Before we ask about David’s son, what about that of David himself?

Before we ask about David’s son, what about that of David himself?

Before we get into the issue of David’s infant son and what type of an existence he will enter into in the future, we must ask ourselves about King David himself. What is his destiny? This question is pretty easily answered in fact because there are a number of Biblical texts which make this question quite clear. These are as follows:

“Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.” (Hosea 3:5 ESV)

“But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.” (Jeremiah 30:9 ESV)

And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken. (Ezekiel 34:23-24 ESV)

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd.  They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.  They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. (Ezekiel 37:24-25 ESV)

What the Bible seems to teach is that while Jesus Christ is going to be the king over the whole of the earth in the millennium (a period of 1,000 years which begins once Jesus returns to earth and the First Resurrection takes place), King David, as it says here above, is going to be the King over Israel during this period, which commences at the return of Christ Jesus back to this earth and then the first resurrection of the dead will take place. King David will be a part of this first resurrection. [Note that some can certainly say that the “David” mentioned in these texts may not necessarily be King David himself. It is an interpretation to say that this is the case. I am saying that it is indeed King David. One thing that is certain however is that King David is going to experience a resurrection from the dead in the future to immortal life and at some point during that future existence, he will see the son he lost as referenced in II Samuel 12:23.] 

Many years ago, I was taught about the questions concerning the various aspects of our resurrection lives by my late father, Dr. Ernest L. Martin. I have since that time synthesized and added some of my own suggestions to his extensive work on this subject.

Much of the writing he did on these subjects goes back to the late 1970's or early 1980's, but its relevance still remains very helpful for those of us seeking biblical answers to these questions about our dear departed loved ones, especially of those questions which concern the disposition of departed children who died before the age of accountability. 

My father wrote quite a lot on this subject and on particular article he published in May 1980 titled: "Surprising Factors Concerning the Resurrection of the Dead" provides some important teaching about the destiny of King David, who is our subject here in this post. 

The first point that is relevant to be addressed here and show is that King David is going to take part in what the Bible calls the first resurrection. Note the Biblical teaching concerning this point as mentioned by my father:

"The main resurrection to spiritual life for Christians is called in the Bible the first resurrection. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years: but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" (Rev. 20:5,6). Along with this should be placed Revelation 5:10.

"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on earth."

- (Ernest L. Martin - Surprising Factors Concerning the Resurrection Of The Dead, Foundation for Biblical Research: Pasadena: CA, 1980.)

In this resurrection, some Christians will be raised from the dead to take part in this time period of our future lives. Note an additional highly relevant comment from my father from the same paper:

"Who are these Christians who will experience this particular resurrection? Does it mean all Christians in general? The Bible gives some specific answers if we pay close attention to it. For one, even the apostle John in the Book of Revelation tells us who some of them will be. They are those "which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev.20:4). These particular people are those who live in the 3 and 1/2 year period just before the second coming of Christ. They are destined to be kings and priests with Christ on earth (Rev. 5:10). (ibid.)

However, Christians will not be the only persons taking part in this resurrection. King David will also be raised from the dead at this time and will reign with Christ during this period:

"There are, on the other hand, others of past times who are prophesied to fill the same role. These are the original apostles and some of the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets [like King David].

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28).

The nation of Israel is to be regenerated (re-born) after the second coming of Christ. Israelites who will have been scattered around the world during the time of Jacob's trouble at the end of the age (Jer.30:7) also called the period of the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21) will be re-gathered back to Zion. The nation of Israel will then be re-born with all twelve tribes returned to Palestine (Ezek. 37:15-28).

And note who will be resurrected to rule at that time: "And David my servant shall be king over them" (Ezek. 37:24). But David will not be the only one there. "The Lord reigneth ... in Zion ... Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them" (Psa. 99:1,2,6). For Moses, Aaron, and Samuel to be alive at the same time in the future shows a resurrection from the dead. This means that David will be king over Israel, but the others will be priests. There will also be a king to rule over all nations on earth not just Israel. That will be Christ Jesus himself (Psa. 2:6-8).

Underneath David in authority will be the twelve apostles ruling over each of the twelve tribes (Matt. 19:28). Still, many other people of past times will be resurrected on the same occasion to rule over ten cities, others over five, some over one city, and some with lesser jurisdictions (Luke 19:11-28). This is the time when the Kingdom of God promised by the prophets and so eagerly looked for by the apostles and early Christians will find its fulfillment on earth. It will last a thousand years a millennium! (Ernest L. Martin, ibid.)

Now, the question we have to ask is this. Will David’s son be raised to be in the same glorious spiritual existence that King David himself will inherit at that time? Will King David be carrying that baby around? Will King David be a father again? Will he have some role in raising his own son from the dead who died in this life again? He said that his son would not return to him, but that he would go to him. Will the baby be raised to be a mortal, physical life or an immortal, spiritual life? These are the questions we want answers to.

We not only want answers about the destiny of David's infant son who died, but we also want answers about our own infant children or other children who died before the age of accountability. Thankfully, the Holy Bible provides us with answers to these questions. 

We will be discussing these questions and will be providing solid, clear biblical answers to these questions and many more in future posts on this blog.

The Biblical data defining what is a child - excerpt from the book "Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy

The Biblical data defining what is a child

What is a child? When does one begin being a child? When does one stop being a child? How does the Bible look at this question? These questions need to be asked and answered when it comes to even the most rudimentary of understandings about children. We simply need to know how the ancient people of the Bible looked at the concept of childhood. 

      How did the people mentioned in the Bible look at their children? What defined a child in their world? What were the various phases of childhood as outlined in the Bible and how can we understand them? These questions are extremely important to ask and to answer. This is because we need to accurately interpret to whom the Biblical texts in the book of Proverbs suggesting smacking are directed.

      To embark upon a study of the matter of the development of children in ancient Jewish society, one must first examine what Jewish people have said about children in their own works. This makes sense because it is the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) that contains the texts that virtually everyone advocating smacking refers to. In opening this investigation, it is amazing what is available for the researcher, but it equally more surprising what is not available. It is very surprising that more has not been written on the development and environment of children in the Bible, but it appears that up until now few have been asking the questions that are now being posed by those interested in the history of child development in ancient cultures.[1] 

     There are a number of interesting Jewish sources written by Rabbis, some of whom are ancient and other of which are more modern. However, these volumes are not a part of the mainstream body of reference literature available to Christians for several reasons. First, there is a lack of connection between Christian and Jewish scholarship and there are also language barriers. Many of their ancient volumes are written in Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, Aramaic or other languages and are simply not available to those outside of the traditional circles of Hebrew and Semitic scholarship. There are few ways for people, not knowledgeable of Jewish writings and without the needed language skills, to access the wisdom of these giants of Biblical scholarship.

          From a more academic viewpoint, we also don’t have a lot of books on the subject of Jewish attitudes to children. In a recent book on the Jewish family, David Kraemer, who authored the section of this volume concerning “Images of Childhood and Adolescence in Talmudic Literature,” says the following: “When asking about that other species of children (here the author is speaking of information concerning childhood development that would interest the professional student of childhood issues), we have woefully little to work with.”[2]

          Additionally, Kraemer points out that he was only able to find one book solely devoted to the subject of speaking “of the traditional attitude toward Jewish children.”[3] This book, “The Jewish Child,” by W.M. Feldman, as Kraemer points out, found so little information about Jewish attitudes toward children that Kraemer said: “Feldman was forced to pad the book with chapters on such matters as mathematics in the Talmud, presumably because children learned math in school.”[4] Kraemer provides a great deal of excellent information from the period in which the Talmud was written (from the third century BCE until the fifth century CE), but as for a treatment of the child in the Bible itself, there is very little information available from Jewish sources.

          Solomon Schecter, the English Hebrew scholar who was active in the last part of the last century published a short article about children in a Hebrew journal, but his article was a basic introduction to children’s themes in the environment of Jewish history. Certainly, this article is interesting and valuable, but it does not focus on a detailed analysis of the book of Proverbs or any of the texts relating to smacking.[5] 

     However, some excellent Jewish sources are available. One of the most illuminating volumes in English (for those interested in the Jewish perspective on education and child rearing and texts related to child rearing in the Bible) is the book titled “Sparing the Rod: A Torah Perspective on Reward and Punishment in Education.”[6] This volume reveals several important sources of the abovementioned Jewish works. This volume is an amazing glimpse into the wisdom of Jewish learning.[7] This book refers to many works written by Rabbis, but most of these works are not available currently in English translation. This is why this volume is so valuable because it gives us a glimpse into the depths of Hebrew scholarship. 

     Now if some Jewish scholars, who do not have the New Testament as their Holy Scripture, are pointing out that the Biblical, post-Biblical and historical sources are vague concerning specific information about children and how ancient Hebrew society looked at them, how is that Christian ministers or Bible teachers can come along now and explain what the texts of the Hebrew Bible mean relative to children when individuals whose expertise far outstrips those of us in the Christian world are saying that they don’t have the answers to these questions? This is one question that those in the Christian world who advocate smacking children need to answer. 

     Thankfully, some important work has been done in this regard by the eminent Christian Hebrew scholar, Alfred Edersheim.  He was a Christian scholar who was intimately familiar with all of the Hebrew body of scholarship and his knowledge of Jewish religious sources was first rate.

A definition of terms

A good place to begin any discussion is with a definition of terms. In the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), there are quite a number of terms that are used to describe children at various phases of life. Edersheim in his invaluable work “Sketches of Jewish Life” says the following: “The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew [in the Hebrew language]. Besides such general words as ‘ben’ and ‘bath’ [these are Hebrew terms and their meanings follow here] -- ‘son’ and ‘daughter’ -- we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life.”[8] These phrases “ben” (Hebrew: son) and “bath” (Hebrew: daughter) are used hundreds of times in the Bible and are general terms used to describe, sons, daughters, children and a person’s age.[9]

This is an extremely important statement. What Edersheim is saying is that the phrases in Hebrew that describe children and childhood are distinct and are also characterized by an almost visual element. This will become more evident when we look at the examples given by Edersheim, but this point cannot be mentioned without some commentary. There is a reason for this. When we look at terms in the Bible that describe actions directed at a certain person or group, because we are dealing with a very old text that is culturally disconnected from our modern world by many hundreds of years, we need to be sure that the group in our modern world that we are applying these texts to are the same group in the ancient world that the people at that time applied the same information to. If we don’t do this, then we can misapply the information we are looking at by applying it to a group of individuals for whom it was never intended.

     This is where the main problem comes in understanding to whom the texts in the book of Proverbs were directed. If we assume that they were just applied to “children” in general without any definition, we run the risk of misapplying the text to a subgroup of the category of “children” who were never intended to be the recipients of such teachings. This is where great care is required in knowing and correctly applying the Biblical information that we do have. This approach seems to be a sensible one. It seems that we really don’t have another choice in this regard because apart from direct commentaries from the writers themselves, how can we be absolutely certain that what we are saying about a text represents the meaning that the author intended? First, we have to clearly define the terms we are discussing. Then we can consider to who these terms are to be applied. We then have to look at how these terms are used throughout the Bible to determine God’s definition of them. This is the best course of action to take to understand whom we are talking about. It is also very important to carefully consider the information that we do have and not dismiss something as unimportant. The entire Bible is important and valuable.

     What we find in the Hebrew Bible is that, just as we have in English, we have terms that very specifically describe the various phases of childhood. By understanding these terms and by correctly applying them to the Biblical texts that refer to them (and not applying them to the Biblical texts that don’t!), we position ourselves on a more equal level when it comes to comparing who is being discussed in one section and who we can apply those teaching to today. Let us look at these various phases now.

     When we are willing to take a fresh new look at childhood in the Bible, we can see, as did Alfred Edersheim, that the words employed by the Biblical writers are very visual in nature in describing the various stages of child development. Edersheim opens his examination of this important matter with the following: “the first of these [terms designating phases of child development] simply designates the babe as the newly ‘born’ -- the ‘yeled’ or, in the feminine, ‘yaldah’ -- as in Exodus 2:3; 2:6; 2:8. [these texts in Exodus concern the baby Moses]”[10] 

     It is important here to mention what Edersheim meant by his use of the word “pictorialness” in describing the words used to point to the various phases of child development in the Hebrew Bible. The way that these words convey a visual or “picture like” sense is by connecting them to the Hebrew verbs from which the nouns are constructed. In Hebrew, the word “yeled” (masculine) or “yaldah” (feminine) are both related to the verb “yalad.” This verb simply means, “to give birth.”[11] So the meaning of the noun of the same root refers to the one who came from the giving of birth. This is the “pictorialness” that Edersheim refers to. This verb, in various forms is found several hundred times in the Bible.[12] This word is given a very clear meaning as referring to the time in the life of a child from birth to the time of weaning. Look at the following verse from the book of Genesis that shows this very clearly. “And the child (Hebrew: yeled) grew, and was weaned.”[13] [Historical sources show that this weaning took place at the age of three.[14] More on this later.]

     We also find a logical approach to naming various stages of children’s lives in the Bible. This takes place through specifying names based upon actions taking place in the lives of the children themselves. By understanding that the use of certain words relates to actions that children specifically are doing (that point to a time in life that they are doing them), this will help us to correctly understand what stage of life is being referred to in the Biblical verses related to children.[15] Rather than just referring solely to “children,” we can better define the time in the life of these “children” and by doing this we can begin to put flesh on the skeletons that are these Biblical texts. Let us now return to Edersheim’s discussion with these points in mind. They will help us to understand the words that are used in the Bible to describe these important phases in the life of children.

          To demonstrate the subtle difference a word can bring Edersheim says the following: “But the use of this term [the term refers to the word ‘yeled’ which means ‘babe’] throws fresh light on the meaning of some passages of Scripture. Thus we remember that it is applied to our Lord in the prophecy of His birth:[16] ‘For a babe (Hebrew: yeled) is born unto us, a son (Hebrew: ben) is given to us.’”[17] This word “yeled” appears almost 90 times in the Bible.[18]

          Edersheim continues: “The next child-name in point of time, is ‘yonek,’ which means, literally, ‘a suckling.’”[19] Note that Edersheim specifically uses the phrase “in point of time.” This is because each of these names follows the other as far as time is concerned. This word in Hebrew comes from the verb “yanak” which literally means, “to suck.”[20] In English, we would refer to these children as “infants” or “nursing babies.” In fact, there are two different terms in the Bible that describe two different periods of a suckling child. The first term “yonek” refers to babies who are in the period of life that is characterized as receiving nourishment only from their mother’s breast. These are children who are aged from birth to about 12 months or so. After 12 months or so, children begin to eat other food other than that provided by their mothers through nursing, but they are also still nursing. This takes place, depending upon what culture you are referring to, anywhere from 12 months until a child is about two and a half or even three. This transition from receiving nourishment through suckling only to a combination of suckling and eating solid food is mentioned in the Bible by referring to a different term to point out this new phase. (In the Bible, the age of three was the time for weaning officially as mentioned previously.) The term that describes this phase of life of suckling as well as eating some solid food is the Hebrew word “olel.” “As the word implies, the “olel” is still ‘sucking;’ but it is no longer satisfied with only this nourishment, and is ‘asking bread,’ as in Lamentations 4:4: ‘The tongue of the suckling child (yonek) cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the newly eating children (‘olelim’ - plural of the word olel) ask bread.”[21] (translation mine) Edersheim continues: “This word, ‘olel,’ refers to a child who is not weaned yet but still periodically nurses at its mother’s breast.[22]

          One point that must be made regarding these two terms is that they are distinct and refer to two specific phases of life. An “olel” is always older than a “yonek.” The point that differentiates these children is the fact that some are eating food from their mothers only, while others are supplementing their mother’s milk with food from other sources. Note the following quotes that show this: “Out of the mouth of babes [23] and sucklings[24] hast thou founded strength because of thy enemies;”[25] Note also: “to cut off from you man and woman, child[26] and suckling[27]…”[28] This is ample evidence to demonstrate the distinction in these terms. The term “yonek” (or its related words) is found 32 times in the Bible[29] whereas the term “olel” occurs 20 times.[30] 

     Logically, the time following the period of a child nursing at the breast is characterized by a specific term in Hebrew just as it is in English. This is the fourth designation found in the Bible. It “represents the child as the ‘gamul’ or ‘weaned one,’”[31] from a verb which primarily means to complete, and secondarily to wean.”[32]  This verb, which jointly means “to complete” and “to wean,” shows the child completing the nursing phase. There are several texts in the Bible that specifically refer to this completion of the weaning phase. They refer to a variety of situations and personalities. For example, it is mentioned in the book of Genesis “that Isaac was weaned.”[33] King David also spoke about humility and pursuing a life of peace and tranquillity. He compared this to a weaned child sitting next to his mother. In this comparison, he shows that he had come to learn to humbly approach life and not to seek things that were beyond him. In doing this, he became aware of an inner peace and found a sense of completeness. This feeling he compares to that of weaned children who find that when they complete the nursing process, they find a sense of peace and quietness resting beside their mothers. This is an extremely beautiful and deeply sensitive comparison from the inspired pen of King David[34] who refers to this weaned child as sitting next to his mother.[35] We find that the phase of life for these children is between the ages of three to four. Note again that a “gamul” is always older than an “olel.” 

     This period is followed by another term mentioned by Edersheim. These years are times of particular closeness to their mothers, even clinging to her. He described it like this: “After that the fond eye of the Hebrew parent seems to watch the child as it is clinging to its mother -- as it were ranging itself by her -- whence the fifth designation, ‘taph.’[36] The use of this word is further defined when we look at some of the verbs that are related to this noun. We find that the reason that Edersheim referred to this term as showing a child “clinging to its mother” or “ranging itself by her” is because the verbal uses of this noun refer to the English word “swaddled.” This term refers to the ancient custom of women wearing swaddling bands. These were exterior garments that were band-like in construction and were a handbreadths or so thick and were used to carry children by their mothers. This verb is used in a beautiful description of God’s right hand “spanning” the heavens.[37] This word “spanned” means swaddled. It shows that God cares for the heavens in the same way that a mother with child cares for it and brings it close to her with her right hand. We even find that the earth in ancient times had a “swaddling band” around it.[38] This was a circular band like ring similar to that found around other planets.[39]

     We also have the Bible referring to “swaddling clothes” which were garments that were used on very young children who were yet to be trained in normal bodily functions. These garments were used to wrap the child around their body and could easily be removed quickly to facilitate a child who needed to relieve him or herself. These garments were wrapped close to the body in a circular fashion.[40] 

     In using this word “taph” it gives the strong impression that Hebrew mothers were intensely close to their children and their children stayed very close to their mothers throughout the time prior to the age of six years. This idea is beautifully taught in an extremely touching verse found in the book of Isaiah that describes the birth of a whole nation in one day who will be “carried upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you.”[41] This is just more evidence that women in ancient times carried their young children and swaddling bands were a part of this process. 

     In closing this discussion about the word “taph,” we find this phrase used 42 times in the Hebrew Bible and it universally refers to “little children.”[42] This period refers to young children who are between the ages of four to six years. After age six, then began a process of either continued closeness to the mother for girls or separation from the mother for boys and beginning a new life spending most of their time with their fathers.

          Continuing, Edersheim says: “The sixth period is marked by the word ‘elem’ (in the feminine, ‘almah,’ as in Isaiah 7:14, of the virgin mother, which denotes becoming firm and strong.”[43] This is time in life mentioned in the Bible is when a young person is approaching adolescence. This word is translated in English by words such as “maid,” “damsel,” “virgin,” “stripling,” and refers to those young people who are not yet even young adults. These words are today called “pre-teenagers” in modern language. These words together are found nine times in the Bible.[44]

          Now, as we have in English there is another term that refers to the time just after and including the teenage years, where the young person is now starting to gain some sense of independence. Edersheim phrases it this way: “As one might expect, we have next the ‘na’ar,’ or youth -- literally, he who shakes off, or shakes himself free.[45] [The word na’arah is the feminine form of this word na’ar and it is also found frequently in the Bible.[46]] This word is found over 200 times in the Bible.[47] There are some poetical uses of this phrase “na’ar,”[48] but the vast majority of these texts refer to younger men or women who have yet to marry.

          One term that Edersheim does not refer to in his treatment of this issue is the word “bthulah”[49] We find this word used to refer to the phase of life for young women just immediately prior to marriage. Girls in this stage of life were referred to by the phrase “bthulah.” This word means a young woman who has not participated in sexual intercourse, or specifically, a virgin. This is the exact meaning and there are numerous texts to show this.[50] This word appears 50 times in the Bible.[51] 

     Edersheim, concludes his discussion of these terms with the following: “Lastly, we find the child designated as ‘bachur,’ [the feminine is bachurah but this word is apparently not found in the Bible] or the ‘ripened one;’ a young warrior, as in Isaiah 31:8; Jeremiah 18:21; 15:8.”[52] Note again, Edersheim uses the word “lastly” which shows a continuing time element in discussing the terms. This phrase is where we start to see words describing marriage being coupled with those describing this phase of life. Note the following: “For as a young man (bachur) takes to himself (in marriage) a virgin (bthulah), so shall thy sons take thee to themselves, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”[53] So we find that the phrase “bachur” refers to a time in the life of young men, where marriage starts to become a reality. Men in the Biblical and post-Biblical periods generally married between 13 and 17 and women generally married between 12 and 18.[54] 

     Finally, the last two words that describe the final stage of life, adulthood, are man and woman. In Hebrew, these terms are for man, “ish,” and for woman, “ishah.” These terms are only mentioned here for continuity and reference, as we are not specifically discussing them in this context. They appear hundreds of times in the Bible.[55]

          Edersheim concludes his comments regarding these terms by saying the following: “Assuredly, those who so keenly watched child-life as to give a pictorial designation to each advancing stage of its existence, must have been fondly attached to their children.”[56] Of this there is no question. It is quite interesting that the ancient Hebrews had specific designations for each phase of human development, much like our modern English terms newborn, infant, nursing child, toddler, preschooler, prepubescent, pre-teen, teenager, young adult and adult.

          What the evidence from the Bible shows is that the Biblical writers had specific terms that they employed to each phase of life. The catchall phrase “child” is not sufficient to describe the multiplicity of terms used by the Biblical writers.

Conclusion

Now that we have defined and placed these terms in context, let us now consider how to better understand the Biblical passages that refer to these terms. At the very beginning of the book of Proverbs we have an introduction that orients the reader to the book as a whole. This section mentions that the book is directed to the “young man.”[57] This word for “young man” (Hebrew: na’ar), as the previous analysis has shown, does not include young men who fall into the pre-teen category. Let us look at the evidence that shows this. 

     As mentioned earlier, the Hebrew terms that refer to the phases of life are “yeled,” “yonek,” “olel,” “gamul,” “taph,” elem,” “na’ar,” “bthulah,” “bachur,” “ish” and “ben.” Let us now look at the occurrences of these terms in the book of Proverbs.

     Now, the words “yeled,” “yonek,” “olel,” “taph,” “bthulah,” are peculiar in the book of Proverbs for one important reason. This is because they are not found once in any verse in the whole book in either masculine or feminine forms. Additionally, the words “bachur,”  “gamul,” and “elem” are found only once.[58] The most prominent of these listed words found in the book of Proverbs is the word “ish” which means “man.” This word also overwhelmingly refers to grown men. This word is used in the book of Proverbs 84 times.[59]

     The word that we find used in three of the verses that advocate smacking in Proverbs is “na’ar.”[60] The phase of life associated with the “na’ar” (which means the “one shook lose”) is that of young adulthood or the teenage years. This is significant. Based on this evidence, it is safe to say that all of these texts in the book of Proverbs have no application to anyone less than about ten to twelve years of age. 

     The other two verses[61] often quoted by smacking advocates when referring specifically to the recipient of the corporal punishment both refer to the word “son.” In Hebrew, the word used is “ben.” This word is used hundreds of times in the Bible and can refer to a son of any age. In light of the use of this word, “son,” it makes sense, considering especially that we have three others texts that all refer to the use of the “rod,” that we let these three texts, which use the Hebrew word “na’ar,” be our primary sources of authority to understand who was the recipient of such corporal punishment. Obviously, we cannot let the two texts, which use the word “son” (Hebrew: na’ar) let us interpret the three texts, which use the more specific term “young adult” or “teenager.” All who are fathers refer to their teenage boys as their “sons,” but not all fathers’, who have sons, are teenagers. We have to let the more precise term young adult or teenager, which in Hebrew is “na’ar,” be our guide when applying these texts to individuals. 

      In conclusion, this evidence shows that the book of Proverbs is referring to a specific phase in the life of a person. It is not referring to “children” in the non-specific way. We have to be very careful in handling the information that we do have from this book because this information is sparse and terse. We also need to be very careful not to read things into the texts that are not there on the basis of an English translation. We have to let the original Hebrew words and their meanings come through into our understandings or else we can lose the richness of meaning that is there for the interested party to investigate. This advice must be especially heeded when it comes to such issues of immense social importance as how we bring up the next generation. For their sakes, we need to be right and protect them from teachings that are not directed at them in the first place. 

     With this information in mind, let us now look at some further evidence concerning early and modern Hebrew conceptions about smacking and the book of Proverbs. It will pay great dividends to pay attention to the words of some of the great Hebrew scholars who devoted their lives to Bible study.

---

[1] See Kramer, The Jewish Family, pg. 64-66, 1996.

[2] Kraemer, The Jewish Family, pg. 66

[3] ibid.

[4] ibid., pg.66-67

[5] Solomon Schecter, Journal of Jewish Studies

[6] Author is Meir Munk, Mishor Publishing Co. Ltd., Bnei Brak, Israel 1989. For more information about this volume contact Judaica Express in the USA at 1800 2 BOOKS 1.

[7] I wish to thank Rabbi Reuben Feinstein, the son of the late eminent Rabbinical scholar, Rabbi Moses Feinstein of New York, for his permission to quote this book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Jewish perspective on this issue to get a copy of this volume mentioned in this paragraph.

[8] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg. 103

[9] In Hebrew, when asking someone’s age, even today in the modern language, you say: “The son (or daughter) of how many years are you?” This may seem an odd way to ask this question to the English ear, but this is how it was done in ancient times and this is also how it is done today.

[10] ibid., pg.104

[11] See Genesis 4:18; 4:22; 6:4; 10:8

[12] Wigram’s Englishman’s Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance (WEHCC), pg. 527-530

[13] Genesis 21:8

[14] Mc’lintock & Strongs: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological & Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II, pg. 243, article. ‘child,’ which refers to Genesis 21:8; Exodus 2:7,9; I Samuel 1:22-24; II Chronicles 31:16 and Matthew 21:16

[15] This concept is not strange to the English language either. For example, look at the verb “drive.” This word refers to an action of moving something from one place to another. It can refer to something such as a “driving a car or a tractor,” but it can also refer to things such as animals, like “driving a herd of sheep.” Now, what is the noun form of this verb? It is driver. So, the noun and the verb form of a word are closely connected in English as well as Hebrew. Hebrew only is different in the sense that each word has its own gender while in English gender is express through the use of adjectives or pronouns. In English, we say “a male driver or a female driver.” In Hebrew, there is no such use of these helping words because each word has its own gender. So, to say “male driver,” in Hebrew it is only one word “nahag.” Female driver is “nahagah.” (Hebrew in this sense is similar to Spanish, which incorporates the gender into the word directly such as “senor” (gentleman), or “senoritah.” (lady)

[16] Isaiah 9:6

[17] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg. 104

[18] See WEHCC, pg. 530

[19] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg.104

[20] This verb appears 32 times in the Hebrew Bible and in every occasion refers to sucking, suckling or nursing. See WEHCC, pg.542.

[21] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg.104

[22] ibid.

[23] Hebrew -  olelim – plural of olel

[24] Hebrew – yonekim – plural of yonek

[25] Psalm 8:3

[26] Hebrew - olel

[27] Hebrew - yonek

[28] Jeremiah 44:7

[29] WEHCC, pg. 542

[30] WEHCC, pg. 907

[31] Psalm 81:2; Isaiah 11:8; 28:9

[32] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg.104

[33] Genesis 21:8

[34] Psalm 131

[35] ibid.

[36] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg. 104; See also Esther 3:13, The ‘taph’ and the women in one day; Jeremiah 40:7; Ezekiel 9:6

[37] Isaiah 48:13

[38] This “swaddling-band” was disturbed in the time of Noah and caused the Flood according to research conducted by Dr. Ernest L. Martin, my father and an extraordinary interdisciplinary Christian scholar. See his booklet “Solving the Riddle of Noah’s Flood” (ASK Publications:1987)

[39] Job 38:9

[40] See Luke 2:7 and 2:12

[41] Isaiah 66:12-13

[42] WEHCC, pg. 484

[43] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg. 104

[44] WEHCC, pg. 943

[45] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg.104

[46] Genesis 24:14; 34:12

[47] WEHCC, pg. 823-4

[48] In the book of First Samuel, Chapter 1, we find the word “na’ar” being used of Samuel immediately following his weaning in v.24. It is used several times also in Chapter 2 during the stage of Samuel growing up. It is clear that Samuel was brought to live in the Temple when he was a very young boy. It is also clear that from where he lived in Ramah, the Temple was at that time in Shilo, less than half a day’s journey away. While he was away from his mother, he had plenty of supervision living in the Temple at that time. The reason for the use of this phrase to describe him in this stage is not clear, however, he was “shaken free” from his home life at an early age to prepare him for the great tasks he underwent.

We see the same phrase used of Moses who was only a small baby at the time in Exodus 2. This phrase is coupled with the previously mentioned term “yeled.” It seems clear from the context that Pharaoh’s daughter was speaking poetically. The dialogue almost sounds like a mother saying: “Look here at this little man crying!”

[49] Which in English means “virgin.”

[50] Note Deuteronomy 22 in particular

[51] WEHCC, pg. 284

[52] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg. 105

[53] Isaiah 62:5

[54] Mc’lintock & Strong’s: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological & Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V, pg. 775.

[55] WEHCC, “ish,” pgs.60-69 (over 1,600 times); ishah, pgs.175-178 (over 550 times)

[56] Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Life, pg. 105

[57] This suggestion has been reiterated by Dr. Randall Heskett in Interpretation Journal April 2001 article: “Proverbs 23:13-14,” pgs. 181-4. This is an article by a professor with expertise in Old Testament Hebrew.

[58] For bachur, see Proverbs 20:29 and for elem, which in this case we find the word in the feminine gender being “almah” see Proverbs 30:19. For gamul, the verbal form gamal is found in Proverbs 11:17, but in this case, the context does not refer to a child being weaned.

[59] WEHCC, pg.67-8

[60] Proverbs 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15

[61] Proverbs 13:23,24 and Proverbs 19:18

To read the entire book "Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy" by Samuel Martin, please visit these websites to download the whole book free of charge.

whynottrainachild.com/2013/06/22/download-martins-book/

http://www.endhittingusa.org/resources/sam-martin-s-biblical-studies-about-spanking

What type of an existence will a child who dies enter into in the future when there is a resurrection of the dead?

What type of an existence 

will a child who dies enter into in the future

when there is a resurrection of the dead?

The first question we really need to ask ourselves in this very important discussion is the following: What type of an existence will a child who dies before the age of accountability enter into in the future when there is a resurrection of the dead (this is understood in light of the fact that those who die are currently dead and not living in a state of disembodied consciousness)? Now, it might seem strange to say it this way, but there is, in fact, more than one choice. If you don’t see this as a possibility, bear with me.

Now, let us look at a key text which is going to be the beginning of our journey. It is a text we all know very well and it concerns the story of David and Bathsheba and what the Bible records concerning the death of their first child. I don’t need to rehearse the whole story as we are familiar with it, but I do want to focus on one specific issue. Let us look now at II Samuel 12:16-23:

“David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” (ESV)

Now, let us understand what this text says. David says that one day, he seemingly will see this child again. This is the idea one gets in reading this text when we consider the attitude and actions of David. He seems to have taken a very practical view of this issue and went on with his life with quite a strong level of faith. He did not exhibit major additional grief beyond what is referenced here in this before the child passed away. Why? As he said, he understood that the life of that child on earth was over, but he believed that he would see that child again in some way.

     The text does not say precisely when this will happen. This text is pointed out by scores of commentators and exegetes talking about this issue and they use this text to show (among other texts that are used to build an argument) that little children will be raised from the dead to immortal life.

Yes, this is exactly what many scholars and theologians teach that this text means, but I have to ask: Is this what this text teaches at all? Simply put, to say that this text teaches that small children are going to inherit immortal life is reading something into this text which is not necessarily there at all. It only says that David will "go to him."  [They don’t normally go into any details about who these children will be? How will they develop memories? Who will they be as adult thinking people considering they never had any experiences to remember in the first place?]

Now, the Bible also makes it clear that at this time in history only Christ has immortality (I Timothy 6:16 & I Corinthians 15:23)) and “no man has ascended to heaven.” (John 3:13) Yes, it does say that David will see that baby again (who lived to be only a few days old), but there is absolutely no indication that proves in any way that that baby is going to be raised to immortal life! Let’s be clear and reasonable. The baby either is going to be raised from the dead to mortal or immortal life. There are really not any other options that make any practical sense. It is one or the other. This is definitely the case because there is no indication in the Bible, for example, that human beings, made in the image of God, will be perhaps in the future transformed in some way to become angels.

What we mean here exactly is: Will this baby be capable of dying again by being raised to mortal life or will the baby be raised from the dead to an eternal existence? These really are the only two choices available. We will continue this discussion in further posts.