Wildbranch Hebrew Word of the Week: ARMAGEDDON

This section will be devoted to Scriptural words and their meaning. We will not only establish the etymological roots of these words, but we will reveal how many English words are actually Hebrew words. Everything and anything you might want to know about the Hebrew language will be discussed and presented in this section.
E-mail us if you want to know what a particular word is and we will be happy to post it here for all to read. If you are interested in it, maybe many others are, too.

ARMAGEDDON

This word has become part of our cultural nomenclature. As a matter of fact, a couple of years ago I was treated to a theatrical presentation of what this famous end time prophecy will be all about. I must admit I did not previously imagine Bruce Willis being the hero of such an event. But, none the less, this word has become symbolic of the end of the world.

Hitgalut 16:16
"And he GATHERED THEM TOGETHER into a PLACE called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."

The word in this form only appears in the last book of scripture. I first find it interesting that this verse is one of hundreds of New Testament examples of an original Hebrew text. This verse uses a common style of Hebrew sentence structure. The meaning of the word Armageddon is placed in the text. This word is actually a compound of two thoughts. The first part is taken from the Hebrew har. This word means 'mountain' or the 'place of'. The word megiddo is taken from the Hebrew root gadad. This word means 'a gathering to divide or cut'. It is translated as troops, armies, cutting ones self, and bands through out the Hebrew text.

Mizmor 94:20
"Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They GATHER THEMSELVES TOGETHER against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But YHVH is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, YHVH our 'Elohiym shall cut them off.

D'varim 14:1
"Ye are the children of YHVH your 'Elohiym: ye shall not CUT YOURSELVES, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

These two verses sum up the root meaning of the word Armageddon. Whatever the precise future outcome of this place is, in it's root meaning it is the mount or place of gathering for the purpose of dividing. This is revealed in our Hitgalut 16:16 text. Look closely at this text again. This is so typical and harmonious with Hebrew. There are some who teach that the battle in this place actually never takes place. This is found largely in the reference to this battle in Hitgalut 19:17-20. It is also possible that since mountains are many times seen as symbols of great governments, that the ancient embattled site of Megiddo is only used figuratively of the Messiah's sudden interruption of the New World Order plans of a global takeover of judicial and religous rule.

Shalom Alecheim!