Vayera 5782

The fourth reading from the book of Genesis is named Vayera. It means "And he appeared" because the first story describes how the LORD appeared to Abraham one day as he sat outside his tent. Section Vayera continues with the series of tests of faith for Abraham, concluding in one great and final trial. James 2:23 " And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. " "BUT THOU, ISRAEL ART MY SERVANT, JACOB WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, THE SEED OF ABRAHAM MY FRIEND" —Isaiah 41:8. II Chronicles 20:7 "“Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham Thy Friend forever? You know it is really curious that the Bible three times refers to Abraham as a friend of God. Only Abraham is referred to in name as a friend of God. In the New Testament we are called not servants but friends. But Abraham is mentioned by name. The Greek word used in James for friend is philo which is a word for love that we call friendship love. However the passage in Isaiah and II Chronicles uses the word ahav which is the Hebrew word for love. Abraham was God’s lover. Yeah, that sounds a little creepy because we hear the English word lover and we immediately give it a sexual context. The Septuagint uses the Greek word which comes from the word hetariors and not the word philo. Odd that James does not use that word but the word philo. Hetariors is a word in Greek which means a friend or companion. There is really no sexual element to hetariors. Curious that the translators of the Septuagint would use a word that meant a partner or companion for the Hebrew word ahav which is commonly rendered as love. The word in Hebrew for friend should be ra’ah or dodi. Yet Isaiah uses ahav which means love or lover and the Septuagint uses a word meaning a companion. taken from: https://www.chaimbentorah.com/2015/05/word-study-a-friend-of-god-%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%94-%D7%90%D7%94%D7%91/