When Yeshua was crucified, Pilate wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. And it was written, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews (Hebrew it would have said, “Yeshua HaNotzri v’melek Ha Yehudim.”  If Pilate had written and arranged the letters a certain way, it would have had the letters for Yehovah in it, YHVH (yod, hay, vav, hay).  The Hebrew Scriptures have many verses written in Acrostic form, and the Jewish people knew it. Ancient Hebrew had pictures for the letters. So the yod meant hand, the hay meant behold/eye, the vav meant nail, and the last hay meant behold/eye. Put together, the letters in the name Yehovah (YHVH) mean “behold the hand, behold the nail.”  Strangely, Yeshua was rejected by the leaders of the nation as king, but he was proclaimed as a king by a Gentile ruler! However, Pilate was mocking the God of Israel and Yeshua as king, saying to the people he is crucifying your God and king, so just think “whatI can do to you!”

Therefore, this inscription many of the Jews read (the people of Israel), for the place where Yeshua was crucified was near the city (and the Temple), and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek, and many coming for Passover would be walking along that road and reading it.

And so the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’: but that he said, ‘I am King of the Jews (God’s name was above his head, YHVH, so they wanted what was written changed so that it did not have that possible acrostic. Also, they did not believe him to be their king).’”

Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” Pilate knew what he was doing, and he also wanted it known to the people that if I can do this to your God and king, what do you think I will do to anyone else if you step out of line.”

Heb 13.8 says that “Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, and today, and forever”, and this is the meaning of the name “Yehovah” in Hebrew because it combines three Hebrew forms: “hiyah” meaning “he was”; “hoveh” meaning “he is” and “yiyeh” meaning “he will be.” This is another way of saying that Yeshua is Yehovah, and he is unchangeable, even into the Olam Haba.

How do we know that it was pronounced “Yehovah” some may ask. God said to Moses in Exo 3.15, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: the Lord (Yehovah), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever and this is my memorial name (how it should be remembered and spoken) to all generations.” As we have said before, the name Yehovah is made up of “hayah” meaning “he was”; “hoveh” meaning he is; and “yiyeh” meaning he will be. The consonants of God’s name in v 15 is Yod, Hay, Vav, Hay, and the vowels for Yehovah can be found in the word  “olam” or “forever” in Exo 3.15 in case one forgets how to say it, with the vowels of “olam” (“forever” in English) in Hebrew, as sheva, cholam and kamatz. When you put the vowel markings with the YHVH it is pronounced “Yehovah.”

There is a good book about the name Yehovah and how it is to be pronounced by Nehemia Gordon called, “Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence.” On the back cover it says, “Centuries of religious agendas and tradition obscured its meaning.” The rabbis knew how to say it, but it was only passed down to selected students. The common person was told that they were not to ever pronounce the name and to replace it with “Adonai”or “Ha Shem”, and that tradition exists today. For anyone wanting to know more about this, we would recommend that you purchase the book. We also have a 9-part teaching series on the name of God based on Gordon’s videos, the above mentioned book, and another book called, “The Hebrew Yeshua Versus The Greek Jesus” called, “Tanak Foundations-Concepts on the Name of God” on this website. The name of Yehovah has been found written out fully with the above vowel markings in thousands of Hebrew manuscripts, and we have actually read the name for ourselves in the Aleppo Codex. No other name has ever been found.

The name of Yahweh or Yahuah is used by the Hebrew Roots Movement or the Sacred Name Movements today, but that is not what God’s name is, as you can see from the above information. Those names have never been found in any Hebrew Manuscript, but Yehovah has been found thousands of times. Yahweh is a modern linguistic reconstruction rather than a historically spoken Hebrew word.

On p. 69 of Gordon’s book named above, he says, “Yahweh is based on a second-hand Samaritan tradition reported by a 5th century Christian author named Theodoret of Cyrus who didn’t know Hebrew and was writing in Greek.” The name Yahweh should be totally ruled out as the pronunciation.

The book of Acts was written by Luke the physician, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. He was a friend and traveling companion of Paul in Col 4.14 and 2 Tim 4.11. He was writing to Theophilus, and this book was circulated to other believers in the Eschatological Kahal. This book tells us about what Yeshua and the Ruach Ha Kodesh continued to do and preach through the Shaliachim (meaning “sent ones” or “agents”) about how the Torah and the Renewed Covenant applied to the believer after Yeshua ascended to heaven. The book itself was written about 63 AD, and it was a bridge between the Gospels and the Epistles. The twelve were called “talmidim” or “students” until Yeshua was taken into heaven. At that point, he sends them out as “shaliachim” for the kingdom of God, or his movement and rule in action. So, with that in mind, we are going to set the stage for what is happening and get a basic understanding of events. These concepts will apply to all the books we will read from this point on. First of all, let’s get a basic definition for the “Basar” or “gospel” and what it really is.

The Basar means “good news, flesh or bread.” When one is hungry, to hear that food is on the way is good news. For example, in its simplest form, basar means good news. In the eschatological sense, the basar has certain concepts associated with it. The basar means the golden age of Israel, David’s throne is re-established, the Messiah has come and God reigns through him over the world, peace has come to man and nature in a restoration, the resurrection of the just has occurred, righteousness is in the earth, the Day of the Lord has come, the Torah goes forth to all the nations, idolatry is non-existent, the exiles have come back to the land, true worship of God has been restored, the non-Jews believe and so on. Yeshua the Messiah is the agent of God empowered to bring all of this about. His task is to redeem man and nature in a restoration. We enter into that redemption by emunah (faith, confidence in action). The “gospel” message is that Yeshua has come to initiate this redemption, but the Messiah is not the basar; he is the agent of the basar. So, with that said, let’s look at what happened starting after Yeshua.

During the aftermath of Yeshua’s resurrection the book of Acts tells that tens of thousands of Jews became believers in Yeshua. It is further recorded that these Jewish believers were “zealous for the law (Torah)”, which would include the Temple and the sacrifices called korbanot, keeping the Sabbath and the festivals, eating permitted animals in Lev 11, the clean and unclean laws, and so on (Acts 21.20). It is further stated in Acts that Paul (Shaul), who is wrongly accused today by religious people of creating a different faith separate from the Torah, himself observed the Sabbath, went to the Temple, performed animal sacrifices, kept kosher, and took a Nazarite vow. The major issue that divided these believers from the rest of the Jewish world was not whether Yeshua was or was not the Messiah, but it concerned the 18 Edicts of Beit Shammai that said a non-Jew, called a God-fearer in the book, must be circumcised and become Jewish in order to be saved and have a place in the kingdom of God (Acts 15.1). A God-fearer was a non-Jew who believed in the God of Israel and kept the Torah commands that applied to him. If he continues, he may be circumcised to become a Jew. So, let’s look at the two “houses” or “schools” of the Pharisees we will be dealing with in this book, as well as the Gospels and Epistles, and gain some understanding.

The two main schools we will be dealing with in Acts are called the School, or Beit (house) of Shammai, and the School (Beit/house) of Hillel. Those from Beit Shammai were vice president of the Sanhedrin called the “Av Beit Din” or “father of the house of judgment” until Hillel died in 10 AD, who was the “Nasi” or president of the Sanhedrin. After that, Shammai was Nasi. They were more powerful in their influence from about 20 BC to about 70 AD. They issued what is called the Eighteen Edicts in 20 BC that governed the intercourse between Jews and non-Jews and was more “radical.” Jewish Zealots agreed with Shammai because they hated Rome and didn’t associate with non-Jews . The status of non-Jews will be a major point of contention with Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel. Beit Shammai will be opposed to proselytes and rebuffed them unless they became Jewish through ritual circumcision (the main theme of Galatians). If not, they had no place in the Kingdom of Heaven or the World to Come. Hillel did not agree with this stand. Hillel accepted non-Jews and believed they could be righteous non-Jews and merit salvation. The Jewish Zealots did not like this stand because they allowed non-Jewish fellowship. Yeshua agreed with Beit Shammai at least once that we know of, but some of the teachings of Beit Hillel were closer to Yeshua’s than anyone else. Shammai died the same year Yeshua did, 30 AD, and certainly knew Yeshua. Hillel disagreed with the Eighteen Edicts and Beit Shammai, especially about conversion. Hillel taught that a non-Jew could be saved if they followed the Ten Commandments and the Noahide Laws, and were much more conservative than Beit Shammai. Yeshua agreed with Beit Hillel many times, and Paul was a Pharisee from Hillel. Hillel himself died about 10 AD as we have said.

Up to about 70 AD, Halakah, or how to walk in the Torah, was according to Beit Shammai. A non-Jew can be saved, but they have to be ritually circumcised to become Jewish, a full conversion. After 70 AD and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the halakah was according to Beit Hillel, after Judaism was reformed at Yavneh (the roots of Rabbinic Judaism). They did not require a non-Jew to be circumcised to be saved, and Hillel’s view of converts was adopted. In Acts 10, God will show the believers in Yeshua that Shammai was wrong, and this issue will come up again in Acts 15 and later in Galatians.

Now, one concept should be kept in mind about dissension. Some of the “joys” of an argument are arriving at the truth. Though these two houses disagreed, we will see them fellowshipping with one another, which is not a Western concept. After Paul became a believer, he did not totally agree with either side, but was only interested in the “Halakah of God,” and we will see his teachings on this starting with the book of Acts. His letters to the assemblies, called “Epistles”, were halachic commentaries on the Torah as it applied to believing Jews and non-Jews and how they should walk. Paul will settle the issue of whether a non-Jew should be ritually circumcised to be saved in 1 Cor 7.17-19 and in the book of Galatians. For deeper insight, see our teachings on this website called “Torah and New Testament Foundations-The Pharisees, Sadducees and Yeshua (16 parts)”, and “Torah and New Testament Foundations-The Sanhedrin, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai (8 parts).”

Now we are going to discuss the relationship between the Jewish believers and the God-fearers a little further. The history begins in Acts 10 when Cornelius, a God-fearer and a Roman Centurion, became a believer in Yeshua. It was obvious at this point that non-Jews could enter into the kingdom of heaven by faith. It was further established that it was not necessary for God-fearers who believed in Yeshua to become Jewish through ritual circumcision to maintain their status within the kingdom. This issue was hotly debated in the messianic congregations as opposed to those Jews who did not accept Yeshua. The problem was further complicated as the faith spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire, often into areas where the Jewish population was sparse. More and more non-Jews were becoming believers, and eventually they far outnumbered their Jewish brethren in the faith. These non-Jews were coming from a background of pure paganism.

Because of the Roman wars with the Jews, anti-Jewish sentiment was rampant. More and more pagan influences were showing up within the faith. Historically, during the fourth century AD, the Romans, under Constantine, converted en masse to what became known as Christianity, and it became the state religion of the empire. The only problem is that the practices of this “faith” were far removed from Torah observance and God’s halakah and became based on pagan ideals and Greek philosophy. The Jewish understandings were being cast aside, and pagan beliefs and practices took over. In many cases, the beliefs of Christianity were precisely forbidden by the Torah. These forbidden beliefs and practices continue to this day and are accepted and favored in Christian practice. In addition, those so bold as to observe anything that could be interpreted as Jewish practices and ceremonies were persecuted.

After Acts 2, all the members of the eschatological kahal were either Jewish or God-fearers. They will be “molded onto a mobile sanctuary made up of living, breathing stones: a royal priesthood (The Greatest Exodus, Dinah Dye, p. 179; that same presence that descended on Sinai and the Mercy Seat, now dwells in us-not as individuals, but as a body-1Cor 3.16, 6.19, 12.27; Eph 2.20-22; 1 Pet 2.4-5 ).” The believers in Yeshua met in synagogues, ate kosher, observed the Sabbath and festivals, spoke Hebrew, and lived according to the Torah as it applied to both groups. Both groups knew the idioms, phrases, and concepts of the Jewish people at the time. The writers of the “New Testament” were Jews, and all believers were part of the eschatological kahal and were a sect within the “Judaisms” of the time. It is from this context that we will interpret the book of Acts.

These believers understood that they were not starting a “new religion” as some teach and believe. They were continuing in the ancient ways of God’s people, Israel. In the book, “The Greatest Exodus” by Dinah Dye, p. 175-176, she explains it this way: “The Community in Jerusalem wasn’t a breakaway sect. They were the covenant people, embodying what had always been intended at Sinai but was now elevated through the resurrection of Yeshua. They were the Sinai Assembly raised up to its true calling as a new creation people.” She later writes that “the Gospel writers do not tell a replacement story, as though God has abandoned Israel and decided to start over. Rather, they show how Israel’s ancient hope and her long, difficult history find their fulfillment in Yeshua. The kingdom is being renewed, not scrapped. The people of God are being reformed, not replaced. The Gospels tell how that story, begun in Abraham, tested in Egypt, shaped by the Torah, and broken in exile, is now being mended. The world is being remade. Prior to the resurrection, Yeshua’s mission was focused on the lost sheep of Israel. But after the resurrection, the horizon of his ministry expands. Now the disciples are sent out to the ends of the earth, because Israel’s God has been glorified, the Spirit is being poured out on all flesh, and the King of Israel is enthroned as Lord of all. This isn’t the founding of a new “church” as something separate from Israel. It is the launching of a renewed people, now called to be for the nations what Yeshua was to Israel: light and blessing.”

We invite you to go to our verse by verse study of the Book of Acts on this website.

Isa 53.1-12 is a prophecy about the Messiah, his human stature, his sufferings as Messiah ben Joseph, and the glory he will have. It begins with a complaint about the small number who believed the report about him, but it ends with how he will prosper his cause and redeem many. To understand this prophecy, we are going to go over the whole chapter.

v 1…Who has believed (Hebrew “aman” which is related to “amen”, the same root as”emunah” meaning faith/action) our report (who puts faith in what is heard from us)? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed (exhibited in the Messiah that Israel should recognize him)?

v 2…For he (Messiah) shall grow up before him (Yehovah) like a tender shoot (under a dead stump), and like a root out of parched ground (the house of David will be in a low state-Isa 11.1). He has no form (attractiveness) or majesty (kingly majesty) that we should look upon him (nothing about him looked “kingly”); nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

v 3…He was despised (past tense; or a “Nazarene” according to Matt 2.23; John 1.46; Isa 49.7. The idea was in the first-century that nothing good came out of Nazareth because it was despised) and forsaken (rejected by men), a man of sorrows (pains) and acquainted with grief (he was aware of all of it-Heb 2.19, 4.15); and like one from whom men hide their face (an abhorrence of him; having an aversion to), he was despised, and we did not esteem him (this is repeated to show just how despised he will be).

v 4…Surely our griefs (diseases) he himself bore (Hebrew “nasa” meaning to be “lifted up.” He lifted their loads and healed all who were sick; he cared for them like the high priest-Exo 28.38; Isa 53,12; Matt 8.16-17. It can also mean “forgive” or relieve from guilt), and our sorrows (pains) he carried (Hebrew “sabal”-Isa 53.12), yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted (this was how he was seen by others, but not by Yehovah-Eph 5.1-2. The book “Messiah Texts” by Raphael Patai talks about a “Leper Messiah” and so does the Talmud in Sanhedrin 98b).

v 5…But he was pierced (to wound) through for our transgressions (willful rebellion), he was crushed (beat to pieces; but the context is also spiritual. He was burdened by sin-Isa 1.13-15, 43.24) for our iniquities (intentional due to a weakness), the chastening for our well-being (shalom) fell upon him, and by his bruises we are healed (Psa 129.3;1 Pet 2.24).

v 6…All of us like sheep have gone astray (the elect is compared to sheep, but not in a good way here); each of us has turned to his own way (of foolishness and stupidity). But the Lord (Yehovah) has caused the iniquity of all of us to encounter (meet, fall upon) him.

v 7…He was oppressed and afflicted (by unbelief and murmuring), yet he did not open his mouth (against his oppressors; this was the justice of God. More on that in verse 12); like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, he did not open his mouth.

v 8…He was taken from prison and from judgment (injustice was done to him by man-Acts 8.32-33) and as for his generation (who should have considered this but didn’t), who considered that he was cut off (Dan 9.26) out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people (Israel-Dan 9.26) to whom the stroke was due (he was innocent but Israel wasn’t).

v 9…His grave was assigned to be with wicked men (in death with two thieves), yet with the rich he was in death (at the expense of Joseph of Arimathea; the word “death’ here is plural meaning intensity, a violent death), although he had done no violence (violent crimes), nor was there any deceit in his mouth (no false doctrine).

v 10…But the Lord was pleased (because it was his will-see Rom 3.25 notes) to crush (bruise) him, putting him to grief (made weak-Heb 9.14; Luke 22.42); if he would render himself (his soul) as a guilt offering (Korban Asham), he will see his offspring (“zera” meaning his spiritual seed-Psa 22.30-31; Isa 66.7-9-figurative for “followers.” These people who believe after Yeshua returns are referred to in Ezek 46.16-18 as the “inheritance of the Prince”); he will prolong his days (by resurrection) and the good pleasure of the Lord (his purpose) will prosper (be successful) in his hand.

v 11…As a result of the anguish of his soul, he will see (the results) and be satisfied; by his knowledge (“da’at” or the knowledge of God in Torah facts) the righteous one, my servant (the Messiah-52.13), will justify many, as he will bear (“sabal” meaning to carry or forgive figuratively) their iniquities (of the many-v 12).

v 12…Therefore, I will allot him a portion with the great (great ones of the earth will do homage to him), and he will divide the booty with the strong (they will enjoy the spoil); because he poured out his soul (to be stripped of every last ounce of life) to death, and was numbered with the transgressors (of the Torah; to be seen with the transgressors; punished like a criminal between two thieves); yet he himself bore (nasa or lifted up and forgave) the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors (as seen in Luke 23.34. So, let’s look at how he “bore” the sins of many on the cross. Nasa in Hebrew means “to lift away,” but it can also mean “forgive” in a spiritual sense, as in Mark 7.8; Exo 34.6-7; Psa 25.16-18, 38.1-5, 85.2. He loved us and cared for us-John 13.34, 15.12. Yeshua shed his blood for the remission of sin in Matt 26.28. In his suffering comes healing and salvation. He “bore” our sin or forgave it, and he “took up” our sicknesses. He did this before the cross in Matt 8.16-17 during his ministry. Yehovah was burdened by our sin in Isa 1.13-15, 43.24, 63.9-10. Yehovah understands the suffering caused by sin in Isa 63.9; Heb 4.13-15. He wants to relieve sinners of guilt, and we should “bear” each other’s “burden” as well, as seen in Gal 6.2-5. He also bore our sin in his heart. He was a perfect korban in Rom 4.25, 5.4. He gave us what we could not have: a perfect life. He “bore” in his flesh and in his heart our sins. Yeshua showed how much God loved us. Yeshua suffered not because he was punished by God for something he did, that is the impression his persecutors wanted. Yeshua allowed himself to be taken because it was for our own good, to heal us of sin by offering his perfect life. He was deprived of justice in 1 Pet 2.13; Acts 3.14-15, 5.30, 8.32-33. Yeshua’s resurrection refuted their unjust verdict and man’s justice, and God overruled their unjust verdict by Yeshua’s resurrection, bringing peace out of chaos as the Divine Warrior. He was a lamb without blemish, and he was not made guilty of our sin, that would not be just as in Prov 17.15 and 1 Pet 3.18. He bore our sin and transferred the debt to be paid, and the payment, to himself. Job says in Job 31.35, “Oh that I had one to hear me.” Job then makes a final plea to the Lord to hear his case, “Behold, here is my signature (“tavi”); let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary (prosecutor) has written.” Literally he says, “Here is my mark.” In Hebrew, it is “tavi,” meaning “my mark of attestation,” like the blood on the doorposts at Passover, which was a cross and a saving sign, like in Ezek 9.4-6. God put a protective mark on Cain, and Rev 7.3 and 9.4 we learn that God’s servants are sealed in their foreheads. God distinguishes his people by a visible or spiritual sign, preserving them amid wrath. In Hebrew, the last letter in the alphabet was “tav,” and in ancient Hebrew, it was shaped like an “X” with crossed sticks. The letter carried the meaning of “covenant, cross, seal, sign, and finished.” In a way, Yeshua is saying, “This is my cross (or signature)” when Yeshua said, “It is finished,” in John 19.30, and was alluding to the meaning of the letter tav, while he was on the “cross” or Hebrew letter tav, sealing the “Renewed Covenant” of Jer 31 with his own blood.

Gen 37.1-36 begins to tell us the story of Joseph, and Jacob sends Joseph to find his brothers who are pasturing the sheep; the brothers conspire to kill Joseph, but Reuben has a plan to save him; Joseph is cast into a pit; then his jealous brothers plan to sell Joseph into slavery with Ishmaelite traders; but Midianite traders find Joseph in the pit and take him to Egypt; the brothers find he is gone and devise a lie to tell their father about what happened to Joseph; Jacob’s grief; Joseph ends up in the court of an Egyptian official. The family will not know what truly happened to Joseph until after Joseph reveals himself in Gen 45. This is a very eschatological chapter about the Messiah, with some very important information, so we are going to include the whole chapter from our Genesis commentary on this website to bring out what really happened to Joseph and how he ended up in Egypt.

v1…Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned in the land of Canaan (Hebron area-v 14; Hebron is an idiom for “heaven”).

v 2…These are the generations (the leading events in his life; the word for generations is“toldot” and it is missing a vav meaning diminished, defective) of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flocks with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives (Joseph was in charge of only the sons of the maids, not the sons of Leah). And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father (he was not a tail-bearer but had a duty to do so; the evil conduct of Yeshua’s “brothers” furnished material for a similar testimony to the Father).

v 3…Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons (with the exception of Benjamin who was about one year old here) because he was the son of his old age (as first fruits of Rachel; a wise son before his years to him), and he made him a coat of many colors (“ketonit passim” meaning is unclear, but probably not a “coat of many colors” but was a long-sleeved embroidered robe reaching from the wrist to ankles, like non-working kings and noblemen wore- see 2 Sam 13.18-19; see also the Keil and Delitzsch commentary on Gen 37.3-4; and the article called, “What Color Was Joseph’s ‘Coat of Many Colors’” at petergoeman.com, September 26, 2020. It was given because of what Reuben did, and this was a symbol of nobility showing Jacob’s intended plan for him after his death to have first-born status; Yeshua is considered the “first-born” in the household of his Father also).

v 4…And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms (they believed that this preference indicated that the right of the firstborn was going to be given to him; Hebrew “shalom” or a normal greeting; they couldn’t conceal their hate and envy, and this is one of the traits Jacob noticed in them).

v 5…Then Joseph had a dream and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more (Joseph did not understand the gravity of the situation, and because they understood what it meant).

v 6…And he said to them, “Please listen to the dream which I have had;

v 7…for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheave rose up and stood erect (alluding to the resurrection of Yeshua), and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf (Isaac had tilled the soil in addition to grazing herds so Jacob had some land under cultivation-Gen 26.32); especially remembering this when he heard Joseph.”

v 8…Then the brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us (like Yeshua)?” So they hated him even more for his dreams (he had other dreams, or he was always dreaming that this would really happen) and for his words (the evil report; they knew that these dreams had a real potential for fulfillment; this dream is not about ruling over his brothers, but ruling over all of Egypt, as in Gen 45.26. This alludes to Yeshua ruling over not just the tribes of Israel, but the whole world).

v 9…Now he had still another dream and related it to his brothers and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun (Jacob) and the moon (Rachel-Rev 12.1) and eleven stars (the brothers) were bowing down to me (in Egypt; and Israel will acknowledge Yeshua in the kingdom).”

v 10…And he related it to his father and to his brothers (he repeated it ot his father in their presence); and his father rebuked him (for arousing their hatred; trying to appease them; but Jacob understood the meaning and that it was not at all impossible).

v 11…And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying (waited for its fulfillment).

v 12…Then his brothers went to pasture the flock (the word “et” in Hebrew is right before “the flock” and when right before a noun it means that the noun was the subject of the preceding verb; however, in this verse the “et” has dots over the two letters, meaning that the word is not to be understood in its normal meaning; the sheep were not the subject of the pasturing, but they (the brothers) went to pasture themselves, preserving their freedom threatened by Joseph’s dreams-see “Bereshit” by Mesorah Publications, p.1628) in Shechem.

v 13…And Israel said to Joseph (when Jacob is referred to as Israel it is referring to some spiritual aspect), “Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem (a fertile area)? Come, and I will send you to them (alluding to Yeshua leaving heaven and being sent to Israel).” And he said, “I will go” (Yeshua obeyed his father and went to check on his brothers-Matt 21.33-40, John 1.11).

v 14…Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock and bring word back to me (like Yeshua was sent to his people-John 1.10-1).” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron (an idiom for heaven), and he came to Shechem (shoulder, strength, security).

v 15…And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”

v 16…And he said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell where they are pasturing (alluding to the fact that Israel has moved from feeding the flock in strength and security).”

v 17…Then the man said, “They have moved from here (they had moved from where the father had sent them; same thing spiritually since the first century, Israel had moved from the Torah to the oral law of rabbinical Judaism), for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan’”. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan (“Dothan” is a Persian loan word and means “laws or customs” as in Dan 7.25, and here it alludes to the oral laws that Israel had “moved to” instead of the Torah when Yeshua came, like the 18 Edicts of Beit Shammai).

v 18…When they saw him from a distance, and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death (like the chief priests in Matt 12.14, etc; their hatred had now moved to a crime).

v 19…And they said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer (mocking him)!

v 20…Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams (the Jewish leaders would make the wild beast Rome responsible for Yeshua’s death).

v 21…But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands (as the eldest son, he was responsible for his younger brother) and said, “Let us not take his life (like Joseph of Arimathea said before the Sanhedrin-Luke 23.50-51).”

v 22…Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him (Psa 88.1-18; 1 Pet 3.18-20)”-that he might rescue out of their hands (later), to restore him to his father.

v 23…So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped him of his tunic, the coat of many colors (the long-sleeved robe-see v 3 notes on “ketonit passim” meaning) that was on him (like they did with Yeshua-Matt 27.27-31);

v 24…and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

v 25…Then they sat down to eat a meal (the Jewish leaders sat down to eat a Passover meal after Yeshua’s death). And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt (they were like cross-country truckers).

v 26…And Judah said to his brother, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood.

v 27…Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him (like another Judah in Matt 26.15); for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

v 28…Then (on the other hand) some Midianite traders (like local truckers) passed by (the pit Joseph was in), so they pulled him from the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites (the ones in v 25 before his brothers could go back and sell him themselves) for twenty (pieces) of silver (this would be the price of a slave in Lev 27.5). Thus, they brought Joseph into Egypt (this is a picture of Yeshua being sold into the hands of Rome by mediators).

v 29…Now Reuben returned to the pit (to rescue him no doubt, unaware that Joseph had been taken by Midianites and sold to the Ishmaelites going to Egypt a short time before), and behold, Joseph was not in the pit (a type of the resurrection), so he tore his garments (chief priests were just as dismayed when they heard that Yeshua was gone, and even the talmidim wondered what happened).

v 30…And he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there (the pit is empty, like Mary testified to the talmidim-Matt 28.6), as for me, where am I to go (they don’t know what happened, and as the eldest, he will bear the greatest responsibility for this to his father; they devise a lie to tell their father, just the Jewish rulers devised a lie to explain why Yeshua was missing and not in his tomb/pit).”

v 31…So they took Joseph’s tunic and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood,

v 32…and they sent the coat of many colors (the “ketonit passim”-see v 3 notes) and brought it to their father and said, “We found this: please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”

v 33…Then he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

v 34…So Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

v 35…Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol (Abraham’s Bosom) in mourning to my son.” So his father wept for him.

v 36…Meanwhile, the Medanites (Hebrew “Medanim”; Midian and Medan were sons of Abraham through Keturah in Gen 25.2; there may have been another unrecorded transaction; but the KJV and the NASB have “Midianites” and that is because they were the ones that started the whole scenario to begin with) sold him in Egypt to Potiphar (belonging to the sun), Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard (literally the chief executioner or watch; the end of this chapter emphasizes that Joseph was sold several times to different people; this alludes to the fact that Yeshua’s arrest and death had many other people involved like the Romans, not just the Jewish leaders; and as far as the brothers, they have no earthly idea what happened to him at this point just like Yeshua’s brothers didn’t understand at first, but eventually they will as he reveals himself to them after the resurrection).