Category Archives: Tree of Knowledge

Nazirite, Nazareth, and Grapevines

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When studies and thoughts collide! The collision of Nazirite, Nazareth, and Grapevines is more like three different musical instruments, all contributing three different sounds but are in harmony with the whole of the composition, not a hitting of two cars.

Nazirite – This term started this study. I thought it referred ‘to just’ a person who separated themselves to God for a season. The terms of the vow in Numbers 6 are clearly listed, but I only saw ‘no wine and don’t cut your hair’.

Numbers 6, the way I read the requirements.

  • Choosing a special vow of separation (with requirements) to the Lord (v2), for a specific amount of time (v5). Following the rules was part of the vow.
  • No Fermented drinks – wine, beer, vinegar
  • No grapes or its parts, and no grapevines and its parts
  • No cutting your hair by razor (on purpose?)
  • No dead bodies
  • A final sacrifice to end the vow

Actually, looking at the base word and where it appears in Scripture is important.

Strong’s Hebrew: 5139. נָזִיר (nazir) — Nazirite, one who is consecrated or set apart

This list is from H5139.

  1. Joseph (2x)
  2. grapevines during the Sabbath year and Jubilee
  3. one who chooses to dedicate
  4. Samson’s mother that extended to him- Judges 13 (From birth.)
  5. Lamentations 4 and Amos 2 are talking about those who did take the vow.

Other references, some of these are only about not drinking wine. Much discussion could happen here, but for some of these we do not have enough information and there are contradictions. Wine, beer, and vinegar were important drinks for an Israelite.

  • The Children during the Wandering in the dessert. Deuteronomy 29:6
  • Rechabites, in Jeremiah, did not drink wine.
  • The Prophet Samuel, by Hannah’s prayer and legend.
  • John the Baptist – Luke 1:15 (From birth.)
  • Jesus – John 17
  • Paul from references in Acts 18 and 21 for a specific time.

NAZARITE – JewishEncyclopedia.com is a good study tool.

Numbers 6:2 Hebrew Text Analysis The vow could be taken by a man OR a woman. Vow = Hebrew Concordance: yap̄·li — 2 Occurrences

Nazareth –

Our translation of Nazarite, Nazarene, and Nazareth all begin with ‘nazar’; but in Hebrew they come from different root words. To add to this is Matthew 2:23 with its phrase of ‘so was fulfilled’ meaning there was a prophecy about this; it is not an easily apparent prophecy in the Old Testament. This is where the studies start bumping together; see The Root, The Branch, The Fruit. This is also very good. Nazarene | The amazing name Nazarene: meaning and etymology

Jesus calls Himself the True Vine (John 15:1) and us the branches. Paul uses an olive tree (a symbol of Israel) and talks about shoots or branches being taken off and grafted in; representing Gentile believers. Instead of dismissing Matthew 2:23, as many do, be a king or queen and search for its meaning.

Grapevines and Its Parts

There are websites that meld wine and grapes together; I choose not to do that. I know that I am in a minority of those who think the Etz of Knowledge of Good and Evil could have been a grapevine. See The Garden and Grapes. I appreciate some medieval art, but I believe they missed it on that subject. Why should it be a fruit that is not really referred to a lot in the Bible, knowledge is?

The etz of grapes and its products are mentioned frequently in Scripture. Those references are about good and evil things that come from that etz. So, my driving question was, “Why would Father God restrict grape products for someone wanting to separate themselves to know Him better?” All of those grape products are consumable as nourishment to the human body. In the Garden, the consumption of the Etz of Knowledge was forbidden, whereas the consumption of the Etz of Life was not forbidden.

Knowledge, like grapes, can be useful for good, or can be used for evil purposes. I see a very symbolic relationship here that put it as a requirement for this vow of separation. The woody stem (etz) is also very symbolic of knowledge; it is solid but sways and bends. The stem has its uses but building a chair or table from it is not one of them. My takeaway is: Stay away from pliable knowledge and go for the Tree of Life.

 These are notes, my thinking out loud to help form my thoughts.

  • No manmade fermented drinks. Alcohol, yeast, or man purposely changing the drink. These liquids played a big role in the lives of the people. Beer can be made into vinegar.
  • No Grapes – I take it as a symbol of the Tree of Knowledge. Seed and skin are single use words, but there are foods made from them. Grapes can be soaked and that liquid made into wine.
  • No razor – hair and bread? “hair of dedication” v19 BibleGateway – Keyword Search: razor
  • No dead bodies, ceremonially unclean v7
  • Final sacrifice – v13 This was expensive. You had to finish the sacrifice to return to “normal/drink wine v20,21”.
  • Most of these requirements are willing separation, but dead bodies are covered in length, even as an accident.
  • Psalm 53 is about those who seek God vs the fool, which was the reason for this vow. This connects to Amos.
  • Netzer (נֶצֶר), meaning “branch” or “shoot”

Hayyim and Hahayyim

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Hayyim and Hahayyim come from the Hebrew root word for life, Strong’s H2416. They are in a long list of words from the root hay. Strong’s Hebrew: 2416. חָי (chay) — Alive, living, lifezzz I am going to focus on words related to Hayyim. This study began because of Proverbs and linked back to my Tree of Knowledge study. For those of you well versed in Hebrew, please bear with my novice attempts at exploring this thought.

Jots, Tittles, Prefixes, and Suffixes

God bless translators, especially those who faithfully explore Scripture to glorify Him. Jots and tittles are the markings around the Hebrew letters, and they are more complex than my simple Hebrew understanding affords. Prefixes and suffixes come into this study; they may be just letters, but they add important meaning to the root word. Bring in surrounding words and letter/word divisions, well you get the idea.  Prefixes in Hebrew – Wikipedia

Genesis 1 and 2 and LIFE

The Beginning uses hay and its various forms many times. There is something about the first use of a word, phrase, or idea in the Bible that shines it light through the other 65 Books. I will use that in this study. Genesis 2:7 and 9 breathed hay into this study and it grew from there. Okay, God breathed Hayyim into Adam, and he became a living being. Hahayyim is the Tree of Life, and I see those as being connected. You will see many links in this post; I encourage you to follow them because they will fill in where I may have missed something. They are good for comparison also.

The suffix of yîm on the word hay is a “dual plural”, which means it is something that comes in pairs. I believe when God gave the pile of earth niš·maṯ (breath of life) man came alive (was born) both in spirit and body (2 things). Genesis 2:7 | The Making of Man | Commentary

The prefix ha on Hayyim or Hahayyim is a definite article (THE) that refers to a specific life. It makes sense that 2:9, and 3:22, 24 refers to the life in 2:7. Adam and Eve could eat from the etz hahayyim (tree of life) because they had that life in them. They lost the “Spirit-life” when they ate from the first etz, but would have gotten it back if they ate from the Tree of Life. (See John 3:5)

For the sake of my comments, I wanted to find many Hayyim and Hahayyim pairings. I did not. Leviticus 14:5 then 6 and 14:50 then 51,52 are what I came up with. Those two examples are about “living water” and birds.

The Etz of THE LIFE does not disappear from the Bible. Christians, it is in Revelation 22. I believe the best shadow for that woody plant is the olive tree.

My choice of woody plants to shadow the Etz of Knowledge of Good and Evil is the Vine Tree of Grape. That whole apple thing is from the active imagination of a talented medieval artist. Before you shut me down, study etz and everything to do with grapes, wine, drinking wine, raisins, and grape leaves in the Bible; there is a lot of good and evil associated with that woody plant. Yes, vine tree is in the KJV and other translations, see Ezekiel 15:2,6 and Numbers 6:4.

Breathed/Breath

This showed up because of Life, and I thought it was good to add into this study.

 Prefixes Add

These are Bible Hub and BibleGateway links. The verses are KJV; I added the bold to highlight the word in question for the first time use.

  • Hebrew Concordance: ḥay·yîm — 85 Occurrences Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Hebrew Concordance: ha·ḥay·yîm — 27 Occurrences Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (In both Modern and Biblical Hebrew, the definite article (Ha) is used before a noun to indicate that the noun is specific, known, or previously mentioned.)
  • Hebrew Concordance: ba·ḥay·yîm — 6 Occurrences Deuteronomy 30 :19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. (The first life is Hahayyim.)The Hebrew prefix “ba“ (or “B”) is used to indicate a prepositional meaning of “in” or “with”
  • Hebrew Concordance: la·ḥay·yîm — 1 Occurrence Isaiah 4 :3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem  (la means no or not) לַחַיִּ֖ים
  • Hebrew Concordance: lə·ḥay·yîm — 5 Occurrences 2 Samuel 15 :21And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be. (Hay and wə·ḥê are the two liveth and are H2416.)   lə = to, for, onto The verses others are in Proverbs.
  • Hebrew Concordance: mê·ḥay·yîm — 2 Occurrences Psalm 63 :3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
  • Hebrew Concordance: wə·ḥay·yîm — 4 Occurrences Job 3 :20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul

Some other links and notes:

The best ending to this post on life is John 14:6 – Jesus said He was The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

Luke 4 and Matthew 4 – Temptations

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A morning Bible reading, a God-thought, and a Sunday morning sermon led to this post. My morning read started with Luke 4. When I had finished the first temptation of Jesus a small thought said, “The Second Adam passed the test that the first Adam failed.” The “test” that Jesus passed was of earthly provisions/good food. O, Jesus gave a “Tree of Life” answer.

Temptation 2 and 3 are exactly the same, but Matthew and Luke reverse them. Thought #1 – Both of these happened, and Jesus passed and gave a “It is written” answer. Thought #2 – Is the order important? Please see Thought #1. Matthew, a Jew, put Jerusalem and the Temple first; Luke, a Greek missionary who traveled with Paul, focused on earthly kingdoms. Who is right? See Thought #1. What was the Holy Spirit trying to teach us and why would He allow these writers to do this? See Thought #1.  

Kingdoms of the World and Their Splendor

Satan/Tempter is a liar. A “good lie” needs facts in it or it will not be believed. Jesus did not argue the devil’s statements; He ended the lie with the truth – “It is written”. Who do earthly kingdoms serve? Jesus said and showed in John’s Gospel and Revelations that His Kingdom is not of this earth, and He will bring a new one with Him when He comes again. Adam gave his authority to satan in the Garden when he ate the fruit, so satan twisted the facts making a lie.

I will offer two of MY thoughts here.

  1. The only mountain I can think of that is that high is the Mountain of God in Heaven.
  2. When people want to assign blame; ask them if it is their god or our God that should get the blame. (Be firm in your knowledge of God and His nature.)

Jerusalem and the Temple

Any fall from a tower or city gate would have been high enough to have caused death. So, the location is what is important. God loves the Land of Israel and Jerusalem. Some scholars have suggested that this is where the Garden of Eden was. That step off of the Temple would have given the devil control over the worship of God. Ask yourself why the world wants to take His Land away from Jacob’s Children.

Another Layer of Thought

Earthly rewards (Temptation #1) will get most people’s attention. Once that has been surrendered the desire for power is right before you. But if Satan can get your right relationship with the Father; he does not need the first two.

The Sermon

Steven Furtick referenced the temptations today (9/21/2025) and compared them with Moses and the Children in the Exodus. That fits with Jesus’ baptism (passing through the Red Sea), 40 days (40 years) (Jesus’ earthly ministry could have been 40 months), and bread from stones (manna) as examples. I thought of the Garden in Genesis 3. The Holy Spirit layers lessons together to increase our knowledge of the work done for us.

The Lamp of the Body

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The Lamp of the Body is a phrase found in Matthew 6:22-23 and Luke 11:33-36. This thought has lit several studies, I will list some of them below. I prefer to think of this entry as another layer in the study of these verses and eyes. I will follow Matthew’s Gospel as the primary source for this intriguing thought about the Kingdom.

Jesus used the two thoughts that make up Luke’s version in the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:15 and 6:22-23. There are many great verses in the Old Testament about light and lamps, today I like Proverbs 4:18; my path is like following the sun. Verse 19 is about those is darkness and stumbling. c is a possible source of Jesus’ teaching on the Mount; sin is the lamp of the wicked because of haughty eyes and a proud heart (I used the NASB). Do a Bible search with “light and hid”, it looked good. Mark 4:21-25 repeats the light and hiding part, but ends with hearing and what kind of measure you use.

Tree of Knowledge

I will use this idea again, and not be sorry about it. In our verses, we have eyes, lamps, and light associated with good/healthy and evil, negative, and unsound. What we see can depend on how we are looking at something and in what type of light. Things and people may/can/do have a good and bad side to them.

  • Grapes – a great food source and wine can gladden the heart or you can get drunk. People who chose to be a Nazarite for a season could not partake of either of grape‘s attributes.
  • Yeast – Jesus used it as a symbol of how the Kingdom would grow. It is forbidden during Passover and the Feast of Unleaved Bread, in part, because it was associated with an Egyptian deity and beer-making (a wage earned as slaves). Many love to proclaim yeast is always a symbol of sin.
  • The Bronze Serpent – Jesus compares Himself to this implement of healing during Moses’ time. One of Pharoah’s symbols was the cobra.
  • King Saul – He was changed when he believed and followed the signs from Samuel. He turned to the dark side when he sought his own glory and a tidy profit because he feared his men, by saving forbidden items. He worked hard trying to kill David because of a song.
  • Peter – You have to love him and his steady growth throughout his time with Jesus. Matthew 16: 17 Jesus to Simon you are blessed. 16:22 Jesus to Simon, “Get behind Me, Satan”. Peter had his highs and his lows.
  • The Number Thirteen – In the Bible, I found many positive things associated with thirteen. There are Christians who make it a symbol of bad, it really depends on how you want to look at something. I won’t even discuss the world’s view of the number.

If I may, think of Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith”, as I have heard it labeled. The writer of Hebrews sees these men and women as examples of faith, and they are. It is very easy when you read through their stories in Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, and Samuel to pick out their failures and faults. Light or darkness; it may be time to study grace. The Father loves righteousness and He is the one who defines it.

The Greek

I enjoy looking at the Greek and Hebrew words and thoughts, the Lord has used to this clear up and shed new light on many things. (God bless translators.) For the most part, Luke shares Matthew’s quote from the Sermon, many of the Greek words are the same. Some of these Greek words have more than one meaning. I found that when I compared the texts from the same Bible, they may read differently even though they are the same in the Greek text. You can use the links, do text analysis, and/or look up words in a concordance, whatever makes you happy and you are comfortable with.

Evil πονηρός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Filled with darkness σκοτεινός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com 

Matthew uses two different words for darkness (yes they are related). The last two “darkness” words are skotos. σκότος | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Good ἁπλοῦς | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Filled with light φωτεινός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

It is good to see what other verses use the same root words to convey the message. Mounce lists the verses on those pages. I found some of these words are used only in our two primary texts.

My New Layer

I have played with the thought of beams of light coming from our lamps/eyes out into the world, like lasers in some comic book characters. Now I would like to say our lamps are shining inward and spotting the things in us that need correcting and more attention on our part. Light shining on an object is what allows us to see the object. If an idea is unhealthy/evil that is what and how we will see it. You need to look up these words!

The Tree of Life in Revelations is for healing the nations. We are the product of eating the Tree of Knowledge. Yes, we need knowledge and wisdom, but those without healing from mercy and grace can still produce an unhealthy person.

Luke

What an amazing person. A Gentile doctor who traveled the Mediterranean with Paul as he spread the Gospel. Yes, there are legends and folklore surrounding this man, but we really do not have many facts. In this same breath, I want to thank God for Theophilus. He shared (apparently) the two works with others that Luke wrote for him.

I think this teaching in Luke 11 is a great example of Luke’s collecting and recording the stories he heard from eyewitnesses. (That is a huge thought in itself.) He combines several thoughts to get verses 33 + 34 and then adds some very insightful words for 35 + 36. Had Luke borrowed 35 + 36 from Paul, Peter, or John? Perhaps he got it from Mary (either one). Given his profession and level of training, it may be his insight from the years of travels, trials, and teachings he experienced that produced 35+36.

I view the Gospel of Luke as his reteaching and reinforcing the Good News he shared with Theophilus. I like his version because he joined stories together in units to boost our thinking about the topics. He adds details and information that may not be in the other Gospels but maintains an “orderly account” in this piece for the Master. (Thank you, Holy Spirit, for getting his work into our Bible.)

These are other posts I have done that might help you.

My hope for this post is that you will find the common thoughts in Luke 11:33-36 and Matthew 6:22-23 to grow in your travels with Jesus.

Going to Pay the Bride’s Price-Palm Sunday

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Palm Sunday has been labeled many things, but paying the bride’s price may be new to you. I have connected this ride with David’s return after running from Absolom, so seeing this as a king riding into his domain is easy to grasp. Zachariah 9: 9-13 is just one of the verses that foretell this ride. I would like to add this as another thing from Hebrew tradition that Jesus was fulfilling. Hebrew wedding traditions are sprinkled throughout the Bible but never listed, see The Ten Virgins post.

The Father picks the bride for His Son and the Bride’s Price is agreed upon. The Groom then goes to the home of His future wife and pays the price. This looked more like a parade than a busy deal and it was a very festive occasion. The Groom then leaves and returns to His Father and waits. The Groom’s Father decides when His Son returns and receives His Bride so the marriage feast may begin. (Does any of this sound familiar?)

While the Son/Groom is waiting to return for His wife He is busy. Future accommodations must be made ready. There are presents to be sent to the future Bride (Pentecost) and she must make herself beautiful and always be ready for the Groom’s return. Cleaning the house was important, like removing the yeast during Passover, Jesus cleaned the Temple and put an end to the unproductive fig tree.

Gold and jewels are mentioned as part of the adornment, sounds like Heaven to me. No one but the Father of the Groom knows when He is going to return to claim His wife. Before the return, a wedding feast must be prepared, and guests have to be invited.

To lend some stories and parables to back my thought up, I will use the Book of Matthew. Chapter 19 has Jesus leaving Galilee and going to the east bank of the Jordan River. There He is questioned about marriage and divorce. This was laying the groundwork for the disciples. Tuesday of Holy Week finds Jesus, first on the Temple Mount being challenged again about marriage and divorce by the leaders of Jerusalem. Chapter 22 is a parable about a wedding feast. As He is leaving to go to the second mount, the Mount of Olives, He prophesies about the Temple and its destruction. While on the Mount of Olives, He gives a second parable about marriage and being ready for the Groom’s return. Tuesday was a busy day for Jesus.

The price Jesus paid for His Bride was His righteous, sinless life and His shed blood. Only those two things would allow Jesus to walk into Hell on Saturday and claim the keys to unlock us from the legal hold of Satan over our lives. The “Second Adam” carried His blood to the heavenly Mercy Seat and sprinkled it to fulfill the demands of the Frist Covenant.

May the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Spirit be with you as you go into the fields and make disciples and bring glory to God. So, this Palm Sunday, think of the price Jesus paid to include you as the Bride for His marriage feast.