The Son of Man

Part of the fun of learning a foreign language is discovering how cultural and social values are often embedded in the language itself. Here’s one example that I was recently reminded of while watching an episode of the Israeli version of “The X Factor” on YouTube.

To ask someone his or her age in Hebrew, you’d use two separate phrases depending on the person’s gender. To a male, the question is phrased “Behn KAH-mah ah-TAH?” (?אתא כמה בן), which is often abbreviated to “Behn KAH-mah?”. This question literally means, “How many (years) have you been a son?” When asking a female, the phrasing is “Baht KAH-mah aht?”(?את כמה בת), or “Baht KAH-mah?” for short, with the translation being “How many (years) have you been a daughter?” Responses take the form of “I (have been) a son/daughter _____________ (years).”

We see this same figure of speech in Biblical Hebrew throughout the Old Testament. Genesis 7:6 demonstrates one example.

.הָאָרֶץ עַל מַיִם ,הָיָה וְהַמַּבּוּל ;שָׁנָה מֵאוֹת שֵׁשׁ בֶּן ,וְנֹחַ

“And Noah was six hundred years old (literally, “had been a son six hundred years”) when the flood of waters was upon the earth.”

Historically, the father-son relationship has been so uniquely distinguished in Semitic cultures that men and boys were either designated by (1) their male parentage in the form of ben-, meaning “son of -”, (examples include the names Ben-Hadad, Ben-Abinadab, Simon Bar-Jona, and Bar-Jesus, with bar- being the Aramaic equivalent to the Hebrew ben-) or (2) their city or region of origin (Jesus of Nazareth and Joseph of Arimathæa, for example). The underlying idea was that who and where you came from in large part defined you.

In addition to the “son of -” grammatical structure being used in Hebrew and other Semitic languages to create the equivalent of modern-day surnames, it’s also the basis of several terms for “(mortal) man” or “mankind”. Two principal expressions for these words are the Hebrew אָדָם בֶּן ben-adam, which has the varied literal meanings “son of Adam”, “son of man”, and “son of the earth”, and the Aramaic אֶנוֹשׁ בָּר bar 'ěnoš (bahr eh-NOSH), or “son of man”. For example, we find the first term, ben-adam, used in Isaiah 51:12.

“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man (אָדָם בֶּן) which shall be made as grass.”

In modern-day revelation the Lord continued using this term for human beings.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings." (Doctrine and Covenants 124:49)

It’s noteworthy that the Savior used the self-identifier “The Son of man” more than any other title when talking about Himself during His earthly ministry. The four New Testament Gospel writers recorded at least forty instances of the Savior calling Himself by this name. Christ continued this practice in revelations given during the early days of the Restoration, using the slightly-modified title “The Son of Man” (with Man being capitalized) as a self-identifier in six places in the Doctrine and Covenants. In D&C 49:5-6 the Father refers to Christ by this same title. The other instances of “The Son of Man” appearing in this book of scripture involve Joseph Smith referencing the Savior by this name. In Old Testament writings the prophets also used this phrase to reference the Messiah as demonstrated by Daniel 7:13-14.

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Going back to New Testament passages where the Savior used “The Son of man” to refer to Himself, I’ve thought a lot about why He chose to use this self-identifier more often than any other. Here’s my opinion on the topic, for what it’s worth. In the generic sense, bar enosh and ben-adam both signify “mortal human being”. But these phrases were also used to reference the promised Messiah as “The Son of man”, as illustrated in the passage I cited above from the Book of Daniel. So when Christ used this title in the grammatical 3^rd person to reference Himself, He was clearly indicating His identity as the Son of God to those of His listeners who had spiritual “ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15). The following two New Testament passages show examples of the ben-adam (Son of man) = Son of God message:

“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then he saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” (Matthew 9:6, emphasis added)

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15, emphasis added)

“The Son of Man” with a capital “M” may have additional significance as it relates to a verse from

the Pearl of Great Price (Moses 7:35):

“Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.”

Not only was Christ the “Son of man(kind)” through Mary, who made available the mortal nature necessary to bring about His physical death, but He was also the “Son of Man (of Holiness)”, or of the Father. It was this Divine parentage that provided Him the power to take up His life again in mankind’s behalf. So when Jesus called Himself by the title “the Son of Man”, it may have served to underline His dual parentage of “man” and “Man”, with a strong emphasis on the latter. Descending below all things was the prerequisite to ascending above all things (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6).

As The Son of Man, He became one of us so that we could become one with Him.

Urim ve’Thumim

And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgement the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart when he goeth in before the LORD; and Aaron shall bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. (Exodus 28:30)

Before exploring the linguistic meaning of the phrase Urim and Thummim, I’ll mention the obvious point that a person’s opinion about its purpose and significance will be influenced by his or her religious background. In the footnotes at the end of this post I’ll include a few comments about Mormon theology on the subject, but for the time being I’ll only focus on common viewpoints that many faith-based groups share. These collective ideas primarily come from Old Testament references to this Divinely-prepared tool and its related gifts, so I’ll rely heavily on various Bible verses throughout this commentary.

Samuel 28:6 and Numbers 27:21 establish that the Urim and Thummim was a means by which prophets and priests in Israel received guidance, spiritual discernment (judgement), direction, and intelligence (light) from the Lord.

And he (Joshua) stall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the after the judgement of the Urim before the Lord… (Numbers 27:21)

We also learn from other Biblical references that it was a part of sacred ceremony associated with the tabernacle and priestly administrations. Tragically, the Urim and Thummim falls out of the Biblical picture sometime during the reign of King Saul. Afterwards it’s only referenced in connection with post-Diasporic Israel’s hopes for the future ministry of prophets and priests once again in the land. (See Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65.)

Like many other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I first learned that the Hebrew phrase Urim and Thummim אורים ותומים  (oo-REEM veh too-MEEM) meant “light(s) and perfection(s)” by reading the translation footnotes in the LDS King James version of the Bible. The introductory verse I quoted above is the earliest reference to the Urim and Thummim we find in the Old Testament, so this passage is probably the same that first exposed me to the term as a teenager. This happened long before I had developed any interest in studying Biblical Hebrew. For me, that linguistic footnote I came across was just one of those interesting scripture-based trivia facts that I considered fun to know.

The phrase means much more to me now. Once I learned enough Hebrew to be able to understand something about the broader meaning of its component parts, I found some instructive connections that have helped me better appreciate how revelation works, both on a universal and individual level. There’s obviously much more to be understood than the few personally-applicable insights that I’ve picked up from my studies, but this linguistic launching point has at least given me a place to begin.

Breaking down the phrase to its main parts, the most common word used in Hebrew for “light” in its singular form is ohr (אוֹר), while “perfection” in the singular is tohm (תוֹם). The other word that makes up this expression (and) is represented by the ve’ (veh sound) that’s attached to the front of Thummim.

Interestingly, the expression Urim and Thummim uses ohr and tohm in their plural forms (you’ll notice their altered vowel sounds, oh to oo, and the addition of the –im suffix), so the literal meaning of Urim ve’Thumim is “Lights and Perfections”. The “perfections” part sounds a little awkward to English speakers since this word is rarely used in its plural form. One explanation for why light and perfection were both pluralized in this Hebrew phrase lies in the language’s semantic rules, or how its grammatical structure influences meaning. One explanation goes as follows: the Hebrew suffix –im can either be a masculine-gender plural marker or a superlative suffix, like the English -est. So Urim ve’Thumim can also be read as “Supreme (highest) light and perfection” in addition to “Lights and Perfections”.

The second noun in Urim ve’Thumim, tohm (תוֹם) represents more ideas than just perfection. For example, it shares several meanings with shalom (a noun I detailed in my last blog post), including wholeness, completeness, and order. But tohm also carries additional meanings, such as righteousness, purity and integrity. So the Hebrew phrase can be alternatively translated as “Supreme (highest) light and order” or “Supreme (highest) light and purity.”

The Biblical record shows an unmistakable connection between tohm (righteousness, purity, order, and integrity) and the serviceable use of the Urim and Thummim for revelatory purposes. We have the account of Moses blessing members of the tribe of Levi with the following: “Let thy (the Lord’s) Thummim and Urim be with thy holy one…” (Deuteronomy 33:8). The Levites had qualified for this blessing of continued guidance through the Lord’s prophets and seers because “they (had) observed (God’s) word, and kept (His) covenant.” (Deuteronomy 33:9). In contrast, an example of self-disqualification from Divine direction via the Urim can be found in King Saul’s life. Through the prophet Samuel, God had chosen him to be the first King of Israel, but owing to his later extreme and repeated disobedience Saul lost the privilege of receiving spiritual help through the Urim and other means.

“And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.” (1 Samuel 28:6)  

This and other scriptural references support the translation of tohm as order. There were structured standards of behavior that qualified nations and individuals to receive Divine guidance through the Urim and Thummim. It also appears that the order of Heaven precluded more than one prophet-seer having an Urim at one time. For example, we don’t find evidence, Biblical or otherwise, of God having established competing interests with multiple Urim in the same geographical location at the same time. This type of arrangement would naturally run counter to the order of Heaven:

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)

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Footnotes:

1)      In the Standard Works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at least five different Urim and Thummim recipients are referenced:

a.       Abraham (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:1, 4)

b.      Moses and Aaron - Eleazar the priest may have used this same Urim during Joshua’s prophetic reign (Numbers 27:21).

c.       The Brother of Jared (The Book of Mormon, Ether 3:21-28). This set was the one that Joseph Smith received to initially help him translate the records that were the source of The Book of Mormon (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 17:1).

d.      Mosiah, a Book of Mormon prophet-seer (Mosiah 8:13, 19 and Mosiah 28:17)

2)      Abraham, who was entrusted with an Urim, came from Ur of the Chaldees. Ur means “light”, just as ohr does. This is only one of many scriptural linguistic connections between the Urim and Thummin and “light”. In Mosiah 8:13-17, Ammon speaks about the Urim’s instrumentality in bringing God’s truth and judgments “to light” (i.e., out into the open and to one's understanding).

Peace, Perfection, and Payment

Although these three nouns don’t necessarily have an obvious connection in the English language, in Biblical Hebrew they’re linked both linguistically and conceptually. Many scriptural passages either hint at or directly reference the theological connections between peace, payment, and perfection. Before providing examples, I’ll give some background information on their linguistic associations.

In October of 2014 I wrote a blog post that included information about the expanded meaning of the Hebrew noun shalom (שָׁלוֹם). To briefly recap, instead of shalom just meaning “peace”, the most common English translation, it also signifies perfection in the sense of something being in a complete, whole, or finished state. The author of 1 Kings 6:7 gives us an example where the adjectival feminine form of shalom (she-leh-MAH) signifies “completion” and “perfection”. Here the writer uses the phrase EH-behn sheh-leh-MAH (שלמה אבן), literally “stones made complete”, to describe blocks used in the construction of Solomon’s Temple that were “finished” at the quarry instead of being hauled as rough slabs to the building site to be chiseled and smoothed there. Also, you’ll notice that the Hebrew words for “perfection” מוּשׁלָמוּת) moosh-lah-MOOT) and “perfect, completed” (מוּשׁלָם moosh-LAHM) contain the same 3-letter consonant root (SH-L-M) that makes up the core of shalom, supporting the dual linguistic and ideological connections. 

What's more, the Hebrew language itself seems fixated on the notion that unless people and things are in a daily, orderly progression towards a state of final completion (ultimate shalom), it isn’t possible to have peace (daily shalom). Two of the most common greetings used in Modern Hebrew are: Mah shlohm-KHAH? (Literally, “How is your peace?”) and Hah kohl beh-SEH-dehr? (“Is everything in order?”). The ideas of “peace” and “ordered completeness” (i.e., perfection) are inseparably connected in Biblical Hebrew. Interestingly, in the LDS Standard Works Topical Guide, the word Peace is followed by the parenthetical note “see also Order” (p. 360, Topical Guide). The two ideas are again intertwined in the following Old Testament verse:

“Mark (notice) the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” (Psalms 37:37, emphasis added)

So how does the third word, payment, tie in linguistically to peace and perfection in Hebrew? The verb that’s used most often in Hebrew for “to pay, to settle an account or debt” is לְשַׁלֵם (leh-shah-LEHM). Again, the same root consonants found in shalom (SH-L-M) resurface in this verb. This imagery works since an unsettled or unpaid account is one that’s not finished, complete or satisfied. The borrower can’t be fully at peace as the owner of an unreconciled debt since his lender has a legitimate claim on his freedom or property; on the other hand, the lender can’t enjoy complete peace while there’s still a possibility of default. Payment bridges this gap so that the transactional relationship becomes perfect, or whole.

Extending this linkage theologically, in order for us to enjoy the connected conditions of perfection (i.e., being completed or finished) and peace, there must be an actual payment, settling of accounts, purchase, or redemption in our collective and individual behalf; the collective part being redemption from physical death, with the individualized piece being salvation from personal sin.

"For by one offering (i.e., payment) he hath perfected them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)

So not only is Christ the Prince of Peace in the sense of being the future Establisher of geopolitical peace once He returns to begin His millennial reign, but perhaps even more significantly, He offers personal peace through His payment that makes the perfection (completion) of our souls possible.

(For additional scriptural references on the topic, see Romans 3:24, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Doctrine and Covenants 76:69, and Mormon 9:13)