Analysis of the word "Commandment(s)"

Hebraic Torah-based reflection on Commandment(s)

Introduction

When we talk about a "commandment" in the Scriptures, we are not talking about a dry rule in a book or a restriction on our freedom. In the eyes of Yahweh, a commandment is a gift—a blueprint for how to live a beautiful, righteous life. For the people of Israel, following a commandment was not about "following rules" to get into heaven; it was about walking in a relationship with Elohim here on earth. It is the practical application of love for Yahweh and love for our neighbor. Yeshua HaMashiach, the prophet like Moshe, showed us that these commandments are not burdens, but the very way we express our faithfulness to the covenant.

Meanings of the Word

Hebrew Words for "Commandment"

The Hebrew language is an action-oriented paradigm. It does not focus on abstract ideas, but on doing and behaving.

1. מִצְוָה (Mitzvah)

• Root: צ‑ו‑ה (Tz-V-H). The root carries the meaning of commanding, appointing, or charging someone with a specific task.
• Meaning: A mitzvah is a commandment. In the Hebrew mindset, a mitzvah is not just a "law" but a "connection." When a person performs a mitzvah, they are connecting themselves to the will of Yahweh.
• Context: In the Tanakh, mitzvot are the specific instructions given by Elohim to guide the nation of Israel. Because Hebrew is about action, a mitzvah is only "real" when it is performed. To "know" a commandment is to "do" the commandment.

2. פִקּוּד (Pikkud)

• Root: פ‑ק‑ד (P-K-D). This root means to visit, to appoint, to oversee, or to call to account.
• Meaning: A pikkud is an order or a command, often carrying the nuance of a "precept" or a specific reminder.
• Context: While a mitzvah is a general commandment, a pikkud often refers to the detailed oversight of how things should be done. It implies a sense of accountability—that Yahweh is "visiting" or observing our adherence to His orders.

3. חוּק (Chuq)

• Root: ח‑ק‑ק (Ch-Q-Q). The root means to engrave, to carve, or to scribe.
• Meaning: A chuq is a statute or an ordinance. It refers to a law that is "engraved" or fixed.
• Context: A chuq is often used for laws that are so deeply rooted in the divine order that they are not always explained by human logic but are accepted because they are carved into the very fabric of the covenant.

Greek Words for "Commandment"

ἐντολή (Entolē)

• Meaning: A command, order, precept, or commandment.
• Context: The first-century writers of the Brit Chadashah were Hebrews. When they used the Greek word entolē, they were not thinking in Greek abstract philosophy. They were using entolē as a translation for mitzvah. To a Hebrew mind writing in Greek, entolē did not mean a philosophical "obligation"; it meant a practical "action" required by Yahweh. When Yeshua speaks of the "greatest commandment" (entolē), He is referring to the lived practice of the Torah.

Arabic Words for "Commandment"

1. أمْر (Amr)

• Root: أ م ر (A-M-R).
• Meaning: A command, commandment, or a matter/affair.
• Context: This refers to a directive or an authoritative order. In a Hebraic understanding, an amr is an expression of the sovereign will of the Creator to be carried out in the physical world.

2. وَصِيَّة (Waṣiyyah)

• Root: و ص ي (W-S-Y).
• Meaning: A bequest, injunction, or commandment.
• Context: This often carries the sense of a "legacy" or a "testament." A waṣiyyah is a commandment given for the benefit of the next generation, similar to how the Torah is passed from father to son as a legacy of faithfulness.

Analysis

To understand the word "commandment," we must first move away from the modern idea that a rule is something that limits us. In the biblical Hebrew worldview, a commandment is a "way of life."

The Action-Oriented Paradigm In Hebrew, there is no word for "law" in the sense of a legal code like the Roman laws. Instead, we have Torah, which means "instruction." The mitzvot (commandments) are the specific steps of that instruction. If you want to learn how to walk, you don't study the "theory of walking"; you take a step. That is what a mitzvah is—a step in the right direction.

The root of mitzvah (צ‑ו‑ה) is about appointment. When Yahweh gives a commandment, He is appointing man to act as His representative on earth. When we keep the Shabbat or observe the Pesach (Passover), we are not just checking a box; we are performing an action that aligns our physical bodies with the spiritual reality of Yahweh's kingdom.

The use of pikkud (appointment/oversight) shows that these commandments are not suggestions. They are oversight mechanisms. Imagine a father telling a child, "Hold my hand while we cross the street." The child doesn't see this as a "restriction of freedom," but as a "commandment for safety." Pikkud is the protective oversight of the Father.

Finally, chuq (engraved statute) reminds us that these truths are eternal. They are not "updated" or "replaced" because they are carved into the nature of righteousness. This is why Yeshua HaMashiach did not come to abolish the Torah (Matthew 5:17). He did not say, "The chuqim are old," but rather He lived them out perfectly, giving "flesh" to the mitzvah.

The Fulfillment in Yeshua Yeshua is the perfect example of "Torah-as-lived-practice." He is the prophet like Moshe (Deuteronomy 18:15–18). While the religious systems of the Pharisees added human rules (traditions) that made the mitzvot heavy burdens, Yeshua stripped away the human additions and revealed the heart of the mitzvah.

Yeshua showed that the mitzvot are not about sin removal, but about covenant faithfulness. For example, the Pesach lamb is not about removing a "stain" of sin, but about dedication and obedience to the covenant. Yeshua’s life was a living mitzvah. He kept the Shabbat, He attended the Temple, and He honored the feasts. He showed that the "Word" (the Torah/Instruction) is not a mystical entity, but a practical guide that, when lived out, leads to righteousness.

Connecting to the Scattered Tribes Yeshua's teaching on the commandments was directed at the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." This includes the two tribes (Yehudah and Levi/Jews) and the ten scattered tribes. By teaching the true meaning of the mitzvot, Yeshua was calling the scattered tribes back to their identity. To be part of Israel is to live by the Torah. Therefore, the "commandments" are the bridge that brings the scattered tribes back into the covenant family.

Deviation

The original biblical understanding of "commandment" has been skewed by three major theological shifts:

1. The Christian Deviation Many in the Christian world have fallen into "supersessionism"—the belief that a "New Covenant" replaced the "Old Covenant." This led to the idea that the mitzvot (commandments) were "abolished" or are no longer necessary. They view entolē (commandment) as something that was replaced by "grace."

This is a total deviation. Grace is not the absence of Torah; grace is the power to finally live the Torah correctly. Yeshua did not bring a "new" covenant in the sense of a replacement; He extended the existing covenant made with Abraham and confirmed at Sinai. To say the commandments are gone is to say that Yeshua's way of life is gone.

2. The Judaic (Religious System) Deviation While the Jewish people have maintained the mitzvot, the religious systems (like those of the Pharisees) often deviated by adding "fences" around the Torah. They turned the mitzvah (an act of love and connection) into a legalistic burden. They focused on the "letter" of the pikkud (the detail) while forgetting the "spirit" of the chuq (the engraved purpose). They made the Torah a system of merit and human rules rather than a guide for a relationship with Yahweh.

3. The Islamic Deviation Islamic understanding recognizes the "commandments" (amr and waṣiyyah), but it often views them through the lens of total submission to a distant deity rather than a covenantal relationship between a Father and His children. While they respect the "orders," the specific Hebraic context of the mitzvah as a "connection" to the covenant of Abraham is often lost, replaced by a broader sense of religious duty.

Conclusion

A commandment is not a chain that binds us; it is a map that leads us home. Whether we use the Hebrew mitzvah, the Greek entolē, or the Arabic amr, the original meaning is always about action.

Torah is not a philosophy to be debated; it is a way of life to be lived. Yeshua HaMashiach did not come to give us a new set of rules or to tell us the old ones were useless. Instead, He became the first man to fully give "flesh" to the Torah. He showed us that when we perform a mitzvah, we are walking in the footsteps of the Mashiach.

For the believer today—whether from the house of Yehudah or from among the scattered ten tribes—the goal is simple: to live the Torah in obedience, just as Yeshua did. We don't follow commandments to "be saved," but because we are part of a covenant family that loves Yahweh and desires to reflect His righteousness on earth. The commandments are the practical tools we use to build a life of holiness, leading us back to the dwelling place of Yahweh, the Temple, in the end of days.