A little while back, Rhonda started us down a path, being prompted to look once again at something we had explored briefly in the past. It is the concept of ‘all creation’ being created ‘male and female’, and how it all responds accordingly and properly, beyond mere physicality or sexuality, but rather, spiritually. That recent exploration took us to a passage in Hosea, Hosea 2:21-22, that uses and translates the Hebrew word ‘anah’ as ‘hear’ or ‘respond’.
We just couldn’t seem to get that little word ‘anah’ out of our minds. She kept being prompted again and again, commenting over and over ‘we need to look at that word’. There just seemed to be something about those three little letters, and, in particular, the ‘n’ sound in the center. Well, here’s just a portion of what is hidden in that letter, which is also a word, hidden within a word, a true example of our Father YHVH’s ‘Bible Codes’.
The word is ‘anah’, which means ‘to respond to; to answer in response’.
The Hebrew spelling of the word anah is ayin, nun, hey. Every Hebrew letter is also a word and has individual and distinct meaning. Simply put, the ayin is the word for ‘eye’ and the hey means ‘to behold’. (makes sense) We already understood some of the meaning of the first and last letters, but we were somewhat unfamiliar, and, at the same time fascinated and drawn to this little letter ‘nun’.
The letter ‘nun’ (which is also a word) is spelled – nun, vav, nun soffit.
For those that might not be familiar with Hebrew, the nun – pronounced noon (the hebrew ‘n’ sound) is one of 5 hebrew letters that have a different form when used at the end of a word. The term used for that different ending form of the letter is ‘soffit’ (sofeet). We will explain a little later why that little tidbit is so intriguing.
Nun is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet; an interesting number. It is the number of years Jacob worked to finally get his bride. Fourteen is the number of the children of Rachel in Gen 46:19-22.
14 – two sevens – is the number of lambs each day during Sukkot, the feast of Tabernacles. (Numbers 29:12-ff) But on the 8th day, there is only one group of 7 lambs, for the kingdoms of the earth have become the Kingdom of our God, an image of our Father YHVH bringing together the two sticks/the two houses/the two donkeys in and through the work of His Right Hand – Yeshua, the Lamb of God, the one that takes away the sin of the world. In Matthew 1, it says ‘and from Abraham (the one to whom the promise is given and who is set apart with bread and wine by Melchizedek/Yeshua) to King David (a type and shadow and progenitor of Messiah Yeshua) is 14 generations . . .
And again, nun is not only a letter, but also a word. It is both an Aramaic word for ‘fish’ as well as a Hebrew word for ‘fish’ or ‘posterity’, the root of which means ‘to propagate, to bring life’.
The first time we see in Scripture, not just the letter, but the word ‘nun’, is in Exodus 33:11. It introduces us to Joshua (Yehoshua – YHVH saves), the son of Nun – The Son of Life, The Son that propagates and brings life, a type and shadow of Yeshua (Salvation), the Son that is The Way , The Truth and The Life.
In Gen 48:15-16, we see, in the Hebrew, the use of a phrase that actually refers to ‘fish’ in the blessings for Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh. – “And he (Israel) blessed Joseph, and said “The Elohim, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them ‘grow’ into a multitude in the midst of the earth.””
{‘grow’ – dagah – (as fishes do increase) into a multitude in the midst of the earth}.
And that brings to mind a couple more passages in Scripture that mention ‘fish’ and ‘fishing’.
Jeremiah 16:16 – I will send Fishers, says Father YHVH
Matthew 4:19 – Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, says Yeshua.
Here’s another interesting nugget concerning the letter ‘nun’. The Gematria (numeric value and meaning) of the letter nun is ‘50’. Hopefully we all understand the number ‘50’ to be an allusion to jubilee, restoration, new life, all of which point to Messiah Yeshua, His first coming and His ultimate return and the restoration of all things. (Acts 3:19-21)
Oh yeah, remember, we mentioned that little tidbit about the different forms of the letter ‘nun’ within the word ‘nun’? The word (and the letter) is spelled nun, vav, nun soffit. And, just as a reminder, Hebrew is read from right to left. In this word ‘nun’, the first letter ‘nun’ resembles something that has been bent, representing humility and humble faithfulness. The second letter (the vav) is the spike or nail that connects heaven and earth. That ‘vav’ is Yeshua, the One nailed to a cross to be the reconciliation between us and our Father YHVH and for all who will come to Yeshua. The last letter, the nun soffit, is not bent but rather straight and upright, representing the reward for faithfulness and humility.
Remember Yeshua’s words in Matthew 23:12? “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” We see those same thoughts echoed in 1 Peter 5:6. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty Hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”.
And obviously, all this points us to the example of our Messiah Yeshua. “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” (Phi 2:8)
Even the sages of old (whom we rarely quote) taught the word ‘nun’ in psalm 72:17 as a reference to Messiah ben David, the One we know as Yeshua/Jesus, the Returning King. “His name shall be forever: His name shall be ‘continued’ as long as the sun. (literally in Heb. ‘continued’ – His name shall propagate, bring life}: and men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call Him blessed “(Psa 72:17)
“And it shall come to pass in that day, I will respond (Anah), saith YHVH, I will respond to the heavens, and they shall respond to the earth; 22 And the earth shall respond to the grain, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall respond to Jezreel. 23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” (Hos 2:21-23)
Anah – to respond –ayin, nun, hey – “The eye beholds the One who humbled Himself and is exalted.”
Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of YHVH
Shabbat Shalom – J&R
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