Fē

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In Paleo Hebrew Fē was drawn as a Plow. The Plow concept shows up throughout the books of (5) Deuteronomy, (27) Job and (49) Second Timothy. By studying Plow in these books all of Fē's meanings can be learned.

In Deuteronomy Fē is _____

Yahvah went ahead (5 Deuteronomy 1:32-33): Yahvah went ahead of the Israelites as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They only had to follow. When he told the Israelites to go into Canaan and possess the land they rebelled and did not. They unhitched from following. One major aspect of the plow is who is pulling it. What's pulling you? If it's Jesus you're headed in the right direction, even if rough at times, but if not, then you're certainly off track.

In Job Fē is _____

The overall structure of the book: After the introduction the dialogue begins between Job and his 3 "friends." The pattern is Job speaks, Eliphaz speaks, Job speaks, Bildad speaks, Job speaks and Zohar speaks. This pattern occurs 3 times, though on the last round instead of Zohar Elihu speaks. Each round consists of Job, an upright man, and 3 others coming against him. This plays to the shape of Fē, 1 vertical line and 3 horizontal. After 3 rounds of 3 against 1, Yahvah speaks with Job. So we have 3 rounds of mere men speaking against Job, like the 3 horizontal lines, and 1 round of God speaking in support of Job, the 1 vertical line. You can basically hang the book's outline on the letter. There's more on this under the Stroking section below.; The other general observation about the structure of the book is the way 1 person speaks followed by another then another then another. This is the same as plowing a field. You can back and forth till you're silly.
Going to and fro in the land (27 Job 1:7): Yahvah asks the accuser where he's been. His answer is "going to and fro in the land." He's been going back and forth, like plowing a field. He gives the same answer again in Job 2:2.

In Second Timothy Fē is _____

Phygellus and Hermogenes turn away from Paul (49 Second Timothy 1:15): One aspect of the plow is staying in the rut and not leaving the job, however long or tedious it may be. Paul constantly had guys on the ministry team leaving the hard task at hand to do other, easier things. A couple he mentions by name are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
Paul's chains of imprisonment (49 Second Timothy 1:16): A good plow is hooked up to an animal or some source of power and stays in it's place. It's imprisoned to the task of getting the field ready. Paul's chained to the task like a plow is tied to whatever pulls it.
Soldier, Athlete, Farmer (49 Second Timothy 2:3-6): Paul gives three example occupations that require disciple. Soldiers cannot "entangle" themselves in too many civilian affairs. It's a distraction from staying in the rut. Athletes only win if they compete by the rules. They too have to stay to the task at hand. Farmers too have to work the field before they get to benefit from it's produce.
Preach the word straightforwardly (49 Second Timothy 2:15): It appears one aspect of preaching the word effectively means staying on topic. Building row upon on row, like plowing a field.
Hymenaeus and Philetus have strayed from the truth (49 Second Timothy 2:17-18): A couple more guys who have strayed. Didn't stay in the rut.
Keep away from lusts of youth (49 Second Timothy 2:22): Paul warns about lusts of youth and things that can pull you off the track. He says to follow (be pulled) instead by righteousness, faith, love and peace.
Drawn after the accuser (49 Second Timothy 2:26): The accuser is described as drawing people to his will. It's like being a plow hooked up to the wrong power source or going in the wrong direction.
Men who captivate women (49 Second Timothy 3:6-7): We're warned that in the last times men will lure or captivate women who can be lead away by lust. The specific wording is not the point. The men here are probably leader types and the women are groups or congregations, but the pattern is the same, they are being pulled out of the rut, off the pattern.
Timothy has been a follower of Paul (49 Second Timothy 3:10): Timothy's been laboring behind Paul in the rut. He's in the pattern.
Lured away by enticing words (49 Second Timothy 4:3): Sometimes enticing words lure people out of the pattern, out of the work.
Fulfill your ministry (49 Second Timothy 4:5): Stay at it until it's finished. Plowing a field is long, tedious, not glorious, but it makes it possible to feed many people. Stay at it till your done.
Paul has finished his race (49 Second Timothy 4:7): Paul's saying he stayed the course and he's completed the job.
Demas, Crespos and Titus are gone (49 Second Timothy 4:9-10): More guys who have left or flat out abandoned Paul.
Paul's preaching fulfilled (49 Second Timothy 4:17): Paul finished plowing his field. His call to preach to the Gentiles was fulfilled. He stayed at the work, however enduring and difficult.

Summary

Fē is:

pattern
endurance
patience
hardship
persecution
revelation
pulled
the

Grammar

When prefixed to a word Fē is the definitive article "the."

Stroking

Job begins with the important detail that Job is an "upright" man. This detail is obviously important since it's the opening thought of the book, but it's so important that it's stated twice by Yahvah.

27 Job 1:1
¹There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was innocent and upright, and one who revered God and turned away from evil.

Yahvah's first statement.

27 Job 1:8
⁸Then Yahvah said to the accuser, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is no one like him in the land, an innocent and upright man, one who reveres God, and turns away from evil?

Yahvah's second statement.

27 Job 2:3
³And Yahvah said to the accuser, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is no one like him in the land, an innocent and upright man, one who reveres God, and turns away from evil? He still holds fast to his integrity, although you provoked me against him, to destroy him without cause.

I think Job represents the upright (vertical) line on the letter Fē. The question is do we have 3 horizontal or "sideways" lines anywhere in the book of Job? You bet. Job's 3 friends that come to visit, as we'll see, are sideways.

27 Job 2:11
¹¹Now when Job's 3 friends heard of all this misfortune that had come on him, they set a time of meeting, and each came to him from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to console and comfort him.

So we have 1 upright man, Job, and we have 3 others. The proof that the 3 friends are not upright, but sideways, comes at the end of the book when Yahvah says they are not like Job.

27 Job 42:7-8
⁷And it came to pass, after Yahvah had spoken these words to Job, Yahvah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you, and against your 2 friends; for you have not spoken in my presence what is right, as my servant Job has.
⁸Now take for yourselves 7 bullocks and 7 rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job will pray for you; for I will accept him, lest I deal contemptuously with you, for you have not spoken in my presence the thing which is right, as my servant Job has done.

Yahvah himself says to 1 of the friends that he and the other 2 did not speak right as Job did. In other words they are not upright. So if they're not upright they're sideways, or horizontal. So we now have 1 upright and 3 horizontal (sideways) lines. Looks a lot like Fē.

We can tease this a little further. Just as the 3 horizontal lines of Fē are held up by the vertical line, the 3 friends of Job need Job's intercession to make them right before Yahvah. Job upholds them in prayer.

It's also the case that as Job's 3 friends came to "console" him, what they actually ended up doing was coming against him. Job says this many times in the course of their dialogue. You can think about the 3 horizontal lines as being opposed to the single vertical line. They are going in opposite directions.

If we're being told a stroke order here it's the vertical line first, followed by the horizontal lines. It's not clear to me what the order of the horizontal lines is, but it seems logical to begin at the top and work down. Eliphaz is the first of the horizontal lines because Yahvah mentions him by name and he's always the first guy in the list. He's the first to speak to Job. Because Yahvah did speak to him, even if to tell him he was wrong, there's a sense that he comes out above his other 2 friends. If so he's probably the top line and written first, followed by the other two below.

By Ryan Eaton
Posted Monday, Dan 30, 13000