※A Tragic Beginning一個產婦悲傷的死
The matriarch Rachel was beloved by her husband Jacob, but remained barren for many years. Finally, after years of faithfully waiting, she became pregnant and gave birth to Joseph. But years later, her second pregnancy ended in disaster. In the final tragic moments of her life, Rachel named her baby son Ben Oni (בן אוני). In Hebrew this means “son (ben) of my sorrow” (oni) – that is to say, this boy’s birth caused my death.
女族長拉結深受丈夫雅各的愛戴,但多年來一直不孕。經過多年的忠實等待,她終於懷孕了,生了約瑟(增添的意思)。但多年後,她的第二次懷孕以災難告終。在她生命的最後一個悲慘時刻,拉結給她的小兒子起了個名字Ben Oni (בן אוני)。希伯來文,這意為「我悲傷的兒子 (ben)" (oni)--也就是說,這個男孩的出生導致了我的死亡。
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創35:18 他將近於死,靈魂要走的時候,就給他兒子起名叫便俄尼;他父親卻給他起名叫便雅憫。
18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben–oni(ן־אוֹנִ֑י): but his father called him Benjamin(בִנְיָמִֽין).
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בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י (1126 בֶּן־אוֹנִי)
בּן־אוני ben - ônı̂y ben-o-nee
Ben-oni = "son of my sorrow"
בּן bên bane;a son
און âven aw-ven;1. trouble, wickedness, sorrow
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בִנְיָמִֽין (בִּנְיָמִין 1144)
בּנימין binyâmı̂yn bin-yaw-mene
Benjamin = "son of the right hand"
בּן bên bane;a son
ימין yâmı̂yn yaw-meen;1. right, right hand, right side (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
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※The Son of the Right右手邊的孩子
Son of Sorrow: quite a heavy burden to carry on one’s shoulders. So, Jacob changed his name to Benjamin (בנימין). In Hebrew this means “son (ben) of the right (yamin)”.
In ancient times, people faced east to the rising sun to orient themselves, which makes south on the right. So, Benjamin is the “son of the south” – the only one of Jacob’s twelve sons born in the southern land of Canaan, not north in Aram.
悲傷的兒子:肩負著沉重的負擔。所以,雅各改名為便雅憫(בנימין)。希伯來語意味著「右邊(yamin)的兒子(ben)」。
在遠古時代,人們向東朝向太陽升起以使自己定向,這使得南方在右邊。 因此,便雅憫是「南方的兒子」…雅各的十二個兒子中唯一一個出生在迦南南部,而不是在亞蘭北部。
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創35:6於是雅各和一切與他同在的人到了迦南地的路斯,就是伯特利。
16他們從伯特利起行,離以法他還有一段路程,拉結臨產甚是艱難。
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※The bond between the Old and New Testament新舊約的中心
Knowing what Benjamin’s two names mean, we can see an amazing parallel. Jesus Christ, who is a descendant of Jacob, was described as a “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3). On Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead and “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
當我們知道「便雅閔」的名字的意義,就可以看到一個驚人的連結。耶穌基督是雅各的後裔,被描述為「悲傷的人」(以賽亞書53:3)。在復活節的星期天,耶穌從死裡復活,「坐在上帝寶座的右邊」(希伯來書12:2)。
賽53:3他被藐視,被人厭棄;多受痛苦,常經憂患。他被藐視,好像被人掩面不看的一樣;我們也不尊重他。
希12:2仰望為我們信心創始成終的耶穌(或作:仰望那將真道創始成終的耶穌)。他因那擺在前面的喜樂,就輕看羞辱,忍受了十字架的苦難,便坐在神寶座的右邊。
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