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God’s “uncovering” of Himself means that He “revealed” Himself (Gen. 35:7). “To
uncover someone’s ears” is to tell him something: “Now the day before Saul came, the
Lord had revealed [literally, “had uncovered the ear”] to Samuel …” (1 Sam. 9:15,
RSV
).
In this case, the verb means not simply “to tell,” but “to tell someone something that was
not known.” Used in this sense,
is applied to the “revealing” of secrets (Prov.
11:13) and of one’s innermost feelings. Hence, Jer. 11:20 should be translated: “For unto
thee have I revealed my case.”
Thus
can be used of “making something” openly known, or of “publicizing” it:
“The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was
published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day” (Esth. 3:14).
Another nuance appears in Jer. 32:11, where
, in connection with a deed of
purchase, means “not sealed or closed up.”
B. Noun.
(
%
, 1473), “exile; people exiled.” This word makes 42 Old Testament
appearances. Ezra 2:1 uses the word of “people returning from the exile.” In other
references, the word means “people in exile” (2 Kings 24:15). In 1 Chron. 5:22,
refers to the era of the “exile.”
TO GO DOWN
(
$
, 3381), “to descend, go down, come down.” This verb occurs in most
Semitic languages (including post-biblical Hebrew) and in all periods. In biblical
Hebrew, the word appears about 380 times and in all periods.
Basically, this verb connotes “movement” from a higher to a lower location. In Gen.
28:12, Jacob saw a “ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and
behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” In such a use, the speaker or
observer speaks from the point of destination, and the movement is “downward” toward
him. Thus one may “go down” below or under the ground’s surface (Gen. 24:16). The
speaker may also speak as though he stands at the point of departure and the movement is
away from him and “downward.”
Interestingly, one may “go down” to a lower spot in order to reach a city’s gates
(Judg. 5:11) or to get to a city located on a lower level than the access road (1 Sam.
10:8)—usually one goes up to a city and “goes down” to leave a city (1 Sam. 9:27). The
journey from Palestine to Egypt is referred to as “going down” (Gen. 12:10). This
reference is not to a movement in space from a higher to a lower spot; it is a more
technical use of the verb.
'
is used frequently of “dying.” One “goes down” to his grave. Here the idea of
spatial movement is present, but in the background. This “going down” is much more of
a removal from the world of conscious existence: For the grave cannot praise thee, death
cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living,
the living, he shall praise thee …” (Isa. 38:18-19). On the other hand, “going down to the
dust” implies a return to the soil—i.e., a return of the body to the soil from which it came
(Gen. 3:19). “All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him …” (Ps. 22:29).
There is also the idea of the “descent” of the human soul into the realm of the dead.
When Jacob mourned over Joseph whom he thought to be dead, he said: “For I will go