Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:

Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.”

(PART 2)

The NIV uses the word “prosperity” rather than peace.  I can understand why the translators of the NIV chose the word “prosperity” and it was not for the reason that many prosperity teachers use it.  I have heard this verse quoted by prosperity teachers who favor this rendering for obvious reasons.  I have even heard some say that the KJV is wrong to render this as peace as the Hebrew is really speaking about prosperity.  This comes from  one of those gunslingers from the Wild Wild West of Bible Translation. One of my notches in my Hebrew Bible is to send out the Hebrew word which everyone is familiar with and that usually resolves the issue and slays that gunslinger.  The word is “shalom” which is commonly rendered as “peace.”  It is also rendered as health, favor among others, agreement with your enemy, completion, fulfillment, wholeness, oneness, etc.  Whatever rendering we chose comes from our dependence upon the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us and just because our rendering is different that someone else’s does not mean they are wrong.

However, I will dispute the way some teachers use the rendering of prosperity to mean God providing wealth and  monetary gain.  So much of translation is interpretation. The translators for the NIV were trying to interpret this within it’s context.  The people of Israel would go into captivity, slavery, and poverty, they would feel abandoned by God and lose all hope.   Thus, the translators felt that “prosperity” would be the best rendering for shalom as used in this context. As God was promising to lead them out of captivity to their home.  Still, I will challenge the rendering of prosperity.

Ok, a new sheriff has come to town with his deputy or study partner and we are challenging the conventional renderings here.  My deputy (study partner) and I will not use the Esoteric Hebrew, but will just follow the renderings offered by Davidson in his Lexicon.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you.”  That sounds a little like one of the Yogi Barrism.  “I know the thoughts I think.”  Sort of like his quote: “It’s not over until it is over.”   The word “thought”  comes from the root word “chashav” which means thoughts, plans, as well as “weave.”  Even though the word “chashav” is used twice, it does not mean we must apply the same rendering.  We could easily say: “I know the thoughts that I am weaving for you.”   Also, that word “know” is “yada” which is an intimacy.  He is saying that His most intimate thoughts involve a weaving process.

At this point the passage inserts: “saith the Lord.”  The word “saith” is “na’am” which means to proclaim or declare.  He is just not saying this but he is making a proclamation, declaring an event that has been determined and will be carried out.  Rather than render “chashav” as “thought” I will again use the word “weave.”

The next word is “shalom” which many like to render as prosperity but I will meet you at noon for a show down where I will outdraw you with the word “shalom” and declare this word to be rendered as completion rather than peace or prosperity.   The next words are commonly rendered as “not of evil.”   The word for “evil” is “ra’ah.”  Another rendering for “ra’ah” is consumption.   So rather than say “Thoughts of peace and not of evil” I will render this as “I will weave to a conclusion or completion and not to a consumption.”  My deputy pulled her six shooter on this one.  The weave to a conclusion means that God and us will be woven or bound together both benefiting equally.  We will not be “consumed” where God ends up with 100% and we just disappear, but we will be a vital part of His plan and  intertwined with Him.

Finally, he says that the purpose of this weaving together with him to become complete with him is for an “expected end.”   The word “expected” is “qevah” which is the word used for making rope.  Rope is made by taking thin strands of fabricate which can easily be broken and “weaving” them together until they are tightly bound.  The finished product is one rope which can not be broken.  The word “end” is “’achar” which does not necessarily mean an end, it really means an end product that will continue.  In this case this binding with God will reach a conclusion here on earth and be carried into eternity.

So, partners, the sheriff and his deputy are saying that Jeremiah 29:11 is not necessarily speaking of God having a plan to make us prosperous, but having a plan to weave us tightly together with Him in a perfect and purposeful design.  It may involve a period of captivity, a period of wandering in the wilderness and even feeling abandoned by God but clinging to our faith at the same time.  This will eventually lead us to be tightly bound with God where his purpose and our purpose become one and is fulfilled or completed.  That is a prosperity that we can take with us to the grave and into eternity  and it will last forever.