Proverbs 18:15: “The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.”
Webster defines our English word knowledge as an acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles as from study or investigation and general education. Hence when we read this verse the first thing that comes to our mind is that the prudent heart studies hard and acquires facts, truths and principles. However, in the Hebrew the word knowledge takes on characteristics not readily assumed by one speaking the English language.
The word in Hebrew for knowledge is yada’ and it indeed it means acquiring knowledge, but one must remember that this word yada’ was birthed in a simple uneducated and illiterate culture. The vast majority of the people had little time for education, they spent most of their time struggling to survive year to year. Whatever knowledge they acquired was how to plant and harvest and the pure need to survive made the acquisition of this knowledge something that was necessary and needed little encouragement.
Today with our universities and wide range of skills and learning we automatically think of knowledge as book knowledge or learning and listening to teachers lecture. This with a discipline of study. In ancient times only the elite went to schools such as they were. The only thing a person needed to acquire knowledge of in those days was those in his family and circle of friends. Survival depended very heavily upon your ability to trust, work and get along another person. There were no lone wolves, James Bonds in those days. You survived by the relationships you developed.
I have said many times Hebrew is a relationship language. Not only in relationship of words to other words but how you are to look at each word and consider it in light of a relationship. My younger brother is linguist and executive with Wycliffe Bible Translators. He has taught linguistics on the College and University level. He told me that whatever is important in a culture is reflected in the language. For instance the Eskimos may have a dozen words for snow because snow is important in their culture. It is a wet snow which is good for packing and building their igloos, is it a dry powdery snow, good for hunting and tracking? To us in the English world we have one word for snow that is snow. That is because snow is just not that important to our culture to merit another word, despite the attempts by the Weather Channel to add new words to our vocabulary like snain (snow mixed with rain). It just doesn’t catch on with your vocabulary, because it is just not that important. What our English language does have is more adjectives than any other language. Adjectives describes things and of course things are what is important in our culture. In the ancient Semitic culture relationships were the important thing. As I said, you could not survive without relationships. Whole families and clans often lived under the same roof and shared things communally. They had to know how to get along with each other, so understanding relationships was important.
That brings me to the word knowledge. In our culture we acquire knowledge so we can get a good job or advance in a job to make more money to buy more things. In the ancient Semitic culture knowledge was acquire so one could learn how to get along with others when forced to depend upon each other. So when you read the word knowledge in the Bible think like an ancient Semite, think in terms of relationships. When you acquire knowledge on a subject you become intimate with that knowledge. The more knowledge you have of a person, the more intimate you are with that person. This is why the word yada’ is used for sexual intercourse between a husband and wife. A sexual relationship to the ancient Hebrews was the ultimate in knowing someone, it was the ultimate in being intimate with someone. Both parties expose themselves physically and emotionally when they share such an intimacy. In fact those two know each other better than anyone else in the world and they would be pretty upset to learn that someone else knew their spouse better than they did.
I don’t like using the word English word knowledge in most passages that use the Hebrew word yada’ because our 21st Century understanding of that English word detracts from the Biblical Hebraic understanding. I am not saying the word knowledge is a mistranslation, I am only saying it is obsolete, made so by our cultural understandings. We need to use a different word and to me that word would be intimacy. Next time you see the word knowledge like in Hosea 6:5 where God says that he desires knowledge of God more than offerings just insert the word intimacy. God is saying that he desires an intimacy with us more than offerings. Let’s take the verse I am using today: “The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.” Let’s put that into 21st Century English: “The heart of the prudent becomes intimate with God and the ear of the wise seeks words of intimacy.” Does that improve your understanding? Not that the word knowledge is wrong, but the word intimacy just adds the frosting and chocolate chips to our understanding.
Sometimes we must just take a closer look at the English words we use. Even though they are correct, you lexicon and Strong’s is correct, you must ask yourself, what is my understanding of this English word and does it really line up with the intent behind the Hebrew word?
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