"The name Hebrew, as we shall see below, literally denotes someone who passes through a liquid or watery medium and comes out dry on the other side. There is some indication that certain patriarchal names used in the Semitic language area long before the Biblical namesakes came to the scene (but this according to traditional dating, which is also dubious), and certain scholars propose that the Biblical stories are playful commentaries on the actual relations between naturally formed nations (for example the adjacent nations of Israel and Edom had such a typical love-hate relationship that the Bible writers described them as coming from two twin brothers named Jacob and Esau, and so on)." Source: http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Hebrew.html retrieved at 4.21 pm April 18, 2018

 The Abarim Publication closely matches Dr. Baruch Korman's definition from Loveisrael.org.

 Biblestudycompany note: The reason this is so important is that it references baptism. We cross from one life to the next via a decision of the heart and belief. Dr. Tim Cole of Grace Bible Church St. Petersburg, FL mentions that the earth came through the water to first appear (Genesis). Is this not a baptism of sorts? Abraham was called the first Hebrew. Did he not leave his homeland in obedience to God and crossed into Canaan? The Hebrews in Exodus came through water, called the Red Sea to leave their old life as slaves in Egypt to a new life in the wilderness dependent on God. Christ was baptized, as well, in an area near the Jordon river where the Israelites crossed to go into the land of Canaan, and after this baptism, Christ was then tested by the Devil. Could it be we will experience testing too after we cross over or be baptized?

We may look at the symbolism to see that there is a change of status with this person. That a person being obedient to believe God and decides to “cross over” from the world is indeed making a significant change. May we all strive to cross over in obedience to God’s word.

One: God

Refers to HaShem (God), Who is One. This number can also refer to unity. The first place the number "one" occurs is in Genesis 1:5. There one reads, "And there was an evening and there was a morning— one day". Later on in this same book of Genesis, it is stated concerning the man and his wife, "And they became one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). It is very significant that in both of these examples there was a multiplicity for the subject. In the first example, the evening and the morning became one day and in the second example, it was Adam and Eve who became one flesh.

One of the most famous passages in the Torah concerning HaShem is Deuteronomy 6:4 which states, "Hear O Israel the Lord your God the Lord is One." The question that a person must ask himself is what is the connection between the use of the Hebrew word אחד "one" which identifies a multiplicity being one and the fact that the Lord God of Israel is One? The answer is that the Hebrew word אחד can relate to the concept for one as in "unification". There is another Hebrew word that would have been possible to be used if the author wanted to refer to an absolute oneness or singleness. This is the Hebrew word יחיד. In fact, there is a well-known prayer in Judaism which states, "אחד ואין יחיד כיחודו". This phrase should be translated as, "(God is) One and there is no singularity as His singularity." The idea that is being expressed in this prayer is that the Lord God of Israel is One; but not an absolute One; rather there is a uniqueness and a complexity to His Oneness.

The number one is frequently employed to express in the Scriptures one object, such as one man or one tabernacle. This usage would be the simple or common purpose that the number one or for that matter any number, would appear in a Biblical text. Often the appearance of a number does not contain any of the significance that Hebrew numerology might offer. Therefore, the reader must always consider when coming across a verse which contains a number, that the number only expresses an amount and no additional significance. 

Because the number one is often associated with God, there is a unique phenomenon in the Scriptures concerning this number. Sometimes the number one is employed to express a unique relationship that the object has to HaShem. For example,

"And it will be one day, it will be known to HaShem..." Zechariah 14:7

In the text above, Zechariah could have stated simply, "And it will be a day…" The fact that the prophet said "one day" is to convey that this day is uniquely related to God. Similarly, it is stated by the prophet Ezekiel in chapter 37, "one King", "one nation" and "one Shepherd" (see Ezekiel 37:22, 24). Each of these objects—King, nation and Shepherd—has a connection to HaShem. The King and Shepherd is Messiah Yeshua, the Son of God and the one nation is Israel, the people of God.

Loveisrael.org - Baruch Korman, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved - Used with Permission 2016