The Greek Language: Derived From the Hebrew

by Craig Wm. Peters

and I will bless those that bless you, and he that curses you will I curse: and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3

a While we are not provided with many details, it is a matter of such great importance
and of such profound impact, the clear evidence which has been given simply cannot be ignored. Many centuries ago, hwhy promised to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham, and we see Elohim has done this many times, in many ways: Yoseph. Because hwhy exalted Yoseph/Joseph to reign in Egypt, not only were the sons of Yisrael saved from death in the midst of a land-ravaging famine, but the nation of Mitztrayim (Egypt) and the surrounding nations were also provided for through the seven-year dearth. All of this happened because of the great revelation made known by hwhy through Pharaohs dreams and the subsequent interpretation given through the prophet Yosephwho was a fourth generation descendant of Abraham. This was a miraculous deliverance for the people of many nations and it was all orchestrated by hwhy through a descendant of Abraham. Mosheh and the Exodus. While hwhy delivered Yisrael from bondage in Mitztrayim by the hand of Mosheh and Aharon, the man Mosheh was very great in the eyes of the Egyptians.1 Even though Pharoah would not listen to the prophet, many other Egyptian did! And a mixed multitude when out from the land of Mitzrayim with Yisrael at the Exodus. Our nations departure from bondage coincided with the Feast of Pesach/Passover and it brought about the salvation/deliverance of other nations, too. Once again, hwhy was fulfilling His promised to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham. David. Through King David, the greatness of hwhy was revealed to those nations surrounding Yisrael.2 David became friends with Hiram, King of Tyre, and Yisrael continued its rise to worldwide prominence.3 Shelemo/Solomon. Through the wisdom given to King Shelemo, the greatness of hwhy was further revealed to those nations surrounding Yisrael.4 Under Solomon Yisrael had a fleet of ships and historical evidence suggests the reign of Solomon resulted in Yisraels influence reaching to the ends of the earth. Once again, we see hwhy fulfilling His intent/purpose of making His Name/greatness known in all the
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Exodus 11:3 Deuteronomy 4:6 3 2Samuel 5:10-11 4 1Kings 4:29-34

earth so that the peoples of all nations would know and fear Him.5 Untold blessings upon all nations surely came forth from the reigns of kings David and Solomon. Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah. The true stories of the exaltation of Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah, once more, fulfilled the purposes of hwhy in making His Reign known through descendants of Abraham. Even King Nebuchadnezzar learned of and proclaimed the greatness of hwhy throughout all the nations over which his kingdom of Babylon had sovereignty.6 This was awe-inspiring greatness which the king had personally witnessed through Daniel and his three friends.7 Esther and Nehemiah were likewise used of Elohim to further His purposes in preserving and restoring Yisrael and in defeating our enemies for His Names sake. Many Persian Jews remain in that region to this day. In all these settings, however, we see it was through the seed Abraham that hwhy was working to reveal Himself among all the nations and to subsequently bless those who would acknowledge His greatness.
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This writer further posits that hwhy has likely done a great number of other things in this regard which have, as of yet, to even be discovered. Perhaps we will know nothing of His Mighty Hand and miraculous work until the Kingdom comes to this earth in a greater way during the Millennium. Even so, there is yet another segment of people that hwhy has chosen to bless through the seed of Abraham: we have significant clues that the Israeli captives carried away into the land of Greece and Macedonia evidently had a remarkable influence on the formation of that countrys language and government. We will shortly consider the evidence in this regard. First of all, however, it should be pointed out that many pro-Western historians loudly applaud the immense contributions which the ancient Greek society has made to our form of government here in these United States.8 For many decades, the Greek culture has been highly celebrated in American classrooms at every level of academia. And the government of ancient Greece is exalted today among historians as the basis of our Western democracy. But of what facts are historians either willfully or pitifully ignorant? What do historians either fail to see or what are they refusing to openly admit/acknowledge? We believe they fail to set forth the obvious influence of those captive Hebrews whoperhaps like Daniel and Esther in Babylon and Medo-Persia were exalted to hold positions of rule and authority in the various regions of ancient Greece. And that hwhy allowed and orchestrated this influence in the culture of ancient Greece/Macedonia shows us an amazing fulfillment of His promise to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham:

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Psalm 67 Daniel 3:28-29, 4:1-37 7 Daniel 1:8-20, 2:26-49, 3:1-30 8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece

1 Now hwhy said to Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your fathers house, to the land that I will show you: 2 and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you will be a blessing: 3 and I will bless those that bless you, and him that curses you will I curse: and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3 15 And the messenger of hwhy called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said, By Myself I have sworn, says hwhy, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice. Genesis 12:15-18
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Part of the Captivity was Carried Into Lands North of the Mediterranean Scripture shows us it was a well-know fact among the people of ancient Yisrael that many of their countrymen had been carried away into captivity in countries/regions then known as Greece and Macedonia. We glean this from a text in which the Yahudim (Jews) were reasoning among themselves as to what the Messiah meant when He said Where I am going, you cannot come:9 The Yahudim therefore said among themselves, Where will this man go that we shall not find Him? Will He go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? John 7:35 These Yahudimliving at the time of the Messiahs first appearanceknew they had Israeli brothers who had been dispersed throughout the lands which were above the northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. This dispersion likely occurred through the various captivities which saw Yisrael scattered to all the lands of the north. And because they had been scattered to the north, Jeremiah prophesied the Word of hwhy regarding Yisraels eventual return from these northern regions:

John 7:33-34

7 Therefore, behold, the days come, says hwhy, that they shall no more say, As hwhy lives, who brought up the children of Yisrael out of the land of Egypt; 8 but, As hwhy lives, who brought up and who led the seed of the House of Yisrael out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land. Jeremiah 23:7-8 While northern regions certainly included Assyriato the north and east of Yisraelit evidently did not omit Greece and Macedoniato the north and west of Yisrael. Further, there are, no doubt, scores of other untold stories and histories of Hebrews who, like Joseph, were sold into slavery by others, while there were possibly still others who even sold themselves (at least figuratively speaking) when fleeing to regions outside of Yisrael for refuge across the centuries upon centuries of intermittent famines, invasion, war, defeat, plague, and captivity. Alexander the Great ruled over the Middle East from about 332 305 B.C. and it is not unreasonable to expect there were many exchanges of Hebrew servants and slaves since this Grecian ruler not only conquered Palestine but was also a victor over all those regions to which Yisrael had been scattered (Medo-Persia and Assyria). Yisrael disobeyed and hwhy fulfilled His Word to scatter them among the nations.10 Even so, His lovingkindness still never failed11 and Elohim made His people objects compassion amongst their captors12 as the Hand of hwhy exalted them in foreign lands. The Greek Alpha-Beta Derived From the Hebrew ALEPH-BEIT What individual, or group of Hebrews, rose to power in ancient Greece/Macedonia? It is a question worth asking and pondering, although history may not provide us with any documentation of those many events which precipitated such great things. What untold story may someday be recounted surrounding a Daniel- or Joseph-like figure who was ultimately exalted by hwhy to have ruling influence within the ancient worlds of Greece and Macedonia? We ask this because the similarities between the Greek Alpha-Beta and the Hebrew ALEPH-BEIT are simply too striking to be coincidental. Yet the Hebrew ALEPH-BEIT preceded the Greek Alpha-Beta by many centuries (somewhere around three millennia.) Those who study will note the order of the Greek Alpha-Beta begins precisely the same as the order of the Hebrew ALEPH-BEIT; this is an amazing alignment, not only of letter-sounds, but even of the actual names of the letters. While there is some difference in the order of paired letterings, the many similarities are too striking and too similar to be mere coincidence. We not only refer to letter sounds, but in some cases, it will be seen that even the appearance/structure of aligning letters is also nearly the same. The alignment chart documenting these similarities is color-coded and appears on the next page.
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Leviticus 26:33, 44-45 Leviticus 26:44-45 12 1Kings 8:50-52, Psalm 106:46

The Alignment Between the Hebrew ALEPH-BEIT and the Greek Alpha-Beta
(Note: The Alignment Between Systems is Shown by Color-Coding)

Name 1 Alpha 2 Beta 3 Gamma 4 Delta 5 Epsilon 6 Zeta 7 Eta 8 Theta 9 Iota 10 Kappa 11 Lamda 12 Mu 13 Nu 14 Ksi 15 Omicron 16 Pi 17 Ro 18 Sigma 19 Tau 20 Upsilon 21 Phi 22 Chi 23 Psi 24 Omega

Greek Letter (Capital / Lowercase) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Name Hebrew Letter ALEPH a 1 BEIT b 2 GIMEL g 3 DALET d 4 HE h 5 VAV w 6 ZAYIN z 7 CHET x 8 TET j 9 YOD y 10 CAPH K, k 11 LAMED l 12 MEM M, m 13 NUN N, n 14 SAMECH o 15 AYIN e 16 PE/FE P, p 17 TZADE/TSADE U, u 18 KOF q 19 RESH r 20 SHIN, SEEN s, S 21 TAV t 22

Below are a few thoughts on the alignment of the two systems. The Greek letters which are believed to be derivatives of the Hebrew have been made to match the color of the letter from which they were derived. 1. We note the first four letters in the Greek Alpha-Beta not only have the same sound as the first four letters in the ALEPH-BEIT, but even the names of the letters are strikingly similar:

1 Alpha 2 Beta 3 Gamma 4 Delta

, , , ,

ALEPH a BEIT b GIMEL g DALET d

1 2 3 4

Here we see the a-sound, the b-sound, the g-sound, and the d-sound precisely aligned in both lettering systems. Not only so, but the Greek, capital Delta () looks nearly identical to the ancient, Paleo-Hebrew DALET (d): The Paleo-Hebrew Dalet.

The Greek, Capital Delta. The alignment of the first four letters of each system is, by itself, really enough to establish our case; yet there is far more evidence of similarities and alignment than the amazing likeness seen in these first four. 2. Next, it appears two Greek letters, the Epsilon (letter 5) and the Eta (letter 7) correspond to/align with the HE (the 5th letter of the ALEPH-BEIT): 5 Epsilon 7 Eta , , HE h 5

In Hebrew, the HE can be strong (sounding like our h) or weak (sounding more like a vowel). Both uses are seen in the Hebrew word hnh/hi-ney/behold:

hnh = hi-ney = behold

3. Then we have the Greek letter, Zeta (the 6th letter of the Alpha-Beta). This letter has a name and a z-sound which obviously align with the ZAYIN (the 7th letter of the ALEPH-BEIT): 6 Zeta , ZAYIN z 7 4. The next alignment is between the Greek letter, Theta (letter 8), and the Hebrew letter, TET. Remove the a from Theta and the two letter-names are practically identical: Thet and Tet. Of course, both letters have the t-sound: 8 Theta , TET j 9 5. Then comes the second cluster of precise and sequential alignments; note that all are extremely similar in letter-names while being nearly identical in letter-sounds: 9 Iota 10 Kappa 11 Lamda 12 Mu 13 Nu , , , , ,
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YOD y 10 CAPH K, k 11 LAMED l 12 MEM M, m 13 NUN N, n 14

Remove the a from Iota and its name would sound practically the same as YOD: Iot and YOD. The similarity between the others hardly seems to need any explanation whatsoever: following YOD and Iota, the next four letters have names that are too similar to be coincidental, while their sounds are also nearly identical. 6. The next alignment is a pairing with two Greek letters, Ksi and Psi, and the Hebrew letter TZADE/TSADE. The letter TZADE/TSADE makes a sound which is a t-s consonant blend. Interesting to note that the Greek letters, Ksi and Psi, are also consonant blends with the s-sound in second place, just as the s-sound follows the t-sound in TSADE: 14 Ksi 23 Psi , , TZADE/TSADE U, u 18

7. Next, it is evident that two Greek letters, Pi and Phi (the two being almost identical in their Greek names), correspond to/align with the Hebrew letter13 PE and FE, respectively: 16 Pi 21 Phi , , PE/FE P, p 17

It is more than interesting to note the Hebrew PE and FE produce the p-sound and fsound,14 respectively, and that this is what we get with the similarly-named Greek letters Pi (p-sound) and Phi (f-sound / ph-sound). 8. The Greek letter, Ro, has the r-sound and would correspond to the Hebrew RESH: 17 Ro , RESH r 20 Here we have an alignment in sound only, but not in letter-name or appearance. However, looking at the Paleo-Hebrew for RESH, we see this: The Paleo-Hebrew RESH. Flipping the Paleo-Hebrew RESH to face the right (instead of to the left as seen above), it would then look very similar to the capital Ro in Greek: P. And the next letter pairing will give us a precedent for just such a flip. 9. The Greek letter, Sigma, has the s-sound and would correspond to the Hebrew SAMECH: 18 Sigma , SAMECH o 15 Many will immediately see how the lowercase, Greek Sigma ( ) looks almost identical to the Hebrew SAMECH ( o ), only it has been flipped in direction: the tail at
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Singular: the same letter in Hebrew ( p ) has two different sounds, depending on whether or not it has a dagesh forte (dot) in the center. 14 (or the ph-sound such as we see in the word phonics)

the top of the letter Sigma juts out to the right. And this stands to reason since Greek is written in the opposite direction from the Hebrew. Hebrew is written right-to-left, while Greek is written left-to-right. In both cases, though, the tail at the top of the letter juts out to point in the direction which each language is read/written. The flipped Hebrew SAMECH ( o ) yielding a Greek Sigma () explains a flipped Hebrew RESH (r ) yielding a Greek Ro ( P ); these latter two sharing the r-sound. 10. The Greek letter, Tau, not only has the t-sound like the Hebrew, TAV, but even their names are nearly identical: 19 Tau , TAV t 22 11. The Greek letter, Chi, apparently corresponds, in sound, to the Hebrew CHET. Interesting to note here that one of the most well-known Hebrew words today is Chai (yx)a word that means life and which begins with the letter CHET (x). Thus, the letter CHET (x) customarily represents chai/life in Hebrew thought. Yet it is difficult not to notice that the Greek name for the letter Chi ( ) is surprisingly close in pronunciation to the Hebrew word yx/chai/life: 22 Chi , CHET x 8 12. The remaining Greek lettersOmicron (, ), Upsilon (, ), and Omega (, )may correspond to the remaining (yet unpaired) Hebrew letters. We note the osound in Omega is not unlike the o-sound in Shalom;

MwlS = shalom = peace

If this is the alignment, then the Greek, Omega (, ), would correspond to the Hebrew Vav/Waw/Uaw ( w ), the letter making the o-sound in shalom. And this would appear to be further confirmed by the double u which seems to compose the lowercase Omega ( ). And even in Hebrew, the Vav/Waw/Uaw ( w ) may have the double u-soundthe oo-sound in all these names:

whyntn = Netan-yahoo/Netanyahu whyla = Eliyahoo/Elijah whymry = Yirmeyahoo/Jeremiah whyqzx = Chizkiyahu/Hezekiah

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So What Difference Does It All Make? The Greek culture is held in highest esteem by many modern historians. They absolutely revel in the contributions which the ancient Greek society has made to our culture in the Western Hemisphere. Yet this is a sad irony since so many in the academic world will exalt and honor the ancient Greek culture while also expressing bitter animosity toward the Elohim of Yisrael and the Creator of all things. Further, while the nation of Yisrael seldom appears to be credited with having any major influence, or part, in world history, quite the opposite is the case: we see the Greek culture was launched into its pinnacle of glory on nothing less than the wisdom of the Hebrew language and lettering systemapart from which it would have never been either lasting or powerful. Before closing this study, let us look even closer at the promise of hwhy to bless all nations through Abraham and his seed: 15 And the messenger of hwhy called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said, By Myself I have sworn, says hwhy, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice. Genesis 12:15-18 We ponder the phrase your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, seen above in bold typeface. This text shows us an amazing way that hwhy foreordained to cause the seed of Abraham to wield a positive worldwide influence for His Names sake: they would possess the gates of their enemies. And is this not what we have seen the lives of many of those mentioned in the present study? The gate of the city is where those with wisdom would sit and render just judgments and decisions. And look at how hwhy has caused the seed of Abraham to rule in the gates of our enemies: 1. Yoseph ruled in Egypt. 2. Mosheh ruled in Egypt. 3. Daniel ruled in Babylon. 4. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ruled in a province of Babylon. 5. Queen Esther ruled in Medo-Persia. 6. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king. 7. And an unknown Israelite (or group of Israelis) who ruled in the world of ancient Greece/Macedonia developed the language of Greece directly form the Hebrew. Remember, rule here does not necessarily mean being first in command; however, as seen in the lives of these descendants of Abraham, theirs was, most often, a rule that gave forth many blessings to those around them, including the greatest blessing of all:
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knowledge of the Most Set Apart One,15 the Eternal King on High, blessed be His Name. Possessing the gates of our enemies, while not necessarily literal, would certainly mean being set in positions of rule in which Elohim-given wisdom was used to benefit and serve those in whatever society our forefathers found themselves relocated. A Final Word The godless who deny Elohim are fighting themselves, really. And the Word even tells us they oppose themselves: And the servant of hwhy must not strive, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, forbearing, 25 in meekness correcting those that oppose themselves; if, peradventure, Elohim may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth 2Timothy 2:24-25 Those who oppose the Most High oppose themselves since it is they who will ultimately suffer loss. Thus, it is a sad case when Elohim-denying historians refuse to see the obvious, though invisible Hand of hwhy working to write history according to His Word and Promises. We do not claim to know the spiritual state of those who developed the Greek language from the Hebrew lettering system. And hwhy even warned that His disobedient people would be removed from Eretz Yisrael16 and worship gods of wood and stone in the land of their captivity.17 Of course, this, too, was fulfilled as ancient Greece is known for rendering its many gods into images of lifeless stone. But in the midst of it all, hwhy has fulfilled (and continues to fulfill) His Word to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham. Blessed be He who acts with lovingkindness and compassion, working for and through His people to make His Name known in all the earth. As hwhy continues His work in the midst of the earth, we anticipate the time, soon to come, when the Kingdom of Elohim will be established across the globe and the whole earth will be filled with His splendor. t
C.P. 7-8-2013
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The author of this study is a Messianic writer who ministers the Word of hwhy, in part, through free articles provided to feed the Messiahs sheep worldwide.
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15 16

Proverbs 9:10, 30:3 The Land of Yisrael. 17 Deuteronomy 4:26-28

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Personal Copyright 2013, by the author. Version 1.0

This document may be freely copied and distributed, if it is left unaltered and in its entirety. It must also be given away without cost to recipients, and it may not be included in any publication without the authors written permission.

hwhy El Shaddai will rebuke anyone who

copies these truths for republication and/or who subsequently attempts to reproduce and sell them. Isaiah 55:1-2, Micah 3:11, 1Peter 5:2 We believe most copyrights have been abused worldwide in religious circles as false shepherds and other merchants feed on the sin of the people. These many abuses have filled the worship house of hwhy with money changers who hinder True Worship by robbing and oppressing the poor.18 Many have turned reverence and the worship of hwhy into a means of great, personal gain.19 We assert such things were never meant to be.20 Hence, this copyright is intended to allow for free distribution of the Word of hwhy with the following, minimal limitations: This document may be copied and distributed (or freely printed in its pdf format after being downloaded from the Internet): 1. If it is left unaltered. 2. If it is left in its entirety. 3. And if it is given away at absolutely no cost. Matthew 11:5, Luke 4:19, Galatians 2:10 Neither this article, nor any portion of this article, may be included in any publication which is sold. This stipulation applies regardless of the nature of the organization or the nature of its sales, meaning: profit or nonprofit. Further, whether an organizations publication is of a religious nature, or otherwise, this stipulation still applies. With the exception of our first stipulation (i.e., the one specified under the first bullet point giving permission to photocopy the work in its entirety), publishing any portion of this work without the authors written permission is strictly prohibited. For other free documents which are offered to provide encouragement and edification from the Word of hwhy, please refer to the following websites: http://www.scribd.com/yhwh26echad13/documents http://www.yahuyahweh.org/iah
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Zechariah 7:10 Micah 3:11, 1Timothy 6:5-10, 1Peter 5:2 20 Isaiah 55:1,2, Mark 11:15-17

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The Gospel of Shalom To obtain a free copy of the book, The Gospel of Shalom, as well as many spiritual songs of immense edification by Renalee Colon, see the following website: http://www.wheretheglorywalks.com/ An Excellent Translation of the Scriptures ISRV is an acronym used for the INSTITUTE FOR SCRIPTURE RESEARCH VERSION. This acronym has been used in the current document to indicate we have quoted a Scripture text from the excellent translation produced by the INSTITUTE FOR SCRIPTURE RESEARCH. These believers have published a most helpful and edifying version of the Word of hwhy which is entitled The Scriptures. For those wishing to make further inquiry, the ISR website address is: http://www.isr-messianic.org
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