Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 23: Messiah (Part 1)

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The word "messiah" arouses great emotion in the hearts of Jews and Christians alike. In Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 23, we examine the background of this Hebrew word. There is only one new letter for us to learn in the word מָשִׁיחַ (ma·SHI·aḥ, messiah). This is the letter ח (ḥet), the last letter of the word. ח (ḥet) is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. As already mentioned, Hebrew letters also serve as numbers. Being the eighth letter of the alphabet, the numerical value of ḥet is 8.

Revised: 2-Oct-2015

The word “messiah” arouses great emotion in the hearts of Jews and Christians alike. In Lesson 23, we examine the background of this Hebrew word.

Hebrew NuggetsThere is only one new letter for us to learn in the word מָשִׁיחַ (ma·SHI·a, “messiah”). This is the letter ח (et), the last letter of the word. The ח (ḥet) is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. As already mentioned, Hebrew letters also serve as numbers. Being the eighth letter of the alphabet, the numerical value of ḥet is 8.

The Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (ma·SHI·a, “messiah”) is composed of three syllables. The first syllable contains the consonant מ (mem) and the vowel ָ  (ka·MATS). Together they are pronounced ma.

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In Lesson 24, we will continue our examination of the word מָשִׁיחַ. To read the next lesson, click here.

For the transliteration system used in this series, click here.

This article originally appeared in issue 26 of the Jerusalem Perspective magazine. Click on the image above to view a PDF of the original magazine article.

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  • David N. Bivin

    David N. Bivin
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    David N. Bivin is founder and editor of Jerusalem Perspective. A native of Cleveland, Oklahoma, U.S.A., Bivin has lived in Israel since 1963, when he came to Jerusalem on a Rotary Foundation Fellowship to do postgraduate work at the Hebrew University. He studied at the Hebrew…
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