What Does “Hanukkah” Mean in Hebrew?

You may have run into the Hebrew word Hanukkah spelled in a variety of ways (Chanukkah or Hannuka).
Because Hebrew and English phonetics do not align, the word can be represented with various
combinations of English letters. This “festival of lights” (hag haurim) was instituted to commemorate the
Maccabean cleansing and rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in the second century BCE (2 Macc
10:1-8). You probably heard that it means “dedication.” But there is another, lesser-known meaning of
the word Hanukkah that can only be seen in Hebrew!

On the one hand, Hanukkah certainly means “dedication.” When Solomon builds the first Temple in
Jerusalem, Scriptures states, “Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to
the LORD, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated (vayach’nehu) the house of the Lord ” (1 Kings 8:63 NASB).

Deuteronomy asks, “Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated (velo chanaho)
it? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would
dedicate (yach’nehenu) it” (Deut 20:5). In Numbers 7:10, the “dedication offering” is called a hanukkah.
It’s not hard to see the “dedication” meaning, but that’s not all: the verb behind the noun Hanukkah
(chanach) also has to do with “training” and “teaching.”

Genesis 14:14 tells us that Abraham took 318 “trained men” (chanichav) from his household to free Lot
from his captors. A famous proverb admonishes, “train up a child (chanoch lanaar) the way he should
go” (Prov 22:6). In Jewish tradition, children’s education is often called chinuch. So how are these two
meanings of Hanukkah related? A complete understanding of the word shows us that “teaching” and
“training” cannot be accomplished without “dedication”! It takes time, intentionality, and devotion to
practice any skill. These ideas are interrelated. Maybe it’s time for all of us this season to dedicate
ourselves to the training God has for us, because even simple words like Hanukkah can teach is
something more when we consider them in Hebrew!
by Prof. Pinchas Shir

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Moses, the Light of the World
Readers of John’s Gospel are familiar with Jesus’ statement at the “time of the Feast of Dedication” (Jn
10:22)— otherwise known as Hanukkah—that he is the “Light of the World.” The Messiah declares, “I
am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”
(8:12; cf. 9:5). While this declaration reminds us of God’s first creative words at creation, there is
another biblical precedent for Jesus’ words. The start of Exodus echoes Genesis’ creation account to
present Moses as the Light of the World.

According to Genesis, these are God’s first words to the world: “Let there be light (yehi ‘or)” (1:3). After
speaking, “God saw the light—that it was good—and God separated between the light and between the
darkness” (1:4). According to John’s Gospel, since Jesus is also the “Light of the World,” he is separated
from the darkness so that anyone who follows him “will not walk in darkness” (Jn 8:12).

Indeed, the separation between light and darkness at creation underscores John’s assertion at the
outset of the Gospel with reference to the Word: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
does not overcome it” (1:5). In presenting Yeshua as the Light of the World, John alludes to the fact that
the Messiah was the very first thought in God’s mind.

Yet, Jesus is not the first Jewish savior to be identified as the light of the world. In fact, the most famous
birth narrative of the Torah presents Moses as the light of the world all the way back in Exodus. The
Bible’s second book recalls Genesis in various ways, and its exposition of Moses’ origins is no exception.
After Moses’ mother gives birth to her son, Exodus reads, “And she saw him (va’tere oto)—that he was
good (ki tov hu)—and she hid him for three months” (2:2).

The Hebrew words in this verse parallel the description of God seeing the light in Genesis: “And God
saw the light (va’yar elohim et ha’or)—that it was good (ki tov)— and God separated between the light
and between the darkness” (1:3). Just as God sees that the light is good, Moses’ mother sees that Moses
is good.

More, God separates the light from the darkness just as Jochebed “hid” (tsaphan) the child from those
who sought to kill him—thereby separating the Mosaic light from the Pharaonic darkness. In John’s
Gospel, Jesus recapitulates Moses as the Light of the World and alludes to the fact that, just as Moses
saved his people from slavery, the Messiah will save his people from their sins.
by Dr, Nicholas Schaser

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Were the Magi Jews or Gentiles?
There is debate over the ethnic identities of Matthew’s magi. Some argue that these travelers from the
East were Jews who had learned the arts of magic and astrology in Babylonia after the Jewish exile in
586 BCE. Others hold that these visitors to Judea were Gentiles. While it is possible that these ancient
star-followers were Jews, the textual data in Matthew and Israel’s Scriptures support the conclusion that
the magi were Gentiles.

Those who see the magi as Jews note that the Jewish exiles interacted with Babylonian magi according
to the Greek translation of Daniel. When Nebuchadnezzar has a disturbing dream, he calls for
interpreters among “the enchanters, and the magi (μάγους; mágous), and the sorcerers, and the
Chaldeans” (Dan 2:2 LXX). “Magi” is an Old Persian term that described Zoroastrian priests; according to
Daniel, these figures attempt to interpret the king’s dream along with the “Chaldeans”—another word
for “Babylonians.”

Since the Jewish Daniel proves to be the greatest interpreter in Babylon, he becomes the “leader”
(ἄρχοντα; árchonta) of the “enchanters, magi (μάγων; mágon), Chaldeans, and sorcerers” (Dan 5:11
LXX). Thus, some readers speculate, perhaps Daniel taught Jewish traditions to his underlings (or even
converted some of them to Judaism), so that we should identify Matthew’s magi as learned Jews who
emerged from Daniel’s intellectual lineage. The main problem with such speculation is that Daniel and
his fellow Jews are never called “magi” themselves; to the contrary, the Septuagint distinguishes them
from the magi: Daniel and his Jewish friends were “ten times wiser than all the enchanters and magi
(μάγους; mágous)” (Dan 1:20 LXX). Thus, while Daniel becomes the chief of all sages under
Nebuchadnezzar, Scripture provides no evidence that Daniel was one of the magi or that Jews became
magi while living in Babylon.

Much of Matthew’s information suggests that the magi were Gentiles. First, the visitors to Jerusalem
ask, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matt 2:2). This question about the “king of the
Jews” suggests that the magi are not Jews themselves, or else they would have asked, “Where has our
king been born?” Indeed, since only Gentiles use the phrase “king of the Jews” elsewhere in Matthew
(cf. 27:11, 29, 37) it’s likely that the magi are Gentiles also—Jews, on the other hand, refer to the “king
of Israel” (27:42).

Second, if the magi were learned Jews under the tutelage of Daniel’s sagacious successors, then why
don’t they already know that the Jewish Messiah must be born in Bethlehem? Based on the prophecy of
Micah, the Jewish chief priests and scribes know that the Messiah will be born “in Bethlehem of Judea”
(2:5) but the magi do not. This lack of knowledge does not fit the scenario of Jewish magi trained in
biblical tradition; instead, Matthew’s presentation suggests a non-Jewish ethnic background for the
magi.

The Gospel narrative recalls verses from Israel’s Scriptures that foresee Gentiles bringing gifts to Israel.
Once the magi arrive in Bethlehem, they offer Yeshua “gifts (δῶρα; dora)” of “gold and frankincense
(χρυσὸν καὶ λίβανον; chrusòn kaì líbanon) and myrrh” (Matt 2:11). This scene echoes the Psalms’ picture
of other nations bringing “gifts” (δῶρα; dora) to Israel (cf. Ps 72:10 [71:10 LXX]; 76:11-12 [75:11-12
LXX]). Isaiah 60:5-6 calls these foreign gifts the “wealth of the Gentiles,” which includes “gold and
frankincense” (χρυσίον καὶ λίβανον; chrusíon kaì líbanon).

Matthew also notes that the magi bring “myrrh” (σμύρνα; smúrna)—an aromatic resin that the Jewish
Queen Esther receives from a Persian king (see Est 2:12 LXX).

More, the oil made from myrrh—called στακτή (stakté)— is said to have been an item of trade among
traveling Gentiles in Joseph’s day (see Gen 37:25 LXX), and royal figures of other nations offer it as
tribute to King Solomon (cf. 1 Kgs 10:25; 2 Chron 9:24 LXX). Thus, it is fitting for Matthew’s traveling
Gentile magi to offer myrrh to Jesus, the King of the Jews. Insofar as the Gospel’s eastern visitors
recapitulate biblical passages about non-Jews offering treasures to Israelites, it makes the most sense to
see Matthew’s magi as Gentiles whose worship of Jesus foreshadows his commission to make disciples
of “all the nations” (Matt 28:19).
by Dr. Nicholas Schaser
.

4
Why Swaddling Clothes?
According to Luke’s birth narrative, Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes (ἐσπαργάνωσεν; espargánosen) and laid him in a manger” (2:7). An angel describes the scene to
shepherds, saying, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and
lying in a manger” (2:12).

Why does Luke repeat the seemingly mundane act of swaddling the infant Jesus, and why does the
angel call the swaddled baby a “sign” (σημεῖον; semeion) for the shepherds?
In the Jewish and Hellenistic cultural contexts of the first century, these verses denote human kingship
and divine supervision. Luke refers to “swaddling clothes” in order to highlight Jesus as a royal son of
David, and the anointed one of God.

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In the Jewish book of Wisdom (c. 1st century BCE), king Solomon describes his earliest days, saying, “I
was nursed with care in swaddling clothes (σπαργάνοις; spargánois). For no king has a different
beginning of existence” (Wis 7:4-5). Luke notes that Yeshua is wrapped in swaddling clothes, just like
Solomon, to show that this infant is a king in the line of David.

The Lukan angel’s rhetoric supports this connection between Jesus and Solomon: “To you is born this
day in the city of David a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes” (Lk 2:11-12). The swaddling clothes constitute a sign of Jewish
royalty, and an affirmation of Jesus’ identity as the Davidic king of the Jewish people.

Another well-known reference to swaddling clothes appears in the Greek literature of Hesiod (8th
century BCE). In a text called Theogony, Hesiod narrates the birth of Zeus to the goddess Rhea amidst
her husband Cronus’s attempt to eat the infant!

In order to trick her husband and save her child, Rhea wraps “a great stone in swaddling clothes
(σπαργανίσασα; sparganísasa),” and Cronus consumes the rock thinking it is his son (Theogony 485).

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Cronus vomits up the stone, the child is saved, and Zeus grows to defeat his father and become the
supreme god of the Greek pantheon. Any educated ancient reader of Luke’s Greek Gospel would have
known this story of Zeus’s birth, but the evangelist echoes Hesiod’s terminology in a very different
context: at Jesus’ birth, there is no other deity to threaten him; to the contrary, Yeshua is the “Lord” of
all (Lk 2:11), and he brings “glory to God in the highest heaven” (2:14).

The heavenly sign of Jesus’ swaddling clothes proclaims that this Jewish infant—not Hesiod’s Zeus—is
the true king of kings and Lord of Lords.
by Dr. Nicholas Schaser

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