In Hebrew, the letters will generally look like what they are symbolizing. That is so true of the letter 'Beit' more commonly known as 'Beth', as in Bethlehem. Beth meaning house, and lehem, roughly translates to bread. So Bethlehem is The House of Bread. So here is the Savior being born in a stable in Bethlehem. How ironic, or symbolic, that Christ would say, "I am the bread of life..." (John 6: 33-58). Or "Eat and drink of the bread and water of life...", (Alma 5: 34). And another, "Bread is in remembrance of Christ’s body," (3 Ne. 18: 5-7). And finally, "Bread is an emblem of Christ’s flesh", (D&C 20: 40, 77 (Moro. 4: 1-3). (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/gs/b/39?sr=1) The So, here we have the Bread of Life being born in the House of Bread. How appropriate.
The letter Beit , is symbolized by the number 2, and can mean a variety of ideas that would invoke a sense of home, or as the home often means, a place of safety, a place where God would dwell if invited, and hundreds of similar words and ideas.
Lets keep it simple. Today it is a house or a temple. In first Nephi he says, "And my father dwelt in a tent." (1 Nephi 2:15) Why include such a statement. Of course he dwelt in a tent, we all know that without being told really. So why did Nephi, ever concious of the limited space on those plates, mention it?
Because it tells us something about Lehi, and his righteousness. (see the tent on the right, which would have been similar to the one Lehi and his family dwelt in. (Copyright nephiproject.com )
The tent symbolized several things. It is home, of course, but it would have also become the place where communing with the Lord was paramount! In fact, when erecting a tent such as Lehi's, that center pole (or center stake) becomes the center of the world. The center of the world was a place, a temple, where heaven and earth meet. It was two places in one. So we know that Lehi was faithful to his temple covenants, that he was a righteous priesthood holder, and that he communed with the Lord.
Remember how King Benjamin had everyone with their tent doors open, and facing him? For Lehi to dwell in a tent, simply meant that he was a faithful, honorable priesthood holder. Simply because a tent with it's door open, is facing God symbolically, as a worthy Son of God.
Just a little aside. This is found in Chapter two, a home, a temple, will be spoken of, if it is translated correctly, and it always is. But notice the verse 15. In Hebrew there is a game played where you add the numbers all together, and you get a deeper meaning. So by adding 1+5=6, 6, is the Hebrew letter Vav, which is in part, representing the Power of the Priesthood.
So all the numbers, all the meanings add up, and once again Joseph Smith hits the nail right on the head. Pretty fancy for a third grade education!
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This article is owned by Anastacia Prisbrey. Permission to republish any part in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
The tent symbolized several things. It is home, of course, but it would have also become the place where communing with the Lord was paramount! In fact, when erecting a tent such as Lehi's, that center pole (or center stake) becomes the center of the world. The center of the world was a place, a temple, where heaven and earth meet. It was two places in one. So we know that Lehi was faithful to his temple covenants, that he was a righteous priesthood holder, and that he communed with the Lord.
Remember how King Benjamin had everyone with their tent doors open, and facing him? For Lehi to dwell in a tent, simply meant that he was a faithful, honorable priesthood holder. Simply because a tent with it's door open, is facing God symbolically, as a worthy Son of God.
Just a little aside. This is found in Chapter two, a home, a temple, will be spoken of, if it is translated correctly, and it always is. But notice the verse 15. In Hebrew there is a game played where you add the numbers all together, and you get a deeper meaning. So by adding 1+5=6, 6, is the Hebrew letter Vav, which is in part, representing the Power of the Priesthood.
So all the numbers, all the meanings add up, and once again Joseph Smith hits the nail right on the head. Pretty fancy for a third grade education!
For a copy of the Hebrew letters and their meanings, so that you can begin to apply them in your scripture study, you'll find them below. So enjoy!
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This article is owned by Anastacia Prisbrey. Permission to republish any part in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
