The Finger of God Pointing: This and That in the Aramaic Tongue

Beloved, let us sit together in the shadow of the Word, for we are about to enter a mystery hidden in a word spoken only three times in all of Holy Scripture. The word is dikkên, an Aramaic particle that means "this" or "that" — yet its very rarity is a jewel set in a crown of gold. When the Most High speaks in a foreign tongue, He does so with intention, as a father who whispers in a language only his children can understand. The usage count of this word is merely three, but those three appearances are like three stars in a dark sky, each one a compass pointing toward the throne of heaven.

From Dust to Declaration: The Root of Dikkên

The sages teach that every word in the holy language carries the memory of its origin. Dikkên is prolonged from dêk, which itself reaches back into the earthiness of the Hebrew letter dalet — the door, the pathway, the humble entrance. In paleo-Hebrew script, the dalet is the figure of a tent flap, a thing that swings open and shut, revealing and concealing. This word is not a grand theological term; it is a pointing finger, a gesture of identification. When you say "this," you are not merely indicating an object — you are declaring, "Pay attention! Here is the thing that matters." The ancient rabbis observed that such words of demonstration are the hinges upon which revelation turns, for God often speaks through the particular, through the "this" and the "that" of history.

The Fiery Furnace and the Fourth Man

The first appearance of dikkên is found in the book of Daniel, where the holy tongue of Israel gives way to the Aramaic of empire. In Daniel 3:28, after the three Hebrew children emerge from the furnace unsinged, King Nebuchadnezzar cries out, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." The king declares that no other god can deliver after this manner — and the Aramaic word he uses is dikkên. Here the word becomes a testimony: this deliverance, this salvation, this particular act of the Most High that no fire can consume. Jewish tradition holds that in that moment, the king saw not just an angel, but the very presence of the One who walks with His people through the flame.

The Scepter and the Stone: Daniel's Vision of the Kingdom

In Daniel 7:8, the word appears again in the vision of the four beasts. The prophet sees a little horn speaking great things, and he is told that this horn — dikkên — makes war with the saints and prevails against them. Yet the vision does not end in despair. The Ancient of Days takes His seat, the judgment is given, and the kingdom is given to the Son of Man. The rabbis of old understood that the horn represents the arrogance of earthly power, but dikkên marks the precise moment when evil reaches its limit. The word is a boundary stone: this far and no further. The apostolic tradition teaches that the Son of Man who receives the kingdom is Yeshua, and that even the horn's fury cannot touch those who are sealed in Him.

The Third Appearance: The Wisdom of the Kingdom

The third and final occurrence of dikkên is found in Ezra 5:16, where the rebuilding of the Temple is recounted. Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah, is said to have laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time — dikkên — until now, the work has continued. Here the word marks a beginning, a restoration, a return to the place where heaven and earth meet. The early church understood that every foundation laid in faith is a dikkên moment — a "this" that echoes into eternity. The Temple was rebuilt with tears and with toil, but it was also a prophecy of the Temple not made with hands, the body of the Messiah, who said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

The Number Seventy-Four: The Word and the Witness

The gematria of dikkên is seventy-four, a number that the ancient Hebrew writings connect to the word ed, meaning "witness." The letters ayin and dalet together form a testimony — the eye (ayin) that sees and the door (dalet) that opens. When you add the value of the word itself, you discover that dikkên is a witness to the specific, the particular, the "this" that God has chosen. The sages teach that seventy-four is also the number of the name of God in certain permutations, a reminder that every "this" in Scripture is a doorway to the Holy One. When you read the word, you are not reading a mere pronoun — you are hearing the voice of the Witness who says, "I am the same, yesterday, today, and forever."

The Messiah Who Is This and That

How does dikkên point to Yeshua? Consider the Gospel of John, where the Lord says, "I am the door" — the dalet, the tent flap, the "this" through which all must enter. In the Tanakh, the word dikkên appears in moments of deliverance, judgment, and restoration. The three occurrences form a pattern: the furnace, the horn, and the foundation. Yeshua walked through the fire of the cross, faced the horn of earthly power, and laid the foundation of the eternal Temple. When the people asked John the Baptist who he was, he did not say, "I am that prophet" — he said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness." The Messiah is not a "that" to be discussed; He is a "this" to be encountered. The early church proclaimed that in Yeshua, every "this" of Scripture finds its fulfillment — this is the Lamb of God, this is the King of the Jews, this is the Son of Man.

Your Finger, Your Door, Your This

And now, beloved, the word comes to you. Dikkên is not merely a word in an ancient scroll; it is a question that the Spirit asks your soul. What is the "this" of your life? Where has God pointed His finger and said, "Here — pay attention — this is the place of deliverance, this is the horn that must fall, this is the foundation I am laying"? You have been given a testimony, a witness that no fire can consume, no empire can silence, no time can erode. The word is small, but the weight of it is eternal. So take the word dikkên into your mouth today, and let it become a declaration. Point to the Lord who saved you, and say, This is my God. This is my King. This is the One who walks with me through the flame. And let your life be a door that opens for others to see the same.