Blood & Mortar

Introduction 

Welcome to Torah Today Ministries and our continuing series called The Hebrew Key, where we look into some detail of the Hebrew language or Hebrew word — something unique that doesn’t just come right to the surface in our English translations.

Now, some of these Hebrew Key teachings are easier to follow, and some are not so easy to follow. This is one of those where you need to really follow along closely. Put on your thinking kippah (כִּפָּה) and we’re going to dig down a little bit.

And this all arises out of a word that came up in last week’s Torah (תּוֹרָה) portion — Torah (תּוֹרָה) portion Noach (נֹחַ) — and the building of the Tower of Babel. And so we’re going to look at a word — it’s chamar (חָמַר) — and we’re going to find some, I hope, fascinating, interesting things that tell us about our relationship with Messiah and with one another.

So follow along. And if you get stuck, stop the tape and back up, or listen to it a second time. And it’s not that difficult, but you will have to think and pay close attention as we go.

Chamar (חָמַר) – To Heap Up

All right, let’s begin. Here’s our Hebrew word. It’s the word chamar (חָמַר) — chet, mem, resh — which is a verb, and it means “to heap up.” You make a pile of something. That is chamar (חָמַר).

Now, most Hebrew words — or Hebrew verbs — can also be used as nouns, as we’re going to see in just a moment. So even the word “heap” in English can be a verb — “I am heaping up something” — and then after I’m done, I have a noun — “a heap of something.” So “to heap” is a verb and “a heap” is a noun. This word works much the same way.

Exodus 8:13–14 – Heaps of Frogs

So let’s take a look at an example of a heap of something. Exodus 8:13–14 — we’re looking at one of the plagues that the Egyptians experienced. And it says — God had just sent this plague of frogs, and when the frogs died, it says:

And Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses and courtyards and in the fields. And they heaped them together in heaps, and the land stank. — Exodus 8:13–14

Can you even imagine what that smelled like? And there you see our word chamar (חָמַר) — and there again. This phrase, “heaped them together into heaps,” is chomrim chomarim (חֹמְרִם חֳמָרִם) — they heaped heaps. That’s kind of how it comes across in Hebrew. So there were multiple double heaps of dead frogs. So there you can see how the word is used.

Psalm 46:3 – Heaps of Water

Now here’s another interesting use of this word. Psalm 46:3 — it says:

Though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. — Psalm 46:3

How can you have a heap of water? Well, that’s the word that’s used — the word chamar (חָמַר). And what it’s talking about is that the waves would come up and they would — some translations say that the waters would “heap up.” They become a mound. It doesn’t last very long and then they go back. But these large waves are also called by the word chamar (חָמַר) — to heap up.

Leviticus 27:16 – The Homer (חֹמֶר) Basket

Let’s look at another example. Leviticus 27:16:

If a man dedicates to Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) part of the land that is his possession, then the valuation shall be in proportion to its seed. A homer (חֹמֶר) of barley… — Leviticus 27:16

Your English translation may just say “omer” without the “ch” on the front, but it’s the same word. Now, this is the noun form. Chamar (חָמַר) means “to heap up”; a homer (חֹמֶר) is “a heap.” And so it says a homer (חֹמֶר) of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.

You may be familiar with counting the Omer (עֹמֶר) between Passover (פֶּסַח) and Shavuot (שָׁבוּעוֹת) — that’s the same word. So why is this dry measure of grain called a homer (חֹמֶר) — a heap? Because in this basket, in this measure, you would have a heap of — in this case — barley. Or you could have wheat or fruit or whatever else. We use the term “bushel.” I don’t know the etymology of the word “bushel,” but over time in Israel, a heap of grain was considered to be a certain amount, and they made a homer (חֹמֶר) basket to hold a homer (חֹמֶר) of wheat or barley or whatever.

Chamor (חֲמוֹר) – The Donkey

Now, here’s a really interesting application of this word. It’s the word “donkey,” which is not spelled exactly the same. The word for donkey is chamor (חֲמוֹר) — there’s an extra letter added in — but it still comes from this root word. So:

Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his chamor (חֲמוֹר) — his donkey — and took two of his young men with him… — Genesis 22:3

Why would a donkey be called after “a heap”? Well, you have to think of a donkey as a first-century — or ancient world — pickup truck. Because you could heap a lot of stuff onto a donkey. A donkey is an incredibly strong animal. It can carry, in addition to its own weight, it can carry its own weight again and plus a lot more. They’re incredibly strong animals, and they would heap a lot of bundles and packages of things on top of the donkey. Like I said, it was an ancient world pickup truck.

Genesis 11:3 – Mortar (חֹמֶר) at the Tower of Babel

Okay, so we get some examples of how this word is used. But let’s look at the very first place the word is used in the Torah (תּוֹרָה). And the very first place it’s used is in Genesis 11:3, from the account of the Tower of Babel:

And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar (chomer / חֹמֶר). — Genesis 11:3

Now, I could have also put the word “bitumen” — I’m not sure of the pronunciation — but that basically is also the same word here, which is the word chomer (חֹמֶר).

And why would the word for the mortar — which is this tar stuff they used — why would it also share the same word as “heap” and “foaming waves” and “donkey”? What’s being piled up here? When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. If they wanted these bricks to stick together, they had to use a mortar so they could heap the bricks together into a structure, into a tower. So the material they used is called chomer (חֹמֶר) because it helps them create a large, organized, architecturally sound heap.

Summary So Far

So let’s summarize a bit. This word, when it’s pronounced chomer (חֹמֶר), can mean: a heap, foam or a wave of water, a donkey, an omer (עֹמֶר) basket that holds a heap of grain, tar, or mortar.

Chemer (חֶמֶר) – Wine

Now here’s the interesting thing — where it suddenly takes a curve. If you pronounce this word chemer (חֶמֶר) — like this — it means “wine.”

What in the world does this word have to do with wine? It could be that it takes a heap of grapes to make a sizable amount of wine. That’s a bit of a stretch. But why would wine be called by the same word? Now, the spelling stays the same — chet, mem, resh — just the pronunciation changes. Instead of chomer (חֹמֶר), you’ve got chemer (חֶמֶר).

What is God trying to teach us here? You know, I believe Hebrew is more than just another language. I agree with the rabbis that say it’s the language of transcendence, it’s the heavenly tongue, it is the language that is extraterrestrial — it’s not of this world. And it has layer upon layer upon layer of meaning and insight as it’s used in the scriptures.

And so, in the very first place we find this word that is under investigation here, it is in reference to mortar — used to basically glue clay bricks together. And this word can also mean wine.

Deuteronomy 32:14 – The Blood of the Grape

Let’s find an example of where it means wine. And here’s one, in Deuteronomy 32:14:

Curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan, and goats, with the very finest of the wheat — and you drank foaming chemer (חֶמֶר), wine made from the blood of the grape. — Deuteronomy 32:14

So here in the Torah (תּוֹרָה) — where we find, I believe, the first time it means wine, pronounced chemer (חֶמֶר) — it’s connected with blood. Now, figuratively — “the blood of the grape.” But Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ), at that last Passover Seder (סֵדֶר), he poured wine — chemer (חֶמֶר) — and he offered it to them, and he says, “This is my blood of the New Covenant.”

Living Stones, Living Mortar

Now, you may accuse me of reading more into this than there is. But I don’t think so. I think this is something God is hinting at and speaking to us here.

You know, over in 1 Peter, we are called living stones. Living stones — unlike the Tower of Babel, which was just made out of dead clay, out of dirt that had been fired in a kiln and turned into bricks and then glued together with chomer (חֹמֶר), with tar.

We are living stones. We too need to be glued together. But what glues us together?

I believe it’s the chemer (חֶמֶר) — the wine — which is the blood of Messiah. And you know, the life is in the blood. And it’s the life of Messiah that serves as mortar for the living stones. After all, if you have living stones, wouldn’t you need living mortar to hold them together?

Isaiah 27:2; 1 Peter 2:4–5

This is the passage — oh yes, and I can’t forget:

In that day, a vineyard of pure chemer (חֶמֶר) — sing of it! — Isaiah 27:2

I guess that’s a little bit what we’re doing today — singing of this living wine, the blood of Messiah.

But 1 Peter 2, verses 4 and 5, states:

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) the Messiah. — 1 Peter 2:4–5

So again — if stones made of clay, of brick, need to be glued together with a mortar that comes out of the ground, shouldn’t living stones be glued together with a living mortar?

And so, when you think of stones being mortared together, there’s something that separates them but connects them. The purpose of the mortar is to connect them. And what connects you to me? It’s the life of Messiah. The life is in the blood. It’s the blood of Messiah, the life of Messiah, that connects us together.

When we try to connect together in a spiritually intimate way without the life of Messiah, it doesn’t work well. So everything around us, above and below — everything that connects us together — should be the life of Messiah. Living life in the context of his life.

And I think, as living stones, if we want to be built up into this spiritual house, we need to be completely immersed in the life of Messiah.

So all of that out of one word. But welcome to the world of Hebrew.

And I hope this has been a blessing to you. And I’m not going to try to finish all the thoughts that can spring out of this teaching, but I hope I can be a springboard for you to continue to meditate on this and think about it — and then ask yourself: am I a living stone? And do I share the life of Messiah with those around me?

So anyways, I leave the rest of this with you to think about. And until next time, I wish you shalom (שָׁלוֹם) and may God bless.

 

Teaching Material

Hebrew Word Studies

• Chamar (חָמַר) — “To heap up”; the verb at the root of this entire teaching. From this single root come meanings that span from dead frogs heaped in Egypt to the living wine of Messiah’s blood. The first occurrence in the Torah (תּוֹרָה) is Genesis 11:3 — mortar used to glue bricks together at the Tower of Babel. — Strong’s H2560
• Chomer (חֹמֶר) — “Heap, mortar, tar, bitumen, clay”; the noun form of chamar (חָמַר). At the Tower of Babel, chomer (חֹמֶר) was dead mortar gluing dead bricks together. But living stones need living mortar — the blood/life of Messiah. Also refers to the homer (חֹמֶר) dry measure basket holding a heap of grain. — Strong’s H2563
• Chemer (חֶמֶר) — “Wine”; same spelling as chomer (חֹמֶר) — chet, mem, resh — but different vowels. Its first Torah (תּוֹרָה) occurrence in Deuteronomy 32:14 connects it with “the blood of the grape.” Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) poured chemer (חֶמֶר) at his last Seder (סֵדֶר) and said, “This is my blood of the New Covenant.” Wine/blood as living mortar binding living stones together. — Strong’s H2561
• Chamor (חֲמוֹר) — “Donkey”; from the same root chamar (חָמַר), because a donkey is an animal upon which you heap burdens. The ancient world’s pickup truck — capable of carrying its own weight and more. Abraham saddled his chamor (חֲמוֹר) in Genesis 22:3. — Strong’s H2543
• Omer (עֹמֶר) — “A dry measure, a heap of grain”; the basket that holds a homer (חֹמֶר) of barley or wheat. Connected to the counting of the Omer (עֹמֶר) between Passover (פֶּסַח) and Shavuot (שָׁבוּעוֹת). Named because it holds a heap of grain. — Strong’s H6016
• Noach (נֹחַ) — “Rest, comfort”; the Torah (תּוֹרָה) portion containing both the Flood narrative and the Tower of Babel, where chomer (חֹמֶר) — mortar — first appears. — Strong’s H5146
• Kippah (כִּפָּה) — “Dome, covering”; the head covering worn during study and prayer — Grant tells listeners to “put on your thinking kippah (כִּפָּה)” for this deeper teaching.
• Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) — “Salvation”; the living stone rejected by men (1 Peter 2:4), whose blood — the chemer (חֶמֶר) — serves as living mortar binding together living stones into a spiritual house. — Strong’s H3442
• Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) — “Peace, wholeness, completeness.” — Strong’s H7965

Scripture References

Open All Scripture in Bible Gateway

• Genesis 11:3 — The first occurrence of chomer (חֹמֶר) in the Torah (תּוֹרָה): “they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar (chomer / חֹמֶר)” — dead mortar gluing dead bricks at the Tower of Babel
• Exodus 8:13–14 — “They heaped them together in heaps (chomrim chomarim / חֹמְרִם חֳמָרִם)” — double heaps of dead frogs, demonstrating the verb chamar (חָמַר)
• Psalm 46:3 — “Though the waters roar and foam (chamar / חָמַר)” — waves that heap up momentarily, water forming temporary mounds
• Leviticus 27:16 — “A homer (חֹמֶר) of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver” — the noun form: a heap-measure of grain
• Genesis 22:3 — “Abraham rose early and saddled his donkey (chamor / חֲמוֹר)” — the animal named for its ability to carry heaps of burden
• Deuteronomy 32:14 — “You drank foaming wine (chemer / חֶמֶר) made from the blood of the grape” — the first Torah (תּוֹרָה) connection between wine and blood, foreshadowing Messiah’s cup
• Isaiah 27:2 — “A vineyard of pure wine (chemer / חֶמֶר) — sing of it!” — singing of the living wine, the blood of Messiah
• 1 Peter 2:4–5 — “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house” — if living stones need mortar, it must be living mortar: the chemer (חֶמֶר), the wine/blood of Messiah
• Leviticus 17:11 — “The life of the flesh is in the blood” — the life of Messiah in his blood is what serves as living mortar connecting living stones
• Luke 22:20 — “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” — Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) poured chemer (חֶמֶר) and declared it his blood of the New Covenant

External References & Further Study

• Hebrew as the Language of Transcendence — My Jewish Learning — The rabbinic tradition that Hebrew is the heavenly tongue with layers upon layers of meaning
• Torah Today Ministries — Home of The Hebrew Key and other Torah-centered teachings