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of the Closed Mem (o) of Isaiah 9:7
Yaacov Natan Lawrence
Waters in the Wilderness, A Teaching Ministry of Hoshana Rabbah Messianic Discipleship Resources
Isaiah 9:67 Says:
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government/dominion shall be upon
his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor/Advisor, Te mighty El, Te
Everlasting/Eternal Father, Te Prince of Peace/Sar Shalom. Of the increase of his government
and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and
to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. Te zeal of YHVH of
Hosts/Legions will perform this. (mphasis addcd.)
Commentary:
!
x :nis vvvv civ~v vvvvvvxcv :o thc lorthcoming Mcssiah ol !sracl, thc prophct !saiah utilizcs a litcrary dc
vicc lound nowhcrc clsc in thc Tanakh (Hcbrcw Scripturcs) to convcy a hiddcn, prophctic mcssagc conccrning
thc naturc ol thc Mcssiah.
Tis hiddcn mcssagc is lound in thc Hcbrcw word l marbeh, (translatcd as ol thc incrcasc) lound in vcrsc
scvcn abovc. Tc word lmarbch writtcn in Hcbrcw lcttcrs would normally look likc this: vcrnk. Tc sccond lcttcr
in lrom thc right (Hcbrcw rcads lrom right to lclt) is thc Hcbrcw lcttcr mem (n) corrcsponding to thc lcttcr m in
our nglish alphabct. According to Hcbrcw grammatical rulcs, thcrc arc scvcral lcttcrs in thc Hcbrcw alphabct
which whcn thcy occur at thc bcginning or insidc ol a word havc onc lorm, but whcn thcy appcar at thc cnd ol a
word thcy havc anothcr lorm, or nal lorm (sot). Tc nal lcttcr actually looks dicrcnt. For cxamplc, whcn thc
mcm appcars at thc bcginning ol or insidc ol a word it looks likc this: n (callcd an open mem), howcvcr, whcn it
appcars at thc cnd ol a word in its nal lorm it looks likc this: o (callcd a closed mem). According to Hcbrcw gram
mar rulcs (which originatcd in antiquity), closcd mcms arc to bc uscd only at thc cnd ol a word. Yct thc prophct
!saiah uscs a closcd mcm at thc bcginning ol thc word marbch (vcrok). (Tc Hcbrcw lcttcr k which procccds o
is simply a wordprcx mcaning to or lor).
Tc word marbeh (Strongs H,66, TWOT a.c) simply mcans abundancc, incrcasc, incrcasing and origi
natcs lrom thc Hcbrcw root word rabbah mcaning to bc or bccomc grcat, many, numcrous, makc largc, incrcasc,
multiply. !saiah :, is onc ol only two placcs whcrc this word occurs in thc Tanakh (thc othcr onc is !saiah :a).
nc must rcmcmbcr that thc Hcbrcw languagc is idcographic (i.c., thc usc ol picturcs or symbols in a systcm
ol writing to rcprcscnt an idca or a thing) or pictographic (i.c., charactcrizcd by picturc writing) in naturc. Tc
lcttcrs, cspccially in thcir ancicnt lorm, callcd palcoHcbrcw, wcrc cvcn morc pictographic than thc morc modcrn
squarc script with which cvcryonc is lamiliar. ach lcttcr was a picturc ol a conccpt, not unlikc gyptian Hicro
glyphics. Tc Hcbrcw lcttcr mcm in its ancicnt Hcbrcw script (lrom which thc modcrn script is dcrivcd) mcans
watcr or wavcs ol watcr likc an occan. Tc Hcbrcw word mayeem is spcllcd with two mcms: ohn mem-yud-mem
sot (Hebrew Word Pictures, by Frank T. Scckins, Living Vord Picturcs, !nc., Phocnix, AZ: .). !n Hcbrcw mysti
cal thought, thc lcttcr mcm is not only conncctcd to watcr, in accordancc with its ancicnt pictographic origins, but
with thc Hcbrcw word ot em/aleph-mem sot (or mother), as wcll as a womans bclly or womb lrom which ows
watcr at thc timc ol birth. Tc opcn and closcd mcm both havc pictographic implications as wcll. A closcd mcm
rcprcscnts a closcd womb and thcrclorc can connotc thc masculinc gcndcr, which is incapablc ol giving birth to a
child, or to a woman who is barrcn and incapablc ol giving birth. Likcwisc, a virgin has a closcd womb until shc
givcs birth to hcr rst child. Vc scc somc ol thcsc idcas in somc ancicnt Jcwish mystical writings bclow:
Tc opcn Mcm. Vhat is thc opcn Mcm: !t includcs both malc and lcmalc. Vhat is thc closcd Mcm:
!t is madc likc a bclly lrom abovc. 8ut Rabbi Rahumai said that thc bclly is likc thc lcttcr Tcth |y tet|.
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UNVEI LI NG THE MYSTER Y OF THE CLOSED MEM OF I SAI AH 9: 7
Hc said it is likc a Tcth on thc insidc, whilc ! say that it is likc a Mcm on thc outsidc. , Vhat is a
Mcm: o not rcad Mcm, but Mayim (watcr). Just likc watcr is wct, so is thc bclly always wct. Vhy
docs thc opcn Mcm includc both malc and lcmalc, whilc thc closcd Mcm is malc: Tis tcachcs us
that thc Mcm is primarily malc. Tc opcning was thcn addcd to it lor thc sakc ol thc lcmalc. Just
likc thc malc cannot givc birth, so thc closcd Mcm cannot givc birth. And just likc thc lcmalc has an
opcning with which to givc birth, so can thc opcn Mcm givc birth. Tc Mcm is thcrclorc opcn and
closcd. (Sepher HaBahir )
Trcc Mothcrs, A|lcph| M|cm| Sh|in|, in thc Soul arc rc, watcr, and brcath. Tc hcad is crcatcd
lrom rc, thc bclly is crcatcd lrom watcr, and thc chcst, crcatcd lrom brcath, dccidcs bctwccn thcm.
(Sepher Yetzirah :)
Mcssianic Jcwish Hcbrcw roots scholars who arc schoolcd in Christian thcology as wcll as thc Hcbrcw languagc,
Hcbrcw Scripturcs (Tanakh) and Jcwish mystical writings havc studicd and writtcn on thc signicancc ol thc
closed mem in !saiah :,. For cxamplc, Avi bcn Mordcchai has notcd this in his book, Messiah Vol. whcrc hc writcs:
Tc closcd Hcbrcw Mcm rclcrs to a bclly, and a womb in Hcbrcw mysticism. Tis is highly
signicant that a closed mem (mcaning a closed womb) would bc hintcd at in a contcxtspccic proph
ccy about thc coming ol HaMashiach, at lcast according to thc Targum |Aramaic translation ol thc
Hcbrcw Scripturcs| (p. aa).
8cn Mordcchai thcn poscs thc qucstion: !s this closcd mcm supposcd to mcan that thc Mcssiah would bc born
in a womb that was closcd: !n attcmpting to answcr this qucstion, hc rclatcs !saiah :6 to its largcr Scriptural
contcxt ol which !saiah ,:... is a part. Hc rclatcs this vcrsc (:,) to ,:.. whcrc thc mcntion is madc ol a sign lrom
both thc highcst hcavcn and thc lowcst dcpths ol thc carth (i.c. thc womb) would bc givcn, and that sign would
bc that the young maidcn or virgin would conccivc and bcar a child (,:.) and his titlcnamc would bc Immanuel
mcaning El with us (!bid. p. a).
8cn Mordcchai sccs a link bctwccn thc womb ol a woman, a child bcing lormcd in thc dcpths ol thc carth
(in its mothcrs womb) (scc Ps .:..6), a child bcing hiddcn dccp in thc subtcrrancan cavcrns ol its moth
crs womb and a hiddcn subtcrrancan lountain ol watcr. Hc bclicvcs that Ycshua was hinting at this allusion in
John ,: whcrc hc said (!bid.):
Hc who bclicvcs in Mc, as thc Scripturc said, From his inncrmost bcing will ow rivcrs ol living
watcr (NAS8).
Anothcr Mcssianic Jcwish scholar who sccs thc conncction bctwccn thc Mcssiah who would bc born ol a virgin/
young maidcn (!sa ,:.), would bc Immanuel (El with us), would bc a Son with divinc titlcs (i.c., Counsclor, thc
Mighty l, thc vcrlasting/tcrnal Fathcr, and Princc ol Pcacc) (:6) and thc closcd mcm prcguring thc virgin
birth is r. anicl 8otkin. Hc writcs, A closcd mcm is a closcd womb, an opcn mcm is thc womb opcning to givc
birth (Bahir ). Vhat docs this tcll us about this Child in prophccy: !t tclls us that this Child will bc conccalcd
insidc a closcd womb, i.c., thc womb ol thc \irgin spokcn ol in !saiah ,:. (Gates of Eden magazinc, MayJunc,
acc, p. ). 8otkin gocs on to writc,
!t is also intcrcsting to notc that thc \irgin Mothcr had a namc that bcgins and cnds with thc lct
tcr mem. Christians know hcr as Mary, but hcr Hcbrcw namc is Miriam.
l coursc, thc rabbis do not scc any hints ol Miriam in !saiahs prophccy, but thcy arc awarc ol this
mystcrious closcd mcm and ol its Mcssianic implications. Tc rabbis tcach that whcn it is timc lor thc
Rcdcmption, thc closcd mcm ol !saiahs l marbeh will opcn lor thc coming Mcssiah (Radak, !sa. :6).
(!bid.)
Tc undcrstanding ol thc opcn mcm has bccn notcd in Christian circlcs as wcll. arly ninctccnthccntury Chris
tian 8iblc scholar, commcntator and disciplc ol John Vcslcy, Adam Clarkc commcnting on !saiah :, notcd thc
closcd mcm and concludcd thc lollowing:
Tis is an illustrious prophccy ol thc incarnation ol |Mcssiah| Hc shall appcar as a child, born ol
woman, born as a Jcw but not in thc way ol ordinary gcncration. Hc is a Son givcnthc human
naturc, in which thc lullncss ol thc Godhcad was to dwcll, bcing produccd by thc crcativc cncrgy
ol thc |Spirit ol lohim| in thc womb ol thc \irgin (Scc Matt .:ac,a.,a,a and Lukc .:, !sa ,:.)
(Clarkes Commentary, vol , p. 6).
vvv :/o, vix vvv /o8 b