Part 8: Cheth or Chet verses 57-64
The eighth part is Cheth or Chet, which is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
The following information is from the website BJE:Your Jewish Journey.
“The word CHET means ‘sin’ as well as ‘life’. The significance of the CHET is affirmed in the expression chayeh chaim (Life of Life), meaning God. This refers to the highest of the three levels of loving God, where the Divine Presence is fully revealed” (“Chet”).
There was also a reference to the written form of the letter “Chet” as the combination of the two preceding letters of the Hebrew alphabet: Vav and Zain. “VAV, the plainest in appearance of all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, signifies the basic common link between all Jewish people: a love of and will to serve God” (“Vav”, BJE). The appearance of “Vav” is like that of a hook, which is said to represent a connection between God and man. Zain is considered a “crowned Vav” (“Zayin”), which, like a woman being a crown to her husband, so, Zayin represents the crown of Vav, or the connection between the people and God. The connection of Zayin and Vav represents the relationship between God and his people, the church.
Works Cited
“Chet”. BJE: Your Jewish Journey. NSW Board of Jewish Education, https://bje.org.au/knowledge-centre/jewish-languages/hebrew-alphabet/chet/ , Accessed 10 June 2025.
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 119.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
“Vav”. https://bje.org.au/knowledge-centre/jewish-languages/hebrew-alphabet/vav/, Accessed 31 May 2025.
“Zayin”. Hebrew for Christians. John J. Parsons, https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Aleph-Bet/Zayin/zayin.html , Accessed 10 June 2025.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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