Reclaiming The Biblical Names (4): Exodus

MIZRAIM – MORE THAN JUST A NAME

We are still discussing Biblical names, and we are now in the book of Exodus. As you know, the very title of this book refers to Exodus from Egypt (…bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt)^[1] – therefore, it is crucially important for us to understand the meaning of the name of Egypt, Mizraim, מצרים. In the Bible, we hear this name for the first time in the book of Genesis: first, Genesis 10 lists Mizraim as a son of Ham, son of Noah; later, the name becomes the common name for Egypt (also known as ‘the land of Ham’ (see Psalm 105:23).  Why? What is the message of this name in Hebrew, and what would it mean to a Hebrew audience?

Egypt was called Musuru, Misir or Masri in several languages, and Mizraim might just be a transliteration into Hebrew of any of these names. However, we can try to understand how a Hebrew audience might have interpreted the name Mizraim. The word מצרים looks like a dual form of the Hebrew root מצר(mesar)—so what does this root mean?

The word, מצר (mesar), means trouble: distress, pain, strait. In a dual form, it would form the word מצרים, Mizraim, and would therefore read Double Distress, or Double Trouble. For instance, in Lamentations 1:3, the very word mizraim, מצרים occurs with the meaning of “distress[es]” and with no connection to Egypt. Some scholars suggest that this is what Mizraim would have meant to a Hebrew audience[2] —for Israelites, to go down to Egypt, would mean distress and trouble. No wonder Jacob is very concerned about moving to Egypt, and God has to comfort and encourage him on this matter, assuring him that it was indeed His plan: “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt… I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again.”[3]

MOSES AND HIS PARENTS

To this day, there is no agreement among the scholars as to what Moses’ name, Moshe, may mean, and what the origin of this name is. There are two main approaches, of course: the origin of the name Moshe might be associated with either Hebrew or Egyptian languages:

In Hebrew, Moses (Mosheh, מֹשֶׁה) is traditionally understood to mean “drawn out” or “to pull out,” referring to the biblical account where Pharaoh’s daughter drew him out of the Nile River (Exodus 2:10). At the same time, some scholars derive this name from the Egyptian word, mes or mses, meaning “child” or “born of,” as it was commonly used in the names of Egyptian royalty (e.g. Thutmose, meaning “born of Thoth”). In this case, the name reflects Moses’ upbringing in Pharaoh’s household.

However, the Hebrew names of Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed, leave us no doubt as to their meaning. Amram means ” the nation that is exalted.” Jochebed means ” to the Lord belongs the glory.” The parents of Moses, living in Egypt, lived by faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they knew the God of Israel. They knew the things and the truths recorded in Genesis, although the book did not yet exist.

THE NAME OF GOD   

We all know the words of God that Moses heard during the second revelation (after the first revelation at the Burning Bush):  And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known.”[4]

Let us contemplate this solemn revelation. This statement seems to contradict the book of Genesis and everything we know about the patriarchs: according to Genesis, the patriarchs knew this name, because it occurs often there. The Hebrew linguists think that the statement, ‘the name YHWH was unknown till it was revealed to Moses,’ is disproved by the names like Jochebed that we just discussed: if   Jochebed was the mother of Moses, his grandparents had to know the name YHWH, because they gave their daughter a name where the first component was Jah, a shortened form of YHWH. The same can be said about the parents of Joshua, they also gave their son a name with Yah as the first component.

However, if the linguistic proof is so obvious, why has Exodus 6:3 been interpreted as revealing the name YHWH for the first time? The explanation, as often happens, should be sought in Hebrew: most Christian students of the Bible fail to understand the meaning of the Hebrew verb “to know” (Yadah). When a modern Christian reader thinks that God’s words in Exodus 6:3 mean that His name was not known before Moses, he doesn’t really understand this word. The idea of “knowing” in Biblical Hebrew is much more personal and intimate than our modern understanding of knowing. In the Hebrew scriptures, “to know,” means not just to be intellectually informed, but to experience reality. Knowledge is not the possession of information – it is an experience! To “know God” in the Bible is not “to know about him” in some abstract and impersonal manner, not to grasp philosophically his eternal existence, but to recognize and experience His reality and to obey His will. When the phrase “to know the Lord” occurs in the Old Testament, it never means just knowing the name: “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him”; “I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.”  These are just a few of many examples, but even from these examples, it is clear that these words imply a profound inner transformation. Why would it have been different when God revealed Himself to Moses in the midst of his trials and failures, in the darkest and seemingly hopeless times?

In this sense, we see a very clear connection between the verse we just quoted, where God reveals His name to Moses, and verse 7 of the same chapter, where God continues to speak to Moses saying: “I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” Do you remember that even before this Second Revelation, Moses was supposed to tell the people of Israel the name of the Lord – this was a commission he received in Exodus 3, at the Burning Bush. However – pay close attention – God does not expect the Israelites to know Him and His name after Moses tells them this name, between Exodus 3 and Exodus 6. It is only after they experience the reality of the Exodus – the reality of His faithfulness, His compassion, and His power – that they will really know Him. No wonder He “was not known” like this to the previous generations, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they had not experienced Him like this. According to Jewish tradition, the Patriarchs knew God and His name only in a limited way.

When we think of Moses, we usually think of the “Burning Bush” revelation, and understandably, we all want the “Burning Bush” in our lives. However, don’t we all need this Second Revelation as we learn to know God more deeply – especially in these confusing times? Rashi writes that at his initial revelation at the burning bush, Moses did not really comprehend the essence of God; but now, when God reveals Himself to Moses again, he acquires a new insight into the character of God. Now Moses begins to see God in a new light, as faithful, merciful, and compassionate. Now Moses begins to really know God as his Lord, Adonai.

Jewish tradition interprets the names Elohim and Adonai as the explanation of the two sides of the nature of God: His Justice and His mercy. This understanding of the different names of God also explains two different accounts of creation – Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. The Midrash says that God originally created the world as Elohim (Genesis 1), but that afterward He is called Adonai Elohim (Genesis 2) because He saw that, without His mercy, His creation would not survive. I think we can all agree that we are at the point where, without His mercy, we would definitely not survive.

[1] Ex. 3:10

[2] See Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names

[3] Gen.46:3,4

[4] Ex. 6:3

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