Study #9: HEI

Today we shall see how HEI modifies the meaning of a word.

Let’s take for example the Hebrew word for “tent” which is OHEL spelt with an Alef, Hei and Lamed.
אֹ֫הֶל

The Alef and Lamed is the name of God ( as EL ) which makes the tent a sacred precinct. But the moderator Hei in the middle marks it with God’s special blessing of grace and mercy.

In other words, the tent is not an ancient primitive structure nor precursor of the word for House ( Beth in Hebrew ). It is the place of our spiritual encounters with God’s presence. ALEF / LAMED also means ” Towards” – with HEI in the middle it means that any successful journey “toward” a worthy goal needs to take God into account.

An OHEL thus represents a worldview in and outside the tent with God in the center that radiates out in all we think, say and do.

In the Bible, an overlooked tent is mentioned – one belonging to Sarah – found in Genesis 24:67.

” And Isaac brought her ( Rebecca ) to the tent of Sarah his mother, and he took Rebecca as his wife and he loved her”. What it means is that Isaac introduced his new bride to his mother’s framework of reality – built on faith in God’s Word, submission to her husband, and gratitude towards God for his ongoing protection and provision in their nomadic existence. Only when Rebecca understood this did he marry her.

Father God, today we have a revelation of HEI as a modifying word – how it transforms a dwelling place ( OHEL ) of Your people into a place of intimacy with You. No wonder the Tabernacle is called ” a tent of meeting”. And the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 4:16 exhorts: ” Let us therefore come boldly into the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.