What Knees and Camels Tell Us About Blessing
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| Image used by permission from Janne Corax |
An Introduction to Agri-Bio-Linguistics
"Man (biology) shall not live by bread (agriculture) alone but by every Word (language) that proceeds from the mouth of God."— Matthew 4:4
By this method, God uses ordinary things that don't change, so all humankind can understand His truth.
Language and word associations change dramatically over time, which can destabilize the meaning of a word or a portion of an ancient text in translation. However, biology and agriculture have remained largely unchanged throughout history, making their illustrations effective stabilizers of language and concept definition.
This lesson will study how the camel and its knees relate to the Hebrew words for blessing and knee, which share the same letters.
The Camel Roll Example
The Hebrew word for roll and its relationship with camels offer us a good example of how Agri-Biolinguistics works. A camel's biological characteristic is that it will roll in soft sand or soil to cool off during hot weather or to unload its heavy pack. In its earliest form, the written Hebrew language was pictographic, meaning that each letter was represented by an image. This example will also include the pictograph understanding of the Hebrew letters used to spell the words we study.
The Hebrew word for "roll" is "galal גלל" and is spelled with the Hebrew letters "gimel ג" and a double "lamed ל." The first letter of the terms "galal גלל" meaning roll and "gamal גמל" meaning camel starts with a gimel ג. Gimel ג, and gamal גמל, meaning camel, share the same letters. A camel is also the pictograph for this letter. The "lamed ל" is a shepherd's staff symbolizing authority and instruction. The doubling of the "lamed ל" speaks of something repetitious. Repetition is elemental to learning. So when God used the word "galal גלל," meaning "roll," the ancient reader had a visual of a camel making repetitive rolling movements in the sand, which could be applied metaphorically to many contexts. Psalm 37:5 gives us a case of how this is used in Scripture. The following is taken from the Rotherham version of the Scriptures, which agrees with the Hebrew rendering.
Roll (galal גלל) on Yahweh thy way. Trust also in Him, and He will effectually work.
Online, Fiora blog author Me Ra Koh provides additional context on casting our cares upon the Lord, illustrated by camel rolling, in an article titled "Cast Our Cares: How the Camel Reveals Our Hearts."
“Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” The root word translation of the word “cast” in this verse is taken from the meaning of a camel that gets down on its knees and then rolls over to one side, rolling the burdens (baggage) from its back.
More on How Agri-Bio-Linguistics Works
The words "glory" and "liver" can demonstrate this for us. Both of them share identical Hebrew letters. One means "heavy. " The other means "liver." What is the comparison? The liver is the heaviest organ in the body and is described as glorious, meaning it is weighty and full of substance. Glory, therefore, should be understood to have significant bearing and value.
Using this same method, I would like to look at the words "bless" (ברך) and "knee" (ברך), which also share identical Hebrew letters. The qualities and functions of a knee will give us a fuller and more meaningful understanding of blessing.
The Knee
- The knee supports the whole weight of the body.
Blessings are things that support us and encourage us.
- The knee is a pivotal hinge joint that provides the body with flexibility and stability.
Blessings give us greater mobility, flexibility, and stability in life.
- The knee is the largest joint in the body.
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Bet ב: Abide
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.— John 15:7
One purpose of the knee is to kneel. Kneeling is resting our weight on our knees. When the weight of our life rests upon our submission to God, we are in a position to be blessed, as the above verse indicates. Some physical benefits of kneeling that testify to this resting position:
- upper and lower back muscles relax,
- heart rate slows down, and
- blood pressure regulates.
Resh ר: Priority
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.— John 15:4,5
"Resh ר" can also indicate abundance or many and is the first letter in the Hebrew word for "many." We can associate blessing with abundance.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us ...
— Exodus 3:20
Bet ב and Resh ר Together
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.— Ephesians 1:3
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| Estudio De Manos by Dorian Florez |
Caph כ: The Open Hand
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.— Psalm 61:4He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.— Psalm 91:1
When we kneel and submit ourselves to Him, He hides us under the shadow of His wings. To be blessed is to be hidden and protected in Him. To be cursed is to be outside of Him and subject to evil.
With the letter "caph כ," we also see a hand that gives and receives, which is descriptive of blessing.
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
— Psalm 145:16
What You give them, they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
— Psalm 104:28
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Blessing, Kneeling, and Humility
... being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.— Philippians 2:5-11
On the other hand, we are required to kneel and humble ourselves before God to receive His blessings. Submission to God is a requirement.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time ...
— 1 Peter 5:6
"The way up to blessing is down."
... all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed down and did obeisance to the Lord and to the king.
— 1 Chronicles 29:20
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Kneeling Camels
As noted earlier, Camels are known for their knees and are a symbol of blessing.
And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
— Genesis 24:11
Everyone in the ancient desert lands would have been familiar with a camel, its behaviors, and the purposes for which it kneels. Interestingly enough, nomads today still use camels as the ancients did. Bedouins have always referred to camels as "God's gift." In the ancient world, the camel was considered the ship of the desert, carrying goods from one destination to another. A strong camel can carry between 500 and 1000 pounds of goods. A camel kneels so that it may receive these goods or unload them.
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| Camels in the Guelta d'Archei Dario Menasce |
A Pool of Blessing
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
— Psalm 107:35
Water symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The camel, "gamal גמל," symbolizes the third letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet, which represents the Holy Spirit. Both the qualities of the camel and the pool can be attributed to the Holy Spirit. He is the deliverer of blessings and goodness, bringing us to be refreshed, fulfilled, and satiated.
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
— Psalm 36:8
The following is another interesting note from Peter M Lopez, who also writes on this topic. He discusses the first occurrence of the word "bless" in reference to our blessing and its connection to Christ, the Son of God.
"The first time God blesses anyone or anything in the Bible is in Gen. 1:28: "And He blessed them, God, and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.'" To form v'ibarak ויברך (and He blessed), two letters are added to the word "barak ברך" (blessed) above, the letter "vav ו", pictured as a tent peg or nail, and meaning a nail or hook, and "yod", pictured as the arm from the fist to the elbow, meaning my hand or my works. Therefore, v'ibarak, or God's first blessing to humanity, is prophetic of God's ultimate blessing to humanity: the NAIL in the HAND of the SON is God's BLESSING."
What better blessing could there be?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
— John 3:16
How do we bless Him? By kneeling before Him, living in submission to Him, and partaking of His benefits.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
— Psalm 103:1-5
We can also bless people when we carry what was given to us and bestow it on others through our words or deeds.
... Freely you have received, freely give.
— Matthew 10:8
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| Francois-Barthelemy-Marius Abel 1856 |
Prayer, Blessing, and Camel Knees
I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.— Ephesians 3:14-21
God has built many valuable tools into His Word that help us grasp every dimension. The well is infinite and deep.
© 2010 Tamarajo
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What Knees and Camels Tell Us About Blessing
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