do I need to say, really? We are accountable for the grotesque, merciless crucifixion of God’s own Son. We nailed Him to the cross. This occurred, for us, out of envy. The pairing between “envy” and “murder” is self-evident in the prior example: out of envy the Jews did not learn from their Passover – instead, they held Him up to be sacrificed in the most dishonorable fashion, reserved for the worst criminals (Matt. 27:38, Mark 15:6-15.)
There is much to dwell on
concerning the topic of murder. Of course, not all of us in the
human race are murdering each other, but I believe we are all generally guilty
by association; the whole race, together, as a whole, are subject
to sin. Not just some of us. A murderer may not be a whisperer (see
“yod/whisperers.”) An inventor of an evil thing may not be without natural
affection (for intent matters.) You are bound to find yourself in a fair
handful of these terms (maybe all of these terms.) But sin has the
capability to manipulate you into any of these; we are not free, and all have
their breaking point. Mental disorders, for example, can drive many to their
limit. Major depression or anxiety disorders can lead to one murdering
themselves. It can happen to you. This is the fact; we are all capable
of being broken. Abused. Tortured psychologically into behaving and thinking
differently. These can be healed, of course (for there are other sides to
life,) but there are a plethora of involuntary factors that could, honestly,
plague any of us at any time. Since we are given over to
disqualified minds, apart from Paul’s evangel, then it is, technically, His right
to give someone over to these natures. It is, literally, a mercy that
the race is being held in, through its unrighteousness.
Zayin/Strife
The connection to Christ here is, again, quite evident. Christ’s death (in the previous letter, waw,) ensured His allotment to rule over all, represented here in this letter.
We can contrast the letter “zayin” and its meaning with Paul’s seventh description, “strife,” or eris. This is an active hostility, or enmity, toward others. This is one of the easiest charges to spot on man’s part (well, they’re all pretty easy, but this one especially.) We can observe, over the last 5,000 years of major human civilizations, that strife is a decadent transition into obscurity or death. For example, the Peloponnesian War was the summation of harsh conflict between the Athenians and the Spartans, splitting Greek city-states down the middle. We see France’s turbulent history, revolution after revolution, continually re-inventing itself in the midst of strife among its collective. The Holy Roman Empire was full of strife, itself a sect to distinguish itself from other self-proclaimed Christians. And the leaders of the Ottoman Empire and the Third Reich simply jumped to genocide.
Our most prevalent example is America (no, I won’t get too preachy; I’ll let man’s modern social issues speak for themselves.) Almost anyone in America will be able to tell you that the two major political parties, the republicans and the democrats, have been at a boiling point for a long time, dating back to the creation of the republican party in 1854. This was 6-7 years before a little-known event called The Civil War. The eras that have followed – reparations, civil rights movements, social and economic advancements – have maintained this strife by lacking a permanent resolution to race-wide issues, including classism, nationalism, racism, greed, and more. Both parties have mutated from their flawed positions, and this rift among all of us are the fruits we reap.
This enmity –
this cold, calculated, vindictive disposition toward each other – is prevalent not
merely within our branches of government, but within social movements from
fanbases to churches to social media. People take positions, and hate on the
positions of others. Our apostle Paul asks us at various points not to
be causing or walking in strife (Rom. 13:13, Tit. 3:9.) This is no marvel, for
our Lord’s dictum (Mark 3:24) rings true even today:
And if ever a kingdom should be parted against itself, that kingdom is
not able to stand.
Sure enough, America is not called the ruling,
millennial kingdom which will be on the earth in a short amount of time. Israel
is. The exact opposite of a king and his authority is a subject with
no authority. Our strife firmly demonstrates that we belong in
the latter camp.
Chet/Guile
The eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is “chet.” This letter generally makes a short “c” sound, like ch in “bach.” The letter represents some kind of separation with a barrier, such as a wall or fence. Some interpret it as a doorway (maintaining the distinction between “dalet,” the door, and the doorway,) and this is also valid.
The name of this letter, “chet,” sounds like the Hebrew word chata, which means “sin.” Of course, sin is the separation between man and God, a firm barrier dividing the two. Paul points this out in Ephesians 2:14-15, calling Christ our peace, “razing the central wall of the barrier (the enmity in His flesh…) killing the enmity in [the new humanity.]” Paul also writes in 2 Cor. 5:21 that Christ, “knowing no sin, became sin for our sakes.” Christ is the One Who rules (“zayin”) by bearing this enmity (“chet.”)
Thus, we see the story of Christ clearly and distinctly up until this point in the Hebrew alphabet. Christ (aleph,) the Dwelling of God (bet,) descends from His home (gimel,) to serve as a door for man to access the father (dalet,) by proclaiming the evangel of the kingdom (hey.) He is nailed to the cross (waw,) for proclaiming the truth of His kingship, (zayin,) bearing and defeating sin in the flesh, becoming obedient unto death (chet.)
This letter contrasts well with Paul’s next antitype concerning man’s unrighteousness: guile. This term in Greek, dolos, carries the elements “FRAUD” in scripture. Popular translations translate this term as “deceit.”
This is our barrier. This is the reality of our separation of God – we commit guile, not He. He speaks truth, while we manipulate and lie. No man on this earth can lay claim to speaking the whole truth all the time. At some point, we at least attempt to manipulate a situation to benefit ourselves. It’s a simple fact of our human nature to commit these acts. As a race, many of us have found ourselves to be frauds involuntarily – lying to ourselves, willfully or forcefully liars to or for others, and more. We cannot overcome this barrier, and we’re reliant on it. We use it to hide from the truth and maintain our personal goals (yes, it’s as silly as “hiding from God behind a bush,” or “joining random sailors to avoid Ninevah.”) This deceit perpetuates this barrier between us and God.
Thus, we see the antitypical depiction of sin operating
in us so far. We lack righteousness, because sin is already in us. Our
very essence, our bodies, emotions, and minds are lacking righteousness (aleph.)
We are miserable – our dwellings are wicked (bet.) The race is conducting
an evil, self-absorbed journey to achieve righteousness of its
own volition (gimel.) This is, ironically, brought about by a greed for righteousness
(dalet.) This causes our structured societies to spiral. Man is
continually bursting with envy, hating those with more (hey) and
murdering for feigned gain (waw.) We fight for sovereignty and
power (zayin,) with lies and false pretense to defend ourselves (chet.)
(to be continued)
- GerudoKing
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