Study Notes Week 15

Torah Study Notes for Week 15 of the Torah Reading Cycle

Read
Aloud together to hear the Word (Leviticus 23:1-3; Nehemiah 8:1-4; Luke 4:16-17)

  • Torah (T): Bereshiyt (Genesis) 15:1-21
  • Prophets (P): Zephaniah 3:8-20
  • Apostolic (A): Romans 4:1-25
  • Additional (ADD): Jubilees 14:1-20

Bereshiyt (Genesis) 15:1-21

15:1 After these words, the word of YHWH came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don't be afraid, Abram. [I will shield you. Your wage will be exceedingly much]”(LXX) 2 Abram said, “[Lord],(LXX) what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram said, “Behold, you have given no seed to me: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 Behold, the word of [Elohim](LXX) came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come from your own bowels will be your heir.” 5 [And he](LXX) brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So your seed will be.” 6 He believed [in Elohim],(LXX) and it was imputed to him for righteousness. 7 He said to Abram, “I am [Elohim](LXX) who brought you out of Ur Kasdim, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8 He said, “[Lord],(LXX) how will I know that I will inherit it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young dove.” 10 He brought him all these, and cut them in two in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn't cut the birds in two. 11 The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. 12 When the sun was going down, a trance fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him. 13 He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your seed will live as sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years. 14 I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth; 15 but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.” 17 It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 In that day [Elohim](LXX)(mss) cut a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, [the Hivites],(LXX) the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Torah Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. Genesis 15:1 After these words the word of YHWH came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. [I am a shield for you, your wages will increase greatly.]”(MTT)
    1. What’s the difference? [I am a shield for you, your wages will increase greatly.]”(MTT) vs. the common translation of “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
      1. Septuagint (LXX): “And after these words came the word of YHWH to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear Abram, I will shield you. Your wage will be exceedingly much.”
      2. Targum Thereupon was the word (pithgama) of the Lord with Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not; for if these men should gather together in legions and come against thee, My Word (Memra) will be thy shield: and also if these fall before thee in this world, the reward of thy good works will be kept, and be prepared before Me in the world to come, great exceedingly.
        1. פִּתְגָּם piṯgām (H6600) is likely of Aramaic or Persian origin and is defined as an edict or decree. In the Bible, פִּתְגָּם piṯgām is translated as answer (cf. Ezra 4:17; Ezra 5:11), letter (cf. Ezra 5:11), and matter, as in a dispute or case at law (cf. Daniel 3:16; Daniel 4:17).
        2. מֵימְרָא memra is of Aramaic origin and equivalent to the Aramaic word מֵאמַר memar (H3983) which means word or command.  In the Bible, מֵאמַר memar is translated as appointment (cf. Ezra 6:9) and word, in the sense of a decree or demand (cf. Daniel 4:17). מַאֲמָר maamar (H3982) also means command or word, in the sense of a decree or a demand, and may be of Persian origin as it’s only used in the book of Esther (cf. Esther 1:15; Esther 2:20; Esther 9:32). Both מֵאמַר memar and מַאֲמָר maamar correspond to the Hebrew word אָמַר amar (H559) which means “to speak words” as in a continuation or combination of words to make a sentence (cf. Genesis 1:3; Genesis 2:16; Exodus 8:27; Exodus 35:4).
  2. Genesis 15:2-3 Abram said, “[Lord],(LXX) what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram said, “Behold, you have given no seed to me: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
  3. Genesis 15:4-5 Behold, the word of [Elohim](LXX) word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come from your own bowels will be your heir.”
    1. from your bowels = mime’eycha translates to from (mi) bowels (me’eh) your (cha)
    2. bowels = מֵעֶה me’eh (H4578) and literally means “unknown eye” or “mighty eye” where the Hebrew letter מ mem was represented for thousands of years as water in the sense of being something unknown, chaotic, and mighty. When referring to literal bowels, מֵעֶה me’eh is the gut, internal organs, intestines, belly, organs of procreation, or womb (cf. Genesis 15:4; Genesis 25:23; Numbers 5:22; Ruth 1:11). Metaphorically, מֵעֶה me’eh refers to “inward parts” as the seat of the unconscious (or unknown) mind and emotion (cf. Psalms 22:14; Psalms 40:8; Song of Songs 5:4; Jeremiah 4:19). מֵעֶה me’eh is equivalent to the Greek word κοιλία koilia (G2836) which literally refers to the whole belly including the upper and lower belly; the gullet (esophagus) as the tube that food travels down in the body from the mouth to the stomach (cf. Mark 7:19); the womb, the place where the fetus is conceived and nourished until birth (cf. Luke 1:41). Metaphorically, κοιλία koilia refers to the innermost part of a man, the soul, heart as the seat of thought, feeling, or choice.
  4. Genesis 15:5 [And he](LXX) brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So your seed will be.”
    1. Romans 4:18 Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your seed be.”
  5. Genesis 15:6 He believed [in Elohim],(LXX) and it was imputed to him for righteousness.
  6. Genesis 15:7 He said to Abram, “I am [Elohim](LXX) who brought you out of Ur Kasdim, to give you this land to inherit it.”
  7. Genesis 15:8 He said, “[Lord],(LXX) how will I know that I will inherit it?”
  8. Genesis 15:9-10 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young dove.” 10 He brought him all these, and cut them in two in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn’t cut the birds in two.
  9. Genesis 15:11 The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
    1. Jubilees 11:11-23 And the prince Mastema sent ravens and birds to devour the seed which was sown in the land, in order to destroy the land, and rob the children of men of their labours. Before they could plough in the seed, the ravens picked it from the surface of the ground. 12. And for this reason he called his name Terah, because the ravens and the birds reduced them to destitution and devoured their seed. 13. And the years began to be barren, owing to the birds, and they devoured all the fruit of the trees from the trees: it was only with great effort that they could save a little of all the fruit of the land in their days. 14. And in this thirty-ninth jubilee, in the second week in the first year, Terah took to himself a wife, and her name was ‘Êdnâ, the daughter of ‘Abrâm the daughter of his father’s sister. 15. And in the seventh year of this week she bare him a son, and he called his name Abram, by the name of the father of his mother; for he had died before his daughter had conceived a son. And the child (Abram) began to understand the errors of the land that all went astray after graven images and after uncleanness, and his father taught him writing, and he was two weeks of years old, [1890 A.M.] and he separated himself from his father that he might not worship idols with him. 16. And he began to pray to the Creator of all things that He might save him from the errors of the children of men, and that his portion should not fall into error after uncleanness and vileness. 17. And the seed time came for the sowing of seed upon the land, and they all went forth together to protect their seed against the ravens, and Abram went forth with those that went, and the child was a lad of fourteen years. 18. And a cloud of ravens came to devour the seed, and Abram ran to meet them before they settled on the ground, and cried to them before they settled on the ground to devour the seed, and said, “Descend not: return to the place whence ye came,” and they proceeded to turn back. 19. And he caused the clouds of ravens to turn back that day seventy times, and of all the ravens throughout all the land where Abram was there settled there not so much as one. 20. And all who were with him throughout all the land saw him cry out, and all the ravens turn back, and his name became great in all the land of the Chaldees. 21. And there came to him this year all those that wished to sow, and he went with them until the time of sowing ceased: and they sowed their land, and that year they brought enough grain home and eat and were satisfied. 22. And in the first year of the fifth week [1891 A.M.] Abram taught those who made implements for oxen, the artificers in wood, and they made a vessel above the ground, facing the frame of the plough, in order to put the seed thereon, and the seed fell down therefrom upon the share of the plough, and was hidden in the earth, and they no longer feared the ravens. 23. And after this manner they made (vessels) above the ground on all the frames of the ploughs, and they sowed and tilled all the land, according as Abram commanded them, and they no longer feared the birds.
  10. Genesis 15:12 When the sun was going down, a trance fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
    1. Trance = תַּרְדֵּמָה tardemah (H8639) is a feminine noun from the word רָדַם radam (H7290) which means to sleep or unconscious and has been translated as a deep sleep or dead sleep (cf. Genesis 2:21) but might be better defined as a profound and divinely-induced half-conscious state characterized by an absence of response to external stimuli. The Septuagint (LXX) translates תַּרְדֵּמָה tardemah as the Greek word ἔκστασις ekstasis (G1611) which is a state of partly suspended animation or inability to function; a deep sleep or unconsciousness (cf. Act 10:10; Acts 11:5; Acts 22:17). ἔκστασις ekstasis can be further defined as any displacement or casting down of a thing from its proper place or state; a throwing or alienation of the mind out of its normal state, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God (Outline of Biblical Usage by Larry Pierce).
  11. Genesis 15:13 He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your seed will live as sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.
    1. Your seed implies that the “sojourner” status will start with Isaac
    2. The seed of Abraham will “serve them” which can mean willing or forced labor or servitude in the land the seed of Abraham is sojourning.
    3. Serve = עָבַד avad (H5647) means to provide a service to another, as a slave, servant or steward; to work at a profession; to serve the land. Equivalent to the Greek word λατρεύω latreuō (G3000) is from λάτρις látris (a hired menial) and means to serve for hire; to serve, minister to, either to the gods or men and used alike of slaves and freemen.
      1. Isaac – Genesis 21:89 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, [playing with Isaac her son].(LXX)
      2. Jacob (Israel) Genesis 29:22-25 Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 In the evening, he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to Jacob. He went in to her. 24 Laban gave Zilpah his servant to his daughter Leah for a servant. 25 In the morning, behold, it was Leah! [Jacob](LXX) said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Didn’t I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”
      3. 12 Sons – (Represented by Joseph) Genesis 39:1-2 Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, a [eunuch](LXX)(MTT) of Pharaoh’s, the chief of the cooks, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites that had brought him down there. 2 YHWH was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
      4. Sons of 12 Sons – Exodus 1:12-14 And as they afflicted them, so they increased and so they broke out [exceedingly, exceedingly].(LXX) [And the Egyptians](LXX) loathed the sons of Israel. 13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the sons of Israel serve, 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
    4. The seed of Abraham will be afflicted for the four hundreds years by those who live in the land wherewith the seed of Abraham is sojourning.
    5. Afflicted = עָנָה anah (H6031) meaning “to be brought low” and is equivalent to the Greek word κακόω kakoō (G2559) which means to oppress, afflict, harm, or maltreat. To be humbled means to be brought low by enduring unjust treatment without feelings of resentment.
      1. Isaac – Genesis 21:10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this servant and her son! For the son of this servant will not be heir with my son, Isaac.
      2. Jacob (Israel) – Genesis 29:20 Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her. 21 Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”
      3. 12 Sons – (Represented by Joseph) Genesis 39:19-20 When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled. 20 Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison house, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in the prison house.
      4. Sons of 12 Sons – Exodus 1:8-11 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10 Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and escape out of the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
    6. Four hundred years is commonly, and erroneously, taught that Israel was in slavery to Egypt for four hundred years, but this is not true.
      1. Galatians 3:16-17, Josephus, and the Jerusalem Targum confirm that it was 430 years from the time YHWH spoke to Abraham and not 430 years in slavery to the Egyptians.
        1. “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your seed”, which is Messiah. Now I say this: A covenant confirmed beforehand by Elohim in Messiah, the Torah, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect.” (Galatians 3:16-17)
        2. “They left Egypt in the month Xanthicus, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month; four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt.” (Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus 2.15.2)
        3. “…And the days of the dwelling of the sons of Israel in Mizraim were thirty weeks of years, (thirty times seven years,) which is the sum of two hundred and ten years. But the number of four hundred and thirty years (had passed away since) the Lord spake to Abraham” (Jerusalem Targum)
  12. Genesis 15:14 I will also judge that nation (גּוֹי goy H1471), whom they will serve (cf. Exodus 12:12). Afterward they will come out with great wealth (cf. Exodus 3:19-22; Exodus 11:1-3; Exodus 12:35-36);
    1. Judge = שָׁפַט shaphat (H8199) and means to rule over a case of dispute or wrong doing and make a decision on the case. שָׁפַט shaphat is equivalent to the Greek word κριτής krites (G2923) and is a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter; an arbiter.
    2. 15:14 introduces a new servitude in saying that there will be a time where the seed of Abraham will serve a specific nation (גּוֹי goy), not just “serving them” in “a land that is not theirs” as 15:13 speaks of. This specific nation will be judged by YHWH and the seed of Abraham will leave this nation with great wealth.
      1. Exodus 12:12 For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will execute judgments against all the elohim of Egypt. I am YHWH.
      2. Exodus 3:19-22 I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20 I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do among them, and after that he will let you go. 21 I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing. You shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall plunder the Egyptians.”
      3. Exodus 11:1-3 YHWH said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh, and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether. 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man ask of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.” 3 YHWH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.
      4. Exodus 12:35-36 The sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing. 36 YHWH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They plundered the Egyptians.
  13. Genesis 15:15 but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.
  14. Genesis 15:16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”
  15. Genesis 15:17 It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
  16. Genesis 15:18-21 In that day [Elohim](LXX)(mss) cut a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, [the Hivites],(LXX) the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
    1. Most often translated “cut a covenant” כָּרַת בְּרִית karat berit (H3772 + H1285) literally means “cut a covenant” because the animal sacrificed when a covenant is enter into is cut in half (cf. Genesis 15:9-10,17-18; Exodus 24:8; Hebrews 9:16-20).
    2. “Saying…” An important note is that covenants must have words, or terms, to which both parties agree to uphold or the covenant is broken.
      1. Genesis 31:44-54 Now come, let’s cut a covenant, you and I. Let it be for a witness between me and you.” 45 Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Gal'ed. 48 Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Gal'ed 49 and Mizpah, for he said, “YHWH watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. 50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, Elohim is witness between me and you.” 51 Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you. 52 May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 The Elohim of Abraham, and the Elohim of Nahor, the Elohim of their father (i.e. Terah), judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac. 54 Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.
      2. Exodus 24:8 Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which YHWH has made with you concerning all these words.”
      3. Exodus 34:27-28 YHWH said to Moses, “Write these words; for in accordance with these words I have cut a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 He was there with YHWH forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, ten of the words.
        1. Commonly translated as “ten commandments”, עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים aseret hadevarim literallly translates to “ten of the words”
      4. Deuteronomy 29:1 These are the words of the covenant which YHWH commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
      5. Deuteronomy 29:9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
    3. Kenizzites קְנִזִּי Qenizzi (H7074) literally means “descendant of Qenaz”. קְנַז Qenaz means “hunter” and is a name given to a son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau, one of the dukes of Edom (cf. Genesis 36:11; Genesis 36:15; Genesis  36:42; 1 Chronicles 1:36), a brother of Caleb, son of Jephunneh and father of Othniel (cf. Joshua 15:17; Judges 3:9-11), and a grandson of Caleb (1 Chronicles 4:15). The first mention of the name Kenizzite is Genesis 15:19-20, where the Kenizzites are listed alongside the Kenites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites as part of the covenant land given to Abram and his seed by YHWH. Interestingly, the Kenizzites are not mentioned among the other inhabitants of Canaan in Exodus 3:8 and Joshua 3:10 and may have inhabited some part of Arabia, in the confines of Syria. Because the Kenizzites are named in Genesis 15:19 before Esau is born and Jephunneh, the father of Caleb, is called a Kenizzite in Numbers 32:12, there’s much confusion among scholars as to from where Caleb the Kenizzite is actually descended.
    4. Kenites קֵינִי Qeyni literally means “of Qayin” and refers to the nomadic tribe from which the father-in-law of Moses was a member and which lived in the area between southern Canaan and the mountains of Sinai (cf. Genesis 15:19; Numbers 24:21-22; Judges 1:16). The Kenites are named in association with various other people groups because they were likely traveling tinkers or blacksmiths since qeyni in Aramaic means “smith”.

Apostolic Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. Understanding circumcision and the righteousness of faith. 
  2. Let’s first look at the preceding context of our Apostolic portion, chapter 3 of Romans.
    1. The audience for Paul’s epistle is the Believing community in Rome, comprised of both Jews and non-Jews.
      1. By the numbers, was probably comprised of more Gentiles than Jews. 
      2. We also know that he always preached to the Jew first and then also to the Gentiles (see Rom. 1:16; 2:9,10).
      3. Chapters 1 and 2 present important teaching about the distinctions and common ground for Jews and Gentiles in terms of sin and judgment.
  3. An important key to understanding Pauline theology is the meaning of the terms “circumcision” versus “uncircumcision”.
    1. “For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Rom. 2:25-29).

PREMISE:

While the basic meaning of “circumcision” is the physical commandment of removing the foreskin, Paul usually uses the term synonymously to refer to the keeping of the entire Torah in the manner accepted by the main sects of Judaism in his day – i.e. being “Jewish”. 

  1. From the Week XX teaching on the Gospel:
    1. “In the 1st-century, salvation was understood to be the exclusive right of Israel (i.e. the Jews) based on the covenant(s) given to the people through Moses, David, etc. In short, Jews (e.g. “the circumcised”) were “in” and Gentiles (e.g. “the uncircumcised”) were “out”. Moreover, the only way for a non-Jew to be saved was to undergo the ritual conversion for the proselyte which involved physical circumcision, the offering of a sacrifice at the Temple, and the giving of alms”.
  1. Thus, the book of Romans is written to Jews (e.g. “the circumcised”) and Gentiles (e.g. “the uncircumcised”).
    1. “Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?” (Rom. 3:1).

KEY POINT:

If we limit our interpretation of Paul’s teaching on circumcision to the physical commandment of removing the foreskin, we will miss the broader themes of faith, works, and how we attain to God’s standard of righteousness. 

  1. Summary of Paul’s premise in Romans 3:1-20:
    1. God Himself is the only standard of righteousness 
      1. Both Jew and Gentle fall short of His standard which makes His judgment just and warranted.
    2. Jews were given the Torah as a covenant by Moses and the mediation of Aaron and the Levitical priesthood.
      1. The purpose was to bring the knowledge of sin so that the covenant people of God could be holy as He is holy (Rom. 3:20).
      2. This is HUGE advantage over the Gentile nations — “Great in every respect” (Rom. 3:2) — who are without the Torah and therefore, have no knowledge of sin and suffer the chaos, disorder and death that lawlessness brings.
    3. The new covenant inaugurated by Messiah and His propitiating death on the cross and victory over death at the resurrection, revealed the righteousness of God “apart from the Law”.
      1. “But now apart (#5565) from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed (#3140) by the Law and the Prophets” (Rom. 3:21).
        1. G5565. chóris — “apart from, separately from”.
      2. Key #1 — Not a new righteousness because the only righteousness is the one intrinsic to God Himself.
      3. Key #2 — A righteousness witnessed or witnessed to by the Torah and the Prophets — i.e. explained and reinforced by the entire word of God, beginning with Torah.
        1. G3140. martureó — “to bear witness, testify, give evidence, affirm that one has seen, heard, or experienced something”.
      4. The Torah and the Prophets are the testimony of who God is, what He is like, and what true righteousness — and justice — looks like.
        1. Consider how the image and character of God — and the norms of Judeo-Christian society — have changed as the church has ignored and even denied the witness of the Law.
        2. This is why Paul says “apart” or “separate” from the Torah, but not “above”, “in place of” or “greater than”.
    4. The revelation of God’s righteousness in Messiah is intended to demonstrate that propitiation for sin is by faith, not by works (I.e. keeping Torah, being a good person, etc.).
      1. “[B]ut it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith” (Rom. 3:22-25a).
        1. G2435. hilastérion — “propitiation; atonement; mercy seat”.
          1. Corresponding Hebrew Entries: – H3727 – כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporeth): Refers to the mercy seat or atonement cover in the Old Testament.
    5. “This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Rom. 3:25b-26).

KEY POINT:

The only way to fulfill the righteous standard of God’s perfection is by a personal faith in Messiah’s atonement on your behalf. The Torah is a witness that affirms and clarifies what that standard is in practical ways for human existence.

  1. Thus, the primary questions for our Apostolic portion in chapter 4 of Romans is the following:
    1. “When did Abraham receive His righteousness? Was it before or after he was circumcised? (And by extension, was he righteous because he was “Jewish”?) 

Exhortation
Counsel, comfort, and encouragement (Acts 13:14-15)

  1. Romans 4:1 What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward Elohim. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed in Elohim, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.” (cf. Genesis 15:6) 4 Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. 5 But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the impious, his faith is imputed for righteousness.
    1. What are works?
      1. ἔργον ergon (G2041) is defined as any product or thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind in the undertaking of business or employment; that which any one is occupied and undertakes to do for economic activity in trade, industry, or the creation of wealth (cf. Genesis 39:11; Exodus 20:9).
        1. Matthew 5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
        2. Matthew 23:5 But they do all their works to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the fringes of their garments
        3. John 3:19-21 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in Elohim.”
        4. Romans 2:5 But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of Elohim, 6 who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” (cf. Psalms 62:12; Proverbs 24:12)
      2. ἔργον ergon is equivalent to two Hebrew words. This can make it difficult to know which Hebrew word or thought the Jewish apostles started with without seeking to understand the context:
        1. מְלָאכָה melachah (H4399) literally means “to walk for another” in the sense that occupation, work, and business is done in the obligatory service, or requirement, of another for its economic or social benefits or rewards of oneself, but mainly another in trade, industry, or the creation of wealth.
        2. מַעֲשֶׂה ma’aseh (H4639) literally means “to do” and is used as a generic verb in the sense of the making or doing of anything. Thus, מַעֲשֶׂה ma’aseh is translated as work over 180 times in the Bible and also translated as deed, thing done, act, business, pursuit, etc.
          1. מַעֲשֶׂה ma’aseh is more closely related to the Greek word πρᾶξις praxis (G4234) which is a doing, a mode of acting, a deal, a transaction as in the “acts of the apostles”; in a negative sense πρᾶξις praxis is a wicked deed, crime, or wicked doings. πρᾶξις praxis can also refer to a thing to be done as in business or economic activity.
            1. Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.
            2. Luke 23:50-51 Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 he had not consented to their counsel and deed, from Arimathaea, a city of the Judeans, who was also waiting for the Kingdom of Elohim.
            3. Acts 19:18 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing and declaring their deeds.
            4. Romans 8:13 For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
            5. Romans 12:4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function
            6. Colossians 3:9 Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings
    2. What is “the flesh”
      1. σάρξ sarx (G4561) is defined as the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones and is permeated with blood, of both man and beasts. However, metaphorically, the flesh is much more than a physical substance.
      2. In the Bible, “the flesh” can reveal things (cf. Matthew 16:17), has a will and its own desires (John 1:13; Romans 7:18) and, can become one with another’s flesh through intimacy (cf. Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:8; 1 Corinthians 6:16).
        1. Matthew 16:17 Yeshua answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
        2. John 1:12-13 But as many as received him (Yeshua), to them he gave the right to become children of Elohim, to those who believe in his name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of Elohim.
        3. Romans 7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good.
        4. Mark 10:7-8 For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh, (cf. Genesis 2:24) so that they are no longer two, but one flesh.
        5. 1 Corinthians 6:16 Or don’t you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, “The two”, he says, “will become one flesh.”
      3. Interestingly, the Greek word for flesh (σάρξ sarx) is equivalent to the Hebrew word בָּשַׂר basar (H1319) which comes from a root word that means “to report good news” and is concretely represented as “flesh” because when good news was brought a feast with flesh, or meat, was prepared. In ancient times, meat was primarily eaten on special occasions such as a holiday feast, the arrival of guests, or whenever an event occurs that requires a celebration.
        1. Galatians 3:8-9 The Scripture, foreseeing that Elohim would justify the Nations by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” (cf. Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18) 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.
      4. More importantly, to the one who believes in Yeshua, their flesh is no longer them.
        1. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh covets against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.
          1. Galatians 5:16-21 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Torah. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of Elohim.
          2. Romans 7:6-25 But now we have been discharged from the Torah, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter. 7 What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the Torah. For I wouldn’t have known coveting unless the Torah had said, “You shall not covet.” (cf. Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) 8 But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the Torah, sin is dead. 9 I was alive apart from the Torah once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death; 11 for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 12 Therefore the Torah indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good. 13 Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the Torah is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. 16 But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the Torah that it is good. 17 So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good. 19 For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice. 20 But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the Torah that, while I desire to do good, evil is present. 22 For I delight in the Torah of Elohim after the inward person, 23 but I see a different Torah in my members, warring against the Torah of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the Torah of sin which is in my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 25 I thank Elohim through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve the Torah of Elohim, but with the flesh, the Torah of sin.
      5. The sign of the covenant in flesh
        1. “Circumcision” as a noun is not used in the Torah, Prophets, or Writings (Tanakh) and is only used as a noun in the Apostolic Scriptures.
          1. Genesis 17:9-14 Elohim said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall guard my covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall guard, between me and you and your seed after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed. 13 He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin [on the eighth day],(LXX) that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
          2. John 7:21-24 Yeshua answered them, “I did one work and you all marvel because of it. 22 Moses has given you circumcision, not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers, and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy. 23 If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the Torah of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath? 24 Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
          3. Acts 7:6-8 Elohim spoke in this way: that his seed would live as sojourners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. 7 ‘I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,’ said Elohim, ‘and after that they will come out and serve me in this place.’* 8 He gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
        2. “Of the circumcision” tells us that a sect had arisen called “the circumcision”
          1. Acts 10:45 They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles.
          2. Acts 11:2 When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him
          3. Romans 2:25-29 For circumcision indeed profits, if you are a doer of the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 If therefore the uncircumcised keep the ordinances of the law, won’t his uncircumcision be accounted as circumcision? 27 Won’t those who are physically uncircumcised, but fulfill the law, judge you, who with the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from Elohim. (cf. Psalms 51:4)
          4. Romans 3:1-4 Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of Elohim. 3 For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of Elohim? 4 May it never be! Yes, let Elohim be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, “that you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment.”
          5. 1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is keeping the commandments of Elohim.
            1. Since the act of circumcising a male of eight days old or one who was bought with money is a commandment, it’s apparent that Paul here is referring to the sect, or sect’s teachings, of the circumcision.
          6. Galatians 6:12-13 As many as desire to make a good impression in the flesh compel you to be circumcised, just so they may not be persecuted for the cross of Messiah. 13 For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the Torah themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, so that they may boast in your flesh.
          7. Galatians 6:15 For in Messiah Yeshua neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
          8. Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision,” in the flesh, made by hands
          9. Philippians 3:2-6 Beware of the dogs; beware of the evil workers; beware of the false circumcision. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship Elohim in the Spirit, and rejoice in Messiah Yeshua, and have no confidence in the flesh; 4 though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the Torah, found blameless.
  2. The ultimate show that righteousness is of faith and not found in circumcision is found Joshua 5:1-8
    1. When all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard how YHWH had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the sons of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the sons of Israel. 2 At that time, YHWH said to Joshua, “Make flint knives, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.” 3 Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 4 This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6 For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the nation, even the men of war who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they didn’t listen to the voice of YHWH. YHWH swore to them that he wouldn’t let them see the land which YHWH swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 Their sons, whom he raised up in their place, were circumcised by Joshua, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them on the way. 8 When they were done circumcising the whole nation, they stayed in their places in the camp until they were healed.

Topics for additional study and discussion:

    1. Did ethnic status matter to Paul and his Gospel? Were Jews to be more respected or favored in the 1st-century believing communities?
    2. What is the purpose of circumcision as a commandment? Does it still apply for Believers in Yeshua?
    3. If righteousness comes through faith, what is the purpose of keeping Torah?
    4. Why is the flesh contrasted with “the spirit” so often in the Bible?
    5. What does it mean to be justified?
    6. What is grace?
    7. Does the Bible define grace as “unmerited favor”?
    8. Furthermore, why is justification by grace so important?
      1. Romans 3:24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Messiah Yeshua,
      2. Galatians 5:4 You are alienated from Messiah, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.
      3. Titus 3:7 that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Does anyone have specific questions or need any clarification from what was said during the Summary or Exhortation?

Application & Discussion
Living the Word and following Yeshua (Acts 2:37; Romans 2:13)
Questions, input, and sharpening (Proverbs 27:17; Luke 2:46)

Romans 2:13 For it isn’t the hearers of the Torah who are righteous before Elohim, but the doers of the Torah will be justified.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

    1. What questions or comments came up during your family’s discussion of this week’s study?
    2. “What other related Scriptures did you find during your study of this week’s portion?”
    3. Have you ever experienced something from this study or something related to it?
    4. “What changes do you need to make in your life to align with what you learned during this week’s Torah Study?”
Additional Study Notes