11:8. ‘Spiritually/allegorically’

Greek #4153, pnĕumatikŏs, ‘non-physically’, ‘divinely’, ‘figuratively’.  This word is used also in 1 Cor. 2:14; Revelation 11:8; a form of this word is used in Rom. 8:6.

 

11:8. ‘Egypt’

            The word translated ‘Egypt‘ is often from the Hebrew mitzraim #4714 which is a dual form.  There are references in secular literature to an upper and a lower Egypt.  Dual forms such as this may indicate dual usage, such as literal and symbolic.  Such usage often takes an ambiguous form, so that it might be taken to mean either the one or the other or even both.  Such is the nature of analogy as a literary device.  See my Commentary at 11:8 “Jerusalem, a Double City.”

11:8. ‘Jerusalem’

            The word ‘Jerusalem‘ may be divided two ways: yerush salem, meaning ‘possession of peace, or Salem‘s possession’, or: yeru salem meaning ‘foundation of peace.’

Hebrew ‘yeru’ is taken to be the combining form of the verb yârâh #3384, whose primary meaning is ‘to teach,’ with a corollary meaning of ‘to lay or set a cornerstone or foundation.’  This shows that teaching was considered to be the laying of a foundation.  An interesting derivative of this verb is the words meaning ‘rain: early and latter rain,’ as something that is cast or thrown to the ground, as a foundation.

11:11. ‘Breath’

Greek #4151, pnĕuma, ‘a current of air’, i.e. ‘breath’, by analogy or figuratively, ‘a spirit’, i.e. (human), ‘the rational soul’, or (superhuman) ‘an angel’, ‘daemon’, or (divine) ‘God’, ‘Christ‘s Spirit’, ‘the Holy Spirit’.

 

Hebrew #07307 rûwach, ‘wind’; by resemblance ‘breath’, ‘spirit’, as used in Ezek. 37:5.

 

11:11. ‘Life’

Greek #2222 zōē ‘life’ corresponds to Hebrew #02416 chay’ ‘alive’, ‘life’.

Greek #5590, psuchē life, ‘breath’ corresponds to:

 

Hebrew #05315 nephesh ‘a breathing creature’.