Bible Geek Word Nerd - Say #8 - NEUM

Say #8 - NEUM declares...

September 11, 2022

There’s something very formal and official about the English verb “to declare”. In fact, one of its principle definitions is "to announce officially”. Thus, we Americans have a Declaration of Independence, not a Statement or Pronouncement or Announcement of Independence, though they would each work reasonably well.

 

To declare something seems to be more authoritative and proper.

 

So given our Western and American frame of reference, let’s take a look at the Hebrew verb NEUM (נְאֻם). 

It is actually precisely a noun that means, variously, utterance, oracle, or declaration, but one that gets rendered into English more than 360 times as the verb “to declare”. So Thomas Jefferson, were he writing in ancient Biblical Hebrew, would have penned the NEUM of CHUPHSHAH or MAMLAKHAH (or something like that…ancient Hebrew does not really have a word for “independence”, which suggests a whole range of implications beyond the scope of this post).

 

You will find NEUM in Genesis 22, after G-d tested (NASAH) Abraham:

 

“[The Angel of the LORD] said, ‘‘I swear by myself, DECLARES the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’” 

 

The bookend verse is in Ezekiel 44:

 

“‘The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin. They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them. But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand that they must bear the consequences of their sin, DECLARES the Sovereign LORD. They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame of their detestable practices. And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.”

 

NEUM is almost always used with words that G-d Himself declares and occurs most often in the prophetic books Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. 

 

In Numbers, Balaam’s “oracle” or “prophecy” in chapter 24 uses NEUM six times, though the translators usually render it “oracle” or “prophesy”, which is not wrong, but it is an interesting choice. But even then, the source of the NEUM is G-d Himself. It’s almost as if nobody dares to declare except the LORD.

 

There is an interesting exception to this rule in Proverbs 30:1, “The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement. The man DECLARES to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal…”

 

Our favorite use of NEUM is Psalm 110, which is said to be one of the most frequently cited Psalms in the New Testament. Verse 1 “declares”:

 

“The LORD SAYS to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” When the LORD declares, we ought to listen…