Analysis of the word "Submission"

Hebraic Torah-based reflection on Submission

Introduction

When we talk about "submission" in our modern world, we often think about someone being forced to do something they don't want to do, or perhaps a feeling of giving up. But in the eyes of Yahweh, submission is not about losing who you are; it is about finding where you belong in His wonderful design. For a child, submission is like holding a father's hand while walking through a busy street—it is not about being trapped, but about staying safe and following the one who knows the way.

In the Holy Scriptures, submission is not a "feeling" or a "philosophy." It is an action. It is something you do with your body and your life. To understand submission, we must look at it through the lens of the Torah, which is the guide for how we live. Yeshua HaMashiach, the prophet like Moshe, showed us that true submission is simply living out the Torah with a heart of love and obedience. He did not come to change the rules, but to show us how a human being can perfectly submit to the will of Yahweh by walking in the way of the Torah.

Meanings of the Word

Hebrew Words for "Submission"

1. Shachah (שְׁחָה)

• Root: שׁחה (shachah)
• Meaning of the Root: The root refers to the physical act of bending down or bowing.
• Meaning of the Word: This word describes bowing, prostration, and submission. It is the act of putting one's face to the ground.
• Biblical Context: In the Hebrew mindset, you cannot separate what you believe from what you do. Shachah is not a "thought" about being humble; it is the physical act of bowing. When the people of Israel performed shachah, they were physically acknowledging that Yahweh is the King and they are His servants. It is an action-oriented paradigm. You don't just "feel" submitted; you shachah—you bow your body in a practical act of worship.

2. Kufah (כּוּפָה)

• Root: כּוּף (kuf)
• Meaning of the Root: The root carries the idea of bending or curving.
• Meaning of the Word: This refers to bowing or submission.
• Biblical Context: Similar to shachah, kufah emphasizes the physical posture of submission. In the Torah, submission is not an abstract concept discussed in a classroom; it is a lived experience. Whether it was in the Temple service or in the daily walk of a believer, submission meant aligning one's physical posture and life direction with the commands of Yahweh.

Greek Words for "Submission"

The first-century writers of the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) were Hebrews who thought in Hebrew but wrote in Greek to reach the nations.

1. Hypotagē (ὑποταγή)

• Meaning: Submission, subjection, or obedience.
• Hebrew Understanding: While the Greek word hypotagē can sound like a formal arrangement or a legal status, the Hebrew writers understood this as the practical application of shachah. To them, hypotagē meant "putting oneself under" the authority of Yahweh's Torah. It was the act of arranging one's life so that the Torah was the highest priority.

2. Hypakoē (ὑπακοή)

• Meaning: Obedience, compliance, or submission.
• Hebrew Understanding: This word literally means "to listen under." For a Hebrew, listening is not just hearing a sound; it is obeying. In Hebrew, the word Shema (Hear/Obey) combines hearing and doing. Therefore, the first-century Hebrews understood hypakoē as the active process of hearing the Word of Yahweh and immediately putting it into practice through action.

Arabic Words for "Submission"

1. Islām (إِسْلَام)

• Root: س-ل-م (s-l-m)
• Meaning: Submission or surrender, especially to Elohim.
• Hebrew Understanding: Hebrews would recognize the root of peace (Shalom), seeing that true surrender to Yahweh brings the wholeness and peace promised in the Torah.

2. Khudū‘ (خُضُوع)

• Meaning: Submission, humility, or subjugation.
• Hebrew Understanding: This aligns with the idea of kufah—the humbling of oneself to recognize the sovereignty of the Creator.

3. Ṭā‘ah (طاعة)

• Meaning: Obedience or submission.
• Hebrew Understanding: This is the practical side of submission—doing what is asked of you, just as Yeshua lived out every point of the Torah.

4. Idh‘ān (إِذْعان)

• Meaning: Compliance or submission.
• Hebrew Understanding: This is the outward sign of an inward commitment to follow the instructions (Mitzvot) of Yahweh.

Analysis

To truly understand "submission," we must realize that the Hebrew language is built on action, while Greek is often built on abstraction.

In the Hebrew worldview, you do not "believe" in a concept of submission; you perform submission. If you look at the words shachah (H200) and kufah (H3620), both involve the body. You move your knees, you bend your back, you place your forehead on the earth. This is the "action-oriented paradigm." Submission is not a feeling in the heart that stays hidden; it is a physical movement that shows the world who your King is. When the Torah tells the people how to live, it doesn't give them a list of philosophies; it gives them a set of instructions (Mitzvot) to follow.

Now, look at the Greek words used by the Hebrew apostles, hypotagē (G5277) and hypakoē (G5275). To a Greek philosopher, these might be ideas about social order or political hierarchy. But to Yeshua and His followers, these words were simply the Greek way of saying shachah. When Yeshua spoke about submission, He was talking about the "Torah-as-lived-practice." He did not just talk about being obedient; He was obedient. He kept the Shabbat, He celebrated the Pesach, and He honored the Temple. His entire life was a living demonstration of hypotagē—placing Himself under the authority of the Torah.

Yeshua is the fulfillment of "the Word" (the Torah). This means He was the first human to give "flesh" to the Torah. He showed us that submission is not a burden, but a way of life. If the Torah is the map, Yeshua is the one who walked the map perfectly. He didn't abolish the map; He showed us exactly how to follow it.

This is where the concept of the "scattered tribes" comes in. Yeshua came for the house of Israel—not just the two tribes known as Jews (Yehudah and Levi), but also the ten scattered tribes. He called them to return to the fold, which means returning to the practice of submission to Yahweh's Torah. Submission, in this sense, is the "homecoming" of the people of Elohim, where they stop trying to make their own rules and start living by the eternal rules of the King.

The Temple, as the earthly dwelling of Yahweh, played a huge role in this. The services in the Temple were all about submission. The priests submitted to the laws of purity; the people submitted by bringing sacrifices. This service is not a thing of the past. Because the prophets tell us the Temple will return in the end of days, we know that the practical, physical act of submission—the kind of submission found in shachah—will once again be the center of our worship.

Deviation

Over time, the original biblical understanding of submission has been changed by different religious systems.

The Christian Deviation: Many in the modern Christian world have turned hypotagē and hypakoē into abstract ideas. They think submission is a "spiritual feeling" or a "state of grace" in the heart. Some have even used these words to teach "supersessionism," claiming that the physical laws of the Torah (like Shabbat and food laws) are no longer necessary and have been "replaced." They have moved from the action (Torah-as-lived-practice) to a belief (faith without works). They forget that Yeshua never resisted the Torah; He only resisted the human rules added by the Pharisees. By treating submission as a feeling rather than a practice of Torah, they have deviated from the Hebrew root of shachah.

The Judaic (Religious System) Deviation: The Pharisees and Sadducees took the physical act of submission and turned it into a "fence" of human rules. Instead of focusing on the heart of the Torah, they added hundreds of regulations that made submission a matter of legalism rather than love for Yahweh. They focused on the outward appearance of shachah while ignoring the inward reality of following the Mashiach. They turned a relationship of love and obedience into a rigid system of human tradition.

The Islamic Deviation: The Arabic term islām emphasizes "surrender." While there is a connection to the Hebrew idea of submission, the deviation occurs when this surrender is separated from the specific covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. True biblical submission is not a general surrender to a deity, but a specific, covenantal faithfulness to Yahweh through the lens of the Torah. The focus becomes "submission to a will" rather than "walking in the way of the Torah" as demonstrated by Yeshua HaMashiach.

Conclusion

True submission is not about being crushed or forced. It is about the joy of walking in the right way. In the Hebrew Scriptures, submission is seen in the physical act of shachah—bowing down before the Creator. It is a practical, action-oriented way of living.

Yeshua HaMashiach showed us that the highest form of submission is to live out the Torah perfectly. He did not bring a new covenant to replace the old one; He extended the covenant of Abraham and confirmed the laws given at Sinai. He proved that a human being could live in total hypotagē (submission) to Yahweh by making the Torah their daily bread.

For us today, submission means rejecting the idea that the Torah is abolished. It means realizing that we are called to be "fishers of men," gathering the scattered tribes of Israel and teaching them how to live again by the laws of Yahweh. Whether we are from the tribes of Yehudah, Levi, or the ten scattered tribes, our goal is the same: to move from abstract ideas of "faith" to the practical, lived-practice of the Torah.

When we keep the Shabbat, when we honor the feasts, and when we walk in the instructions of Elohim, we are performing shachah. We are bowing our lives before the King. This is the only way to truly follow Yeshua, for He is the only one who ever showed us exactly how to submit to Yahweh with a perfect and loving heart.