Pillars of the Earth

There are people out in the world who use the Scriptures that when referring to the "pillars of the earth" try to justify the "flat earth theory" which has somehow began to regain popularity in recent years.  I would note that we also have video footage from NASA and multiple astronaut witnesses that can confirm that the earth is spherical.  I have to no sound reason to believe all those eye witnesses are liars.  Let's examine the Scriptures to see if this "flat earth theory" holds any ground at all.  The "pillars of the earth" are mentioned in the book of 1 Samuel verse 8.

1 Samuel chapter 2 verses 1 through 10 is simply a prayer spoken by Hannah.  I would suggest it's a big stretch to make hard doctrine out of a prayer spoken by a mortal which likely in parts reflects her own understanding of the day.

1 Samuel 2:8 reads:

"He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
to set them among princes
and make them inherit the throne of glory.

For the foundations/pillars of the earth are YHWH’s,

and He has set the habitable world on them."

(1 Samuel 2:8)

The King James Version reads:

"He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are YHWH's, and he hath set the world upon them."

Young's Literal Translation reads:

"He raiseth from the dust the poor, from a dunghill He lifteth up the needy, to cause them to sit with nobles. Yea, a throne of honour He doth cause them to inherit, for to YHWH are the fixtures of earth, And He setteth on them the habitable world."

There are 2 Hebrew words in this verse that generally cause confusion in relation to the subject of the earth based on their translation.  Those words are:"matsuq (pillars/foundations)"and "tebel (inhabited world)."

The Hebrew word "Matsuq" can literally translate to "pillars" but it can also translate to "foundations," "molten support," or "fixtures."  We know that God laid the foundations/pillars of the Earth, but does this mean that the Earth is actually sitting on top of pillars?  Absolutely not!

The book of Job chapter 26 verse 7 says:

"He stretches out the north over empty space.
He hangs the earth on nothing!"

This verse in the book of Job makes it clear that the earth "hangs on nothing," meaning it is floating in space.

Strong's Concordance:

Matsuq: molten support, pillar

Original Word: מָצוּק
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: matsuq
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-tsook')
Short Definition: pillars

NAS Exhaustive Concordance:

Word Origin-
from tsuq
Definition:
molten support, pillar

Although the Hebrew word "Tebel" can translate to "earth/world," it is more fully represented when translated as "inhabited world" or "habitable world."  The Hebrew word implies that it is speaking of an inhabited place and not the entire planet as a whole.  We know that the areas of land we live on, continents and islands, are just the tip of a larger pillar or landmass that is under water.  Those larger underwater pieces of landmass are the pillars/foundations that the inhabited world rests on.

Strong's Concordance:

tebel: world

Original Word: תֵּבֵל
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tebel
Phonetic Spelling: (tay-bale')
Short Definition: world

NAS Exhaustive Concordance:

Word Origin
from yabal
Definition
world
NASB Translation
inhabited (1), inhabited world (1), world (34).

Conclusion:

It is clear by both observation and by Scripture, which makes 2 witnesses, that the Earth is not flat and that it hangs on nothing.

Almah, Young Woman or Virgin?

(Picture used from Akiane.com)

The Scripture verses that I will primarily focus on in this study are:

Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold! The virgin(almah) shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel,”

And

Matthew 1:23, “Behold! The virgin(parthenos) shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”

More specifically we are going to focus on the word “virgin(almah/parthenos)” used in these two passages since some seem to contest about the translation of this word.

Let’s look at the Scripture verses:

[Isaiah 7] (1) Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. (2) And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. (3) Then YHWH said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, (4) and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. (5) Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, (6) “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— (7) thus says Master YHWH: “It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. (8) For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people. (9) The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.”’” (10) Moreover YHWH spoke again to Ahaz, saying, (11) “Ask a sign for yourself from YHWH your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” (12) But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test YHWH!” (13) Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? (14) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold! The young-woman/virgin(almah) shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (15) Curds and honey He shall eat, when He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. (16) For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

[Matthew 1] (18) Now the birth of Messiah Yeshua was as follows: After His mother Maryam was betrothed to Yosef, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. (19) Then Yosef her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. (20) But while he thought about these things, behold! A messenger of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Yosef, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Maryam your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (21) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.” (22) So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: (23) “Behold! The virgin(parthenos) shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel,’” which is translated, “God with us.” (24) Then Yosef, being aroused from sleep, did as the messenger of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, (25) and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son, and he called His name “Yeshua.”

Let’s consider these Greek/Hebrew words in the Strong’s Concordance and related Biblical Resources:

Strong's Hebrew Concordance #5959: Almah -- עַלְמָה

Definition: a young woman, a virgin

Feminine of “Elem;” a lass as veiled or private -- damsel, maid, virgin.

Strong's Greek Concordance # 3933: Parthenos -- παρθένος

Short Definition: a virgin

Definition: a maiden, virgin; extended to men who have not known women

HELPS Word-studies: 3933 Parthénos – properly, a virgin; a woman who has never had sexual relations; a female (virgin), beyond puberty but not yet married; (figuratively) believers when they are pure (chaste), i.e. faithful to Christ their heavenly Bridegroom (2 Cor 11:2; Rev 14:4).

STRONGS NT 3933: παρθένος

1. a virgin: Matthew 1:23 (from Isaiah 7:14); ; Luke 1:27; Acts 21:9; 1 Corinthians 7:25, 28, 33() (from Homer down; the Sept. chiefly for בְּתוּלָה, several times for נַעֲרָה; twice for עַלמָה i. e. either a marriageable maiden, or a young (married) woman, Genesis 24:43; Isaiah 7:14, on which (last) word cf., besides Gesenius, Thesaurus, p. 1037, Credner, Beiträge as above with ii., p. 197ff; παρθένος of a young bride, newly married woman, Homer, Iliad 2, 514); ἡ παρθένον τίνος, one's marriageable daughter, 1 Corinthians 7:36ff; παρθένον ἁγνή, a pure virgin, 2 Corinthians 11:2.

2. "a man who has abstained from all uncleanness and whoredom attendant on idolatry, and so has kept his chastity": Revelation 14:4, where see DeWette. In ecclesiastical writings one who has never had commerce with women; so of Joseph, in Fabricius, Cod. pseudepigr. Vet. Test. ii., pp. 92, 98; of Abel and Melchizedek, in Suidas (10 a. and 2450 b.); especially of the apostle John, as in Nonnus, metaphorically, ev. Joann. 19, 140 (John 19:26), ἠνίδε παρθένον

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: 

Virgin.

Of unknown origin; a maiden, by implication, an unmarried daughter -- virgin.

NASB Translation:

chaste (1), virgin (9), virgin's (1), virgins (4).

Does the Hebrew word “Almah” mean “Virgin” or just “Young Woman”?

Hebrew is a layered language, and not only do many words have multiple meanings, but every letter in every word has a meaning within itself. (We will discuss this concept more in a later study.) The Hebrew word: “Almah” is used in the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy --- which the book of Matthew (chapter 1 verse 23) tells us is a prophecy in regards to the Messiah, Yeshua of Nazareth.  Almah is a word that can mean both “young woman” and/or “virgin.” It is an interesting word choice since there are other words in Hebrew that specifically mean “young woman” and a word that specifically means “virgin(bethulah),” yet a word is used that could mean either of the two.  One could easily assume that God may have placed the word Almah here rather than another word-choice in order to allow more than one fulfillment of this prophecy to occur in history (fulfillment during the time of Isaiah, as well as Yeshua of Nazareth's miraculous birth). Note:  A prophecy can have multiple fulfillments as long as each “alleged fulfillment” fits the criteria of the prophecy. According to the historical account, Maryam was both a young woman and a virgin, so that is not an issue regardless of how you want to translate it, but what is the context of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14?

The prophecy is a sign to the house of David that consists of not only the birth of this baby whose name would be called “Immanuel,” but also of the land being forsaken by two kings before the baby’s age of accountability.  Yeshua of Nazareth fits the criteria of this prophecy in both regards.  History shows us the land had been forsaken by the two kings as the prophet said it would prior to Yeshua's birth, and Yeshua of Nazareth was born of a young woman, a virgin.  Yeshua is also called by the name: "Immanuel(God with us)," fitting that aspect of the prophecy as well.  The name “Yeshua” means “Salvation.” For many ages Yeshua of Nazareth has been regarded/recognized as a sign to the house of David by many people/nations/goyim, yet as the prophecy in Isaiah 53 tells us about the suffering servant that he: the unblemished Israel (the Messiah Yeshua, Immanuel), was to be rejected by a large quantity of his own [Jewish] people.

[Isaiah 53] (1) Who has believed our report? And to whom has the Arm of YHWH been revealed? (2) For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. (3) He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Digging deeper. How has “Almah” traditionally been interpreted?

A team of Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek around 250 BC, the full Septuagint being finished within the next two centuries.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold! The virgin(parthenos) shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 - Septuagint)

Rather than translating the Hebrew word “Almah” into “young woman,” Jewish scholars translated “Almah” into “Parthenos(virgin).” Parthenos specifically means “virgin,” occasionally rendered as “maiden,” yet is not traditionally translated as merely “young woman.”

Need a second witness?

Around 100 BC the Jews of Babylon, whose descendants helped compile the Talmud, translated the Hebrew text, this time into Aramaic.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold! The virgin(beytola) shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 - Peshitta)

Instead of translating “Almah” into “young woman,” the Jews of Babylon translated “Almah” into “Beytola(virgin).” It is clear that the traditional understanding of “Almah” in this passage was understood as virgin, which is by far a more spectacular sign, “behold!,” than merely a "young woman" giving birth to a son with a fairly common Jewish name.  It is apparent by the translations into both Greek and Aramaic that the miraculous sign of a virgin birth was expected before Yeshua of Nazareth was ever born.  I would also note that the book of Matthew is a Jewish-written text making it an additional witness to the understanding of the word "Almah" being understood as "Virgin."

Conclusion:

While the word "Almah" can translate to either "Young Woman" or "Virgin," Jews in antiquity have shown by translation a traditional understanding of the word primarily meaning/implying "virgin."

Where did God come from?

Some find it perplexing that there is something rather than nothing --- that such complex, orderly and intelligent creatures such as ourselves exist.  There has for ages been explanations of “physical-existence,” however, our “conscious-existence,” our, “state of awareness” cannot be satisfactorily explained by chemical-reactions and random chance.  Both philosophers and scientists alike get lost trying to grasp this concept of our “conscious existence,” and I state that from experience.  We are able to think, to be aware, also we are extremely complex for we are… fearfully and wonderfully made by an intelligent Creator.

The questions comes: Where did God come from; what is the scientific backing to this claim?

Law of Biogenesis: “All observations have shown that life comes only from life.”  For all life to come from pre-existing life, that means that there had to be an original life-source that has always existed.

In the Bible we are told that this life-source is God who brought forth all other life from Himself.  God is eternal, uncreated, which means that God has always existed --- an eternal source of life that brought forth all other life.  When God created Adam, the 1st human man, it wasn’t until God breathed into Adam the “breath of life” that Adam became a “living soul.”  It was God’s own life energy that made Adam a conscious-being rather than merely a puppet of clay.

Let's look at this from a Biblical understanding:

[Genesis 2] (4) This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that YHWH, God, made the earth and the heavens, (5) before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For YHWH, God, had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; (6) but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. (7) And YHWH, God, formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (8) YHWH, God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. (9) And out of the ground YHWH, God, made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 [Psalm 90] (1) Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. (2) Before the mountains were brought forth, or You ever had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. (3) You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men!” (4) For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. (5) You carry them away like a flood. They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: (6) In the morning it flourishes and grows up. In the evening it is cut down and withers. (7) For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. (8) You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. (9) For all our days have passed away in Your wrath. We finish our years like a sigh. (10) The days of our lives are seventy years, and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow. For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (11) Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. (12) So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (13) Return, O YHWH! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. (14) Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! (15) Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. (16) Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. (17) And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.

How can we be sure this is true?

The vast majority of believers do not simply believe in God because somebody told them to, but rather because they have experienced God for themselves in their lives.  Often people come to God after experiencing/encountering His presence --- His “Holy Spirit.”  Nearly every believer carries a “testimony.”  A testimony is an experience or group of experiences in which a believer has experienced God for him or herself.  Sometimes this is through a miracle, sometimes truth is recognized by hearing it spoken from another, sometimes it is from experiencing the peace and joy emitted from a believer or group of believers, and sometimes it is from studying the Word of God that compels a non-believer to believer.  The Bible contains many very detailed prophecies fulfilled letter by letter written hundreds or even thousands of years before the events spoken of ever happened such as the very specific and detailed prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, the suffering servant we know as Jesus/Yeshua.  The Bible contains scientific and archeological truths, some barely being discovered by modern science today.  But the biggest evidence isn’t scientific-truth or archeology, it is the vast number of witnesses who have experienced God’s presence and love.  It is not just a small group, but countless of tens of millions across the world of all cultures and backgrounds.  God did not leave us in the dark; He reveals Himself to those who openly seek the truth, and through His grace and mercy, sometimes even those who don’t.  Almost anyone who has experienced God’s presence is willing to die for their testimony rather than deny God, because they know what they experienced is true, and also understand that what’s after this life is more beautiful than anything in this world.  The suffering in this world is nothing compared to the beauty of the world to come.

Where did “matter” from which all things are created come from?

Historical science tries to explain the origin of time, space and matter without God, however, the Bible gives us that information in the very first verse.  We are given an answer about the creation of “time,” “space” and “matter” as we know it.

[Genesis 1:1] In the beginning(time) God created the heavens(space) and the Earth(matter).

We are told that through His Word that God had created the things that “we see” from things that are “unseen/invisible” meaning He used substance from the spiritual realm to create the physical world.  We are limited by our 5 senses, but there is more beyond those senses that we cannot see, and there are things that are tangible beyond our limited senses.  It is similar to how a person born blind has no solid concept of the image of things that surround him/her although some pictures can be made up in their mind, or a person born deaf has no concept of sound, a person born color-blind only knows the shades of colors that can be seen within that limit of vision given.  The spiritual world surrounds us, but we cannot see it with the limitations of our own eyes, much like a gentle breeze.  The human eye, as it designed, can only see within the limit that it was built to see without additional help, however, some people have been able to see things that others haven’t, even stuff beyond our world.  A man cannot hear all the sounds that a wolf can hear, yet we are able to recognize a variety sounds by the limit of our ears and at the same time understand that the wolf can hear even more.  We cannot touch the spiritual world because of the limits of our skin and nerves, however, we can often feel the presence of God manifest within us.  There is more to life than what can be tested or even seen; there is a whole world beyond us that is completely unseen giving you an invisible touch like the wind against your skin.

[Hebrews 11] (1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (2) For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. (3) By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were made of things which are not visible.

WHY are we here?

God, who is ever-existing, created a plan that involved living beings formed in His image.  He created us for His pleasure and told us to fill the Earth.  He knew that we would mess up and do evil, but He loved us enough to make us anyway.

Who is Shiloh?

The word “Shiloh” is used only one time in Scripture in this specific form/spelling: שִׁילֹה and has been long recognized in both ancient Judaism and Christianity as a “Messianic title (pertaining to the Messiah)” although some alternative ideas have developed over time in regards to the exact meaning of the word.

[Genesis 49] (1) And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: (2) “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.

… (8) Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s children shall bow down before you. (9) Judah is a lion’s whelp. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who shall rouse him? (10) The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (11) Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine. He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. (12) His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”

Strong's Concordance #7886: Shiloh -  שִׁילֹה

Definition: Perhaps "he whose it is,” a Messianic title.

From “Shalah,” tranquil; Shiloh, an epithet of the Messiah -- Shiloh.

Alternative translations for Genesis chapter 49 verse 10:

 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.” (JPS 1917)

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.” (JPS- literal translation)

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, so that Tribute(Shiloh) shall come to him; and the homage of peoples be his.” (JPS)

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (KJV)

“The scepter turneth not aside from Judah, and a lawgiver from between his feet, till his Seed(Shiloh) come; and his is the obedience of peoples.” (Young’s Literal Translation)

“The scepter shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that-is-to-be-sent(Shiloh), and he shall be the expectation of nations. (Douay-Rheims Bible)

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute(Shiloh) comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (ESV)

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to-whom-it-belongs(Shiloh). To him will the obedience of the peoples be.” (World English Bible)

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he-to-whom-it belongs(Shiloh) shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” (NIV)

Hebrew words often portray a concept and can mean more than one thing.  Many popular/well-respected Bible translations suggest and solidify the idea that not only does Shiloh receive the scepter of Judah, which belongs to him(he to whom it belongs/he whose it is), that he is a literal “seed/descendant” of Judah, and is also a “tribute,” and one “that is(was) to be sent,” assuming the accuracy in these respectable translations from scholars. 

Shiloh translation from major Bible-translations--- "Tibute"(JPS/ESV), "his Seed"(Young’s Literal Translation), "that is to be sent"(Douay-Rheims Bible), "to whom it belongs"(World English Bible/NIV).

What is a Tribute?

Tribute (Dictionary.com): 1. a gift, testimonial, compliment, or the like, given as due or in acknowledgment of gratitude or esteem. 2. a stated sum or other valuable consideration paid by one sovereign or state to another in acknowledgment of subjugation or as the price of peace, security, protection, or the like. 3. a rent, tax, or the like, as that paid by a subject to a sovereign. 4. any exacted or enforced payment or contribution. 5. obligation or liability to make such payment. --- Synonyms: Expand 1. recognition, commendation, eulogy. 4. levy, toll, impost, duty. --- Tribute (British Dictionary): noun 1. a gift or statement made in acknowledgment, gratitude, or admiration 2. a payment by one ruler or state to another, usually as an acknowledgment of submission any tax levied for such a payment 3. (in feudal society) homage or a payment rendered by a vassal to his lord  4. the obligation to pay tribute. --- Word Origin C14: from Latin tribūtum, from tribuere to grant (originally: to distribute among the tribes), from tribus tribe. (Collins English Dictionary)

As a side note, the KJV translation of the Scriptures say that unto Shiloh “shall the gathering(yiqhah) of the people be,” the Douay-Rheims Bible translates this same word as "expectation."  Although the Hebrew word “yiqhah” most usually translates to “obedience,” it can also translate to “gathering” or "expectation," being a possible foreshadowing of the end-time ingathering of God’s people.

Yiqhah translation from major Bible-translations--- Obedience(JPS 1917), Gathering (KJV/Jubilee), Homage (JPS), Expectation (Douay-Rheims Bible)