Blessing! I do not know anyone who would not want to receive a blessing or to be blessed. Blessings generally focus on positive aspects of life that bring hope and a future. In this week’s Torah Portion we read about an amazing blessing bestowed upon the nation of Israel. This blessing was given on the very day that Moses ascended Mount Nebo in order to die and to be buried by the LORD. The full account of the blessing of Moses upon the nation of Israel is documented in Deuteronomy chapter thirty-three. You will be blessed in reading the whole chapter but in this article we will only read one verse and our focus will only be on three words within this verse.
After blessing each of the tribes of Israel individually, Moses continued in the last few verses of Deuteronomy chapter thirty-three to pronounce a general blessing upon the nation of Israel. Then we arrive at the final verse of this chapter:
Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, Who is the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread upon their high places. – Deut. 33:29
Moses ended his service to the LORD with a blessing of victory for Israel tied to their relationship with the LORD. It is the LORD Himself who gives Israel victory over their enemies.
A People Saved In The LORD
Israel is a unique nation on the earth whom God has chosen from all other nations. The nation of Israel started with one man, Abraham, and has grown to a people great in number that still flourishes to this day.
Part of the blessing contained in the verse quoted above states that Israel is “…a people saved by the LORD,…” In Hebrew this phrase reads עם נושע ביהוה – Am Nosha Ba’Adonai. That which we read in the English translation is good, however, it could be more accurately translated “…a people saved in the LORD,…” but either way, the meaning is clear: the salvation of the people of Israel is by, in, or from the LORD. It is only in the LORD that Israel obtains this blessing of salvation and victory over their enemies.
It is worth noting that the word נושע – Nosha, “to be saved,” is the passive form of the Hebrew verb, ישע – Yasha, meaning to save or to deliver. In the above blessing, the state of the people of Israel is described as being “saved in the LORD…” The Hebrew word נושע – Nosha is only used six times in all of the Old Testament (The Taanach) and it can mean physical deliverance from others as well as eternal salvation, depending on the context.
Everlasting Salvation In The LORD
In the book of Isaiah we read how this form of the word נושע – Nosha, “to be saved,” is used in the context of eternal salvation:
Israel has been saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated to all eternity. – Isaiah 45:17
In the Hebrew we read the first part of this verse as ישראל נושע ביהוה – Israel Nosha Ba’Adonai – Israel is saved in the LORD, and then the verse continues to quantify the state of Israel being saved with “an everlasting salvation…” Again the salvation of Israel as specified in this verse is only realized in or by the LORD! Outside of the LORD there is no salvation for Israel.
How is the “salvation of Israel in the LORD” manifested today? The New Testament provides a beautiful explanation of this blessing by connecting this blessing of salvation to its very source and tying it together with another wonderful prophecy in the Scriptures.
The Cry For Salvation
It was six days before the Passover on which Yeshua would be crucified. Yeshua had gone to the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha in Bethany in order to spend time with them. Then we read about a certain event which occurred when the people exalted Yeshua as King:
On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” Yeshua, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Yeshua was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. – John 12:12-16
When the people cried out “Hosanna” they were literally asking for salvation while quoting Psalm 118:25-26. The Hebrew of this phrase is הושיעה נא – Hoshi’ah-na which is literally translated as “Save Now!” or “Please Save!” The people were literally crying out for the salvation of the LORD while exalting Yeshua as King.
The Coming King
Yeshua’s response to the people’s cry for salvation was to remind the people of the prophecy of their Messiah and King who would come humbly, riding on a donkey. This prophecy is found in Zechariah 9:9:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. – Zech. 9:9
The people were correct in identifying Yeshua as their King and Messiah but the salvation that they were seeking was not totally understood by them. By fulfilling this prophecy in Zechariah, Yeshua was communicating to the people that their salvation would only be accomplished in the LORD. This becomes more obvious as we study the Hebrew of this verse.
As we look at the original text of Zechariah 9:9 we read a straightforward yet challenging phrase in the Hebrew language: צדיק ונושע הוא – Tzadik VeNosha Hu which is literally translated as “He is righteous and saved…” The English translation above reads: “He is just and endowed with salvation,…” Because the Hebrew is difficult to understand in its plain reading, the English translation adds the phrase “…endowed with…” in order to try to explain the meaning in this verse, however, this phrase is not part of the original text.
The context of Zechariah 9:9 is clearly talking about the Messiah who is also a King. It describes Him as צדיק – Tzadik which clearly means the just one or the righteous one. The word נושע – Nosha, however, is difficult to translate in this context. Is the Messiah saved? What does the Hebrew word נושע – Nosha mean in this context?
Righteous and Victorious
The word נושע – Nosha – to be saved, is the same Hebrew word we read in Deuteronomy 33:29 when it speaks of the nation of Israel as a “saved people.” Zechariah 9:9 is clearly Messianic, which is agreed upon by both Jewish and Christian scholars, and the setting of Zechariah chapter nine is clearly that of a military context. In light of this understanding, the use of the word נושע – Nosha – saved is more accurately translated here as victorious. This is not just my opinion but it is also documented in the texts of various translations.
The military context of Zechariah chapter nine provides a clearer meaning of this word and is supported by other Scriptures which use a form of the word נושע – Nosha in similar contexts of battle and war:
The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. – Ps. 33:16
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD. – Prov. 21:31
Therefore, when we read the Hebrew phrase צדיק ונושע הוא – Tzadik VeNosha Hu in Zechariah 9:9 we can accurately translate this as “…He is righteous and victorious…”
In conclusion we see that the humble King who came riding on a donkey was also prophesied to be He Who is Righteous and Victorious! In the prophetic pages of the Bible, we see how the same word that speaks of the blessing of the Israelites as being נושע – Nosha – saved, also proclaims the standing of the Messiah as being נושע – Nosha – victorious.
The Victory That Brings Salvation
It is only by means of the victory of the King and Messiah over death that the people of the LORD can receive the blessing of salvation:
…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. – 1 Corinthians 15:57
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12
The ultimate blessing of salvation for any of us, including the nation of Israel, is only in the LORD. Yeshua is the Righteous One who became the Victorious One over death and it is only in His Name that we can receive the blessing of salvation! Do not keep this blessing to yourself. Tell a friend!
Shabbat Shalom!
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*All Scripture take from NASB Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
**The Hebrew name “Yeshua” is used in the biblical quotations in place of the English name “Jesus” to give emphasis to the meaning of this name, salvation. The word “Messiah” is also used in place of the word “Christ” to bring clarity to the office of Yeshua.