WHAT DOES IT MEAN “TO KNOW”?
There are two distinct ways through which language helps us understand our world. One is through a Greek perspective and the other through a Hebraic.
Greek is a language of principle and reason. Every word has a specific purpose and it usually is founded on a principle or a reason for being. And this is what characterises a Greek perspective.
For example, looking at the word ‘know’, through a Greek perspective, gives us an understanding of discerning the principles and the ethics within the process of knowing. For example, when watching a person’s behaviour, through a Greek perspective, I would be looking for the rational foundations of the behaviour and how that behaviour fit into my ethical standards. I would be looking at what was happening and determining the underlying principles of the behaviour. Whether the behaviour was lawful or illegal would also be a prime focus. This, then, is an attempt to understand the various aspects of the behaviour in isolation to the motivation for the behaviour and its consequences on others.
Examining the word ‘know’ from a Hebraic perspective, allows us to understand the sensual, motivational underpinnings of behaviour and to be aware of the consequences of that behaviour on others. This is a holistic point of view, which attempts to place the object or the event into its environment, in order to fully understand as much as possible.
In Genesis 1:31, we read the following – God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. The word, saw, in Hebrew, ra’ah, has a deeper meaning – know. In Hebraic understanding, knowing something is more than having understanding of its many parts but how they work together and how they interact, as an entity, with the world around. When God says He knows the world He created, He is expressing His understanding of the totality of His creation and of what this means to the whole of the cosmos He also created.
I find this difficult to understand, not being able to ‘know’ God’s creation. However, when I reflect on what has occurred to place my family, my friends and me on this earth, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
Blessed in the Name of our Beloved Elohim, our Beloved God!
May the God of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you richly
http://www.heartformessiah.org
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=A+Journey+Through+Torah+%3A+An+Inroduction&ref=nb_sb_noss