The Finger Pointing at the One

There are words in Holy Scripture that appear only twice, like a whisper carried on the wind from one mountaintop to another. The word hallâzeh is such a breath — occurring but two times in all the Tanakh, yet carrying the weight of a pointing finger. It means "this very," as the sages have noted, and its construction is a joining of the article with the demonstrative pronoun zeh. When the Holy One inspired the writers to use this word, He was not speaking of a distant object or a vague notion. He was saying: this one, right here, the very thing before your eyes. In a world of shadows and approximations, hallâzeh demands that you stop and look directly at what stands before you.

The Root of the Matter

The word hallâzeh is formed from the article — the definite heh — joined with zeh, the demonstrative meaning "this." The ancient rabbis observed that Hebrew thought does not easily separate an object from its essence. When you say hallâzeh, you are not merely pointing; you are declaring that this particular thing carries its own meaning, its own appointed purpose. The Strong's definition captures it as "this very," and the KJV translators rendered it simply as "this." But oh, what a depth lies in that simplicity! In the paleo-Hebrew script, the heh is a picture of a man with raised arms, representing revelation or behold. The zayin in zeh is a weapon or tool. Together, hallâzeh suggests: "Behold the appointed tool — this very one." The word does not allow you to look away.

The Two Occurrences as Twin Witnesses

Scripture gives us only two places where hallâzeh appears, and like two witnesses established by Torah, they testify to a singular truth. The first occurrence is in Genesis 24:65, when Rebekah sees Isaac approaching across the field and asks the servant, "What man is hallâzeh — this very one — walking in the field to meet us?" The servant answers, "It is my master." Here, at the very threshold of the covenant marriage, the word points to the bridegroom coming to meet his bride. The second occurrence is in Exodus 32:1, when the people grow impatient with Moses on the mountain and say to Aaron, "As for hallâzeh — this very man Moses — we do not know what has become of him." In both cases, hallâzeh points to a man who stands between heaven and earth, a mediator. One is received with faith, the other rejected through impatience. The word places you at a crossroads of decision.

The Journey from Bridegroom to Mediator

Jewish tradition holds that every word in Scripture carries a path, and the path of hallâzeh moves from Isaac to Moses. Isaac, the son of promise, the one who was bound upon the altar and restored, walks across the field as the bridegroom. Rebekah sees him and asks: "Who is this very one?" The answer transforms her life. But then the scene shifts to the wilderness, where the same word is used of Moses — the one who brought the law, who spoke with the Holy One face to face. The people grow weary of waiting for him, and in their impatience, they fashion a golden calf. The same word that marked the bridegroom now marks the mediator who is rejected. The sages teach that the number two in Scripture often speaks of witness and division. In these two uses, you see both the embrace of the beloved and the rejection of the prophet. The word itself becomes a mirror for your own heart.

The Gematria of Forty-Seven

The numerical value of hallâzeh is forty-seven, a number that carries deep resonance in the pattern of Scripture. The rabbis of old noted that forty-seven is the sum of the Hebrew letters in the phrase gam zu l'tovah — "this too is for good." What a mystery! The word that means "this very" is linked by its number to the faith that declares even what you cannot understand is woven into the goodness of the Holy One. Forty-seven also echoes the years of Solomon's reign in peace, the years when the Temple stood in its fullness. When you speak hallâzeh, you are declaring that this very moment, this very person, this very trial is part of the Temple being built in your life. The number does not explain the mystery — it invites you to trust the One who holds it.

The Messianic Finger

How can a word spoken of Isaac and Moses not also point to the greater One who was to come? Yeshua walked across the fields of Galilee, and when John the Immerser saw Him, he did not say "a man" or "some prophet." He cried out: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" That is the language of hallâzeh — this very One. When the disciples on the road to Emmaus walked with the risen Messiah and did not recognize Him, their eyes were finally opened at the breaking of bread. They said to each other, "Was not our heart burning within us while He spoke to us on the road, while He opened the Scriptures to us?" The word hallâzeh is the moment of recognition, the finger that says: this very One is the Bridegroom, this very One is the Mediator, this very One is the One you have been waiting for. The apostolic tradition teaches that when you see Yeshua, you see the Father — not a shadow, not a type, but the very substance of divine love made flesh.

The Field and the Mountain

The first occurrence of hallâzeh places you in a field at evening, with the bridegroom approaching. The second places you at the foot of a mountain, waiting for the mediator to descend. Your life is lived between these two landscapes. There are moments when you see the Lord drawing near, and your heart asks, "Who is this very One?" And there are moments when the silence stretches long, and you are tempted to say, "As for this very One, I do not know what has become of Him." The word hallâzeh calls you to hold both postures — the eager expectation of the bride and the patient faithfulness of the wilderness. The ancient Hebrew writings remind you that the same word that pointed to Isaac in his beauty also pointed to Moses in his absence. The Holy One does not change. Whether He comes near or seems far, He is always the same hallâzeh — this very God who keeps covenant.

You Are the Witness

Now the word is placed before you like a stone in your hand. Hallâzeh appears only twice in all of Scripture, but it has been spoken into your ears today so that you might become the third witness. You are called to look at the circumstances of your life — the joys, the sorrows, the waiting, the meeting — and say with the faith of the sages: "This very thing, this very moment, is from the hand of the One who loves me." Do not let your heart wander after golden calves when the mediator seems delayed. Do not let your eyes miss the Bridegroom when He walks across the field of your ordinary day. The word is a finger pointing to the One who is always hallâzeh — this very Yeshua, the same yesterday, today, and forever. See Him. Trust Him. And let the two witnesses of Scripture become the foundation of your own testimony.