Secret of the Hebrew letter Alef

Transcript of “Secret of the Hebrew letter Alef”

The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is ALEF.

The numeric value of ALEF is one.

Hebrew words for "God" ... El and Elohim ... start with an ALEF.

The word for "Father" ... Av ... starts with an ALEF.

Also, the following words all start with the letter ALEF:

• "I am" ... Ehiyeh (ALEF HEH YUD HEH)
• "A sign" (from God) ... Ot (ALEF VAV TAV)
• "Light" ... Or (ALEF VAV RESH)
• "Truth" ... emet (ALEF MEM TAV)
• "Love" ... ahavah (ALEF HEH BET HEH)
• "Amen" ... (ALEF MEM NUN)

The pictogram or symbol behind the shape of the letter ALEF is an ox-head, with horns. It symbolizes “power” and “leadership”.

The name of the letter ALEF (ALEF LAMED PEH) sounds like “aluf”. “Aluf” in Hebrew means “chief; the leader”. It also means a “close friend, or partner, or ally, or companion”.

ALEF, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, indicates what is “Number one”, what is “pre-eminent”.

Now look at what the New Testament says about Jesus.

In the book of Colossians, the first chapter verses 15-18 say: “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything He might be pre-eminent.”

So, this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which symbolizes what is first, what is pre-eminent, the leader or head of all things, can easily be related to Jesus ... the Jewish Messiah.

Now, see this about ALEF. The Hebrew word, spelled ALEF LAMED PEH, (pronounced "elef") means “a thousand”. It is interesting that in the first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew, there are six occurences of the letter ALEF.

When we come to the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation chapter 20, we read six times, in six successive verses (from verse 2 to verse 7), that the devil will be bound for a thousand years. Six times in six verses we get the Greek word for “a thousand”.

The beginning and the end of the Bible, “linked” we might say.

And why will the devil be bound, and then cast into the lake of fire? So that Jesus will take His rightful place in the hearts of all people.

The first reference in the Bible to this word “alef” occurs at Genesis chapter 20 verse 16, when Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham. It is a story of redemption. The verse reads: “To Sarah he said, ‘Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother; it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all that you are cleared.’”

Here is the verse in Hebrew: “Ou'le'Sarah amar hine natati elef kesef le'achich; hine hu lach csut einam le'chol asher itach ve'et kol ve'nochachat”.

“Ou'le'Sarah amar” ... and to Sarah he said

“hine natati elef kesef le'achich” ... “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver”

“hine hu lach csut einam le'chol asher itach” ... it is your vindication before all who are with you

“ve'et kol ve'nochachat” ... and before all that you are cleared.

There are 18 Hebrew words in this verse. The number 18, in Hebrew thought, indicates “life”. On the screen is the numeric value of each Hebrew word in the verse.

Here are the words that speak of being redeemed:

“csut” ... is the eleventh word in the passage. It is translated into English as “vindication”. It is from a Hebrew root word for clothing or covering. Which reminds me that in Genesis chapter 3, the Lord God shed the blood of an innocent animal (well, that is implied isn’t it?), and provided garments of skin for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). God clothed them, to cover their sin and shame. “Csut” has a numeric value of 486, which is 18 x 3 x 3 x 3.

Now this word, “ve'nochachat”. It is the eigtheenth word in this verse – the last word. It is translated “and you are cleared”. It is from the Hebrew root word “to be found right”. “Ve'nochachat” has a numeric value of 484, which is 22 x 22.

There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and I believe that each letter points to Jesus.

Interestingly, 484 is the numeric value of the word for “God” – Theou – in the Greek of the New Testament.

So, the first reference in the Bible to the word “alef” is in a verse that speaks of redemption. Abimelech paid one thousand pieces of silver – “elef kesef” – to Abraham, to clear his guilt over Sarah. “Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother ...“ (hine natati elef kesef le'achich)

Sarah was married to Abraham. We are promised in marriage to Jesus. Abraham was also Sarah’s brother. Jesus, the New Testament tells us, is also our brother (“Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers” – Hebrews 2:11), and a close friend, a companion. Matthew chapter 11 verse 19 tells us that Jesus is “a friend of sinners”. Sinners like you and me.

The numeric value of this phrase (hine natati elef kesef le'achich), is 1260, which is 3 x 7 x 5 x 12. And the middle word of the five Hebrew words in the phrase is “elef” (a thousand). And the numeric value of “elef” is 111, which is 37 x 3.

The numeric value of the whole verse – all 18 words in Hebrew – with its first mention of the word “elef”, and its picture of redemption, and its two references to being “covered” and to being “cleared”, is 4773, which is a number divisible by 37. And 37 speaks of Jesus as the Living Word of God.

It is all about Jesus. From first to last, it is all about Jesus.