An Oath of Complete Loyalty
After Moses descended from Mount Sinai, the first step he took was to have the people promise to be faithful to God’s word. Moses arranged an elaborate ceremony. He built an altar, with twelve pillars, one for each tribe, and sacrificed numerous animals. Then read the words of the Torah aloud and waited to see what the reaction of the people would be. Miraculously, they all shouted together, “All that the Lord has spoken we will faithfully do” (Exod. 24:7)!
A Bold Promise
If we read this verse in the original Hebrew, what the Israelites said is far more interesting: na’aseh v’nishma נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע. This means, “We will do, and we will listen.” When you read this two-word phrase in Hebrew, it perfectly encapsulates the life of a person of faith. First the Israelites agreed to obey the laws of the Torah, and only afterwards would they explore why.
Get a New Perspective on Scripture
As we can see, from the very onset of God’s laws, the Hebrews agreed to accept His will without question. This is just one example of how reading the Bible in the original Hebrew can give you a new perspective of Scripture. Enroll in our live, online Biblical Hebrew course today to discover more secret layers like this.