Amber, the appearance of the Lord, and "electric"

On May 22, 2016 9:22 AM, "Stephen Williamson" wrote:

Subject: A bit of a study on "amber" , the appearance of the Lord, and "electric"

Hi all

The modern English word amber (in Hebrew/Aramaic Inbar) refers to beautiful gemstones formed from fossilized tree gum, found initially on the southern seashores of the Baltic Sea (Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania). Used in medicines and for burning incense, from ancient times.

It is related to Ambergris (grey Amber) the Arab word for perfume and incense that’s formed from whale deposits, also found on seashores.

However, amber, the gemstone, is electrostatic when rubbed with a cloth. The ancient Greeks associated it with "tears for the son (of the Sun-god)" — "Elektron" — from Helios ("Sun"). In the Hebrew / Aramaic word "Inbar", the first two letters Ayin and Nun alluding to "eyes and fountain and affliction" followed by the letters Beth and Rosh (Bar) alluding to "the son", also bring to mind David's brokenness in 2 Samuel 16:11-12 as his son Absalom sought his life.

In Ezekiel 1:4, 1:27 and 8:2 there is a vision of the Lord, looking like “amber” (which uses an unusual Hebrew word "chashmal"). In the Greek Septuagint, that Greek word "elektron" is used. In Latin, it was translated as "electrum". In early and middle English, it was called "electre", from which the word “electric” is derived, around 1600, in referring to its “attractive” property.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Etymology_of_electricity

German (and Yiddish) translations of the Ezekiel passage (and references to these gemstones) use the word “Bernstein” — Burning stone.

However, Ezekiel's word chashmal — pronounced khashmal — became a poet's "proposed" word in the 1800s for what is now the modern Hebrew word for electricity.
http://judaism.stackexchange.com /questions/23194/whats-the-meaning-of-hashmal-electricity-in-modern-hebrew-in-the-bible-ez

So this word amber, in referring to the Lord’s appearance reflects affliction and tears, healing and incense, beauty, attraction, and absolutely electric.

Pretty cool.

Blessings Steve

Stephen Williamson Computing Services Pty Ltd
www.swcs.com.au