Hebrew Word Study – May Be Consumed – Tammu – תַּ֤מּוּ  Taw Mem Vav

Psalm 104:35:  “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.”

I Corinthians 14:34-35: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law. (35) And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

There is an interesting passage from the Talmud Berakoth 10a.  There were once some highwaymen (thieves) in the neighborhood of Rabbi Meir who caused him much trouble.  Rabbi Meir then prayed that they should die.  However, his wife Valeria (Beruria in Aramaic meaning pureness, clearness, brightness, and innocence) said to her husband: “How do you reason that God would permit such a prayer?” Rabbi Meir replied to his wife that it is written “Let the sinners (chatta’im) come to an end.”  Chatta’im is an adjective rightly rendered as sinners. This is the way it is written in the Masoretic text. However, his wife responded “In the Torah scrolls, the word is chot’im and is a present participle.  If you look at the context you find at the end it says ‘Let the wicked be no more.’  Since all sin will cease, there will be no more wicked.  So, you should rather pray for them and pray that they repent.”

What struck me as strange is that the husband, a rabbi, did not rebuke his wife and say: “Who are you to tell me what the Torah Scrolls are saying, you are just a woman and not a scholar like me.”  Yet, he did not rebuke her but changed his prayer as she suggested and prayed that God not kill these men but bring them to repentance.  Yet, this woman obviously was well versed in the Hebrew grammar and studied the Torah Scrolls as well as the Masoretic text, possibly more than her husband, a rabbi.  

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For two thousand years the church taught that women are to keep silent in the church and are not to teach men. Yet, Judaism clearly teaches in the Talmud that a woman can instruct her husband in the Torah and examples are given when she does as Berakoth 10a.  That would mean we either interpret Paul wrongly or there might be a little difference in nuance in the translations.

Valeria’s rendering of Psalms 104:35 was right of course.  In the Christian world, the Masoretic text is almost considered inspired.  Actually, the Masoretic text was not developed until 700 years after the birth of Christan. The Masoretic text is not the inspired Word of God and it is not always correct in their final conclusion many rabbis do not trust or revere the Masoretic text like we Christians do.  

Thus, we should look at Psalms 104:35 not as an instruction to pray that our enemies be consumed, killed,k or in the Hebrew tammu which means to come to an end or vanish. Instead, like Valarie said, we should pray for our enemies that they repent.  I mean did not Jesus teach the same thing in Luke 6:28? “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”

So what about this business of women keeping silent in the church and only learning from their husbands?  We will consider that in our class tonight.  Join us or listen to the discussion recording at www.hebrewwordstudy.com. 

 

 

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