Eli recently completed his MA at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focusing on the Bible .Nowadays, he teaches Bible, Jewish Philosophy and Mathematics in ”The Beit Hinuch high school” in Jerusa
March 30th, 2010 04:24 AM ET

If I am embarrassed, what the bible will say?

Whenever I want to remember the time I was a little boy, embarrassed, innocent, naïve there are two stories in the scriptures that remind me this time.
The first is the beginning days of Solomon when he was a lone after defeating all of his internal enemies in 1 Kings 2 by the help of benaiah. Solomon said to God this lovely saying:
"וְעַתָּה, יְהוָה אֱלֹהָי, אַתָּה הִמְלַכְתָּ אֶת-עַבְדְּךָ, תַּחַת דָּוִד אָבִי; וְאָנֹכִי נַעַר קָטֹן, לֹא אֵדַע צֵאת וָבֹא"

"And now, O LORD my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in" (1 Kings 3:7)

It's funny that Solomon who was king in the age of 30 relates himself like the young little boy, the embarrassed one, who is so little, that he can't go out alone, or even go in....
The other embarrassed people are the people of Nineveh, the same people that Jonah said to them his prophecy and they repent. The last verse of the book show to us their qualities, as written:

"וַאֲנִי לֹא אָחוּס, עַל-נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה--אֲשֶׁר יֶשׁ-בָּהּ הַרְבֵּה מִשְׁתֵּים-עֶשְׂרֵה רִבּוֹ אָדָם, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָדַע בֵּין-יְמִינוֹ לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ, וּבְהֵמָה, רַבָּה"

"And should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also much cattle?"

All over Nineveh, the people behave like small children; this is a big embarrassment!

 Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Hebrew               Transcription                Translation

מְבוּכָה                  mebûkāh                      Embarrassment
עַל יָמִין וְעַל שְׂמֹאל    'al yāmîn we'al śemō'l   All over the place
יֶלֶד                       Yeled                         Child, kid
תָּמִים                  tāmîm                           Innocent

Eli@eteachergroup.com

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About this blog
A blog for people who wants to know the Bible through the window of the original Hebrew to gain a deeper understanding of the text.