Section 7: Deeper Wisdom, Article 1
Twelve Tribes and the Zodiac
Page 6

       In order to correlate the tribal circle with the signs of Zadok (Zodiac) circle, Reuben [Aquarius] and his companion tribes must be switched in position with Ephraim [Taurus] and his companion tribes. How can such an exchange be reconciled to the clear statements of Scripture in Numbers 2? Strangely, while the resolution is imperceptible in the English translation, it is explicitly clear in ancient Hebrew.
        The English translation of
Numbers 2 presents the positions of the tribes in direct relationship to the four translated compass directions. However, closer examination of the Hebrew words indicates that there is considerable confusion in the translation.


East: It would appear from the phrase, “on the east side toward the rising of the sun,” that Judah’s position
            is clearly on the east, but there is more to this phrase in the Hebrew than has been translated into the
           
King James English Version of the Scriptures. This phrase literally reads very simply: [H6924] east
            side
[H4217] rising .” Here the Hebrew word translated east side is Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary
            entry H6924:
qedem, “the front, the fore part or fore time (antiquity),” from entry H6923: qadam,
            a primary root meaning “to project, to precede; to anticipate, hasten, meet (usually for help).”
Judah
            was the leading tribe, and in reality this statement of placement is
“in the fore front is Judah.”
           
Rising is from entry H4217: mizrach, “sunrise, the east,” from entry H2224: zarach, “to irradiate
            (or shoot forth beams), to rise (as the sun); to appear (as a symptom of leprosy).” Rather than the
            clarity of
“on the east side toward the rising of the sun,” this phrase is simply, “in the forefront
            appearing”
shall “the standard of the camp of Judah pitch.” That is, Judah is the lead tribe and
           
Leo is the leading constellation for all that follows.

South:
The Hebrew word translated south is from Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary entry H8486: teyman, which
            James Strong defines as “the south (as
being on the right hand of a person facing the east),” from
            entry H3225:
yamiyn, “the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or other object (as the stronger and
            more dexterous); locally, the south,” from entry H
3231: yaman, a primary root meaning “to be
            (physically) right
(firm); but used only as denominator from H3225, to be right handed or take the
            right hand side.”
These words are drawn from the same Hebrew root as the next word here translated
           
west, entry H3117: yowm, “a day (from one sunset to the next).” Thus this word could be associated
            with “sunset” and stand in direct opposition to the word above referring to “sunrise.” In this case,
            then, the Hebrew word here should
refer to the west and would account for the position of the
            tribe of Reuben in the
West in connection with the astronomical sign of Acquarius opposite Leo.

West: The Hebrew word translated west is from Hebrew Dictionary entry H3220: yam, which James Strong
            concludes means “a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; the Mediterranean;
            sometimes a large river, or an artificial basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the south.” From this
            “definition,” it is not clear whether this is
west or south. If this word could be either west or south,
            how do you know which it is when? If this position is actually
south, this agrees with the matter
            noted under
south and completes the resolution of the conflict between the two charts. This
            then places the tribe of Ephraim to the
South.


Gael Bataman
Originally Written:      26 September 2005
Latest Update:            24 June 2010


       
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