Repentance as "Re-Turning"

A lot has already been written by Biblical Hebrew commentators about the distinctions between the two main verbs that were translated as "to repent" in English, so I’ll only give a brief overview of this topic before moving on to illustrate the links between the Bible and other LDS scriptures on the Hebraic concept of repentance.

When “to repent” is used in the O.T. in the sense of God’s feelings toward His children's acts of disobedience, especially habitual sin, the verb leh-hee-nah-KHEM לְהִנָחֵם is used. The verbs in English that most accurately describe לְהִנָחֵם are “to regret, to pity, to grieve, to have compassion (on).” The following verse provides a perfect example: 

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” (Genesis 6:5,6) 

But the Biblical Hebrew verb that best expresses the idea of repentance as used in modern English is lah-SHOOV לָשׁוּב, which literally means to turn back, to return, or to turn again towards, with a huge emphasis on the “again” element of the verb. In fact, the root of the verb, shoov שׁוּב, is an adverb that means “again”.

Here are several O.T. examples. The first verse demonstrates beautifully the link between repentance and (re)turning towards the Lord.

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” (Ezekiel 18:30)

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)

“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts…” (Malachi 3:7)

“For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.” (2 Chronicles 30:9)

In addition, Book of Mormon prophets were very familiar with the metaphor and imagery that linked repentance with (re)turning towards God. Note the following examples:

 “But if ye will repent and return unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth not.” (Helaman 13:11)

“But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel. But if they will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them, and shall tread them down, and they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house of Israel.” (3 Nephi 16:13, 15)

Even the Savior Himself uses the Hebrew language meaning of "to turn" at times. (See 3 Nephi 30:2.) The Lord's statements here are synonymous, just as the two verbs are in this context.

"Turn all ye Gentiles from your wicked ways; and repent of you evil doings."

To finish off, a few personal thoughts in this subject.

That the Old Testament and Book of Mormon prophets regularly used the verb “to return (again)” to convey the concept of repentance carries an implied lesson: God knew and expected that due to our fallen nature we would often decide to turn away from Him throughout our lives and then find the spiritual need to "re-turn" towards Him. Ideally that returning will happen on an hourly basis throughout the day anytime we notice our focus shifting away from our Father and the Savior. One of my favorite analogies is that while driving, in order to safely reach our various destinations each day, we literally make dozens of small course corrections each minute using the steering wheel. 

The ultimate goal of repentance is returning to our previous relational state with our Father, which includes reunion with God in His presence. All things point towards repentance leading to a final return to our face-to-face relationship with Him that we enjoyed before we came to Earth, an idea that’s captured in several of these verses. (See 2 Chronicles 30:9 above.) As we sincerely repent as often as needed, metaphorically turning our face (gaze) towards His, the Lord promises that we'll again see Him as He is, and know Him personally once again. 

“And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:38)

The Windows of Heaven

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)

The phrase "windows of heaven" from this Old Testament verse had always confused me over the years. This may seem like a superficial hang-up, but I could never quite wrap my mind around Malachi’s side-by-side referencing of “windows” and “heaven”. The spatial incompatibility was what threw me off. After all, aren’t windows horizontal elements built into side walls, and isn’t heaven traditionally referenced as vertically being above us?

Ruins from pre-Christian Era dwellings in Sikait, Egypt
which demonstrate examples of "khalonot" (side windows)

Going to the original language of the Old Testament helped me resolve this seeming incongruity. I learned that there are actually two main Biblical Hebrew words that were translated as “window” in the English translation of the Old Testament. And it turns out they have very different meanings. What we would traditionally call a window is signified by the Hebrew word חַלוֹן (khah-LOHN). It’s the side opening in a structure that, in ancient biblical times, would have been typically covered by wood or some other material rather than glass. This is the “window” that’s referenced in 2 Kings 9:30.

"And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window (חַלוֹן)."

A reconstructed circa 1000 B.C. home in the ancient
town of Catal Huyuk (located in modern day 
Turkey), showing an "aruba" opening above the oven

The other Old Testament Hebrew word that was translated as “window”, אֲרוּבָּה (ah-roo-BAH), carries a separate meaning. It signifies an overhead opening in a building or tent, so it can also be translated into English as “chimney” or “smoke and air vent”. In ancient times, the ah-roo-BAH was located at the center of a tent’s apex to allow for general ventilation, allowing smoke from the heating or cooking fire to exit the dwelling space while letting light enter. In permanent structures it took the form of a removable ceiling tile which would have typically been located in a corner of the house or along a side wall. (See the example in the side photo.)

It’s this second kind of window or chimney, an ah-roo-BAH and not a khah-LOHN, that Malachi references in 3:10. As a result, his metaphorical reference to “the windows of heaven” places them above us, instead of to the side. This is the same word we find in Genesis 7:11, the first Biblical reference to “the windows of heaven.” It’s used to describe the rains that came down from above during the Great Flood of Noah’s time.

“…the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven (השָׁמַיִם וַאֲרֻבֹּת vah ah-roo-BOHT hah shah-mah-YEEM) were opened.”

An example of a smoke vent "aruba"
at the apex of a portable tent

So in Malachi 3:10, the prophet is referencing the metaphorical overhead windows through which the Lord pours out the blessings of heaven upon people who are tithed. The light that would come directly through the opening of the tent or roof alluded to in this verse might also symbolize these various blessings, including spiritual knowledge and truth since light is associated with both.

But it gets even better. It turns out there's another level of meaning in this verse. Malachi uses a word play on two Biblical Hebrew homophones (words that are spelled differently but pronounced the same – sew, so, and sow, for example) in order to teach a key doctrinal lesson about obedience and God’s covenant relationship with those who keep His commandments. This second noun עֲרוּבָּה, also pronounced ah-roo-BAH, makes up the second word in Malachi's word play. It's spelled the same as the term for “chimney” or “vent” in Hebrew(אֲרוּבָּה)  except that in the first consonant place ע (ayin) is substituted for א (alef). Although the two terms are pronounced identically, the second word means a “promise”, “pledge”, or “guarantee”. It appears in a modified (constructive) form in Genesis 38:20.

"And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge (hah eh-rah-VOHN הָעֵרָבוֹן) from the woman's hand; but he found her not."

Based on this creative word play, the central promise found in Malachi 3:10 can alternatively be read:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the ‘guarantees, promises, pledges’ of heaven (ah-roo-BOHT hah-shah-MAYEEM אֲרֻבּוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם), and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

The Linguistic Connection between Temples and Mountains in Hebrew

Model of the Temple of Herod

While studying Hebrew verbs this past week I came across a new one I hadn’t learned before. It’s לְהַרִים (leh-hah-REEM), which means “to lift, pick up, raise up, hold up, elevate”. Although I wasn’t familiar with this verb, I recognized the root consonants ח - ר (h - r) as the ones that make up the word for mountain, הַר (hahr). So it turns out that the word mountain in Hebrew literally means “lifted up, raised, elevation”.

In English the same meaning is expressed using the adjective “exalted”, which is derived from the Latin verb exaltare. This word is composed of the two Latin roots ex or “up” + altus or “high”. Like the Hebrew verb leh-hah-REEM, exaltare signifies “to raise, elevate”.

Being the language fanatic that I am, I enjoyed learning about the derivation of the word “mountain” in Hebrew, but what was even better was to be able to apply it to the Old Testament references that link temples (The House of the Lord, בֵּית-יְהוָה Beit Adonai) to mountains, especially in the Book of Isaiah.

Galilean mountains, Israel 

A few examples include:

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2)

“For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the first fruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.” (Ezekiel 20:40)

The connection makes perfect sense since Temples of God have historically been, and currently are, unique places on Earth where God elevates or lifts His children’s view, focus, behavior, and commitment to Him, and where ultimately we can commune with Him in a way that we can’t in any other place in mortality.