Biblical Hermeneutics

PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL HERMENETICS ; M. M. NINAN
Thus the phrase can be understood as 'amazement and desolation'. This means that a
person would be amazed and astonished at anything that was there. This goes beyond the
literal interpretation
Septuagint has “But the earth had become unfurnished and empty,”
Aramaic has “And the earth had become ruined and uninhabited.”
REMEZ
Remez, literally means the “hint” of something deeper. This “hint” can be something as
simple as the name of a place, as subtle as a misspelled word, or as obvious as a prophecy
that has as yet unfulfilled elements.
A simple extention application example:
An example of implied meaning may be found in Ex. 21:26-26-27 where we are told of our
liability regarding eyes and teeth. But the rule is not limited to the eyes and this princople of
liability also applies to other body parts aswll
Aggadic example:
There is a traditional Rabbinic passage describing spiritual history that relates the 6 days of
Creation to the 6000 years the World will exist, and the Sabbath to the 7th Millenium
Messianic Era.
The first 2000 years of Creation from Adam, through Noah and the Tower of Babel, to
Abraham were 2000 years when God was hidden.
The next 2000 years from the Israelite Patriarchs, through the Giving of the Torah at Sinai, to
the 1st and 2nd Jewish Commonwealths and Temples in Jerusalem, were 2000 years of
Divine revelation.
The final 2000 years of preparation when the Jewish Messiah is waited for, are 2000 years
balanced between Divine concealment and revelation.
A Remez-allusion to this is found in the first verse of the Torah:
"In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth"
‏.בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
Of these 7 words, only Hashamayim-Heavens has no letter א Aleph, the first letter of the
Hebrew alphabet, numerical value of 1 (gematria). Aleph, hints at its etymological variants
"Aluph" (Chief/Ruler) and "Eleph" (One Thousand), the first representing the 1 God, the
second representing 1000 years.
Hebrew root words are generally made from three consonant letters, as vowels are read in
pronunciation instead. Hebrew reads from right to left.
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