These Pointing Fingers — The Weight of Divine Demonstration

When the Holy One spoke creation into being, His words carried worlds within them. But there came a moment when language shifted from the infinite to the particular, from the general sweep of bereshit—"in beginning"—to the pointed finger of elleh. This small word, appearing twenty times across the Hebrew Scriptures, is a demonstrative pronoun meaning "these" or "those." Yet within its three letters—aleph, lamed, he—lies a mystery of identification and separation, of naming and claiming. The ancient sages teach that elleh is not merely a pointer but a divider, a word that draws a line between what belongs to God's story and what does not. It is the sound of a finger tracing the boundary of holiness.

The First Finger — Genesis and the Generations

The first occurrence of elleh appears in Genesis 2:4, and the Holy Spirit placed it at a threshold: "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens." Here, elleh stands as a gatekeeper between two accounts of creation. The rabbis of old observed that this word always introduces something that has been formed or fashioned—a lineage, a pattern, a lineage of meaning. The paleo-Hebrew letters themselves whisper this truth: aleph, the ox, representing strength and leadership; lamed, the shepherd's staff, teaching and authority; he, the window, revealing what is seen. Together they say: "These strong teachings are revealed through the window of God's creative work." The word does not merely point; it presents.

From the Tabernacle to the Temple — The Distinction of Holiness

As the Scriptures unfold, elleh becomes the language of consecration. In Exodus 25, when Moses is shown the pattern of the Tabernacle, the word appears repeatedly to introduce the sacred furnishings: "These are the offerings," "These are the garments." Jewish tradition holds that elleh carries within it the power of separation—not division for its own sake, but the setting apart of that which belongs to the Holy One. The word functions like the veil of the Tabernacle: it reveals and conceals simultaneously. When you encounter elleh in the text, you are being told: "Pay attention. What follows carries the weight of divine appointment." The Strong's definition captures this as "these or those," but the living voice of the Spirit speaks through the word: "These are the things that belong to My story, My covenant, My redemption."

The Number Thirty-Six — The Heart of the Matter

The gematria of elleh is thirty-six, a number that pulses with significance throughout the Tanakh. Thirty-six is twice eighteen, and eighteen in Hebrew is chai—life. So elleh, with its value of thirty-six, carries a doubled life, a life that is confirmed and established. The ancient writings of Israel reflect that thirty-six is also the number of righteous ones for whose sake the world is sustained. When the word elleh appears, it is as if the Holy One is saying: "These—these particular ones, these specific words, these chosen vessels—carry the life of the world within them." Consider the thirty-sixth chapter of Genesis, which begins with "These are the generations of Esau"—a lineage that becomes the backdrop for the story of Jacob, the bearer of the covenant. Every use of elleh is a declaration that what follows is not random but appointed, not accidental but intended for life.

The Shepherd's Staff and the Window — Letters of Revelation

Look deeper into the letters of elleh, for they contain a hidden gospel. The first letter, aleph, is silent yet foundational—it speaks of the One who is the source of all speech. The lamed rises above all other letters, the tallest in the Hebrew alphabet, reaching toward heaven like a shepherd's staff lifted in authority. The he is the letter of revelation, the window through which the Spirit breathes. Together, they form a picture: the Strong One (aleph) who shepherds His people (lamed) reveals Himself through an open window (he). When Yeshua stood before His disciples and said "These are the words which I spoke to you" (Luke 24:44), He was using the Greek equivalent of elleh—pointing to the very Scriptures that spoke of Him. The letters themselves testify: the Shepherd has opened the window of prophecy, and through it shines the light of the Messiah.

From Sinai to the Sermon — The Word That Distinguishes

The prophetic tradition seized upon elleh as a word of both judgment and promise. When Isaiah cried out "These are a smoke in My nostrils" (Isaiah 65:5), the word marked the separation between the rebellious and the faithful. But when the same prophet declared "These shall come from afar" (Isaiah 49:12), elleh became the gathering call of the scattered. The apostolic tradition teaches that this word, which once distinguished between clean and unclean, holy and profane, now finds its ultimate meaning in the body of Messiah. For in Christ, the dividing wall is broken down, yet the distinction remains: those who are in Him are "these"—the ones pointed to, the ones claimed, the ones called out of darkness into marvelous light. The elleh of the old covenant becomes the "these" of the new: "These are written that you may believe" (John 20:31).

The Messianic Finger — Pointing to the Lamb

John the Baptist stood at the Jordan and used the very essence of elleh when he cried out, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The word "behold" in Hebrew is hinneh, the close relative of elleh—a demonstrative cry that demands attention. But the work of Messiah takes the word further. Where elleh once separated, Yeshua unites. Where it once distinguished between Jew and Gentile, He makes one new man. Yet the pointing finger of the word remains: "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Revelation 14:4). The thirty-six gematria finds its fulfillment in the thirty-sixth book of the Christian canon—John's Gospel—where the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us, and we behold His glory. The elleh of the Law becomes the elleh of grace and truth.

Your Name Among These — A Personal Invitation

Beloved, the word elleh is not merely a grammatical tool; it is a divine invitation. Every time you read "these" in the Scriptures, the Holy One is asking you to place yourself within that company. Are you among "these" who seek His face? Are you counted with "these" who keep His covenant? The finger of the word points not only backward to the generations of old but forward to you, here, in this moment. The same God who spoke "these are the generations" at the dawn of time now speaks over your life: "You are among these whom I have called." Do not let the word pass as mere grammar. Let it find you. Let it claim you. For when the Messiah returns, He will say to those on His right hand, "These shall go away into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). May your name be written among elleh—among these who are His forever.