Incline
by Brad Scott
Our word this time is another one of those English words in our Bible that just does not quite capture all the wonder of the word. Here are a few examples of this word.
Yehoshua‘ (Joshua) 24:23Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto YHVH ’Elohiym of Israel.
Mizemor (Psalm) 17:6I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
Mizemor 78:1Give ear, O my people, to my Torah: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
The Hebrew word behind the English incline is natah (נטה). This three letter root is comprised of a nun, a tet, and a hey. Collectively they speak of revealing what surrounds life. It appears in lexicons as to stretch out. Inclining your heart or ear means to open it up to receive more. But this word is dominantly expressed in the following examples.
Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 42:5Thus saith YHVH ’Elohiym, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Yesha’yahu 45:12I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
Mizemor 104:2Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
The Scriptures teach that in the beginning of the creation the universe was much smaller than we see it today and at some point, known only to the one who is smarter than we are, He stretched out the universe like a curtain.* Now that is very interesting because according to the latest explanation of the Big Bang adherents, the universe was much smaller in the beginning and then the Big Bang stretched out the universe as we see it today. Hmmmmm.
*It may be noted that the Scriptures begin with a universe. Universe means one verse. Eventually this one verse was stretched out to over 31,000 verses.
Shalom Alecheim! ◊