angela hormberg

Tag: Vav or Vau

  • Psalm 119:41-48

    Psalm 119:41-48

    Vav or Vau

    Commonplace –

    “And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.

    My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes” (Psalm 119:47-48).

    The picture David paints here is one of worship: delight, hands lifted up. One can almost picture his face with eyes closed lifted upward toward heaven with a gentle smile on his lips, simply basking in the complete satisfaction of God. That’s a beautiful place to be: satisfied, content. It’s reminiscent of another scene of complete contentment, when on the sixth day God “saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). It seems perfect that these two verses would be found under the sixth part, Vav: “As the number six, the VAV denotes physical completion. The world was created in six days, as explained in Genesis: The first word of Genesis, Bereishit, (‘in the beginning’), can be broken up to form ‘He created six’ (Barah Shit)” (“Vav”). Complete satisfaction.

    Matthew Henry points out the significance of David mentioning his hands raised and his thoughts meditating on God’s commandments.

    “By this it will appear that we truly love God’s commandments, if we apply both our minds and our hands to them” (Henry 569).

    Works Cited

    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.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 119: Vav or Vau

    Psalm 119: Vav or Vau

    Part 6:Vav or Vau verses 41-48

    The sixth part is Vav or Vau, which is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

    The following information is from the website BJE:Your Jewish Journey.

    “The letter VAV is equal to the number six and is the symbol of connection, portraying a bridge in structure.

    As the number six, the VAV denotes physical completion. The world was created in six days, as explained in Genesis: The first word of Genesis, Bereishit, (‘in the beginning’), can be broken up to form ‘He created six’ (Barah Shit).

    The letter VAV, as symbolic of the number six, signifies physical space. Every self-contained object has six dimensions: right, left, front, back, up and down. It is said that the six days of creation also relate to these six dimensions.

    The word VAV means ‘hook’, alluding to the connection between the inherent symmetrical and asymmetrical states in nature which maintain equilibrium. On a deeper level, the VAV is said to be the link between every Jew in their will to serve God, found in the core of every Jewish person’s heart.

    The letter 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”).

    Works Cited

    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.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg